Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus and Anna-Lou “Annie” Leibovitz Essay

Thomas Wedgwood was the first man to think of and develop a method to copy visible images chemically to permanent media and Joseph Nià ©pce was one of the inventors of photography, he developed the heliography, a technique used to produce the world’s first known photograph in 1825. Among Niece’s other inventions was the Pyrà ©olophore, the world’s first ‘internal combustion engine’, which he conceived, created, and developed with his older brother Claude. This is how photography came about and how it is today. In this essay I’ll be taking about Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus and Annie Leibovitz and how they became photographers, also the similarities and differences between the three most famous 20th century photographers. Henri Cartier-Bresson born 22 August 1908, in Chanteloup, France and died 3 August 2004, in Montjusine, France. Cartier-Bresson was a pioneer in photojournalism and wandered the world with his camera, becoming totally engrossed in his current environment. As he was one of the major photographers in the 20th century, he covered all sorts of things from the Spanish Civil War to the French uprisings in 1968. Cartier-Bresson was known for being a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form. Cartier-Bresson’s photographs are portraits of people and what was going on in the world. These are some quotes of his about photography: â€Å"In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little, human detail can become a Leitmotiv.† â€Å"Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation.† â€Å"To take photographs means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second – both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one’s head, one’s eye and one’s heart on the same axis.† â€Å"The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.† Diane Arbus born 14 March 1923, in New York City, USA and died 26 July 1971, in Greenwich Village, New York City, USA. Arbus learn photography from her husband (married 1941 then divorced 1969 and had 2 kids) Allan Arbus. She was one of the most unique photographers in the 20th century and she was known for her unnatural portraits and offbeat subjects. At a young age she had artistic talent and in high school she was interested in creating paintings and drawings. Arbus’ photographs are the same as Henri Cartier-Bresson, portraits of people and what was going on in the world. These are some interesting quotes of hers: â€Å"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.† â€Å"I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.† â€Å"The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.† â€Å"There are an awful lot of people in the world and it’s going to be terribly hard to photograph all of them†¦ It was my teacher Lisette Model who finally made it clear to me that the more specific you are, the more general it will be.† Anna-Lou â€Å"Annie† Leibovitz born 2 October 1949, in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA. Leibovitz is a third-generation American whose great-grandparents were Jewish immigrants, from Central and Eastern Europe. Around her teens, Leibovitz became interested in various artistic endeavors, and began to write and play music. Leibovitz was training at San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting. For several years, she continued to develop her photography skills while working various jobs. Leibovitz’s photographs are remakes of Disney movies and are very unique. These are some of her quotes that are about anything and everything: â€Å"I admired the work of photographers like Beaton, Penn, and Avedon as much as I respected the grittier photographers such as Robert Frank. But in the same way that I had to find my own way of reportage, I had to find my own form of glamour.† â€Å"Nature is so powerful, so strong. Capturing its essence is not easy – your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself.† â€Å"I’m more interested in being good than being famous.† â€Å"I sometimes find the surface interesting. To say that the mark of a good portrait is whether you get them or get the soul – I don’t think this is possible all of the time.† Both Henri Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus took photographs of people and everyday life showing what was going on in the world, they both also toke photographs of street photography. While Annie Leibovitz was and still is taking portraits of people in a very wild, crazy and unique way as she photographs her very own remakes of Disney movies. Henri Cartier-Bresson would go around the world doing street photography and that’s why in all his photographs there are different emotions and his not just trying to get the same thing all the time because every second something changes in an instant. All of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photographs (also Diane Arbus and Annie Leibovitz photographs) were in black and white as they didn’t even have photographs in colour yet and they look so much better in black and white any way, as shown in this portrait of Marilyn Monroe (photograph after the conclusion) in Reno, Nevada, USA in the year of 1961, (17  ½ x 11  ¾ in.) this is such a beautiful photograph of Marilyn as she was an extremely pretty woman. Cartier-Bresson’s photography are intended for ages from 10 years of age and over. Diane Arbus was known for her unnatural portraits and offbeat subjects. She often shot with a Rolleiflex medium format twin-lens reflex that provided a square aspect ratio and a waist-level viewfinder (both the Rolleiflex med format twin-lens reflex and the waist-level viewfinder are a type of camera). Arbus can connect with her subjects in ways that did not involve the standard eye-level viewfinder. In some of Arbus photographs where there are two people, those two people are wearing almost the same thing even if they are of different gender, one of those photographs is the Identical Twins taken in 1967 in Roselle, New Jersey, USA. The two young girls were twin sisters, Cathleen and Colleen Wade, they were both in matching outfits and look very cute (photograph after the conclusion). Arbus’ photography are intended for ages from 10-14 and over as there are some nudity in some of the photographs. Annie Leibovitz is an outstanding and wonderful photographer as her Disney photographs are really cool and amazing plus to use celebrities instead of models is going to make those photographs more likeable, even though most people love Disney as they all grew up with Disney movies and stories. One of my favorite Disney movies of all time would have to be Beauty and the Beast because the Beauty’s name was Belle and it was close to my name plus the Beast kinda looked like a big cat and I love cats so the photograph that I’m going to do for Annie Leibovitz is the Beauty and the Beast with Drew Barrymore as Belle and a real lion for the Beast. This photograph was taken in 2005 and featured in Vogue magazine with the rest of the other Disney photographs. Leibovitz’s photograph is the best one of as it reminds me of my childhood and how I used to watch Beauty and the Beast all the time and still do to this very day (photograph after the conclusion). Leibovitz’s photography is intended from ages 5 and over especially the Disney Dream Portrait series. In conclusion, Henri Cartier-Bresson would travel around the world doing street photography and taking portraits of famous people/celebrities. Cartier-Bresson was a pioneer in photojournalism and wandered the world with his camera, becoming totally engrossed in his current environment. Cartier-Bresson was known for being a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form. Diane Arbus liked to photograph unnatural and offbeat subjects and if there were two people they were wearing almost the same thing. Arbus learn photography from her husband, Allan Arbus. At a young age she had artistic talent and in high school she was interested in creating paintings and drawings. Last but not least Annie Leibovitz took photographs of Disney movies and made them come to life instead of being a cartoon or animation and has a very unique and fun way to make photography more and more interesting for younger people. Around her teens, Leibovitz became interested in various artistic endeavors, and began to write and play music. Leibovitz was training at San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting. In all my new favorite photographer is Annie Leibovitz as she made my favorite Disney movie come to life and helped me think of a new way to express myself while taking a photograph. Henri Cartier-Bresson portrait of Marilyn Monroe: Diane Arbus portrait of Identical Twins: Annie Leibovitz portrait of Disney Dream Portrait Series – Beauty and the Beast: Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nic%C3%A9phore_Ni%C3%A9pce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Wedgwood_(photographer) http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/henri_cartierbresson.html http://www.biography.com/people/henri-cartier-bresson-9240139 http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/diane_arbus.html http://www.biography.com/people/diane-arbus-9187461 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Leibovitz http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/annie_leibovitz.html http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/henri-cartier-bresson-marilyn-monroe-in-reno-1961-4656889-details.aspx?intObjectID=4656889 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identical_Twins,_Roselle,_New_Jersey,_1967 http://www.elitismstyle.com/blogazine/archives/23666 http://enchantedsereityperiodfilms.blogsport.com.au/2009/11/drew-barrymore-beauty-and-beast.html http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=90