Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon is a portrait photographer from the US who began as a fashion photographer and moved toward fine art and portrait photography. Avedon worked for Harpers Bazaar and Vogue Magazine. After many years of fashion, he began photographing hospital patients, war veterins, and eventually everyday people. 

Avedon's work is very glamours and formal. All of his photos are black and white with a very nice contrast. Each piece pays very close attention to the light. In his fashion photos, balance and rhythm are very important in creating the flow of his pieces. He exemplifies the model and gives a strong sense of confidence. 

His later work deals more with everyday people; people with no significant reason as to why they would be photographed. These images are much more rugged and the people seem very real. Each image usually only has one person, and it is a portrait of that person in their everyday attire. In the images he shot of mental hospital patients, he captures their expressions and emotions so carefully that it is difficult to look away. 

I really like Avedons simplicity of the background and the intense images of the people in which he seems to bring to life.