Several photographers have made a huge impact on my life, my photos, and the way I approach photography. I will talk in depth of these men and women in future posts. Yes, names like Annie, Mary Ellen, Henri, Eugene, Tom, Mark, Terry, Kendal, and several others. Photogs that encourage me and all of us to be ourselves, see images the way we see them, and shoot what and who you like THE WAY you like.
I got into photography in the mid 1980's, and two things became very clear to me early on. You either shoot color or you shoot black and white. And I mean you shoot COLOR as in Kodachrome 25 or 64, underexposed by a 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop, and shot with strobes OR you shoot gritty available light 400/1600 ASA B&W or smooth studio lit B&W film on a black, grey, or white seamless paper backdrop.
Richard Avedon was the master of Black and White photography shot on a white seamless backdrop. There have been others and there will always be others who gravitate to this style, I am guilty as charged, but I think we all owe a tip of the cap to Avedon for this and SO MUCH MORE.
Avedon (May 15, 1923 - October 1, 2004) was more than a great B&W shooter, beyond a celebrity shooter, or a magazine shooter. He was THE photog that changed fashion photography forever. He took it from catalog work to artwork. He breathed life into it, gave it energy, and made the viewer of his photos think while also engaging themselves into the mood or style of the clothes he was shooting. A career that spanned from the mid 1940's til 2004, that is parts of 7 decades. This man changed the way things were done, and changed them for the better.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment