Photography Masters

Lucas Ennis September 8-17, 2008

Imogen Cunningham1883-1976

On April 12, 1883 Imogen Cunningham was born in Portland, Oregon. At 18 she bought her first camera but shortly after sold it.

Five years after selling the camera she was inspired to take up photography again by an encounter with Gertrude Kaebier. She then finished her college degree in chemistry and started to photograph pictures of the botany department.

After studying the art and practical side of photography Cunningham opened her own photography studio, influenced by a meeting with Alfred Stieglitz. She also soon helped co-found the Group f/64.

Cunningham was a master of botany photography and portraiture as most of her famous photos were one of the two. Towards the end of her life she took just street photography. She died on June 24, 1976, age 93.

Alfred Stieglitz1864-1946

Alfred Stieglitz was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on January 1, 1864. He was the oldest of six children and in 1881 his family moved to Berlin, Germany. He studied mechanical engineering until taking up photography soon after.

After being editor at several art publishing companies, he opened his own gallery to show people that photography was it’s own art form. Soon after people started to recognize his and a couple others accomplished and did recognize it.

Soon after he gained recognition, he met future wife Georgia O’Keefe at one of his art galleries. He began photographing her in what would be considered some of his greatest photos. He soon divorced his current wife and married O’Keefe.

The marriage was put under pressure due to Stieglitz’s heart condition and hypochondria. In 1937 he stopped taking photographs and, with O’Keefe, moved into a winter home with a darkroom and spent the last 10 years of his life there. He did on July 13, 1946, age 82.

Diane Arbus1923-1971

Diane Arbus was born on March 14, 1923 in New York City. She led a normal life due to the wealth of the Jewish family she lived in. She didn’t take up photography until the lessons she shared with her husband Allan Arbus at age 18.

Arbus worked exclusively as a photojournalist for various newspapers in the 1960’s, such as Esquire, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Sunday Times.

Arbus was often noted for her deeply disturbing photographs of people often shown as maniacal. She took many photographs of people such as transvestites, dwarfs, giants, and prostitutes.

In 1967, Arbus showed galleries of her artwork and soon became a teacher of photography at the Parsons School for design. She committed suicide on July 26, 1971, by overdosing on barbiturates and then slashing her wrists. She was age 48.

Ansel Adams1902-1984

Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco on February 20, 1902 to upper-class parents. During his childhood his families business lost finances and they became poor. Originally wanting to become a concert pianist , he trained all day in his youth.

He never took up photography until he first saw Yosemite Park. He then started working part-time at a photography studio, and eventually, after marrying an owner of a studio, he decided to pursue it full-time and go back to Yosemite.

Adams most famous photographs were taken during his twenties at Yosemite National Park. After meeting Alfred Stieglitz at one of his art shows, he introduced him to a group of photographers who embraced his style.

Adams was one of the co-founders of Group f/64 which focused on pure straight photography. Adams influenced countless of photographers during his time. He died on April 22, 1984, age 82.

Paul Strand1890-1976

On October 16, 1980 Paul Strand was born to Bohemian parents in New York City. His parents raised him and he led a normal uneventful life until his teens.

After meeting Alfred Stieglitz Strand decided to pursue photography as more than a hobby and as a career. Stieglitz later said that Strand was the most important figure in photography of their time.

Strand was a founder of the Photo League, a group of photographers who used their work to promote social and political causes. Later in life he worked as a movie cameraman with Charlie Sheeler.

He worked on films from 1925 until around 1943 also during which he was a heavy political and social activist. After 1943 he went back to a full time photographer for the remainder of his life. He died on March 31, 1976, age 85.

Group f/64

Imogen CunninghamAnsel AdamsEdward WestonJohn Paul EdwardsSonya NoskowiakHenry SwiftWilllard Van Dyke

f/64 applies to the smallest aperture setting on a large format camera which provides even sharpness from foreground to background. The groups that this was the best way to photography since it was very good in photographing landscapes and still-life's.

Sources

• Masters of Fine Art Photography• Google Images• Wikipedia• Group f/64• PBS American Art Masters