Historical Photographer Biography
Robert Frank:
Biography:
On November 9, 1924, Robert Frank was born as a swiss-american in Zurich, Switzerland. He is know globally for his documentaries and photographs. Franks photography career started in 1942 when he started working as a commercial photographer with Michael Wolgensinger. he joined the fashion world for a few months but the limitation quickly drove him away. From 1950-1955 he worked with LIFE, Look, Charm, Vogue, and more, as a freelance photographer. Between 1955 to 1956 he created his most famous work, a book of photos called The Americans. A book capturing every day business man from uncommon angles and cosing contraveriay with the untraidaltion format.
Henri Cartier Bresson:
Biography:
french photographer Henri cartier Bresson was born on August 22, 1908 in Chanteloup, France. he went all around the world taking photos and was involved in war photography of wars like the Spanish civl war and the French uprising of 1968. he was the oldest of his five siblings and came from a rich house old, where his family acted as if poor. his father who what a texture manufacture was also artistic as well as a grandfather and uncle. Henri Cartier Bresson was a communist unlike his own family. he was an apprentice to an artist who studied cubism and later went to Cambridge university. unlike most photographers Henri didn't like making prints he just liked 6taking the pictures. the first camera he bought for himself was a 35mm Leica.
Robert Frank:
Henri Cartier Bresson:
Similarities:
- both tried to capture the culture around them as they travelled around the world
- took photos of everyday people
- both had some sort of apprenticeship or intern/mentor work
Diferences:
Robert focused mainly on fashion and business man while Henri focused on war and the people it effected. I found that Henri's work has a deeper more depressing feel to his work because the subject he chooses aren't as happy or successful as the people in Roberts work. a majority of Roberts work is has clear subjects seems more posed or unbelievable because not everyone dresses like the business man he captures, but Henri's work shows "real" people who aren't as professional and more casual and common.
Personal Preference:
Personally I prefer Henri's work because it is more intriguing to my eyes, they is more to each story. while Roberts work is just a bunch of men in suits on the train or reading the paper. Henri has a larger variety of what and who he captures. His work also has more emotion to it, because the people within the pictures are sad or making some sort of expression. Roberts work has little of that. I also love the types of people Henri captured how they look dirty and possibly poor adds to the story behind the picture.
