Street Photography Black & white photo
Ellen Auerbach, born Ellen Rosenberg, is an American photographer of German-Jewish descent and a master of avant-garde photography.
Ellen studied at the Baden State School of Art and continued her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart before meeting photographer Greta Stern (1904-1999) in Berlin. Together they opened Ringl+pit, a photography and design studio specializing in advertising, fashion and portrait photography. The photographer is most remembered for her groundbreaking work at this particular studio. Ellen, who also experimented with film, made two short black-and-white films.
In 1933, Ellen emigrated to Palestine and opened a children's portrait studio there. A few years later she moved with her husband Walter Auerbach to the United States, where she worked in a private art collection, taught photography, made films and photographs to study children's behavior, and worked as an educational therapist.
The Ringl+pit works and photographic oeuvre of Ellen Auerbach and Greta Stern were rediscovered in the 1980s, and a series of solo and group exhibitions in the United States and Germany followed.
Margaret Bourke-White was an American photographer and photojournalist. She studied photography at the Clarence H. White School of Photography. White, where she developed her trademark style using dramatic angles and strong contrasts of light and shadow.
Burke-White was one of the first women photographers to work for Life magazine, and her images became synonymous with the magazine's coverage of major world events such as World War II and the Korean War. She was also the first woman photographer to work in war zones during World War II, where she captured powerful images of warfare and its impact on civilians.
In addition to war photography, Bourke-White also documented the Great Depression in the United States and was one of the few photographers to gain access to the Soviet Union in the 1930s where she documented Soviet industrialization and the lives of ordinary people.
Bourke-White's work was known for its powerful impact and stark realism. She often risked her safety to get the perfect shot and her images continue to inspire photographers today. She published several books of her work, including 'Eyes on Russia' and 'Dear Fatherland, Rest in Peace'.
Bourke-White left behind a legacy as one of the greatest photojournalists of the 20th century.
Cornell Capa is an American photographer, photojournalist and founder of the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York, the younger brother of the famous war correspondent Robert Capa.
Cornell Capa was known for his humanistic approach to photography, often capturing the lives and struggles of ordinary people. Throughout his career, he covered many important events, including the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Vietnam War. Capa also photographed many famous people including John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Pablo Picasso.
In 1974, Cornell Capa founded ICP, which has since become one of the world's leading photography education and exhibition institutions. The ICP's mission is to promote the understanding and appreciation of photography as an art form as well as a means of communication and social change.
Throughout his career Capa has received numerous awards and honours, including the National Medal of Arts in 1988. His photographs continue to be exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and his legacy lives on through ICP.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French artist renowned for his groundbreaking work in photography, particularly in the realms of photojournalism and street photography. Born on August 22, 1908, in Chanteloup, France, Cartier-Bresson's early artistic endeavors were in painting, which he began studying at the age of five. His transition to photography was marked by his adoption of a 35mm Leica camera in 1931, a tool that became synonymous with his work.
Henri Cartier-Bresson's photography is celebrated for its unique blend of spontaneity and composition, capturing moments that reveal deeper truths about their subjects. His theory of "the decisive moment" – that is, capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous, yet significant – has had a profound influence on the field of photography. His work has been exhibited in prestigious venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is held in high esteem in art collections worldwide.
In addition to his personal achievements, Henri Cartier-Bresson was a co-founder of Magnum Photos in 1947, a cooperative agency for worldwide photographers that significantly influenced photojournalism. Later in his career, Cartier-Bresson returned to painting and drawing, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to the arts.
For art collectors and experts, Henri Cartier-Bresson's work offers a pivotal exploration of 20th-century photography, blending artistic vision with the unguarded moments of life. His influence extends beyond his images, shaping the way we perceive and engage with visual narratives.
To explore more about Henri Cartier-Bresson's influential career and works, and to stay updated on exhibitions or sales featuring his photography, you might consider subscribing to updates from art institutions or galleries that frequently showcase his work.
Lucien Clergue is a French photographer of black and white photography, the first photographer elected a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts.
Lucien Clergue is one of the most famous photographers in France and founder of the annual Arles Festival, which has become the main event in the world of artistic photography, attended by up to 100,000 people. His famous photographic works - modernist black and white studies of female nudes, harlequins, dead animals, gypsies and bullfighting - are considered exemplary of the photographer-artist. Clergue is also known for his friendship with Pablo Picasso, which lasted some 30 years, until the artist's death.
Bruce Landon Davidson is an American photographer. He has been a member of the Magnum Photos agency since 1958. His photographs, notably those taken in Harlem, New York City, have been widely exhibited and published. He is known for photographing communities usually hostile to outsiders.
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-born American photographer and photojournalist. He is best known for his work as a staff photographer for Life magazine, where he captured iconic images of celebrities, politicians, and everyday people.
Eisenstaedt began his career as a photographer in Germany, working for the Pacific and Atlantic Photos agency in Berlin in the 1920s. He emigrated to the United States in 1935 and joined the staff of Life magazine in 1936, where he remained until the magazine ceased publication in 1972.
Eisenstaedt's images are notable for their candid, spontaneous feel and their ability to capture the essence of his subjects. He is perhaps best known for his photograph "V-J Day in Times Square," which depicts a sailor kissing a nurse in celebration of the end of World War II. The image has become one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
Throughout his career, Eisenstaedt photographed many of the most famous and influential people of his time, including Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy. His work has been exhibited in major museums around the world, and he received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the field of photography.
Elsa and Johanna are a creative duo of photographic artists and filmmakers.
They were finalists for Prix HSBC pour la photographie 2016 and won the second Prix Picto de la mode 2017.
The duo's clients include well-known publications such as Le Temps, Boycott Magazine, L'Express 10, Crash Magazine, Etro, Boucheron and Apple.
Walker Evans was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans' work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8×10-inch (200×250 mm) view camera. He said that his goal as a photographer was to make pictures that are "literate, authoritative, transcendent".
Many of his works are in the permanent collections of museums and have been the subject of retrospectives at such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the George Eastman Museum.
Arthur (Usher) Fellig, known by his pseudonym Weegee, was a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography in New York City.
Weegee worked in Manhattan's Lower East Side as a press photographer during the 1930s and 1940s and developed his signature style by following the city's emergency services and documenting their activity. Much of his work depicted unflinchingly realistic scenes of urban life, crime, injury and death. Weegee published photographic books and also worked in cinema, initially making his own short films and later collaborating with film directors such as Jack Donohue and Stanley Kubrick.
Walde Huth, née Waldberta Huth, is a German photographer known for her street photos and portraits of famous people and fashion models.
She graduated from the State School of Applied Arts in Weimar, and after World War II she became a freelance photographer doing portrait and art photography. Walde Huth is primarily known for her fashion shots of the '50s, she also took unique stills and advertising photos, and created portraits of famous contemporaries. Her iconic fashion shots were taken in Paris. She shot the most famous models of her time not in the studio, but on location in the city, in front of the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine River, in contrast to the architecture and street life.
Walde Huth was an exceptional woman, a creative artist and a versatile photographer.
Helga Kneidl, née Claus, is a German photographer.
Helga worked as a dancer in her youth and married stage designer Karl Kneidl in 1961. She then learned theater photography in Zurich and worked in theaters as a staff photographer. Helga Kneidl gradually gained a reputation for taking portraits of many famous people, and her work was published in newspapers and magazines.
In May 1973, Helga Kneidl spent three full days with actress Romy Schneider in Paris, taking a series of photographic portraits of her.
Since 1997, Helga Kneidl lives in Berlin and works mainly in portrait photography.
Helen Levitt was an American photographer known for her street photography of New York City. Levitt began taking photographs as a teenager and went on to work for the photo agency, the Photo League, in the 1930s and 1940s.
Levitt's work focused on capturing the daily lives of ordinary people, particularly children, in the neighborhoods of New York City. She used a small 35mm camera to take candid shots of children playing in the streets, creating images that were both playful and poignant. Her work was often compared to the work of fellow street photographers, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans.
In addition to her photography, Levitt also worked as a filmmaker and created several acclaimed documentaries.
Levitt's photographs have been exhibited in major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She was awarded numerous honors for her work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Grant.
Lisette Model was an Austrian-born photographer who became known for her work in the United States in the mid-20th century. She was began her artistic career as a pianist before turning to photography.
Model's photographic style was characterized by her use of high-contrast black and white images and her interest in capturing the grit and energy of urban life. She often photographed people on the margins of society, such as street vendors, beggars, and nightclub performers, and her images were marked by a sense of empathy and intimacy with her subjects.
In addition to her work as a photographer, Model was also a teacher, and she taught photography at the New School for Social Research in New York City for many years. Her students included Diane Arbus and Bruce Weber, among others, and she was known for her direct and often challenging approach to teaching.
Model's work has had a significant impact on the field of photography, and her legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists. Her photographs are prized for their emotional intensity and their ability to capture the complexities of human experience, and she is remembered as one of the most important photographers of the 20th century.
Alec Soth is an American photographer. He is known for his large-format color photographs that often explore the themes of American life, culture, and landscape.
Soth began his career as a newspaper photographer before transitioning to fine art photography. He gained recognition for his project "Sleeping by the Mississippi," which features photographs of people and places along the Mississippi River.
Throughout his career, Soth has continued to produce photographic projects that explore various aspects of American life, from small towns to suburban communities. He has also published several books of his work, including "Songbook," "Broken Manual," and "I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating."
Soth's work has been exhibited widely and is included in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has also received numerous awards and honors for his photography, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography, and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.
Dennis Stock was an American photographer known for his iconic images of celebrities and musicians, as well as his extensive coverage of social issues and cultural events.
Stock began his career as a freelance photographer in the 1950s and was soon hired by the Magnum Photos agency, where he worked alongside other influential photographers such as Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. He quickly became known for his photographs of jazz musicians, including Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington.
In 1955, Stock received an assignment from LIFE magazine to photograph a young actor named James Dean. The resulting images, including a now-famous photograph of Dean walking through Times Square in the rain, became some of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
Stock continued to photograph celebrities and cultural figures throughout his career, including Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando, and Andy Warhol. He also covered major events such as the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Woodstock music festival.
Stock's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and has been the subject of several books and documentaries. He was known for his ability to capture intimate moments and his talent for revealing the personalities and emotions of his subjects through his photographs.
Sabine Weiss is a Swiss artist and photographer who became known for her street photography and portraits. In 1942 she moved to Zurich to study photography with Hans Finsler, where she met her future husband, the American artist Hugh Weiss.
After the Second World War, Weiss moved to Paris and began working as a freelance photographer. She became associated with the humanist photography movement, which sought to capture the daily lives of people in cities. Weiss' photographs often focused on working class neighbourhoods, street scenes and children's lives. Her photographs were known for their sensitivity and empathy as well as her strong sense of composition and use of light.
Weiss's work was exhibited widely throughout her life and she received numerous awards and prizes, including the Niepce Prize in 1955 and the Grand Prix National Photography Award in 1995. Her photographs have been collected by major museums and institutions around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris.
