Thinking of joining the ranks of the greatest photographers of all time? Well, it might be a good idea to check out a few of them and the works they've done so you know just what it is you're up against.
Probably one of the most famous photographers of all time was Ansel Adams. Adams was born In San Francisco California in 1902. He lived in Carmel until he died in 1984. His most popular photo was titled "Moonrise Over Hernandez, 1944". This is a breathtaking photo showing a beautiful night view and the small town below it. Other famous photos by Adams were "Clearing Winter Storm" and "Winter Sunrise". Adams did a lot of outdoor photography with some breathtaking views. His most popular photo has about 1000 copies in print. The price range of these photos, depending on condition goes from $5,000 to $175,000 if you can find one.
Moving from outdoor photography of landscapes to nude women on beaches we have the works of Jock Sturges. Sturges was born in the big city of New York in the year 1947. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington. His most popular images, all of beach nudes, are "Misty Dawn 1991" and "Northern California, 1991". His prints range in price from $1,000 to $3,000. His most expensive print sold for $4,000.
Herman Leonard was known for taking great photographs of jazz legends. He was born in Allentown, PA in 1923. He currently lives and works in New Orleans. His most popular images are photos of great jazz legends Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. Herman Leonard was one of the more active photographers even when not working at his craft. He often traveled with great entertainers like Marlon Brando, who he hung out with in 1954. His photos range in price from $950 to $5,500.
Another great photographer was Irving Penn who was born in Plainfield, NJ in 1917. Penn was actually known for a number of different styles of photography including fashion photography and provocative life style portraits. His most famous work was "Cuzco Children" which sold for as much as $175,000 at the turn of the century. Penn worked for some of the most popular magazines of our time including Harper's Bazaar, Saks Fifth Avenue and Vogue Magazine.
Another great photographer, who most people have actually heard of, was the one and only Helmut Newton, who just recently passed away in 2004. He was most known for photos involving fashion and nudes illustrating themes of mass media, glamour, sex and theater. Newton's work was often categorized as bizarre. He was once quoted as saying "My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain". He most certainly did that better than just about anyone else. His most popular image is "Sie Kommen I, II". His photographs are in such demand that some go for as much as $400,000 each.
The list of famous photographers goes on, literally forever. So if you are thinking of joining the ranks of these greats and many others, then you're going to have to work hard at your craft.
Very, very hard.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Photography
