CHOOSE A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER FROM ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LISTS TO DO YOUR NEXT PROJECT ON. YOU WILL RESEARCH THEM, WRITE ABOUT THEM AND SHOOT A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN THEIR STYLE.
Read through ALL of the following artists. Google search any that you find particularly interesting. Choose a photographer to base your next project on. Keep in mind you will have to create a series of images in the same style/subject matter of your chosen photographer.
When you have chosen one, research them and fill out the "style survey" on the "Artist Inspiration" project webpage.
When you have chosen one, research them and fill out the "style survey" on the "Artist Inspiration" project webpage.
FAMOUS CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHERS
- Becher, Bernd and Hilla- The bechers are knon for their stark black & white photographs of industrial structures, water towers, grain elevators, and German framework houses.
- Close, chuck- Close's photo-realistic paintings are always based on photos he has taken, although he sometimes uses media other than paint to interpret the photos, including fingerprints and handmade paper.
- Cowin, Eileen- Cowin's work is sometimes inspired by Surrealism, leaving the viewer trying to figure out the meaning of the photograph.
- Dijkstra, Rineke- Dijkstra's series of pictures of isolated figures on a beach are portraits of people at their most vulnerable.
- Eastman, Michael- Eastman records exteriors and interiors of buildings, signs, vanishing sights of the Midwest, Cuba and Italy, and is known for intense colors.
- Eggleston, Williams- Eggleston chose to print his everyday photos of people, places, and objects in the South in color. Some viewers consider his photos "fine snapshots," but a closer look reveals a true artistic eye.
- Epstein, Mitch- Epstein photographs American coexistence with industrial powers such as nuclear power plants, oil production areas, and coal plants.
- Evans, Terry- Evan's fascination with the land and sky is evident in her beautiful black & white or color photographs. A Chicago artist, her prairie-sensitive photographs serve to preserve nature.
- Friedlander, Lee- Friedlander sometimes photographs monuments that people erect to commemorate a worthy cause. Many books of his work have been published, allowing him artistic freedom that not all photographers have enjoyed.
- Fuss, Adam- Fuss takes photos that include a fascination with the effects of subjects such as snakes or water drops, or babies on the surface of water, and the transparent images he calls My Ghost.
- Garnier, Jacques- Garnier's beach photos of children and adults takes advantage of the unique light and scenery to show attitude.
- Gilbert and George- These creative artists work together on their wall-sized (mostly) black & white photographic compsoitions that are commentary on English life as they see it.
- Goldblatt, David- Goldblatt has photographed events and places in South Africa for most of his career, working primarily in black and white and more recently in color.
- Groover, Jan- Groover takes available-light photographs of whatever is happening in a place that appeals to her, such as highways and urban landscapes.
- Gursky, Andreas- Gursky's large images may be larger than 6 by 15 feet. He uses digital technology to make panorama-like images.
- Hammond, Jane- Hammond's photographs and digital assemblages reveal her quirky viewpoint, as she incorporates various cutouts, transfers, and "found" images. her work is compared to that of the Surrealists.
- Hofer, Candida- Hofer's work features interiors of palaces, libraries, museums, churches and other places for the public, yet her photos are free of people. One exhibition was entitled the Architecture of Absence.
- Hockney, David- Hockney uses photography as a tool, sometimes making montages of photographs, other times documenting life on the West Coast, with its swimming pools, highways, and affluence.
- Iturbide, Graciela- Iturbide worked with Manuel Alvarez Bravo and shares his interest in photographing Mexican culture with all its diversity.
- James, Geoffery- James says that conventionally beautiful subject matter is of no interest to him. He photographs changes within cities, rarely featuring people.
- Kasten, Barbara- Kasten's abstract photographs represent the effects of light and structure, taking "three-dimensional form" and photographing it to be two-dimensional. She says that light is her subject.
- Klett, Mark- Klett, a geologist by training, shows a fascination with the world of nature, such as Western rock formations, saguaro cacti, and the Grand Canyon. Many of this Western photographs are "revisits" to places that were featured by photography pioneers in the 1860s and 1870s.
- Kruger, Barbara- Barabara Kruger's collage-style commentaries are on the subject of love and the role of women in society.
- Leibovitz, Annie- Leibovitz began as a Rolling Stone magazine photographer, specializing in celebrity portraits.
- Sze Tsung Leong- Leong's large-scale photos of new and ancient buildings record changes happening in regions of China.
- Mark, Mary Ellen- Mark photographs ordinary people. Her twelve books include documentary photographs of Mother Teresa's Missions of Charity, circuses in India, the mentally ill, and brothels in Calcutta.
- Meyerowtiz, Joel- Meyerowitz specializes in Cape Cod landscapes of color, frequently taken to capture the magic light of dusk or dawn. His St. Luis Arch photography features every conceivable angle of lighting.
- Michaels, Duane- Michaels attempts to show the unseen or the idea behind a picture with his photographs. He was greatly influenced by surrealist Rene Magritte.
- Misrach, Richard- Misrach's large-scale seascapes in his On the Beach series reveal the place of humans in the vastness of nature.
- Muniz, Vik- Muniz photographs the lives of ordinary people and objects. However, he is also known for his unconventionally "chocolate series" (large Cibachrome prints that have been partially covered with chocolate).
- Nixon, Nicholas- Famous works include The Brown Sisters and View of New Turnpike Entrance, Boston.
- Ruff, Thomas- Ruff has several subjects and is noted for his giant portraits and architectural photography. His abstract night scenes are especially dramatic.
- Ruscha, Edward- A number of books of Ruscha's work, including Twenty-Six Gasoline Stations, demonstrate his special way of combining words and images of ordinary places in paintings and photographs.
- Salgado, Sebastao- Salgado photographs the human condition. His subjects have included gold mining in Brazil, famine in Ethiopia, and the lives of refugees.
- Sherman, Cindy- Sherman's subject is herself, sometimes grotesquely made up, usually unrecognizable. Her large color photographs are in collections around the world.
- Shore, Stephen- Shore works with a large-format camera to take cityscapes with "clearly focused attention." The photographs taken on his travels show his fascination with clarity and light.
- Simpson, Lorna- Simpson's (mostly) black & white photographs are based on "stereotypes of race and gender." her titles are as intriguing as the photographs themselves.
- Skoglund, Sandy- Skoglund is a sculptor/photographer who places bizarre sculptural objects in an environment, carefully controlling the color, then records them through photography.
- Smith, Steven B.- In his beautiful color photographs of the West, Smith shows how people cause the land to evolve.
- Steinmetz, Mark- Photographs of people, surrealistic wide-angle compositions, unusual viewpoints, realism, and total abstractions best describe the unique work of Steinmetz.
- Sternfeld, Joel- Sternfeld records American places and people in his beautifully composed color photographs.
- Uelsman, Jerry N- Uelsman specializes in darkroom manipulation, using several negatives on the same black & white images. He coined the phrase "post-visualization" to describe this process.
- van Manen, Bertien- Van Manen's sensitive photography reveals his interest in people. His international travels offer opportunities for extraordinary photographs of humanity.
- Wall, Jeff- Wall hires actors and actresses to stage photographs that are sometimes based on works of art. His photographs sometimes have the slick look of an advertisement rather than a work of art.
- Weems, Carrie Mae- Weems's work emphasizes the African-American experience, whether in old photos that she has transformed through color and title or contemporary portraits.
- Wegman, William- Wegman's witty photographs of his Weimaraner dogs in human activities or attire have been used in advertising, books, greeting cards, and television spots.
- Wilson, Jane and Louise Wilson- The Wilson twins specialize in video installations that include sound, as well as based on still photographs of architecture or natural formations.
- Yasumasa Morimura- Morimura's huge photographs of himself dressed as a reincarnation of a famous painting or personage are unique and demonstrate enormous talent and wit.
MASTER PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM THE LAST 175 YEARS
- Abbott, Berenice- Created primarily urban portraits of New York City.
- Ansel, Adams- Possibly the best known of American photographers, Adams created beautiful landscapes of impeccable exposure and printing.
- Arbus, Diane- Arbus's photographs are often of "outsiders" of society, sensitive, intimate portraits.
- Atget, Eugene- Atget photographed his surroundings and the people in them; simple, beautifully designed recordings of a time in the past.
- Avedon, Richard- Avedon, a fashion photographer and portrait artist, compels you to look at his insightful portraits.
- Bourke-White, Margaret- Bourke-White began her career photographing industrial and architectural subjects. She later became a regular staff member of both Fortune and Life magazines. During World War II her photos from the warfront brought her national recognition.
- Brady, Matthew- Brady is best known for his portraits of President Lincoln and documentation of the American Civil War. He did not actually take all the photos that are credited to him, bud had several photographs working for him.
- Brandt, Bill- Brandt recorded the restricted life of England's working class prior to World War II. He later concentrated on portraits and landscapes, frequently incorporating Surrealistic experiments.
- Brassai (Gyula Halasz)- When he moved to Paris from Transylvania, Brassai fell in love with Paris nightlife. His portraits of artists and writers were distinguished by his use of artificial light. He loved strolling the city streets and taking pictures in half-light.
- Bravo, Manuel Alvarez- Recording the daily lives of Mexican people, using light to its best advantage, Bravo's black & white photos (frequently sepia toned) are studies in contrast.
- Cameron, Julia Margaret- Camera staged her photos, with people sometimes in costume, to resemble the soft, romantic paintings of the period when she worked.
- Capa, Robert (Andre Friedmann)- Capa was a Life magazine staff member, noted for his coverage of the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He landed with the Allied troops on D-Day.
- Caponigro, Paul- Paonigro photographed Irish Megaliths and other ancient monuments while funded by a Guggenheim grant.
- Cartier-Bresson, Henri- Cartier-Bresson would wait for what he called "the decisive moment" to take a photograph, selecting a place to photograph, then waiting to time his photos perfectly.
- Cunningham, Imogen- Cunningham specialized in scenes of the city taken with a view camera. A member of Group F.64, her lovely photos of calla lilies and other flowers are known for remarkable clarity.
- DeCarava, Roy- DeCarava became a mainstream photographer with his photos of famous jazz artists and the African American experience.
- Edgerton, Harold- Edgerton specialized in high-speed photos and was the inventor of the strobe flash, a deep-sea camera, and the underwater flash. His technical ability is legendary.
- Evans, Walker- Evans worked during the 1930s Depression for the WPA-FSA. He photographed signs and billboards, often making ironic connections between the out-of-work people posed next to signs showing affluence.
- Gardner, Alexander- Gardner was a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln. His Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of War, published in 1866, documented locales of battle and included his photos.
- Gilpin, Laura- Gilpin recorded the life of the Native American in her book The Enduring Navajo. At age 81 she took photographs of Canyon de Chelly from the ground and air.
- Hine, Lewis Wickes- Hine took photos that led to social labor reform for workers and children.
- Kertesz, Andre- Kertesz demonstrated an outstanding sense of design in simple things such as a vase of flowers or a woman on a couch.
- Koudelka, Josef- Koudelka photographed radical poverty in his homeland of Czechoslovakia and in Spain.
- Lange, Dorothea- During the1930s Depression, Lange photographed migrant workers in California for the Works Progress Administration (WPA/FSA).
- Lartigue, Jacques-Henri- Lartigue received his first camera at age seven and took revealing photographs of French society at the races, the beach at Deauville, and strolling in the park.
- Levitt, Helen- Levitt's documentary photographs of New York City children in the slums are compared to those of Cartier-Benson because they capture the "decisive moment." She was one of a number of "street photographers" who believed that a photographer must record what he or she sees- no more, no less.
- Model, Lisette- Model's unglamorous photographs of Americans on the beach or people in ordinary situations reflected themes she had begun in Europe titled Boredom, Greed, or Self-Satisfaction.
- Moholy-Nagy, Laszlo- Moholy-Nagy was a founder of the American Bauhaus, especially knob for his photograms, or photos taken from unusual viewpoints.
- Muybridge, Eadweard- Muybridge used consecutive motion photos to demonstrate the process of human and animal motion.
- Nadar (Gaspard-Felix Tournachon) Nadar was the "Annie Leibovitz" of Paris, able to bring character to life in his portraiture of famous people. He was the first to take photographs of Paris from a balloon. He also descended into the sewers and catacombs of Paris to take photos there by carbon arc lights.
- Porter, Eliot- Porter did documentary photos of Glen Canyon just before it was inundated by a dam built on the Colorado River. He specialized in photographs of nature, specifically in the Southwest, and won a Guggenheim fellowship to photograph birds.
- Ray, Man (Emmanuel Rudnitsky)- Ray mostly made "Rayographs" (his version of the photogram), employing abstract shapes. He is also well-known for his solarized photographs and became a major figure in Dada and Surrealism.
- Riis, Jacob- Riis, whose photography career began when he was a police reporter, became an early proponent of social reform.
- Rodchenko, Alexander- Rodchenko's photomontage compositions were used to help further the cause of a Socialist society.
- Sander, August- Sander specialized in formal, documentary portraits demonstrating German genetic traits and occupations in the New Objectivity style.
- Sleet, Moneta J., Jr.- Sleet photographed famous African-American entertainers and statesmen such as Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia. He won a Pulitzer Prize in photography for his 1968 photograph of Coretta Scott King and Dr. King's funeral.
- Smith, W. Eugene- A war corresponded and Life photographer, Smith's photo essays show his involvement with his subjects.
- Steichen, Edward- A member of the Photo Secession movement, Steichen is best known for his portraits. He believed that the personality of the photographer should not overshadow the reality of the subject.
- Stieglitz, Alfred- Stieglitz is considered to be the father of American photography because of his work with Aperture magazine and his founding of the Little Galleries of the Photo Secession.
- Strand, Paul- Strand was both an artist and a documentary photographer, whose work is sometimes quite abstract.
- Van der Zee, James- Van der Zee photographed social events such as weddings, funerals, and graduations in Harlem, where he lived for most of his career.
- Warhol, Andy- Warhol popularized the use of photo silk-screen, with his subjects ranging from film and political figures to starkly realistic electrical chairs.
- Weegee (Arthur H. Fellig)- Weegee could be considered the stereotype of a tough city news photographer. He kept his radio turned to police calls and usually made it to a crime scene with the police. his photos of expressions on the faces of onlookers sometimes told the story. New York City was his beat.
- Weston, Edward- Weston was a member of Group F.64. His photography included vegetables, nudes, and sometimes vegetables that looked like nudes. his stark desert scenes and beach pictures demonstrated his mastery of design.
- White, Minor- White was a poet prior to becoming a photographer. His work reflected his commitment to the Asian Zen philosophy.
- Winogrand, Garry- A photojournalist, Winogrand worked exclusively with the 35mm camera, and is considered a street photographer "par excellence."