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Famous Photographer Biographies
Famous landscape photographers, famous portrait photographers, famous fashion photographers, famous war photographers and more!
This is a collection of famous photographer biographies which are intended to serve as quick introductions to some photographers whose work I'm not alone in loving.
One of the first things we want to do on discovering a photographer whose work we like is to find out who was behind the camera. What sort of person were they? Where did they come from? What inspired the photographs?
I've, of course, gone for my favourites, who with any luck as you learn more about them will become some of your favourites too!
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Famous Photographer Biographies:
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Henri Cartier Bresson has had as big an impact on the way people see photography as anyone. His images are so well known, that he has also shaped the way we visualise the world around us: from French cities, to American culture to Indian society.
Everyone will recognise his images, even if they do not know who took them. He's definitely one of the most famous photographers there's been and certainly amongst the most famous black and white photographers. Here's an introduction to the life of the 'father of photojournalism'
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Steve McCurry is awesome. If you haven't seen any of his work, please go and check it out because it is so inspiring.
He has spent much of his career capturing the people and places of South East Asia with an iconic, cinematic style that has led many of his shots to become modern classics.
He is my favourite famous modern photographer, and has become one of the most famous portrait photographers of all time. So, who is Steve McCurry?
Here's my review of Steve McCurry's The Unguarded Moment
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Ansel Adams' name is as universally recognised as
the landscape shots he is famous for. He is also well known as a passionate conservationist, and his awe for the natural world comes across strongly in the breathtaking landscape shots he produced.
He is easily one of the most famous nature photographers there has ever been, but at one point was destined for an entirely different career. Here's an intro to the life of Ansel Adams.
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Dorothea Lange is a name that pops up an awful lot inthe world of photography. She recorded the human impact of the Great Depression in the 1930's, producing images that have shaped our sense of what theat time looked like.
Approaching her subjects with a lot of compassion, she powerfully captured the suffering and hardship that people endured. 'Migrant Mother' is amongst the best known photos ever shot. Here's a biography of Dorothea Lange.
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Margaret Bourke white is one of my favourite artists in this collection of famous photographer biographies. She was nothing if not adventurous, brave and pioneering!
Most photographers wouldn't have the guts to take on the kinds of challenges that Bourke White did. But doing so as a woman she also had to overcome all sorts of social obstacles. Without her work we would have a much less complete sense of the drama of the 20th century. She's amongst the most famous women photographers there have been, and here's my brief bio for you to check out.
Nick Brandt is known purely for his images of East African wildlife. He works in black and white format and presents a subtle vision of the character and increasingly tragic plight of these incredible creatures.
His unique approach to wildlife is perhaps more typical of a portrait photographer, and has made him an important figure in contemporary photography. His photographs are stunningly beautiful and often slightly tragic. Here's a bio.
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Galen Rowell was one of those guys who seemed to have been given more than his fair share of talent! He was a pioneering mountaineer, best selling author and a truly magnificent photographer.
Ultimately, it was his passion for nature and the world's great mountains that unified the various strands of his life. His images capture the astonishing drama, scale and beauty of mountain landscapes.
As the above famous photographer list grows it will come to include more famous landscape photographers, famous portrait photographers, famous fashion photographers, famous war photographers... and so on.
If you are new to any of the names above, I definitely recommend checking out some of their photos when you get the chance. There are many excellent resources and galleries online which are pointed out in the relevant biographies.
Becoming more familiar with the work of famous photographers is a great way to improve your own photography.
It's a great way to develop an idea of the kind of things that excite you visually and glean some inspiration! Plus, as these bios show, it often seems to be the case that even with famous photographers, people slip into photography as a career almost by chance, without having harboured any great ambitions of that kind.
So perhaps you could be the next Cartier-Bresson!
Have Your Say and Share Your Photos
What do you make of the photographers in these famous photographer biographies? All opinions welcome! You could even draft a few little famous photographer biographies of your own to appear on P-A-C!
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