The Masters

Hey FashionPhotographyBlog.com readers! 

Alana Tyler Slutsky is back on FashionPhotographyBlog.com, after sharing some of the inspiring works of the great photography masters, to reveal the works of some more masters who have pioneered the photographic craft. We are all ready Alana!

Need some more inspiration? Look no further! Here are some more Masters of Photography. Tried and tested, these photographers have withstood the test of time. Am still a firm believer that you can’t really call yourself a photographer unless you study the history of the photographic medium and have an understanding of the masters – who they are and what they did that sets them apart from the rest. In my opinion, this applies to all areas of life, so here’s more names to add on the cheat sheet of names of those commonly referred to as “The Masters”;  who they are, what they did and why they’re still so awesome (names have been sorted alphabetically for your convenience).

Eadweard Muybridge

Muybridge used multiple cameras to stop and study motion. A popular debated question, whether or not all four of a horses feet leave the ground as it gallops, was answered with Muybridge’s studies – proving that all four feet did indeed leave the ground.  Muybridge managed to take over 100,000 images capturing the motion of animals and humans.

Helmut Newton

Newton is one of the most famous fashion photographers to date.  His works are often vert provocative and erotic in nature. Newton’s images are a reflection of the sexual revolution occurring during his time. There is much to be said about Newton, but even more to be learned by viewing his images. Take a peek, they’re sure to not disappoint! “If a photographer says he is not a voyeur, he is an idiot,” Newton once said.

 Irving Penn

Irving Penn is another one of those prolific fashion photographers. He is one of the first photographers to photograph a subject against a stark grey or white background. His prints are known for deep contrast and a crisp feeling.  He’s also known for shooting interesting still life images composed of trash found on the street and cigarette butts. Penn is known for his immaculate control and attention to detail.

Stephen Shore

Shore is the other big pioneer of color photography. Shore went on a series of road trips and documented his way across America and Canada. Initially what started as photography on a little 35mm Mickey Mouse camera transformed into a new way of seeing when he eventually changed over to a large format camera (first 4″x5″ then 8″x10″). Shooting with an 8″x10″ camera completely changes the way one sees and composes an image, this is greatly reflected in Shore’s work.  Shore is known for his dead-pan shooting style which often depicts interiors and landscapes with no people in them, almost as if they’re a Hollywood set that has emptied out for the day.

Edward Weston

Another member of Group f/64 (along with Ansel Adams), Weston is known for his close ups of natural forms, landscapes and nudes.

Now, these next two may not formally be considered “Masters,” but they are in my book! Two of my favorite fine art photographers, these guys are quite the intellects.

Joel-Peter Witkin

Witkin creates tableaux often relating to the idea of death.  Often Witkin uses corpses and often incorporates dwarfs, transvestites, hermaphrodites and the physically deformed into his work.  It’s dark, it’s twisted, pretty creepy stuff.  In fact, it’s the things that nightmares are made of.  But at the same time, it’s downright awesome!

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Sugimoto views his work as “time capsules” of an event or series of events. This is most evident in his “Theatres” series, my personal favorite, where Sugimoto will leave the shutter of his camera open during the screening of a movie and allow the light that emanates from the screen to fill the room and in turn illuminate his image. There is a beautiful simplicity to his work. Both Sugimoto’s theatres and seascapes are absolutely stunning.  If anyone is looking to buy me a holiday gift, I wouldn’t refuse a Sugimoto print, or original, *hint hint*)

Take notice that majority of the Masters shoot with large format 8″x10″ cameras. This causes them to slow down and really look at their image, see what they’re composing. Unlike photographers now-a-days, shooting large format and film causes a photographer to shoot much slower, causing them to be more precise. This also means less shots taken. Next time you want to take 300 images of one look, slow it down, think of the Masters and try to really think through your shot. A quick description really doesn’t do these guys justice.  Take some time, Google them, get inspired. Hey, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two!

– Alana

Did you find Alana’s post about the Masters of Photography interesting? Do you agree with the selection? Is there any that you would add that we have missed out that we should include? Please leave your comments below in the comment section. We would like to know what you thought about this article. If you enjoyed this post and interested in learning about the Photography Masters, check our post on Fashion Photography Blog titled “Learn From The Masters: Adams To Meatyard“.

IMAGE SOURCE: 

Feature image & images 1-13: courtesy of Alana Tyler Slutsky.

Fashion Photography Blog