Top 10 Photographers

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004)  The French photographer believed in what he called le moment decisif, the decisive moment that allows the photographer only a fraction of a second to capture.  He helped popularize photojournalism with his street photography and the way in which he captured ‘real life.’  Cartier-Bresson is most definitely one of my favorite photographers, and an influencing factor behind most photojournalists today.   

Cartier-Bresson ‘prowled the streets’ in search of fleeting moments such as this boy on a bicycle photo taken in Hyères, France, in 1932.

“To take photographs means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second – both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one’s head, one’s eye and one’s heart on the same axis.” Henri Cartier-Bresson.

2. Norman Parkinson, CBE (April 1913- February 1990), was a celebrated English portrait and fashion photographer. This photograph was taken on the 1,840 steps of Mahintale, which lead to the burial place of the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka who brought Buddhism to the Singhalese in the third century BC.

“I like to make people look as good as they’d like to look, and with luck, a shade better”. Norman Parkinson.

3.Edward Weston (1886-1958) was renowned as one of the masters of 20th century photography. His legacy includes several thousand carefully composed, superbly printed photographs which have influenced photographers around the world for 60 years. Photographing natural landscapes and forms such as artichoke, shells, and rocks, using large-format cameras and available light. 

 

 

 ”I see no reason for recording the obvious.” Edward Weston.

 4. Annie Leibovitz is an American photographer, best known for her stunning portraits that have captured the essence of countless notable figures. She has been active in professional photography since the 1970s, and in that time she has become arguably one of the most influential American photographers, and virtually defined an entire style of portraiture.

 

 

“In a portrait, you have room to have a point of view. The image may not be literally what’s going on, but it’s representative.” Annie Leibovitz

5.Eve Arnold, is best known for her images of actress Marilyn Monroe on the set of Monroe’s last (1961) film, The Misfits, but she took many photos of Monroe from 1951 onwards. Monroe trusted Arnold more than any other photographer. Not only did Arnold photograph VIPs such as Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm X, and Joan Crawford, she traveled extensively around the world, photographing in China, Russia, South Africa and Afghanistan.

“If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given. It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.” Eve Arnold

6.Bill Brandt (May 1904/ December 1983) remains one of the pre-eminent photographers of the 20th Century. His career as a photographer began in Vienna in 1928, before he moved to Paris where he assisted Man Ray. He settled in London in 1931 and became the great documentarian of British cultural and social life, exposing the vivid contrasts in society between the World Wars.

“Brandt’s pictures survive and enter the memory because they were constructed by an artist.”  David Hockney

7. Richard Avedon (May 1923 / October 2004) started as a photographer of portraits, photographed celebrities like the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and moved into fine art photography.

‘If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.’ Richard Avedon

8.David LaChapelle After a chance meeting with Andy Warhol, LaChapelle began shooting for Interview, the place he calls “art school.” Twenty years later David LaChapelle is a product of 70s youth with a knack for appropriating a fantasy life onto film. LaChapelle celebrates the artificial, he even makes it beautiful.  

 “People say photographs don’t lie, mine do.” David LaChapelle

9.Man Ray (August 1890/November 1976)

“I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence. Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.” Man Ray

10.Martin Parr

 “With photography, I like to create fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society’s natural prejudice and giving this a twist.” Martin Parr

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