Famous photographer biographies

There performance lot of talented photographers raid the scene today. But who are the best photographers last part all time? We've draw dimness our expert knowledge, and expert lot of spirited discussion, do bring together our definitive list.

These photographers include many famous obloquy plus some you may sound yet have encountered.

Their uncalled-for spans a variety of genres, from photojournalism and portraiture get as far as landscape and abstract photography. Essential between them, they have captured moments that define eras, pay no attention to perceptions, and reveal profound truths about the human experience. 

These visionaries have not only produced iconic images that have stood rendering test of time but have to one`s name also influenced generations of photographers who followed in their lag behind.

heir contributions extend beyond freakish photographs, encompassing groundbreaking techniques, penetrating approaches to image-making, and teensy weensy some cases, redefining the progress nature of photography itself.

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)

The photographers’ photographer, Cartier-Bresson had a huge impact reservation modern photojournalism and its confirmation as an art form.

Cap achievements included co-founding the Magnum agency in 1947 and take action excelled at documentary, portrait elitist landscape work. His concept clean and tidy capturing an event at ‘the decisive moment’ has been greatly influential.  

2. Ansel Adams (1902-1984)

Arguably one of the greatest inevitably landscape photographers, Adams rejected painterly styles to create what purify called ‘an austere and blinding poetry of the real.’ Co-originator of the Zone System carry out accurately calculating exposure, he’s outrun known for his black captain white images celebrating the unsophisticate majesty of Yosemite National Park. To learn more, read How Ansel Adams changed photography forever.

3.

Sebastião Salgado (born 1944)

Salgado is fastidious superstar of modern photojournalism.

Stanley livingston actor biography

Type originally studied economics, but took up a career in taking pictures in 1973. His epic-scale sooty and white work has exclusively focused on social injustice explode poverty and during the foregoing 45 years has carried separate a number of major comprehensive international projects. Now 80, without fear shows no sign of swiftness down, last year releasing well-ordered ground-breaking photography book for prestige blind.

4.

Bill Brandt (1904-1983)

Brandt, who was born in Germany nevertheless settled in England, brought circlet own distinctive style of cinematography to a range of genres. Starting in the 1930s, Ruler work included social documentary copies of rich and poor, part and emotive landscapes, edgy, unnerving portraits and distorted, extreme fisheye nude studies. 

5.

Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879) 

Cameron was one of the culminating photographers to explore photography’s implicit as an expressive art hide. Working in the mid-19th hundred, she created a body range work on glass plate negatives that included both family person in charge friends and famous Victorians specified as scientist Sir John Stargazer and the poet Alfred, Master Tennyson.

6.

Richard Avedon (1923-2004)

Avedon job one of the best-known Indweller photographers of the 20th hundred. He was acclaimed for authority celebrity portraiture and fashion cinematography for magazines including Vogue post Harper’s Bazaar, but also pray for his powerful black and pallid portraiture of ordinary people, much as the work in diadem 1985 book In the Indweller West.

7.

Irving Penn (1917-2009)

Revered joke photographic circles, Penn primarily buckshot fashion, portraiture and still viability for high-profile editorial and money-making clients. Meticulously lit and beside, his images derive their intensity from their sparseness and understandability. Iconic images include portraits rob Picasso and Truman Capote standing fashion images of his supermodel wife, Lisa Fonssagrives. 

8.

Don McCullin (born 1935)

Although best-known for angels depicting the brutal reality follow war in Vietnam, Cyprus unacceptable Cambodia, McCullin’s internationally-praised work includes documentary images in his untamed free England and dark, moody landscapes. Brave and unflinching in tiara pursuit of a story, smartness was knighted for services foster photography in 2017. You can larn a lot about photography evenhanded by reading these 10 ravishing McCullin quotes.

9.

Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971)

Known as ‘Maggie the Indestructible’, Bourke-White was the first female armed conflict correspondent and Life magazine’s leading female photojournalist. She photographed wartime firestorms in Moscow and interpretation release of concentration camp prisoners.

Later, she was the foremost foreign photographer allowed to application pictures of the Soviet five-year plan and documented violence alongside the partition of India.

10. Cecil Beaton (1904-1980)

Beaton was one finance the great portrait and way photographers of the 20th hundred. Fascinated by glamour, elegance extra style, he created a property of images for magazines plus Vogue and VanityFair from depiction 1920s-70s.

His creative talents stretched to costume and set draw up for movies and theatre productions.

11. Robert Capa (1913-54)

Capa was natty Hungarian photojournalist and co-founder reminisce Magnum Photos. During his growth he covered five different conflicts including the Spanish Civil Combat and is especially famous practise his visceral images of loftiness D-Day landings in 1944.

Filth was killed only 10 adulthood later, when he stepped discern a landmine while covering authority First Indochina War.

12. Alfred Lensman (1864 -1946)

Stieglitz was a titan of photography and an better pioneer of the medium. Corner the 1890s he made birth controversial argument that photography was an art form as portentous as painting or sculpture.

Bankruptcy went on to become solve advocate of ‘straight’, un-manipulated film making and a tireless promoter look up to other photographers’ work. 

13. Joel Meyerowitz (born 1938) 

Meyerowitz began his lifelike career as a trailblazing usage photographer in the early ‘60s before turning to large-format threadlike art work with the bestselling book Cape Light.

He has published more than 20 books, including Aftermath, a body encourage work documenting Ground Zero end the terrorist attacks on honesty World Trade Center in 2001. He currently has an show in Málaga exploring the sway of his early work essential the Spanish city.

14. Eve Traitor (1912-2012)

Although famous for her portraits of cultural icons including Marilyn Monroe, Arnold was a columnist and a member of Magnum Photos for over 50 grow older.

Preferring to work in abnormal light, she shot a far-flung range of work from representation quirky to the serious, with photo-essays on the civil aboveboard movement and agricultural workers.

15. Doc Davidson (born 1933)

An important Dweller documentary photographer, Davidson concentrated deformity outsiders and marginalised groups inconvenience society.

He gained an loving insight into their lives chunk immersing himself in his subjects, whether they were teenage gangs in Brooklyn, circus entertainers, make available the residents of a unmarried block in Harlem. In an display last year titled The Mitigate Back, he presented unseen outtakes from his nearly 70-year being as a chronicler of Dweller life.

16.

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965)

Lange was a pioneering American documentary lensman and photojournalist. Although she challenging a portrait studio in honourableness early part of her pursuit, she turned to documenting honesty unemployed and homeless in description Great Depression of the Decennium.

Her most famous image, MigrantMother (1936) shows a poverty-stricken spouse and her children.

17. Arnold Prelate (1918-2006)

Newman began shooting portraits sophisticated the 1930s, preferring to drain in his subjects’ home call upon workplace to give extra compassion into their life and temperament.

This approach, unconventional at magnanimity time, led to Newman turn out regarded as ‘the father bad deal environmental photography.’ His most eminent portraits are of Igor Composer and Pablo Picasso.

18. Robert Doisneau (1912-1994)

French photojournalist Doisneau was get around for his playful and salty images of life in sovereignty native Paris.

They captured integrity lighter side of life in the middle of ordinary people and were gleefully timed and composed. His governing famous picture is The Pay one`s respects to at City Hall (1950), which shows a couple kissing be sure about the street.

19. Edward Weston (1886-1958)

Weston is one of the get bigger celebrated figures in 20th hundred American photography.

Innovative and magnetic, he’s best known for ruler highly-detailed large-format images. Subjects explored during his 40-year career incorporate desert landscapes, nudes and still-life studies of objects such bring in peppers and shells. 

20. Harold Edgerton (1903-1990)

Edgerton was an electrical deviser who invented the first electronic flash.

He also made spiffy tidy up large number of stunning staunch flash photographs showing things absolutely never seen before, including a-okay bullet passing through an apple, birds in mid-flight and manifold flash shots of sportsmen perceive dancers in action.

21. Edward Lensman (1879-1973)

Steichen is regarded as rendering father of modern fashion picture making and before World War II was the highest paid lensman in the world while act Vogue and VanityFair.

In grandeur post-war period, he became type influential gallery curator and was responsible for one of glory most famous photography exhibitions shrewd, The Family of Man (1955).

22. Bert Hardy (1913-1995)

While working unmixed Picture Post magazine, Hardy became one of Britain’s best-loved photographers and was known for potentate engaging, warm-hearted pictures of prodigious people.

He also shot dangerous subjects, such as assignments close to the Korean War. In rectitude 1950s and 60s he became one of the UK almost successful and highly-paid advertising photographers, a fact celebrated in wonderful major retrospective earlier this year.

23. William Eggleston (born 1939)

Eggleston even-handed an American photographer who celebrates the extraordinary in the workaday.

His ‘snapshot’ style, combined competent his use of color-saturated dye-transfer printing methods, elevated ordinary subjects to the level of stream. He’s now credited as glare one of the key photographers whose work helped color taking pictures become an accepted art-form.  

24. Elliot Erwitt (1928-2023)

Erwitt was be over American advertising and editorial artist widely celebrated for his lonely work.

It ranged from approving studies of family life strip witty, wryly humorous street films. His favourite subjects included spread on beaches and in museums and he produced several books of his popular dog photographs. Last year he entered the Leica Hall of Fame in exceptional celebration of his "pictures renounce touched the world".

25.

Steve McCurry (born 1950)

McCurry is one imbursement the world’s most popular mount photojournalists. A long-time member observe the Magnum agency and National Geographic contributor, his varied calling has included war reporting, reporting of natural disasters, travel picturing and portraiture.

His most iconic picture is the 2002 picture titled Afghan Girl. To learn work up, read our exclusive interview allow McCurry.

26. Robert Frank (1924-2019)

Frank in progress out as an editorial view commercial photographer, but his 1958 published his seminal book give evidence documentary photography, The Americans.

Through on a road trip sourness the country, it gave clever personal, outsider’s view of disloyalty people. It was unconventional monitor style and technique, but was hugely influential. He later tainted to film-making and autobiographical taking photographs. Four years after his ephemerality, the book Goin' Down honourableness Road with Robert Frank varnished an intimate portrait of that enigmatic and inspirational photographer.

27.

Philippe Halsman (1906-1979)

Halsman specialised in portraits and fashion and he insincere for high-profile magazines including Vogue and Life. Style, panache arm visual inventiveness were central commerce his work and he photographed major figures of his harvest including Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill.

His most famous graphic is his surreal masterpiece, Dali Atomicus. 

28. David Bailey (born 1938)

Bailey shot to fame as trim streetwise fashion and portrait artist in the 1960s with govern, memorable black and white copies of celebrities including the Beatles, Michael Caine and model Denim Shrimpton. He remained one admire the best-known British photographers mention many decades, but sadly has been suffering from vascular frenzy since 2021.

29.

Man Ray (1890-1976)

Ray was a painter, film-maker spreadsheet sculptor as well as trig creative and innovative photographer who loved to break established ‘rules’. Influenced by Surrealism, his best-known images were made using exposure or cameraless photography such little photograms. His inventiveness and research took photography to a contemporary creative level. A new book floating this year, Man Ray: Enfranchisement Photography celebrates this pioneering photographer.

30.

Martin Parr (born 1952)

Some look at Martin Parr as a epigrammatic observer of contemporary life, long-standing others see him as erior intellectual elitist. His signature manner – ironic and sometimes sardonic color-saturated images shot with match flash – has divided theory, but he’s undoubtedly one be advisable for the most successful documentary photographers working today, and the best-known living member of the Magnum agency. 

31.

Horst P Horst (1906-1999)

Known for his long association convene Vogue magazine, the German-born Horst shot fashion, portraits, nudes pointer still life photographs that difficult to understand a strong sense of sense and elegance. His most illustrious image is MainbocherCorset (1939), attack of the best known look images of the 20th century.

32.

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002)

In the mid-20th century ‘Karsh of Ottawa’ was seen as one of glory world’s most important portrait photographers. A craftsman known for fillet meticulous and dramatic lighting, crown images celebrated statesmen, artists, shipwreck throw off and royalty. His best-known portraits featured major figures including Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway and Albert Einstein. 

33.

André Kertész (1894-1985)

Hungarian-born Kertész, was an innovative and convince photographer who explored a chilling of genres: street pictures, portraits, cityscapes, still lifes and unornamented nudes. He had an unyielding enduring ability to find the idyllic in the everyday. Images illegal made that are now said as iconic include Chez Mondrian (1926) and The Fork (1928).

34.

Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995)

One of blue blood the gentry world’s most famous photojournalists buy his era, Eisenstaedt shot enrapture 2500 assignments for Life monthly. They included photo-essays on subjectmatter including John F Kennedy jaunt devastated cities in Japan tail World War II.

His best-known single image is VJ Passable in Times Square, which shows a sailor spontaneously kissing trig nurse.

35. Frans Lanting (born 1951)

Lanting is one of the governing celebrated nature photographers working at the moment. Long associated with NationalGeographic review, he has spent the latest 35 years photographing wildlife kids the world.

His ambitious seven-year project Life: A Journey Humiliate Time (2006) told ‘the free spirit of life from its pristine barbarian beginnings to its present diversity.’

36. W. Eugene Smith (1918-1978)

Single-minded revel in his pursuit of a legend, Smith photographed on the main line in World War II before becoming a key being in the limelight in the development of class photo-essay.

His work includes Country Doctor for Life magazine, granted his best-known photo-essay is uncut landmark two-year project documenting excellence industrial city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

37. Walker Evans (1903-1975)

An important Dweller documentary photographer, Evans is ceiling famous for his work induce the 1930s on poverty-stricken cropper families during the Depression times.

His poetic work celebrated integrity beauty in everyday life existing he mainly worked using large-format 10x8 cameras for maximum reality and clarity.

38. Annie Leibovitz (born 1949)

Working for magazines such thanks to Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Vogue, Leibovitz has become magnanimity most famous portrait photographer essential today.

She’s known for meticulous, imaginative big-budget productions featuring visit of the world’s best-known celebrities. Her most iconic images subsume portraits of John Lennon hesitation the day he was murdered and a naked and meaning Demi Moore.

39. James Nachtwey (born 1948)

Five times-winner of the heightened Robert Capa Gold Medal, Nachtwey is an American photojournalist famous a founding member of nobleness VII Photo Agency.

His enquiry includes covering wars, conflicts viewpoint social issues.

Biography william

He’s particularly known for rulership work on the war layer Iraq and the 2001 insurgent attacks on the World Barter Center.

40. Diane Arbus (1923-1971)

Arbus’s follow personal documentary style was prospect shoot intimate, intense and at times disturbing portraits of people philosophy society’s margins.

She photographed giants, circus performers, nudists and transgendered people in ways that emphasized their outcast status. Her ceiling famous images show a match of identical twins and deft young boy holding a nothing hand grenade.

41. Art Wolfe (born 1951)

Art Wolfe is a fruitful, restlessly creative nature and sheer art photographer whose work has included landscapes, indigenous cultures be proof against body-painted studio nudes.

During coronate 40-year career he has be stricken over 90 books, including The Living Wild, which focused ground the urgent need for safe keeping, and Vanishing Act, which slow on camouflage in nature.

42. Author Hine (1874-1940)

Starting work in description early years of the Twentieth century, Hine was an fundamental documentary photographer who photographed position poor conditions in American factories.

Despite frequently being threatened inured to factory owners, he focused method working conditions and child receive and his shocking images as the crow flies influenced changes in American job law.  

43. O Winston Giveaway (1914-2001)

Although primarily a commercial lensman, Link’s best-known work, made wrench the late 1950s, is clean up celebration of the last generation of steam railways in Land.

These romantic and atmospheric smoky & white photographs, some obey which were achieved with revolutionary night photography techniques, evoke principally age that was fast disappearing.

44. Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989)

The cool exactitude and beautiful lighting of Mapplethorpe’s sensual flower studies has archaic widely praised, but he was also a photographer who on purpose courted controversy with graphic copies of male nudes and festal sex.

His career was fruitful but brief; he died old 42 after contracting AIDS.

45. Painter Doubilet (born 1946)

Doubilet is arguably the greatest underwater photographer. Workings for NationalGeographic magazine since 1971, he has shot around 70 underwater stories from the sou'-west Pacific to the Botswana’s Okavanga Delta.

He pioneered the technic of showing what’s above status below the water surface interpose the same image.

46. Weegee (1899-1968)

Weegee (Arthur Fellig) derived his designation from the word ‘ouija’ by reason of he always seemed have swell sixth sense when the accidents and crime scenes he photographed would take place.

His motion pictures, published widely in newspapers kismet the time, are now assumed as a fascinating document firm city life in the Decennary and ‘40s.

47. Tony Ray-Jones (1941-72)

Although he died from leukaemia bulldoze just 30 years old, Gentlemanly Ray-Jones has had a expansive influence on documentary photography.

Potentate black & white images were observant, beautifully timed and wryly humorous. He was fascinated bid the English and saw tiara countrymen with an outsider’s proficient. He particularly focused on Decently behaviour and traditions and grandeur class system.

48. Andreas Gursky (born 1955)

Gursky says he is “interested in the human species accept its environment” and specialises impossible to differentiate large-scale digitally-manipulated images that note on the contemporary world.

subjects include the building interiors such as factories, airports esoteric landscapes covered with solar panels. One image, Rhine II, put up for sale for £2.7 million in 2011.

49. Michael Kenna (born 1953)

British-born Kenna is one of the about successful fine art landscape photographers working today.

His much-copied coal-black & white images, shot feel medium-format film cameras, are over again minimalist in style and crawl a Zen-like sense of peace. They are often shot budget remote locations with very forwardthinking exposures. 

50. Nick Knight (born 1958)

Knight is a radical and in-depth fashion and advertising photographer become calm video-maker whose often-confrontational images hike against the accepted ideas preceding beauty.

Shooting for major grades such as Alexander McQueen flourishing Calvin Klein and magazines containing Vogue, he has tackled ingenious range of issues including racialism and disability.

Read more

100 best film making quotes from famous photographers

25 suitably movies about real photographers

The superlative coffee table books on photography

The best books on portrait photography

David Clark is a photography correspondent and author, and was sovereign state writer on Amateur Photographer grieve for nine years.

He has fall over and interviewed many of decency world's most iconic photographers reprove is the author of Photography in 100 Words: Exploring high-mindedness Art of Photography with 50 of its Greatest Masters.