Richard Avedon was born in 1923 in New York. He came from a
wealthy family so he had enough money to pursue photography.
He loved photography. As a 12 year old boy, he joined the
Young Men's Hebrew Association camera club. His photographic career sterted early.
Firstly he took
photos for Merchant Marines. Then he took the advertising photograpy for
the Department Store. He succeeded immediately and started his big career.
The Harper's Bazaar's art director invited young Avedon to
cooperate with them when he was 22. Avedon cooperated with this magazine for 20
years.
He became more and more popular in the whole fashion world
He set up his own photo studio. There he created all his popular photos.
He was a clever man, who broke contemporary conventions.
Previously fashion was presented in a static nd inflexible
way. Models were like mannequins.
He introduced movement into fashion. He allowed models to be
natural. Models could have a smile and a natural mime.
It's difficult to imagine fashion photography without him.
He was a brave man who allowed models to have a natural smile. True emotions
were the most important for him. " All portraits which I made could be my
self-portrait. I'm interested in a human condition but it could be my own
condition" he said.
In my and not only my opinion Richard Avedon was one of the
best American photographers. His photos were on the cover of the most
influential magazines: "Life", "Harper's Bazaar" or
"Vogue".
He presented a spectrum of human emotions in his portraits.
He changed rigid models, looking like mannequins for authentic people.He took a
photo without a studio- he moved fashion photography outdoors.
He photographed Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Verushka
and Audrey Hepburn.
He had a great contact with people who he photographed. He
was also a good psychologist.
Typical stamps of his photography were: emotions, moving and
a dynamic light position. He named his technique: "The Beauty Light".
He was one of the most universal photographers. He was a
specialist in many kinds of photography. He didn't only take fashion
photography only. He usually took fashion photos but he also took photos during
the war in Vietnam. He participated in the project: "In The American
West" as well. The project presented portraits of ordinary American
people. It was an ironic comentary to the story of the American Dream.
"The Newe York Times" wrote that his portraits and fashion photography helped to create the definition of fashion, the beauty and culture of America for at least half a century.
The film "Darkness and Light" is a document about
Avedon. Do you want to watch it? This is for you:
The Richard Avedon Foundation created an application which
shows Avedon's photos- about 1000 of them. It is for iPad so if you want you
can take it from AppStore.
QUESTIONS:
What do you think about his creation?
Do you have your favourit photographer?
Do you prefer color
or black and white photography? Why?
Sources:
http://www.fotoblogia.pl/
http://www.gagosian.com/artists/richard-avedon
Comments
I don't have one favorite photographer (because I like too many of them) but one of my favorites is Helmut Newton. You can check out some of his works right here:
http://photobucket.com/images/helmut%20newton?page=1
I prefer black and white photography, I can't exactly say why but it always used to make a bigger impression on me and I always prefer to use a black and white film roll in my camera. I think that because of lack of the color you can focus more on the situation that takes place in the photo. Of course there are a lot of great colorful photographs, it's just depends what is on the picture :) Color is right for some things and black and white film is right for others.
Last weekend I had an amazing opportunity to listen to the speech of another very important photographer these days - Oliviero Toscani. He is someone completely different than Richard Avedon. He creates images that have to provoke. He was an Art Director of the Benetton Group and he shot their most famous and shocking commercial campaigns. For example, to help increase AIDS awareness he took a photo of a man dying of AIDS in a hospital bed, surrounded by his grieving relatives to help increase. Another example of his provoking work, a bit newer one - he made a very controversial social campaign against anorexia with an emaciated woman - Isabelle Caro. I am sure you all know this photograph: http://sokayka.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Isabelle-Caro-Anorexia-Ad-Campaign-Photo-600x3012.jpg
If you are interested in photography I guess it is worth seeing his work. Here is the link to his website: http://www.olivierotoscanistudio.com/it/portfolio.htm
I'm not a big fan of black and white photography though, as the first thing that comes to my mind is that a person on the picture passed away - I don't find any other reason for giving up on all those beautiful colours that can be captured on the photo. In my opinion 'black and white' filter can turn any picture with bad colouring into a nice one, it leaves only the form and takes away the other challenging area :)
You don't discuss taste but in that situation we have nothing to say.
His portraits are just stunning, you can see great collaboration between model and Avedon.
I'm into photography so I like a lot but in this classic it would be of course Helmut Newton. Another legend.
I don't really care if something is colour/color(gb?us) or BW. If something is good I like it. Artist should choose. But usually when I make a print I use BW.
As a titbid here is grandson of Avedon:
http://michaelavedon.com
his a funny imitation of Richard. Even his site looks almost the same.
But maybe he is just young..
Ok, so you probably study IT and not some artistic shit... but come on!
It's like I didn't know who's Jobs, Wozniak or Gates.
As for black and white / color photography - I like both. I know it's trivial, but I think that some photos looks better in black and white, and some looks better in colors ;p
I don't think I have my favourite photographer. It's a similar problem to having a favourite director - too much good stuff to choose from! I really like Philippe Halsman's works, especially his more surrealistic works, like "Dali Atomicus".
I prefer black ad white phtography. I think it is more nostalgic, force you to stop, think and relax. You can also focus more on actual shapes, not being distracted by colors.
What do you think about his creation?
To me it is a vain profession. It's not my cup of tea.
Do you have your favouritE photographer?
No, I don't
Do you prefer color or black and white photography? Why?
I prefer color photography, to me photography is a tool not an art.
I also really like his photo.
Thanks for your comment. You're right that Color is right for some things and black and white film is right for others. But I still prefer BW photography. in my opinion it's more interesting and more artistic.
Light's operation is amazing in Avedon's photo. You're right.
Olivier Toscani is also good photography, but in my opinion his photo is too controversial for me.
There is other celebrity photographer which i idolise for his use of hard contrast of black and white, Anton Corbjin. I got to know his work when i was listening to depeche mode and tom waits. Even thanks to his work i got a little more interest in photography.
https://www.google.pl/search?q=anton+corbijn&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=buuWVL_gJYOuU5Dkg5gL&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1582&bih=1283
Whenever i have a chance to make some photos myself, i am always trying to experiment with black and white or sometimes colour high contrast. But i still prefer black and white, maybe because how simple and yet full of details it can be.
Uhm I have mixed emotions. I've seen many photos like his photos. Maybe I should fall in his photography deeper. I don't know.
Hahaha, You have serious reason :P
In my opinion BW photography isn't easier to take than photos in colour.
I also appreciate artists who inspire people :) It's really good.
For me his photos is not as good as Richard's. Furthermore his photos are average. Unfortunatelly relationship not always helps.
Halsman is very good. His photos are very surprising and inspiring.
I'm glad you prefer black and white photography as well. I totally agree with you.
I don't have a favourite photographer, because - as Paulina mentioned before - I like to many of them. I like conceptual photography, surreal portraits, travel shots, food photography... Oh, I think Anne Liebovitz's work is very interesting. Her photos have a special, magical atmosphere and look as they have been thoroughly thought through (whaaat).
Well, I like both of these techniques. The thing is that you have to choose what you want to accentuate. B&W focuses more on emotions and expression and color photography may be a better choice to express the general atmosphere of a given place etc.
I like both types of photo, as for me it depends on photo - some could be great in color and some could be ruined by it and vice versa. A lot of people nowadays think about grey photos as a classy-trend, but it is only one of the tools for real creator to show the world as he sees it.
I've seen your photos. I like this which present man's head behind.
Your answear is so definite :p
I've never heard about Anton Corbjin. His work is very interesting for me.
Thanks for your comment and your examples.
Unfortunately, I'm not into photography at all, so I don;t have any favourite photographer.
It's hard to say which kind of photography I prefer more. B/W photos seems to be more nostalgic. Generally speaking some photos looks better in b/w and other looks better in color.
I haven't heard of before, so I'm glad that I know yet another interesting artist. From the photos that you posted, I found some that were appealing to me and some that didn't really catch my attention for long. The ones picturing models in motion are really nice.
Do you have your favourit photographer?
No I don't . I have some favorite photos, but of course I wouldn't be able to remember their authors even if it could save my life. I'm not good with names...
Do you prefer color or black and white photography? Why?
I like both b&w and color photography. It all depends on a picture, because the colors add to the picture's message. I appreciate the shadows and the greys and the contrast in b&w photography as it very often adds more depth. Color images have a different way of 'speaking' to the viewer, I tend to look at them from a different perspective and take them in, in a different manner.
Black and white photography is great when you want your photos to look artistically on facebook ;)