The Godfathers of Photography

In a world where Instagram rules and is the go-to for inspiration for many photographers and creatives alike, I think it is important to recognise and admire the roots of the photography art form. The people who inspired your favourite photographers, the people who built the art form and really pushed its limits with far fewer resources than we have today.

Here are a list of photographers who have inspired me, whose work baffles me, I find timeless, and I can continually go back and to admire and inspire me. These are the godfathers of our craft, and while many don’t have instagram accounts, the images you see from the super talented photographers of today will derive from inspiration from these guy’s work.

This is merely an introduction to these Photographers, I urge you to research further into who they were, and their work. I will link as much as possible to other websites with interesting content about them and photography

Henri Cartier-Bresson - The Godfather of Street Photography

A French Photographer who really made a name for himself in the mid-20th century for his intimate candid street photography and creative compositions. He is probably best known for this work and consitantly running theme throughout all of his images “The Decisive Moment”.

“If you seize a fleeting moment when form, line, light and content are arranged perfectly within the frame, then a single picture becomes a story in itself” - Henri Cartier-Bresson

His journey as an artist routes from fine art where he initially started out his creative career as a surrealism artist, it was during this process of development as an artist he picked up a camera and started to shoot photographs with a surrealism essence. This was very unique for the time, and he was pretty much the only person doing it other than Man Ray (also worth while looking up!)

He later enrolled with the French Army in World War II, and moved away from Fine Art and more into Street and Documentary Photography. It was then he co-founded Magnum Photos (the most prestigious photojournalism agency in the world) with a few others, and went on to document key moments in history such as the Coronation of King George VI, Ghandi’s Funeral, the Queen’s Jubilee, the Chinese Civil War.

He is considered the Photographer’s Photographer. Every photographer knows and loves his work. His approach and ability to create thought provoking images within a split moment that are timeless with relevance, or an insight into that time period or person’s life.

To see more of his work, and read up more on him, please see: https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/henri-cartier-bresson/

Martin Parr - The Godfather of Documentary & Ironic/Humorous Photography

This man must have a great sense of humour, and it really shows in his work. His style is so unique with the bright, garish in-your-face colours. Most notably known for his ability to document British Culture, Leisure and Tourism in a way that it really evokes an emotion where he challenges what us Brits see and know as the norm.

He does this through using intriguing ‘close-up’ compositions and bright, intense colours to demonstrate the oddity of what we consider normal life and culture. His work is not beautiful in visual sense, but in a metaphorical sense (to me anyway!)…quite grotesque and repulsive which really gives it a unique charm.

Martin also joined Magnum Photo Agency in 1988, his style was very unlike any of the other photographers in Magnum, and was to some degree heavily contested as to whether it was worthy of Magnum. His style, I like to think is fairly fitting of Marmite, another great symbol of British Culture; you either Love it of Hate it!

To see more of his work, and read up more on him, please see: https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/martin-parr/

Steve McCurry - The Godfather of Travel Photography

Probably the most influential for myself, I love all of Steve’s work, his photos just continue to amaze me, I always feel like I can’t have enough of it and I find it motivates me to do better; to experience more and to try and document in a fresh way. I have a couple of his photobooks in my lounge, and when I’m going through a moment or time where I am struggling with my creativity I just open them up and can spend hours studying the photos.

Photography in his early years took him to India where throughout his whole career he has continued to return to photograph and document a feeling, desire and connection I too hold close to my heart.

His career really kicked off when smuggled across the border into Afghanistan in the early 80s to document the Soviet Afghan War focussing on the toll war takes on the people. This work led to him taking the “Afghan Girl” portrait, probably one of the most re-printed images in the world and National Geographic cover image.

Yet another Magnum Photographer; view more of his work and back story here: https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/steve-mccurry/

Ansel Adams - The Godfather of Landscape Photography

This guy is the original #vanlifer he is best known for photographing great dramatic landscapes Yosemite National Park, but his work spread a lot wider and further than that. Aged 12 on a family holiday to Yosemite his dad brought with them a camera and he took his first photo, he was hooked after that. Throughout his late teens he shadowed other photographers in San Fransisco around the Bay area and as and when he could would make trips back to Yosemite; this work led to his first image being printed.

He predominantly used black and white photography over colour as he preferred the editing process and the boldness and contrast of BNW prints. How it made him and others feel when experiencing the image; the sight of these huge expansive, overpowering and dramatic landscapes.

For me his composition is flawless and leads the viewers eyes around the image, focusing on different aspects of the image, as well as appreciating it all as as a whole.

To see more of Andel’s work and find out a little bit more about him, please see: https://shop.anseladams.com/collections/original-photographs-by-ansel-adams

Richard Avedon - The Godfather of Fashion / Portrait Photography

This man wrote the book for fashion photography; he took what everyone thought was the norm for portrait photography and turned it upside down. Portrait photographers up until Avedon would work with their subjects to really showcase that person to the best of their abilities, where as Avedon would accentuate and celebrate that persons flaws and imperfections. His studio would become a theatrical performance, he being the director, allowing for madness to unravel in front of his camera, pushing people to their limits, introducing motion and dance into many shoots.

“The key to Avedon’s art is not in his technical devices which he invents and disregards with restless rapidity but it in his preoccupation with the looks, mannerisms and gestures of human beings” - Winthrop Sargeant, The New Yorker

He started out as enrolling in the US Army in World War II, documenting life as a soldier, he never pushed for a career into photography just fell into it through this. On his return to New York City he photographed on street and was hired by a department store to take images, and he was soon snapped up by Harper’s Bazaar Magazine as their in-house photographer, and later Vogue Magazine.

Later on in his career he moved further away fashion, to focus on people with great accomplishment; sportsmen and women, actors, politicians and activists. He went on to photograph the Vietnamese War, the American Civil Rights movement, and (my favourite) the documentary series of portraits that took him 5 years of farmers, miners, truckers and factory workers the ‘Mid-American West’. He worked right up to the day he died in 2004.

Over his career he photographed The Beetles, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Audrey Hepburn, David Bowie, Muhammed Ali, John F Kennedy, Malcolm X and many others.

You can find out more about him and his work at: www.avedonfoundation.org

Don McCullin - The Godfather of War Photography

Disclaimer: This may be a controversial choice as many will say (including Don I’d imagine) Robert Capa was the God Father of War Photography; also co-founded Magnum Photo Agency with Henri Cartier-Bresson but I’ve chosen Don McCullin as I connect with his images more, and find him to be more of an inspiration to me.

Don, another Brit Photographer, now knighted for his lifetime efforts documenting some of histories darkest conflicts. Some of his most notable work coming from the Vietnamese War, the regime in Cambodia, the conflict in Biafra and the Congo.

He aims to convey complete honesty in his images, showing the rawness of war and how it affects the people, not only the soldiers involved but the civilians caught up in it all. His images are impactful and really communicate with audience the extent of what is happening.

He grew up in East London, in neighbourhood heavily shelled by the German’s and as a late teen joined the RAF as part of his national service. It was during this time he started experimenting with photography, then returning to London he would start photographing the local streets and people of the area, including a local gang that he then sold the image to the Observer Newspaper. This kickstarted his career in photojournalism.

For more on Don and to see more of his work, please see: www.donmccullin.com

There is also an incredible documentary called ‘McCullin’ I would HIGHLY recommend, it used to be on Netflix, but I think they’ve taken it down now, however I would highly recommend hunting it down!

Sebastião Salgado - The Godfather of Fine Art Photojournalism

Many debate whether Sebastião Salgado’s work is photojournalism or fine art; typically photojournalism should be a real representation of what has happened; a truth, not tweaked or edited in post production and never to pose the subjects in the photographs. While Sebastião’s work educates the audience of real life events, he works the images in post production to add drama and some say he has altered the reality so therefore to some degree the images stray from the truth. To me, he introduces his own emotions and experience of witnessing such traumatic experiences to add a fourth dimension of drama.

Brazilian born, started out as an Economist, during business trips to Africa he started taking photos, and soon spiralled into obsession with photographing African life, tribes, and nature. Another Magnum Photos photographer, he worked on assignments across the globe but always with a particular interest in Africa, usually working within areas of conflict or famine, and later in life partnered with Unicef as a ‘Goodwill Ambassador’. I would highly recommend two of his photobooks ‘Africa’ and ‘Genesis’, both are phenomenal! There is also a biographical documentary movie about Sebastião I can also highly recommend ‘Salt of the Earth’ directed by Wim Wenders.

To view more of his work see: https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=sebastiao+salgado+photo

Hopefully this offers you a small insight into the history of photography, and the people who helped innovate and change the game way instagram and way before DSLRs were even a thing!