The best projects of American photographers. Photographers and their work. Alfred Eisenstadt and his Times Square Victory Day

The profession of a photographer today is one of the most massive. Perhaps it would be easier here to become the best of the best in the early or middle of the 20th century. Today, when every second or third photographer, well, at least considers himself as such, the criteria for a good photo, at first glance, are blurred. But this is only at first, superficial glance. Quality standards and focus on talent have not gone away. You always need to keep before your eyes a kind of standard, an example that you could follow. We have prepared for you a list of the 20 best photographers in the world, which will be an excellent tuning fork...

Alexander Rodchenko

Revolutionary photographer. Rodchenko means as much to photography as Eisenstein does to cinema. He worked at the intersection of avant-garde, propaganda, design and advertising.

All these hypostases formed an inseparable unity in his work.

Rethinking all the genres that existed before him, he made a kind of great turning point in the art of photography and set the course for everything new and progressive. The famous photographs of Lily Brik and Mayakovsky belong to his lens.

And he is also the author of the famous phrase “Work for life, not for palaces, temples, cemeteries and museums.”

Henri Cartier Bresson

Classic street photography. A native of Chantelupe, department of the Seine and Marne in France. He started as an artist painting in the genre of "surrealism", but his achievements are not limited to this. In the early 1930s, when the famous Leica fell into his hands, he fell in love with photography forever.

Already in the 33rd year, an exhibition of his work was held at Julien Levy, a gallery in New York. He worked with director Jean Renoir. Bresson's street reporting is especially valued.

Especially contemporaries noted his talent to remain invisible to the photographed.

Therefore, the unstaged, reliable nature of his photographs catches the eye. Like a real genius, he left a galaxy of talented followers.

Anton Corbijn

Perhaps, for fans of Western rock music, this name is not an empty phrase. In general, one of the most famous photographers peace.

The most original and extraordinary photos of bands such as: Depeche Mode, U2, Nirvana, Joy Division and others are made by Anton. He is also the album designer for U2. Plus shot videos for a number of bands and performers, including: Coldplay, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, country music legend Johnny Cash, thrash metal mastodons Metallica, singer Roxette.

Critics note the originality of Corbijn's style, which, however, has a host of imitators.

Mick Rock

There are paparazzi photographers who invade the personal lives of stars without permission and are ruthlessly thrown out of there. And there are people like Mick Rock.

What does it mean? Well, how can I tell you. Remember David Bowie? Here is Mick - the only one of the people with a lens at the ready, who was in the personal space of the discoverer of new musical horizons, the trickster and the Martian from rock music. Mick Rock's photographs are a kind of cardiogram of the period of Bowie's work from 1972 to 1973, when Ziggy Stardust had not yet returned to his planet.

In that period and before, David and his associates worked hard on the image of a real star, which as a result became a reality. On a budget, Mick's work is inexpensive but impressive. “Everything was created on very small means with smoke and mirrors,” Mick recalled.

Georgy Pinkhasov

An original photographer of his generation, a member of the Magnum agency, a graduate of VGIK. It was George who was invited by Andrei Tarkovsky to the set of the film "Stalker" as a reporter.

During the years of Perestroika, when the nude genre was a priority among advanced photographers, Georgy was one of the first to draw attention to the importance of a reportage shot. They say that he did it at the suggestion of Tarkovsky and Tonino Guerra.

As a result, today his photographs of that everyday life are not only masterpieces containing authenticity, but also the most important evidence of that era. One of the famous cycles of George Pinkhasov is "Tbilisi baths". George notes the important role of chance in art.

Annie Leibovitz

The most important name for our list of the best photographers. Annie has made immersing herself in the life of a model her main creative principle.

One of the most famous portraits of John Lennon was made by her, and quite spontaneously.

“At that time, I still didn’t know how to manage models, ask them to do what I need. I just measured the exposure and asked John to look into the lens for a second. And clicked...”

The result immediately hit the cover of Rolling Stone. The last photo shoot in Lennon's life was also held by her. The same photo in which a naked John curled up around Yoko Ono, dressed in all black. Who just didn’t get into the camera lens of Annie Leibovitz: pregnant Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg bathing in milk, Jack Nicholson playing golf in a dressing gown, Michelle Obama, Natalia Vodianova, Meryl Streep. Do not list all.

Sara Moon

Real name - Mariel Hadang. Born in Paris 1941, during the Vichy regime her family moved to England. Mariel started as a model, posing for various publications, then tried herself on the other side of the lens and got a taste.

One can note her sensitive work with models, since Sarah knew firsthand about their profession. Her works are distinguished by their special sensuality; Sarah's talent is especially sensitive to convey the femininity of her models.

In the 70s, Sarah leaves the modeling sphere and turns to black and white artistic photography. In 1979 he shoots experimental films. Subsequently, she worked as a cameraman on the set of the film "Lulu", which will receive an award at the Venice Film Festival in 1987.

Sally Man

Another female photographer. A native of Lexington, Virginia. She almost never left her home. Since the 70s, it has been fundamentally working only in the South of the United States.

He shoots only in the summer, all other seasons he develops photographs. Favorite genres: portrait, landscape, still life, architectural photography. Favorite color scheme: black and white. Sally became famous for her photographs, which depict members of her family - her husband and children.

The main thing that distinguishes her work is the simplicity of plots and interest in Everyday life. Sally and her husband belong to the hippie generation, which has become their signature style of life: life away from the city, a vegetable garden, independence from social conventions.

Sebastian Salgado

Magic realist from photography. He draws all his wonderful images from reality. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

So, Sebastian is able to see it in anomalies, misfortunes and environmental disasters.

Wim Wenders, eminent director of The German new wave”, spent a quarter of a century researching the work of Salgado, resulting in the film “Salt of the Earth”, which received a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Weegee (Arthur Fellig)

It is considered a classic of the criminal genre in photography. During the period of his active work, not a single urban incident - from a fight to a murder, did not go unnoticed by Weegee.

He was ahead of his competitors, and sometimes kept up with the crime scene even earlier than the police. In addition to criminal topics, he specialized in reporting on the daily life of the slums of the metropolis.

His photographs formed the basis of Jules Dassin's Naked City noir, and Weegee is also mentioned in Zack Snyder's Watchmen. And the famous director Stanley Kubrick in his youth studied the art of photography with him. Check out the early films of the genius, they are definitely influenced by the Ouija aesthetic.

Irvin Penn

Master in the portrait genre. We can note a number of his favorite tricks: from shooting models in the corner of the room to using a plain white or gray background.

Irvine also liked to photograph representatives of various workers of the profession in their uniforms and with tools at the ready. The brother of the director of "New Hollywood" Arthur Penn, known for his "Bonnie and Clyde".

Diana Arbus

The name received at birth is Diana Nemerova. Her family emigrated from Soviet Russia in 1923 and settled in one of the New York neighborhoods.

Diana was distinguished by a craving for violating generally accepted norms and for committing extravagant acts. At the age of 13, against the wishes of her parents, she married Alan Arbus, an aspiring actor, and took his last name. After some time, Alan left the stage and took up photography, adding his wife to the cause. They opened a photography studio and shared responsibilities. Creative differences led to a break in the 60s. Having defended her creative principles, Diana became a cult photographer.

As an artist, she was distinguished by her interest in freaks, dwarfs, transvestites, and the feeble-minded. Also for nudity. You can learn more about Diana's personality by watching the film "Fur", where Nicole Kidman perfectly played her.

Evgeny Khaldei

A very important photographer for our list. Thanks to him, the key events of the first half of the 20th century were captured. As a teenager, he chose the path of a photojournalist.

Already at the age of 22, he was an employee of the TASS Photo Chronicle. He made reports about Stakhanov, captured the construction of the Dneproges. He worked as a war correspondent throughout the Great patriotic war. Having traveled from Murmansk to Berlin with his trusty Leica camera, he took a number of photographs, thanks to which we can at least imagine military everyday life today.

The Potsdam Conference, the hoisting of the red banner over the Reichstag, the act of capitulation of Nazi Germany and other important events fell into the eye of his lens. In 1995, two years before his death, Yevgeny Khaldei received the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Mark Riboud

Reportage master. His first famous photograph, published in Life, is “Painter on the Eiffel Tower”. Recognized as a photography genius, Riboud had a modest personality.

He tried to remain invisible both to those photographed and to his admirers.

The most famous is the picture of a hippie girl holding out a flower to soldiers standing with machine guns at the ready. He also has a series of photographs from the everyday life of the USSR in the 60s and a lot of other interesting things.

Richard Kern

And a little more rock and roll, especially since this is the main theme of this photographer, along with violence and sex. Considered one of the most important photo artists for the New York underground.

He captured many famous, one might say - extremely famous musicians. Among them is the absolute monster and transgressor punk musician GG Allin. Kern also collaborates with men's magazines, where he supplies his erotic works.

But his approach is far from the generally accepted glossy one. In his free time from photography, he shoots clips. Bands Kern has collaborated with include Sonic Youth and Marilyn Manson.

Thomas Morkes

Do you want peace, silence, and maybe desertion? Then this is one of the most suitable candidates. Tomas Morkes from the Czech Republic is a landscape photographer who has chosen the charm of autumn nature as his subject. These pictures have everything: romance, sadness, the triumph of withering.

One of the effects of Thomas' shots is the desire to get away from the noise of the city into some such wilds and reflect on the Eternal.

Yuri Artyukhin

Considered the best wildlife photographer. He is a researcher at the Laboratory of Ornithology at the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Yuri is passionate about birds.

It was for photographs of birds that he was awarded (and more than once) the most various awards not only in Russia, but in the world.

Helmut Newton

How about the nude genre? An excellent, very subtle and delicate genre, which has its own masters.

Helmut became famous all over the world for his works. His unspoken motto was the expression "Sex sells", which means "sex helps to sell."

Laureate of the most prestigious competitions, including awards - the French "Order of Arts and Literature".

Ron Galella

Embracing various directions photography, it is impossible not to say about the pioneer of such a dubious and at the same time important for understanding modern world genre like the paparazzi.

You probably know that this phrase comes from Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita. Ron Garella is one of those photographers who will not ask permission to shoot, but on the contrary, will catch the stars when they are not ready for it in general.

Julia Roberts, Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Sophia Loren - this is not a complete list of those whom Ron arbitrarily caught. Once Marlon Brando got so angry at Ron that he knocked out several of his teeth on the move.

Guy Bourdain

One of the most important photographers who are needed for a correct understanding of the world of fashion, its origins and aesthetics. He combines eroticism and surrealism in his works. One of the most copied, imitated photographers in the world. Erotic, surreal. Now - a quarter of a century after his death - more and more relevant and modern.

He published his first photographs in the mid-1950s. The photo was, to put it mildly, defiant. A girl in an elegant hat against the backdrop of calf heads peeking out of the window butcher shop. Over the next 32 years, Bourdain regularly supplied amusing shots to Vogue magazine. What distinguished him from many of his colleagues was that Bourdain was given complete creative freedom.

The sea is incomprehensible, mysterious and pure. It leaves no one indifferent ... Breathtaking photos of Josh Adamski (Josh Adamski)

Josh Adamski is a famous British photographer, the master of contemporary photography. He gained his fame thanks to the art of conceptual photography. Talented photo artist Josh Adamsky creates real masterpieces of photography, not only improving his work with digital processing, but also putting his soul into them, displaying the idea and meaning. Josh Adamsky is of the opinion that there are no set rules for making a good photo, but there are good photographers who take good pictures. And he considers the statement of Ansel Adams as his main motto: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it”, which means: “You should not take pictures, you should take a picture”.

They say that the sea is endless. Geographically, this is certainly not the case. However, if you look at it even for a moment, all doubts immediately disappear. The boundless horizon is so vast, so far away.

I love walking by the sea. They never bother me, because they are always different. The sea itself is not the same. It is changeable in nature. Today it is calm and quiet and, as if there is nothing more affectionate than its light waves. Water reflects the warm rays of the sun and blinds eyes that are not accustomed to bright light. Warm sand pleasantly warms my feet, and the skin is covered with a golden tan. And tomorrow a strong wind will shake the sea and majestic waves are already beating against the shore with the strength of a huge beast. The blue sky will turn gray and stormy. And there is no longer that calm happiness of the quiet sea. However, this also has its own charm. This is the beauty of wildness and power. Even the color of sea water often changes - sometimes it is almost blue, sometimes dark blue, sometimes greenish. All of its shades are not even listed.

How much beauty lies within sea depths. Small fish swim in flocks among green and yellowish algae. And the sandy bottom is covered with shells, as if precious stones. I love collecting shells. I like to imagine that I am finding lost treasures from sunken ships. And how many such treasures are still fraught with the depths of the sea?

There is nothing better than spending a day at sea. You can have fun and swim with family and friends. And sometimes you just want to walk alone, feel the peace under the sound of the waves.

The sea is incomprehensible, mysterious and pure. It leaves no one indifferent.

The photographer today is one of the most popular and highly paid professions. If earlier, in the twentieth century, only a few were engaged in it, and it was easier to achieve great success, today you need to try before others notice you and your work. The vision of photography is important: a clear idea of how the subject and objects will look in the frame. Learn it and develop unique style is possible only with time, and observation will help in this: studying the best works recognized classics will help you understand in which direction you should move further in photography.

Learning to see your work before you even press the shutter will help detailed analysis pictures of recognized masters of photography. So you can better understand in which direction you need to adjust your skills. The “golden” time of photography is considered to be the second half of the twentieth century, but we are convinced that there are talents in modern photography as well. The article will talk about professionals whose shots are forever included in the ratings of the best photo works - you should look at them with special care.

Henri Cartier Bresson

A photographer who has long become a classic in the genre of street photography and photorealism. His reports are still considered an example of how to work in this area - the master managed to become absolutely invisible while working, so that the subjects on his shots always looked as natural as possible. Henri studied as an artist, and this left a mark on his corporate identity- some surrealism. The first exhibition was held in 1933 at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York.

The golden rule is that the only two compasses a photographer has at his disposal are his eyes. Any purely geometric analysis, any reduction of a photograph to a bare scheme (and this is in the very nature of photography!) can only be done after the photograph has been taken, developed and printed.

The last day of distribution of gold by Kuomitang. Shanghai - China, 1949

Arthur Fellig (Vigi)

The great master of crime photography has always been the first on the scene of any New York incident - whether it was a petty brawl or a murder and fire. The photographer liked to work with the poor areas of the city, to study all aspects of their life. Even renowned filmmaker and photographer Stanley Kubrick learned from Vigi's work - in general, Felling's influence touched many talented people.

For me, photos are like pancakes. I have to get them while they're hot.

Girl polishing shoes, New York, 1960.

Irvin Penn

The man who revealed to us all the beauty portrait photography and fashion shoots. He loved to work with representatives of various professions, photographing them in full working uniforms. In general, Penn was very fond of using in his works signature techniques invented by himself. For example, shooting stars in the corner of the room, using nondescript gray or whitish backgrounds.

If I look at any object for some time, the sight fascinates me. This is the curse of the photographer.

Marlene Dietrich, New York, 1948.

Diana Arbus

The woman photographer was distinguished by a special love for shooting deviant personalities and outcasts: among these were nudists, dwarfs, people with dementia, transvestites - all those from whom it is customary to look away when meeting. One of Diana's most famous photographs, the Identical Twins sold at auction for nearly half a million dollars.

There were and are an infinite number of things on earth. All individuals are different, everyone wants different things, everyone knows different things, everyone looks different. Everything that was on earth was different from the other. This is what I love - the differences, the uniqueness of each and the importance of life. I see something that seems miraculous, I see the divinity of ordinary things.

Puerto Rican woman with a mole, 1965

Mark Riboud

Probably, almost everyone has seen a picture of a hippie girl holding out a flower to soldiers with rifles. Frenchman Marc Riboud is a photographer who is considered a genius reportage shooting, traveled the world in search of interesting shots: his works from Vietnam and China are especially appreciated. Fine works can also be found from the territory of the USSR in the 60s: these are shots from the everyday life of ordinary Soviet citizens.

I have always been more moved by beauty than by violence or ugliness. It is a great happiness to be able to notice order in the world's disorder, to find rhymes and rhythms through the camera's viewfinder.

Salvador Dali, Cadaqués, Spain, 1963

Elliott Erwitt

A French photographer with Russian roots, working in America, was very fond of making his work absurd and provocative. The master looks at our non-trivial world with a special look that stands out from the crowd of other photographers - here irony, frivolity and humor are intertwined together and create memorable masterpieces.

What I love about any - young, old, middle-aged, it doesn't matter, photographers - is when there is a feeling that they are interested in human comedy ...

New Jersey, 1971

Richard Avedon

A photographer whose stunning black-and-white portraits feature every star, from John Lennon to Audrey Hepburn. His manner can be described as concise and cuts off everything superfluous in the picture: you will see only a person and his gaze, as if turned right at you. He began taking photographs as a small child: there is a legend that nine-year-old Richard caught the great composer Sergei Rachmaninov in his lens.

I made my list of "do not": do not look for best light, no need to build a composition, no need to succumb to the temptation of eloquent poses. And all these “don’t” lead me to the “must”. To white background, to a person who interests me, and to what is happening between us.

Dalai Lama XIV

William Eugene Smith

The photographer became famous thanks to his pictures of the Second World War wars - the photojournalist was able to work both with heavy plots of military operations, and with sentimental situations from the life of ordinary people. The photographer loved to use 35mm cameras and refused to work in publications where shooting was supposed to be done on medium format. He worked as a documentary photographer for Life magazine.

I have not taken a single photo - good or bad - without paying for it with peace of mind.

Guy Bourdain

More than 25 years have passed since the death of the master, and his works are still relevant and continue to be copied. Many take an example from Guy Bourdin's photographs - after all, it was he who showed how interesting fashion photography can be. Absolutely creatively free - he created frames filled with both surreal images and their eroticism. His pictures were adored by Vogue.

Yes, he was quite unusual, strange and had a special sense of humor, not like everyone else, but he was also always polite, respectful, well-mannered, calm and behaved as if he came from a very good family ... He always asked me whether I'm hungry, whether I'm cold or hot, and always tried to please me. He said that he did not like to shoot hungry models. - Joan Bennett, Guy Bourdin's model.

Alexander Rodchenko

A true revolutionary and pioneer in Soviet photography, advertising and design. He was one of the first masters of constructivism, working at the junction with the avant-garde. Because of his bold views on art, he was expelled from the Union of Artists - the photographer did not want to follow the style of socialist realism and moved in his own direction. Filmed by Lilya Brik, Vladimir Mayakovsky.

In order to teach a person to see from new points, it is necessary to shoot ordinary, well-known objects from completely unexpected points and in unexpected positions, and to shoot new objects from different points, giving a complete picture of the object.

Stairs. 1930

Patrick Demarchelier

The most famous fashion photographer who made the fashion genre more complex and sophisticated. Thanks to Patrick, photos in fashion magazines have become less glamorous and pompous. He owns perhaps the most famous photo Princess Diana, and his work graces the covers of the best magazines.

Basically I learned to take pictures… just taking pictures, making a large number of pictures. I have made many mistakes, but they are the ones that teach the best. The job of a photographer is like a sport: you have to train every day.

Kate Moss, New York, 1992

Annie Leibovitz

One of the most important photographers of the second half of the twentieth century and the present. She not only photographed, but immersed herself in the life of a model. ridding their viewers of hyperglamour. Her shots are simple, ironic, witty - John Lennon coiled around Yoko Ono; Whoopi Goldberg bathing in milk.

When I say that I want to take a picture of someone, it really means that I want to get to know them better. Everyone I know, I photograph.

Cate Blanchett, 2004

Mick Rock

A photographer with a last name that explains a lot: this man took pictures of all the iconic rock musicians and was even listed as the staff photographer of David Bowie himself. Mick Rock filmed the seventies and their heroes - in journalistic circles he was considered the person who managed to do this most fully.

This is a 1974 London promotional party before the release of Sheer Heart Attack. As you know, in those days, I had already made several covers for Queen albums and took a whole bunch of photos. And they obviously had a good time. At that time I often filmed parties, but only with the participation of those with whom I already worked or was friends. I mean, I'm too old to be paparazzi, so I only took pictures of people who would be comfortable with me being around.

Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol, NYC 1978

Sebastian Salgado

A photographer who captures reality in such a way that it begins to seem somehow fantastic. Based on his work, the film “Salt of the Earth” was shot, and the master depicts anomalies, poverty, and environmental problems. Even such terrible scenes in the master's frame begin to truly fascinate with their unusual beauty.

Photography is much more than just taking pictures. It's a way of life. This is what you feel, what you want to express, this is your ideology and ethics. It is a language that allows you to travel through time.

Waura Indians fishing in Lake Puilanga near their settlement. Headwaters of the Xingu River. State of Mato Grosso. Brazil. 2005.

Anton Corbijn

One of the most famous rock photographers and filmmakers, who became famous for his video clips and photo shoots for such monsters of music as U2 and Depeche Mode. His photographs are slightly “noisy” and blurred, but at the same time very original. According to many experts, it was Anton who made the best shots for such rock bands as Nirvana and Metallica.

I listen to people. I don't just use them as a model, but I try to understand what they want. Therefore, when you look at a photograph, you feel a living person in it.

Steven Meisel

Fashion photographer who contributed to Madonna's cult book "Sex" and became especially famous after it. It was he who introduced the world to such top models as Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Amber Valletta.

Everything you grew up with becomes part of your aesthetic vision.

Italian Vogue, Los Angeles, 2000.

Martin Parr

The photographer who took Special attention the most ordinary life situations, which in his hands turned into bright, saturated shots, the shades of which would be invisible to a simple layman. He loved to work with the British social classes, used the art of satire in photography.

I turn reality into fiction.

Hungary. Budapest. Therapeutic baths of Széchenyi 1997

Richard Kern

Scandalous, provocative and bold - this underground photographer captured the themes of rock and roll, sex and human freedom in all its manifestations. The theme of violence can be traced in his works, and such ambiguous personalities as Sasha Gray and Gee-Gee Allin became the heroes of the pictures. Published in major men's magazines, and also shoots videos for Marilyn Manson.

It's just that young photographers shoot the same thing. Most of them are just boring people. They send me a lot of works, and it's good if one out of twenty is worth something. There are five schools in New York alone, each producing two hundred photographers a year.

Sally Mann

For many years he has been photographing in the southern United States, preferring to work only in the summer, devoting the rest of the months to developing shots. She became famous for her black and white photographs, especially portraits of her family and children. Simple plots from life away from the bustle of the city, independence from social rules are the main motives of the work.

Memory is our main tool, an inexhaustible source. Photographs open doors to the past, but also provide a glimpse into the future.

David Barnett has been a photojournalist for 40 years. His camera is not hunting beautiful landscapes and seals - it is aimed at important events that become symbols of the era. David's photographs allow you to look at the world from the outside. His works are a living textbook of history, which, instead of dry facts, demonstrates the bright events of our time.

I like David. While other pros are buying their own, he's wearing an ancient 60 year old Speed Graphic camcorder. Of course, he has expensive professional equipment. But, apparently, he understands perfectly well: an expensive camera is a nice bonus, and not mandatory condition for good shot. A real master can make a good shot even with a "soap box" for 30 bucks.

A simple example: in 2000, David won the Eyes of History competition by taking a picture with a cheap $30 Holga plastic camera.

When Helmut was a teenager, the Gestapo arrested his father. Newton fled Germany and moved to Australia, where he served in the Australian army until the end of the Second World War ... This seems to be the way to write a description if you were bitten by a Wikipedia moderator.

The biographies of talented people often look too impeccable, like a VIP room in a private clinic - just as sterile and far from real life. German-Australian photographer, worked for Vogue magazine, sometimes shot in the nude genre ... This sparse retelling does not give any idea of who Newton Hellmuth was.

And he was a sincere snob without delusions of grandeur, who loved the glitter of high society. He preferred to shoot rich people and stay in luxury hotels. And he spoke honestly about this, considering himself a rather superficial, but truthful person.

Until he suffered a heart attack in 1971, Hellmuth smoked 50 cigarettes a day and could party for a week. But a heart attack revealed an incredible truth to the 50-year-old photographer: it turns out that a rampant “youthful” lifestyle can end very sadly with age.

Having been on the verge of death, Helmut quit smoking, began to lead a more measured life and promised himself to shoot only what was interesting to him.

Helmut Newton on things he hates:

I hate good taste. This is a boring phrase, from which all living things suffocate.
I hate it when everything is inside out - it's cheap.
I hate dishonesty in photography: pictures taken in the name of some artistic principles are fuzzy and grainy.

Yuri Arkurs is one of the most successful stock photographers in the world. Instead of photographing sunrises and fog in a city park, he photographs what is for sale: happy families and pills, money and students. And on special sites called photo stocks, all this is sold and bought. And in this area, Arkurs became a real guru, who showed by personal example how to earn money, achieve heights and even enjoy doing commercial stock photography.

Yuri was born and raised in Denmark. He began to earn money on photo stocks in his student years in order to pay for his studies. At that time, the only model he could shoot was his girlfriend. But soon Additional income became the main one for Yuri: a few years later, in 2008, he earned up to $ 90,000 per month on photo stocks.

Today this guy is selling his work large companies: MTV, Sony, Microsoft, Canon, Samsung and Hewlett Packard. His shooting day costs $6,000. And this whole story has become a real fairy tale about Cinderella for freelancers with a camera.

How realistic is it to repeat such a path to success? Who knows. We can only state that today Yuriy Arkurs is one of the most successful stock photographers.

Irving Penn liked to take pictures, but did not give this hobby special significance. His main job was art design: Irwin designed magazine covers and even got a job as an assistant art editor at the popular Vogue magazine.

But cooperation with eminent photographers of this publication did not work out. Penn was constantly dissatisfied with their work and could not explain to them what he needed. As a result, he waved his hand and took up the camera himself. And how he took it: the pictures were so successful that the authorities persuaded him to retrain as a photographer.

Irwin was the first to shoot models on a white or gray background - there was nothing superfluous in the frame. Incredible attention to every detail earned him a reputation as one of the best portrait photographers of his time. This allowed Penn to shoot various celebrities, including Al Pacino and Hitchcock, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

Gursky inherited his love for photography from his father: he was an advertising photographer and taught his son all the intricacies of his craft. Therefore, Andreas did not hesitate with the choice of profession: he graduated from the school of professional photographers and State Academy arts.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about this because I've got the wiki moderator syndrome back on track. It's just that Andreas is one of the few photographers from our rating who thoroughly approached this occupation, and did not shoot by chance.

After completing his studies, Gursky began to travel the world. Experimenting and gaining new experience, he found his own style, which is now his calling card: Andreas takes huge pictures, the dimensions of which are measured in meters. Looking at their reduced copies on a computer screen, it is difficult to appreciate the effect that they produce in full growth.

Whether Gursky shoots a panorama of a city or a river landscape, people or factories, his pictures are striking in their scale and peculiar monotony of details in the photo.

For most of his life, Ansel Adams has photographed nature in the Western United States. He traveled a lot, photographing the wildest and most inaccessible corners of national parks. His love for nature was expressed not only in photography: Ansel actively advocated the preservation and protection of the environment.

But what Adams did not like was pictorialism, popular in the first half of the 20th century, a method of photography that made it possible to take photographs that looked like paintings. In contrast, Ansel and a friend founded the f / 64 group, which professed the principles of the so-called “direct photography”: shoot everything honestly and realistically, without any filters, post-processing or other bells and whistles.

Group f/64 was founded in 1932, at the very beginning of Ansel's career. But he was true to his convictions, so he retained his love for nature and documentary photography until the end of his life.

You must have seen the screensaver on your desktop, which depicts the Teton Range and the Snake River against the backdrop of the setting sun:

So, Adams was the first to capture this landscape from this angle. His black-and-white photograph was included in 116 images that were recorded on the Voyager gold plate - this is a message from earthlings to unknown civilizations sent into space 40 years ago. Now the aliens will think that we do not have color cameras, but there are good photographers.

I like Sebastian's biography. This is a natural evolution that happens to any idealist throughout life.

Salgado himself told this story in an interview when he visited Moscow in February 2016. At 25, he, along with his wife, moved from Brazil to Europe. From there they planned to go to Soviet Union and enter the University of Peoples' Friendship in order to build a society without social inequality. But in 1970, their dreams were destroyed by a friend from Prague - the Czechs tasted plenty of communism in 1968.

So, this guy dissuaded the spouses, explaining that in the USSR no one is building communism. Power does not belong to the people, and if they want to fight for the happiness of ordinary people, they can stay and help immigrants. Salgado listened to his friend and stayed in France.

He trained as an economist, but quickly realized that this was not his. His wife, Lelia Salgado, had more creative profession- she was a pianist ... but also became disillusioned with her occupation and decided to become an architect. It was she who bought their first camera to shoot architecture. As soon as Sebastian looked at the world through the viewfinder, he immediately knew that he had found his true passion. And after 2 years he became a professional photographer.

According to Salgado himself, economic education gave him knowledge in the field of history and geography, sociology and anthropology. A huge store of knowledge opened up opportunities for him that are inaccessible to other photographers: an understanding of human society in various parts of our planet. He has traveled to over 100 countries, taking an incredible amount of documentary photography.

But do not think that Sebastian photographed exotic beaches and funny animals while relaxing on tropical islands. His travels are completely different. Initially, an idea is born: "Workers", "Terra", "Renaissance" - these are just some of the names of his albums. After that, preparations for the trip begin and the trip itself, which can take several years.

Many of his works are devoted to human suffering: he photographed refugees in African countries, victims of famine and genocide. Some critics even began to reproach Salgada for presenting poverty and suffering as something aesthetic. Sebastian himself is sure that the matter is different: according to him, he never took pictures of those who look pathetic. Those he photographed were in distress, but they had dignity.

And it would be fundamentally wrong to think that Salgado was "promoting" on someone else's grief. On the contrary, he drew the attention of mankind to those troubles that many did not notice. The situation when Sebastian completed Exodus in the 1990s is indicative: he was filming people who had escaped the genocide. After the trip, he admitted that he was disappointed in people and no longer believes that humanity can survive. He returned to Brazil and took some time off to recover.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending: the old idealist regained his faith in beauty, and is now busy with another project, photographing the untouched corners of our planet.

If you start typing in a search engine , then Google will display a drop-down box with the option "Steve McCurry Afghan Girl". This is rather strange, because McCurry is too mustachioed for a girl, albeit an Afghan one.

In fact, the "Afghan Girl" is Steve's most famous photograph to feature on the cover of National Geographic magazine. Even the Wikipedia article about this guy starts with a story about this:

“Steve is a mustachioed American photojournalist who photographed an Afghan girl”. (Wikipedia)

Most articles about this photographer begin with a similar phrase, including our story about him. One gets the impression that he is a one-man actor, like Daniel Radcliffe or Macaulay Culkin. But it is not so.

Steve's career as a professional photographer began during the war in Afghanistan. He did not travel around the country on a Hummer, hiding behind the backs of the military, but stayed among ordinary people: he got local clothes, sewed rolls of photographic film into them and traveled around the country like an ordinary Afghan. Or as an ordinary American spy disguised as an Afghan - someone could consider this option. So Steve took a risk, but thanks to him, the world saw the first photos of that conflict.

Since then, McCurry has not changed his approach to work: he wandered around the world, shooting different people. Steve captured many military conflicts and became a true master of street photography. Although in fact McCurry is a photojournalist, he managed to blur the line between documentary and art photography. His photographs are bright and attractive, like a postcard, but at the same time truthful. They do not require any explanations or comments - everything is clear without words. To create such photos, you need a rare flair.

Annie Leibovitz is a real specialist in the part portrait shooting stars. Her photographs graced the covers of the most popular magazines, causing stormy emotions and discussions. Who else would have thought to take a picture of Whoopi Goldberg grimacing in a bath of milk? Or a naked John Lennon cuddled up against Yoko Ono in a fetal position? By the way, it was last shot in his life, taken hours before Chapman's fatal shot.

Annie's biography looks quite smooth: after studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, Leibovitz got a job at Rolling Stone magazine. She worked with him for over 10 years. During this time, Annie has earned a reputation for being able to photograph any celebrity in an interesting and creative way. And this is quite enough to achieve success in modern show business.

Having gained some fame, Annie moves to New York, where she opens her own photography studio. In 1983, she began working with Vanity Fair magazine, which sponsored her subsequent outrageous celebrity shots. Shooting naked Demi Moore at the last stage of pregnancy or smearing with clay and exposing Sting in the desert is quite in the spirit of Leibovitz. Like forcing Cate Blanchett to ride a bike or forcing a goose to take pictures with DiCaprio. No wonder her work is so popular!

Who else can boast that he photographed the Queen of England, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama and many, many other celebrities? And, mind you, he didn’t shoot as a paparazzi, hiding behind a bush, but arranged a full-fledged photo shoot? That is why Annie Leibovitz is considered, if not the best, then the most successful contemporary photographer. Although somewhat poppy.

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson

Craving for art Henri inherited from his uncle: he was an artist and got his nephew hooked on painting. This slippery slope eventually led him to a passion for photography. What did Henri do that made him different from hundreds and thousands of other photographers?

He comprehended a simple truth: everything must be done honestly and for real. Therefore, he refused to staged photos, never asked someone to act out a certain situation. Instead, he kept a close eye on what was going on around him.

In order to remain inconspicuous during the shooting, Henri sealed the shiny metal parts on the camera with black electrical tape. He became a real "invisible", which allowed him to capture the most sincere feelings of people. And for this, it’s not enough not to attract attention - you need to be able to determine the decisive moment for a photo. It was Henri who coined the term, "the decisive moment," and even wrote a book with that title.

To summarize: Cartier-Bresson's photos are distinguished by lively realism. For such work, some professional skills are not enough. It is necessary to sensitively understand the nature of a person, to capture his emotions and mood. All this was inherent in Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was honest in his work.

Don't be a snob... Repost!

The first cameras were invented in the middle of the 19th century. A lot of time has passed since then, and today photography has become a real art.

Indeed, not everyone succeeds in doing good shots, which could fully convey the peculiarity of the event, the accuracy of the phenomenon or the depth.

In this article, we will talk about the best photographers in the world which have firmly entered the history of this art form.

Happy reading!

David Barnett

American David Barnett (born 1946) devoted most of his life to photojournalism. Many experts say that it is easy to study from his pictures.

An interesting fact is that the photographer, unlike most of his colleagues, prefers to work with an old Speed Graphic video camera, which is already over 60 years old.

This once again proves that a good photograph does not always depend on high-quality equipment.

Newton Hellmuth

When the German photographer Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was still a teenager, his father was arrested by the Gestapo, but he himself managed to escape to.

Having joined the Australian army, he successfully fought against the Nazis until the end.

After that, he decided to take photography seriously. It is interesting that he filmed exclusively famous and rich people, which he never hesitated to speak openly about.

His collection contains many black and white photographs which, according to the master, best reflect the character of a person.

He himself once admitted that he hates "dishonest photography." According to him, pictures taken for the sake of any artistic principles are always "fuzzy and grainy."

Yuri Arkurs

Danish Yuri Arkurs (born 1979) is a commercial photographer. He shoots everything that can be profitably sold. Today, this type of shooting is called stock photography.

He began to earn money on photo stocks at a young age, as he was in dire need of the funds necessary to pay for tuition. At that point in time, he was actively filming his best friend.

Initially, Arkurs treated photography as a hobby, but soon additional income became the main one for him. A few years later, thanks to photo shoots, he was able to earn up to $ 100 thousand a month.

Today he successfully sells his best photographs to various large companies. An interesting fact is that the customer needs to pay $6,000 for one shooting day with Yuri.

Irvin Penn

Early in his career, American Irving Penn (1917-2009) worked as an art designer. He designed covers for various publications, and for some time worked as an assistant art editor in the famous Vogue magazine.

However, he often criticized the shots of the best photographers of the time, who did not understand what Penn wanted from them.

When his patience ran out, he took the camera himself and took up professional photography. Soon he managed to create many real masterpieces.

For example, Irwin was the first to shoot people against a white or gray background, getting rid of everything superfluous in the frame. He masterfully conveyed the emotions of his models, and soon became one of the best portrait photographers.

Penn has worked with such famous personalities as Al Pacino, Pablo Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock and Salvador Dali (see).

Andreas Gursky

German photographer Andreas Gursky (born 1955) followed in the footsteps of his father, who worked in advertising. Even as a child, Gursky gained a lot of experience watching his father in the process of taking pictures.

After that, he graduated from the School of Professional Photographers and the State Academy of Arts.

Its peculiarity is that it takes incredibly large photographs, measured in meters. According to Anders, it is the overall shooting that allows you to fully convey the key details of the photo.

During his career, he shot many city panoramas, landscapes, people and even industrial enterprises. His photos are amazing not only for their scale, but also for their detail.

Ansel Adams

American Ansel Adams (1902-1984) spent his entire life filming wildlife in the west. He constantly traveled in search of the best landscapes. He loved so much and that he became one of the most active environmentalists.

An interesting fact is that Ansel hated the so-called pictorialism - a way of shooting that allows you to create pictures that look like a painting.

On the contrary, he promoted the principle of “direct photography”, in which everything looks as realistic as possible in the photo. Adams also did not like to process pictures and use any filters.

In 1932, he created the Group f / 64 association, the main idea of \u200b\u200bwhich was the desire for an absolutely clear focal image.

Many personal computers have standard photo wallpapers that show the Teton Range and the Snake River against the backdrop of the setting sun. So these are the works of one of the best photographers in the world - Ansel Adams.

Sebastian Salgado

When the Brazilian Sebastian Salgad (born in 1944) turned 25, he and his wife moved from Brazil to Europe. Initially, he wanted to live in because he liked the ideas of communism.

However, for a number of reasons, his outlook changed over time. As a result, Salgado and his wife settled in France.

After some time, his wife gave him the first camera, with which he never parted again. After 2 years he became one of the best photographers in France.

It is worth noting that Sebastian was a very educated person, which helped him to make many good photos. Unlike other photographers, he was unusually sensitive to people of different ethnic groups.

During his career, he managed to visit more than 100 states, and make a huge number of documentary photographs.

He mainly photographed the consequences of war, genocide, environmental disasters and personal human tragedies.

This work seriously affected his psyche. For a while, the photographer withdrew into himself and completely stopped shooting.

Today, Sebastian Salgado photographs exotic places around the world.

Steve McCurry

The best photograph of the American Steve McCurry (born in 1950) is considered to be the so-called "Afghan girl" who was once on the cover of National Geographic. It was this shot that made McCurry world-famous.

At the beginning of his career, he worked as a military photographer in . Steve was driving his car, taking underground pictures. He carefully hid all the equipment and photographic materials so that the soldiers could not find them.

He himself always made up like an ordinary Afghan, so as not to attract too much interest to himself. Thanks to this, the whole world was able to see many photos of the tragedy of Afghanistan.

Since that time, McCurry began to travel the world, photographing different people. All his photos look as realistic and truthful as possible. Looking at them, a person does not have any questions, since everything is already understood without words.

The Afghan girl mentioned earlier is called Sharbat Gula. McCurry photographed her in 1985 while in a refugee camp.

Annie Leibovitz

American photographer Annie Leibovitz (born 1949) is considered to be one of the best portrait painters in the world. During her career, she managed to work with many celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Penelope Cruz, Woody Allen and others.

After studying at the Institute of the Arts, Annie Leibovitz began working for Rolling Stone. Having worked in it for more than 10 years, she has earned a reputation as the best photographer who can capture any person in an unusual way.

In the early 80s, she moved to, where she opened her own photo studio. There she continues to successfully shoot various artists and politicians.

Henri Cartier Bresson

French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is considered not only one of the best photographers in the world, but also the father of photojournalism.

He masterfully took photographs as early as the beginning of the 20th century. However, what did he manage to do to be considered one of the best photographers?

Throughout his career, Cartier-Bresson took the most honest photographs, refusing any productions. Moreover, he never asked his models to imitate any emotion or situation.

Instead, he watched people for a long time, waiting best moment to take a photo.

An interesting fact is that Henri sealed all the metal elements located on his camera with black tape so as not to attract attention to himself.

His photographs are incredibly lively realism. At the end of his life, Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote the book The Decisive Moment, in which he described in detail his vision of photography.

Well now you know why the best photographers peace considered as such, and what they are famous for. If you liked this article, please share it. in social networks and subscribe to the site. It's always interesting with us!

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