The 10 most famous photographers

Nowadays everyone is a photographer: cameras are available on a larger scale than ever before. As a result, more and more people want a career in photography. Maybe you can learn from the best. So enjoy reading about the 10 most famous photographers!

Carol Guzy

When Carol Guzy received her nursing diploma in 1977, she could not have imagined that her career would take a completely different turn. Not long after she succeeded, a friend gave her a photo camera. Soon, photographing gave Guzy so much satisfaction that she applied to the "Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale" in Florida. She graduated here in 1980. Eight years later she joined The Washington Post. Carol Guzy has won the prestigious Pulitzer prize no less than four times. In 1990 she (as the first woman) was awarded the Newspaper Photographer of the Year Award. Regarding her career switch from nurse to photographer, Guzy says that the first education received has brought her the necessary insights.

George Brassaï

In the 1930s, George Brassaï was a welcome guest in French nightlife. The shady neighborhoods could also count on his arrival. This is how he captured his view of life in Paris. In particular the photo album "Paris de nuit" (in which the above photo is published) has earned Brassaï international fame. Following this he participated in many important international exhibitions.

To give an example: the exhibition called "Photography: 1839-1937" in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. George Brassaï also occupied himself with sculpting, drawing and painting. His circle of friends included artists such as Léon-Paul Fargue, Henry Miller and Pablo Picasso. The versatile Brassaï also published a book about his friendship with the latter two gentlemen.

Jay Maisel

In his prize cabinet, American photographer Jay Maisel has collected the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Media Photographers, the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography and the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. Maisel knew at a young age that he wanted to become a particularly successful photographer.

He studied at Yale, among others. Perhaps his most famous work is the photo of artist Miles Davis on his album "Kind of Blue". When this photo was later "misused", Maisel earned the necessary grief money. Incidentally, Maisel was not interested in this; during his active career, he shot a small fortune together. In 2014 he enjoys his retirement in Manhattan.

Jerry Uelsmann

Jerry Uelsmann is a peer of Jay Maisel. Although both men engaged in photography during the same period, their careers took a completely different turn. Jerry Uelsmann, for example, has mainly focused on the education of photography. From 1960 he taught at the University of Florida. He is also co-founder of the "Friends of Photography".

His style is reminiscent of that of the surrealist painter René Magritte. One of Uelsmann's most famous photographs bears the name of this painter, namely "Magritte's Touchstone" (1965). "Rock Tree" (1969) is also a good example of that typical Magritte-based style.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz followed her education at the San Francisco Art Institute. From 1970 many photos of her appeared in the magazine Rolling Stone. In the early 1980s she made the switch to the magazine Vanity Fair. Both magazines are known for their mostly controversial covers. In recent years, she has captured many artists, scientists and politicians on the sensitive plate.

A good example is the photo of a naked John Lennon hugging his wife Yoko Ono. It is worth mentioning that Leibovitz took this photo on the day of his murder. Partly for this reason, the image has spread throughout the world. Other famous people that Annie Leibovitz has photographed are Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Bette Midler.

Dorothea Lange

Certainly in view of the time in which she lived, it is at least remarkable that Dorothea Lange was able to make a career at all. For example, the career of this mother of two children took a huge flight in the mid-1930s. In 1935 Dorothea Langer was appointed as a photographer for the American government agency Farm Security Administration.

She was given the task of recording the consequences of the depression in the American countryside. Lange succeeded exceptionally well in this. Her most famous photo, called "Migrant Mother," shows an expressionless woman, pressing her children against her. Dorothea Lange also took many special photos during the Second World War. After that she focused on teaching

Robert Capa

For years, the photography duo Endre Ernó Friedmann and Gerda Taro have worked under the pseudonym "Robert Capa". This American-sounding name gave them the opportunity to sell their photos better. When it became known who was hiding behind this pseudonym, Friedmann decided to take over the name Robert Capa.

Robert Capa has developed himself as a war photographer during his career. He has recorded five important armed conflicts: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Second World War, the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 and the First Indo-China War. That this profession is not without risk became apparent during their work on the Spanish Civil War; Gerda Taro died there.

Yousuf Karsh

Of course a portrait photographer cannot be missing from this list. That brings us to Yousuf Karsh. During a visit to his uncle in Canada, he noticed that Yousuf had exceptional qualities. That is why he arranged an internship for his cousin with the well-known portrait photographer John Garo in Boston. Four years later, Yousuf Karsh settled in Ottowa.

It was not long before the eyes of the then Prime Minister of Canada, Mackenzie King, fell on the work of Karsh. He recommended it to all his relationships and friends. The most famous portrait that Yousuf Karsh made is that of Winston Churchill.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson took painting and drawing lessons at a young age. Only at the age of 22 did he discover the profession of photography. He roamed the streets all day to "capture the right moment." He later described this drive as "the decisive moment".

In Bresson's view, photography comes down to recognizing the importance of an event as well as estimating the forms that best frame an event. To this end, Henri Cartier-Bresson used, among other things, faster shutter speeds. In 1947, together with Robert Capa (Number 4 on this list), he founded the first photography agency.

Ansel Adams

The photo below is "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico". Ansel Adams took this photo in 1941. Ansel Adams became famous for his beautiful black-and-white landscape photos. After a visit to the Yosemite National Park, he would have been inspired to do this. This took place in 1916. After this he developed as a nature photographer.

In the period 1944-1958 he photographed all famous National Parks in the United States. His work was awarded no less than three Guggenheim prizes. Adams has also devised the so-called "zone system"; this method makes it possible to control the contrast and previsualization to get the best out of the capacity of black and white film. Ansel Adams is one of the most influential photographers of the last century.