Photography is an extremely versatile art. Attract the attention of the public and magnificent landscapes, and photographic portraits, and promotional shots. Therefore, choosing the best masters is not an easy task.

Our Top 10 includes the best contemporary photographers in a variety of genres. From the work they are known all over the world and are practically recognized as classics of photographic art.

10. Anne Geddes - the best children's photographer

Anna Geddes has been photographing children for 30 years. Books, postcards and calendars with photographs of babies in the most different images. Many photographers who start working with children draw inspiration from the pictures of Geddes. The secret of Anna's success is simple, she is sure that children are the only real joy in life.

9. Paul Hansen is the best photojournalist

Hansen is one of the most famous photojournalists in the world. Seven times he became the best photographer in Sweden, twice - the winner of the prestigious photo contest POYi ("International Photo of the Year"). And in 2013, Paul won a World Press Photo competition with a photograph taken at the funeral of two young children killed in Palestine.

8. Terry Richardson - Best Advertising Photographer

Richardson's photographs are sometimes very unusual, but they always attract the eye and are remembered for a long time. Terry's clients include such famous brands as Gucci, Sisley, Levi's, Eres, Miu Miu, Chloe, APC, Nike, Carolina Herrera, Kenneth Cole and many others. Richardson's photographs are regularly published by Vogue, I-D, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Dazed and Confused, W and Purple.

7. Denis Reggie is the best wedding photographer

Reggie has become a revolutionary in the wedding photography industry. After all, it was he who came up with the idea of ​​taking pictures in the manner of a reportage. Denis's works adorn not only family photo albums, but also the pages of such publications as W, Elle, Vogue, Town and Country, Glamour, and Harper's Bazaar

6. Patrick Demarchelier - Best Fashion Photographer

During his long career, Demarchelier has worked with publications such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. He ordered his advertising campaigns Dior, TAG Heuer, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren.

5. Yuri Artyukhin is the best wildlife photographer

Researcher at the Laboratory of Ornithology at the Pacific Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, is a passionate admirer of birds. It is the photographs of birds that have repeatedly been awarded prestigious prizes and awards at various competitions in Russia and abroad.

4. Helmut Newton is the best nude photographer

Nude photographs of Newton are known all over the world. For his contribution to the art of photography, Newton was awarded the Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Order of Arts and Letters, and the Monegasque Order of Arts, Literature and Science.

3. David Dubile - Best Underwater Photographer

Dubile has been operating below the surface of the water for five decades. His work is often published by National Geographic. David is the recipient of numerous prestigious photography awards. He shoots the underwater world both in equatorial waters and under the ice at the north and south poles.

2. Steve McCurry is National Geographic's most celebrated photographer.

Steve became famous for his photograph of an "Afghan girl" that National Geographic featured on the cover in 1985. The picture was soon recognized as the most famous photograph in the history of the magazine. In addition to the famous shot, McCurry has many great work in the genre of photography

1. Ron Galella is the most famous paparazzi

Garella is a pioneer of the paparazzi industry. Among the stars who became "victims" of Ron are Julia Roberts, Madonna, Al Pacino, Woody Allen, Sophia Loren. Marlon Brando broke Garella's jaw and knocked out five teeth, and Jacqueline Kennedy filed a lawsuit against the photographer, who forbade Ron to approach Jackie closer than 20 meters.

Lennon's photo is famous for being more than just a photograph. So let's take a look at the most famous photographs and learn about their history.

“John F. Kennedy Assassin Shot”

“Oswald was taken outside. I squeeze the camera. The police hold back the pressure of the townspeople. Oswald took a few steps. I press the shutter. As soon as the shots rang out, I pulled the trigger again, but my flash did not have time to reload. I started to worry about the first photo and two hours later I went to develop the photos.” — Robert Jackson. This photo is also one of the most famous in the history of photography.

"Boy with a Grenade"

An innocent boy with a toy grenade in his hand is the famous work of photographer Diane Arbus. The boy's name is Colin Wood, the son of the famous tennis player Sidney Wood. In his right hand, the boy squeezes a grenade, in his left hand is empty. The face of the child depicts either terror or fear. Diane took a long time to select the shooting angle she needed, as a result, the guy could not stand it and shouted “Shoot already!”. In 2005, the photo was sold for $408,000.

“Save the kitten!”

No, this is not a photo from a Korean restaurant. It was Helulu the kitten who decided to check out what the owners are preparing for dinner and dived into the pot of noodles.

"Trunk"

Street punks threatening the photographer with a gun. Yes, the child is only 11 years old, and the gun in his hands is a toy. He's just playing his game. But if you look closely, you will not see any game in his eyes.

"The Most Famous Kiss"

This kiss was the first this kind a photograph that was recognized all over the world. The photo was taken in Paris and is called “Kiss at the City Hall” (Le baiser de l’hotel de ville).

"Torment of Omaira"

November 13, 1985. Eruption of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia). Mountain snow melts, and a mass of mud, earth and water 50 meters thick literally wipes everything in its path from the face of the earth. The death toll exceeded 23,000 people. The disaster received a huge response around the world, thanks in part to a photo of a little girl named Omaira Sanchaz. She was trapped, up to her neck in slush, her legs trapped in the concrete structure of the house. Rescuers tried to pump out the dirt and free the child, but in vain. The girl held on for three days, after which she became infected with several viruses at once. As journalist Christina Echandia, who was nearby all this time, recalls, Omaira sang and talked with others. She was frightened and constantly thirsty, but she was very courageous. On the third night, she began to hallucinate. The photo was taken a few hours before death. Photographer - Frank Fournier.

"Trap"

A curious man with a dog fell into a trap carefully set by the photographer.

"Picasso"

Look at the bread! Only four fingers! That's why I decided to call this photo "Picasso," Picasso told his friend, photographer Duwanuoshi.

“Roadside shops”

Just a few years before the “Great Depression” of the USA. Shops are overflowing with fish, vegetables and fruits. The photo was taken in Alabama, next to the railroad.

"Broken mirror"

Two mischievous people broke the mirror and started picking up the pieces. The rest of the children watch with interest and guilt what is happening, while the world around them continues to live its own life.

“Little adults”

Three American girls gossip in an alley in Sevilla, Spain. For a long time, the postcard with this image was the most popular in the United States.

"Winston Churchill"

January 27, 1941. Churchill went to a photographic studio at 10 Downing Street to have some of his portraits taken, showing his resilience and determination. However, despite everything, his gaze was too relaxed - with a cigar in his hands, great person did not match the image that photographer Yousuf Karsh wanted to get. He approached the great politician and with a sharp movement pulled the cigar right out of his mouth. The result is slightly higher. Churchill looks angrily at the photographer, who, in turn, presses the shutter. So humanity received one of the most famous portraits of Winston Churchill.

"Retreat"

The retreat of the US Marine Corps in 1950 due to inhuman frosts. During the Korean War, General MacArthur overestimated his capabilities, and was absolutely confident in the success of the campaign. So he considered before the counterattack of the Chinese troops, after which he uttered his famous phrase: “We are retreating! For we are moving in the wrong direction!”

"Naked Runner"

In 1975, during the rugby final in England, all the main people of the country gathered in the stands - Her Majesty with her retinue, well-known politicians ... Naked Australian Michael makes an “honorary circle” around the stadium. According to rumors, the Queen fainted. The runner was sentenced to three months in prison.

"Homework"

The picture does not have any specific theme, but the frame is quite famous. The boy proudly marches home, holding two huge bottles of alcohol in his hands. His face radiates joy and a sense of accomplishment. The girls in the background can't hide their admiration.

“Hunger in Sudan”

Photographer - Kevin Carter - received the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his work. The card depicts a Sudanese girl crouched with hunger. Soon she will die, and the big condor in the background is ready for it. The photo shocked the entire civilized world. The origin of the girl is unknown to anyone, including the photographer. He took a picture, chased away the predator and watched the child leave. Kevin Carter was a member of the "Bang Bang Club" photographers group, four intrepid photojournalists who travel around Africa in search of photo sensations. Two months after receiving the award, Carter committed suicide. Possibly haunted by horrific memories of what he saw in Sudan.

"Marilyn"

Marilyn Monroe. During the shooting, the girl looked away, which gave the photo even more charm, mystery and mood.

"Pain in the eye"

Between the winter of 1948 and the spring of 1949, Henry Cartier Bresson traveled with his camera to Beijing, Shanghai and other cities. This photo was taken in Nanjing. The photo shows a line of starving people for rice.

"After you…"

Terry and Thomson decide who will start (or finish?) dinner. Hamster Jim did not suspect that it was him who would be served at the table today. All three are Mark Andrew's pets. Outside the lens, these three are wonderful and dedicated companions!

"Time Square Victory"

After the end of World War II, a photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in Time Square made the rounds in the papers. The image illustrates joy and love. According to legend, after 40 years, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt decided to find a sweet couple, and he succeeded. He was met by happy grandparents, surrounded by a noisy crowd of children and grandchildren! This picture is considered the most famous photograph

A collection of iconic photographs from the past 100 years that showcase
the grief of loss and the triumph of the human spirit...

An Australian kisses his Canadian girlfriend. Canadians rioted after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup.

Three sisters, three "lengths" of time, three photos.

Two legendary captains Pele and Bobby Moore exchange jerseys as a sign of mutual respect. FIFA World Cup, 1970.

1945 Petty Officer Graham Jackson plays "Goin' Home" at President Roosevelt's funeral on April 12, 1945.

1952. 63-year-old Charlie Chaplin.

Eight-year-old Christian accepts the flag during a memorial service for his father. Who was killed in Iraq just a few weeks before he was due to return home.

A veteran near the T34-85 tank, on which he fought during the Great Patriotic War.

Romanian child hands balloon police officer during protests in Bucharest.

Police Captain Ray Lewis arrested for participating in the Wall Street protests in 2011.

A monk next to an elderly man who died suddenly while waiting for a train in Shanxi Taiyuan, China.

A dog named "Leao" sits for two days at the grave of his owner, who died in terrible landslides.
Rio de Janeiro, January 15, 2011

African American athletes Tommy Smith and John Carlos raise their black-gloved fists in solidarity. Olympic Games, 1968.

Jewish prisoners at the time of their release from the camp. 1945

The funeral of President John F. Kennedy, which took place on November 25, 1963, the birthday of John F. Kennedy Jr.
Footage of JFK Jr saluting his father's coffin was broadcast around the world.

Christians protect Muslims during prayer. Egypt, 2011.

A North Korean man (right) waves from a bus to a weeping South Korean man after a family reunion at Mount Kumgang October 31, 2010. They were separated by the 1950-53 war.

The dog met with his owner after the tsunami in Japan. 2011.

"Wait for me, daddy" is a photograph of a march by the British Columbia Regiment. Five-year-old Warren "Whitey" Bernard ran from his mother to his father, Private Jack Bernard, yelling "Wait for me, Dad." Photo received wide popularity, was published in Life, hung in every school in British Columbia during the war, and was used in war bond issues.

Priest Luis Padillo and a soldier wounded by a sniper during an uprising in Venezuela.

A mother and son in Concord, Alabama, near their home, which was completely destroyed by a tornado. April, 2011

A guy looks at a family album he found in the rubble of his old house after the earthquake in Sichuan.

4-month-old girl after the Japanese tsunami.

French citizens at the entrance of the Nazis to Paris during World War II.

Soldier Horace Greasley confronts Heinrich Himmler while inspecting the camp in which he was imprisoned. Surprisingly, Greasley left the camp many times to meet the German girl he was in love with.

A fireman gives water to a koala during wildfires. Australia 2009.

The father of the deceased son, at the 9/11 memorial. During the tenth annual ceremonies, on the grounds of the World Trade Center.

Jacqueline Kennedy at the swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson as President of the United States. Immediately after the death of her husband.

Tanisha Blevin, 5, holds the hand of Hurricane Katrina survivor Nita Lagarde, 105.

A girl, who is in temporary isolation to identify and clean up radiation, looks at her dog through the glass. Japan, 2011

Journalists Yuna Lee and Laura Ling, who were arrested in North Korea and sentenced to 12 years hard labor, have been reunited with their families in California. After successful US diplomatic intervention.

Meeting mother with her daughter, after serving in Iraq.

Young pacifist Jane Rose Casmere, with a flower on the bayonets of the Pentagon guards.
During a protest against the Vietnam War. 1967

"The Man Who Stopped the Tanks"...
An iconic photo of an unknown rebel standing in front of a column of Chinese tanks. Tiananmen, 1989

Harold Whittles hears for the first time in his life - the doctor has just installed a hearing aid for him.

Helen Fisher kisses a hearse carrying the body of her 20-year-old cousin, Private Douglas Halliday.

US Army troops making landfall during D-Day. Normandy, 6 June 1944.

World War II prisoner released by the Soviet Union meets his daughter.
The girl sees her father for the first time.

A Sudan People's Liberation Army soldier during a rehearsal for the Independence Day parade.

Greg Cook hugging his lost dog after he was found. Alabama, after a tornado in March 2012.

Photo taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission. 1968

Take a closer look at this photo. This is one of the most remarkable photographs ever taken. The baby's tiny hand reached out from the womb to squeeze the surgeon's finger. By the way, the child is 21 weeks from conception, the age when he can still be legally aborted. The tiny pen in the photo belongs to a baby who was due to be born on December 28 last year. The photo was taken during an operation in America.

The first reaction is to recoil in horror. It looks like a close-up of some terrible incident. And then you notice, in the very center of the photo, a tiny hand grasping the surgeon's finger.
The child is literally grasping for life. Therefore, this is one of the most remarkable photographs in medicine and a record of one of the most extraordinary operations in the world. It shows a 21-week-old fetus in the womb, before the very spinal surgery that was required to save the baby from severe brain damage. The operation was performed through a tiny incision in the mother's wall and this is the youngest patient. At this time, the mother may choose to have an abortion.

The most famous photograph that no one has seen,” is how Associated Press photographer Richard Drew calls his picture of one of the victims of the World Trade Center, who jumped out of the window to her death on September 11
“On the day that was captured on camera and film more than any other day in history,” Tom Junod later wrote in Esquire, “the only taboo by common consent was taking pictures of people jumping out of windows.” Five years later, Richard Drew's "falling man" remains a terrible artifact of that day that should have changed everything but didn't.

Photographer Nick Yut took a photo of a Vietnamese girl running away from the exploding napalm. It was this picture that made the whole world think about the war in Vietnam.
A photo of 9-year-old girl Kim Fook on June 8, 1972 went down in history forever. Kim first saw this picture 14 months later in a hospital in Saigon, where she was being treated for terrible burns. Kim still remembers running from her siblings on the day of the bombing and can't forget the sound of the bombs falling. A soldier tried to help and doused her with water, unaware that this would make the burns worse. Photographer Nick Yut helped the girl and took her to the hospital. At first, the photographer doubted whether to publish a photo of a naked girl, but then he decided that the world should see this picture.

The photo was later named the best photo of the 20th century. Nick Yut tried to keep Kim from becoming too popular, but in 1982, when the girl was studying at a medical university, the Vietnamese government found her, and since then Kim's image has been used for propaganda purposes. “I was under constant control. I wanted to die, this photo haunted me,” says Kim. She later managed to escape to Cuba to continue her education. There she met her future husband. Together they moved to Canada. Many years later, she finally realized that she couldn't run away from this photo and decided to use it and her fame to fight for peace.

Malcolm Brown, 30 year old photographer (Associated Press) from New York, called on the phone and asked to be at a certain intersection in Saigon the next morning, because. something very important is about to happen. He went there with a reporter from the New York Times. soon a car drove up, several Buddhist monks got out of it. Among them is Thich Quang Duc, who sat in a lotus position with a box of matches in his hands, while the rest began to pour gasoline on him. Thich Quang Duc struck a match and turned into a living torch. Unlike the weeping crowd watching him burn, he didn't utter a sound or move. Thich Quang Duc wrote a letter to the then head of the Vietnamese government asking him to stop the repression of Buddhists, stop the detention of monks and give them the right to practice and spread their religion, but did not receive a response

On December 3, 1984, the Indian city of Bhopal suffered from the largest man-made disaster in the history of mankind. A giant poisonous cloud, released into the atmosphere by an American pesticide factory, covered the city, killing 3,000 people that same night, and 15,000 more in the coming month. In total, more than 150,000 people were affected by the release of toxic waste, and this does not include children born after 1984.

Surgeon Jay Vacanti of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is working with microengineer Jeffrey Borenstein to develop a technique for growing artificial livers. In 1997, he managed to grow a human ear on the back of a mouse using cartilage cells.

The development of a technique that allows culturing the liver is extremely relevant. In the UK alone, there are 100 people on the waiting list for transplants, and according to the British Liver Trust, most patients die before they get a transplant.

A picture taken by reporter Alberto Korda at a rally in 1960, in which Che Guevara is also visible between a palm tree and someone's nose, claims to be the most widely disseminated photograph in history

The most famous photograph of Steve McCurry, taken by him in a refugee camp on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Soviet helicopters destroyed the village of a young refugee, her whole family died, and before getting to the camp, the girl made a two-week journey in the mountains. After being published in June 1985, this photograph becomes a National Geographic icon. Since then, this image has been used everywhere - from tattoos to rugs, which turned the photo into one of the most replicated photos in the world.

At the end of April 2004, the CBS program 60 Minutes II aired a story about the torture and abuse of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison by a group of American soldiers. The story showed photographs that were published in The New Yorker a few days later. This became the loudest scandal around the presence of Americans in Iraq.
In early May 2004, the leadership of the US Armed Forces admitted that some of the methods of torture were not in accordance with the Geneva Convention and announced their readiness to publicly apologize.

According to the testimony of a number of prisoners, American soldiers raped them, rode them, forced them to fish food from prison toilets. In particular, the inmates said: “They made us walk on all fours like dogs and yelp. We had to bark like dogs, and if you didn't bark, then you were beaten in the face without any pity. After that, they left us in the cells, took away the mattresses, poured water on the floor and forced us to sleep in this slush without removing the hoods from our heads. And all this was constantly photographed”, “One American said that he would rape me. He drew a woman on my back and forced me to stand in a shameful position, to hold my own scrotum in my hands.

Poland - Teresa, a girl who grew up in a concentration camp, draws a "house" on the blackboard. 1948 David Seymou

The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 (often referred to simply as 9/11) was a series of coordinated suicide terrorist attacks that took place in the United States of America. According to the official version, the Islamist terrorist organization Al-Qaeda is responsible for these attacks.
On the morning of that day, nineteen terrorists, allegedly related to Al-Qaeda, divided into four groups, hijacked four scheduled passenger airliners. Each group had at least one member who completed basic flight training. The invaders sent two of these liners to the towers of the World shopping center, American Airlines Flight 11 to WTC 1 and United Airlines Flight 175 to WTC 2, causing both towers to collapse, causing extensive damage to adjacent structures.

White and colored
Photo of Elliott Erwitt 1950

The photograph of an officer shooting a handcuffed prisoner in the head not only won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969, but also completely changed American attitudes towards what was happening in Vietnam. Despite the obviousness of the image, in fact, the photograph is not as unambiguous as it seemed to ordinary Americans, filled with sympathy for the executed. The fact is that the man in handcuffs is the captain of the Viet Cong "revenge warriors", and on this day he and his henchmen shot many unarmed civilians. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, pictured left, has been haunted by his past all his life: he was refused treatment at an Australian military hospital, after moving to the US, he faced a massive campaign calling for his immediate deportation, the restaurant he opened in Virginia, every day was attacked by vandals. "We know who you are!" - this inscription haunted the general of the army all his life

Republican soldier Federico Borel Garcia is depicted in the face of death. The picture caused a huge uproar in society. The situation is absolutely unique. During the whole time of the attack, the photographer took only one picture, while he took it at random, without looking into the viewfinder, he did not look at all in the direction of the “model”. And this is one of the best, one of his most famous photographs. It was thanks to this picture that already in 1938 the newspapers called the 25-year-old Robert Cap "The Greatest War Photographer in the World"

The photograph, which depicted the hoisting of the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag, spread around the world. Yevgeny Khaldei, 1945

By the early summer of 1994, Kevin Carter (1960-1994) was at the height of his fame. He had just received the Pulitzer Prize, job offers from famous magazines poured in one after another. “Everyone congratulates me,” he wrote to his parents, “I can’t wait to meet you and show you my trophy. This is the highest recognition of my work, which I did not dare to dream of.

Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for his photograph "Famine in Sudan" taken in early spring 1993. On this day, Carter flew to Sudan specifically to shoot scenes of hunger in a small village. Tired of shooting people who died of starvation, he left the village in a field overgrown with small bushes and suddenly heard a quiet cry. Looking around, he saw a little girl lying on the ground, apparently dying of hunger. He wanted to take a picture of her, but suddenly a vulture vulture landed a few steps away. Very carefully, trying not to startle the bird, Kevin chose the best position and took a picture. After that, he waited another twenty minutes, hoping that the bird would spread its wings and give him the opportunity to get a better shot. But the damned bird did not move, and in the end, he spat and drove it away. In the meantime, the girl apparently gained strength and went - more precisely crawled - further. And Kevin sat down near the tree and cried. He suddenly terribly wanted to hug his daughter ...

November 13, 1985. Eruption of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz - Colombia. Mountain snow melts, and a mass of mud, earth and water 50 meters thick literally wipes everything in its path from the face of the earth. The death toll exceeded 23,000 people. The disaster received a huge response around the world, thanks in part to a photo of a little girl named Omaira Sanchez. She was trapped, up to her neck in slush, her legs trapped in the concrete structure of the house. Rescuers tried to pump out the dirt and free the child, but in vain. The girl held on for three days, after which she became infected with several viruses at once. As journalist Christina Echandia, who was nearby all this time, recalls, Omaira sang and talked with others. She was frightened and constantly thirsty, but she was very courageous. On the third night, she began to hallucinate.

Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995), a photographer working for Life magazine, strolled around the square photographing the kissers. He later recalled that he noticed a sailor who “rushed around the square and kissed indiscriminately all the women in a row: young and old, fat and thin. I watched, but the desire to photograph did not appear. Suddenly he grabbed something white. I barely had time to raise the camera and take a picture of him kissing the nurse.”
For millions of Americans, this photograph, which Eisenstadt called "Unconditional Surrender", became a symbol of the end of World War II...

These photographs are known to any person who is more or less familiar with the history of photography. Yes, it’s art, because looking at them you understand that here, more than ever, the photographer has gone beyond the framework of an outside observer, into which his lens drives him, and has become an Artist, that is, he rethought reality and passed through himself. Here we see not so much an objective reflection of reality as its subjective assessment given by the author. Each of these photos has its own story... "Federal soldiers who fell on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania" One of the first military photojournalists, Matthew Brady was known as the creator of the daggerotypes of Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. Brady had it all: career, money, own business. And he decided to risk all this (as well as his own life), following the army of northerners with a camera in his hands. Having narrowly escaped capture in the very first battle in which he took part, Brady somewhat lost his patriotic fervor and began to send assistants to the front line. Over several years of war, Brady and his team took more than 7,000 photographs. That's quite an impressive number, especially considering that taking a single picture required equipment and chemicals placed inside a covered wagon pulled by several horses. Not very similar to the usual digital "soap dishes"? The photographs that seemed so appropriate on the battlefield had a very heavy aura. However, it was thanks to them that ordinary Americans for the first time were able to see the bitter and harsh military reality, not veiled by jingoistic slogans. "The assassin of John F. Kennedy was shot..."“Oswald was taken outside. I squeeze the camera. The police hold back the pressure of the townspeople. Oswald took a few steps. I press the shutter. As soon as the shots rang out, I pulled the trigger again, but my flash did not have time to reload. I started to worry about the first photo and two hours later I went to develop the photos.” – Robert H. Jackson The photography that raised the stakes of photojournalists. Omaha Beach, Normandy, France Military photojournalist Robert Capa said that if your photos are bad, it means that you were not close enough to the scene. And he knew what he was talking about. His most famous photographs were taken on the morning of June 6, 1944, when, together with the first detachments of infantry, he landed on the coast of Normandy on the day of the Allied landings. Having come under fire, Capa was forced to dive underwater with the camera to avoid bullets. He barely escaped. Of the four films taken by the photographer on the day of the terrible battle, only 11 frames survived - the rest were hopelessly damaged by an elderly laboratory assistant, who in a hurry lit up almost all the material (as it turned out later, he tried to have time to develop the films before being printed fresh issue Life magazine). Ironically, it was this error in film development that gave several surviving photographs their famous "surreal" appearance (Life magazine erroneously suggested that they were "a little out of focus" in the commentary on the photographs). Fifty years later, director Steven Spielberg, on the set of the landing scene in Normandy from Saving Private Ryan, tried to recreate the effect of Robert Capa's photographs by removing the protective film from the camera lenses for a "blur" effect. "Murder of a Viet Cong by Saigon Police Chief" AP photojournalist Eddie Adams once wrote, "Photography is the most powerful weapon in the world." A very appropriate quote to illustrate his own life - in 1968, his photograph of an officer shooting a handcuffed prisoner in the head not only won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969, but also completely changed American attitudes to what was happening in Vietnam. Despite the obviousness of the image, in fact, the photograph is not as unambiguous as it seemed to ordinary Americans, filled with sympathy for the executed. The fact is that the man in handcuffs is the captain of the Viet Cong "revenge warriors", and on this day many unarmed civilians were shot dead by him and his henchmen. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, pictured left, has been haunted by his past all his life: he was refused treatment at an Australian military hospital, after moving to the US, he faced a massive campaign calling for his immediate deportation, the restaurant he opened in Virginia, every day was attacked by vandals. "We know who you are!" - this inscription haunted the general of the army all his life. "He killed a handcuffed man," said Eddie Adams, "and I killed him with my camera."
"The Death of Omaira Sanchez" November 13, 1985. Eruption of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia). Mountain snow melts, and a mass of mud, earth and water 50 meters thick literally wipes everything in its path from the face of the earth. The death toll exceeded 23,000 people. The disaster received a huge response around the world, thanks in part to a photo of a little girl named Omaira Sanchez. She was trapped, up to her neck in slush, her legs trapped in the concrete structure of the house. Rescuers tried to pump out the dirt and free the child, but in vain. The girl held on for three days, after which she became infected with several viruses at once. As journalist Christina Echandia, who was nearby all this time, recalls, Omaira sang and talked with others. She was frightened and constantly thirsty, but she was very courageous. On the third night, she began to hallucinate. The photo was taken a few hours before death. Photographer – Frank Fournier. "Portrait of Churchill" January 27, 1941. Winston Churchill went into a photographic studio at 10 Downing Street to have some of his portraits taken, demonstrating his resilience and determination. However, his gaze, despite everything, was too relaxed - with a cigar in his hands, the great man did not match the image that photographer Yousuf Karsh wanted to get. He approached the great politician and with a sharp movement pulled the cigar right out of his mouth. The result is slightly higher. Churchill looks angrily at the photographer, who, in turn, presses the shutter. So humanity received one of the most famous portraits of Winston Churchill. Two photos showing a grand change in life in the USA.
grocery store Just a few years before the “Great Depression” of the USA. Shops are overflowing with fish, vegetables and fruits. The photo was taken in Alabama, next to the railroad. "Mother of Settlers" Thanks to legendary photographer Dorothea Lange, Florence Owen Thompson has been the epitome of the Great Depression for many years. Lange took the photograph while visiting a vegetable picker camp in California in February 1936, wanting to show the world the resilience and resilience of a proud nation in hard times. The story of Dorothea's life turned out to be as attractive as her portrait. At 32, she was already the mother of seven children and a widow (her husband died of tuberculosis). Finding themselves virtually destitute in the resettlement labor camp, her family subsisted on the meat of the birds the children managed to shoot and vegetables from the farm, as did the rest of the 2,500 camp workers. The publication of the photo produced the effect of an exploding bomb. The story of Thompson, which appeared on the covers of the most authoritative publications, caused an immediate response from the public. The Resettlement Administration immediately sent food and emergency supplies to the camp. Unfortunately, the Thompson family had already left the habitable place by this time and received nothing from the generosity of the government. It should be noted that at that time no one knew the name of the woman depicted in the photograph. Only forty years after the publication of this photograph, in 1976, Thompson "revealed" herself by giving an interview to one of the national newspapers. "Retreat" The retreat of the US Marine Corps in 1950 due to inhuman frosts. During the Korean War, General MacArthur overestimated his capabilities, and was absolutely confident in the success of the campaign. So he considered before the counterattack of the Chinese troops, after which he uttered his famous phrase: “We are retreating! For we are moving in the wrong direction!”
"Famine in Sudan" Photographer Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his work. The card depicts a Sudanese girl crouched with hunger. Soon she will die, and the big condor in the background is ready for it. The photo shocked the entire civilized world. The origin of the girl is unknown to anyone, including the photographer. He took a picture, chased away the predator and watched the child leave. Kevin Carter was a member of the Bang Bang Club, four intrepid photojournalists who travel around Africa in search of photo sensations. Kevin Carter was forgotten by the entire reading public for the fact that when he was asked if he took this girl to the food distribution point, he replied that he was only a messenger bringing news, and it was not his job to help. Two months after receiving the award, Carter committed suicide. Possibly haunted by horrific memories of what he saw in Sudan. "The Monster of Loch Ness" or "Photograph of a Surgeon", This photo is also called "Surgeon's Photo". This blurry photo, taken in April 1934, is known to the whole world. For 60 years, it fed the most incredible assumptions about a living fossil pangolin living today in the Scottish Loch Ness, gave rise to a lot of rumors and conjectures, initiated several underwater expeditions and gave rise to a whole tourism industry in a small Scottish town. This continued until 1994, when the adopted son of the author of the fraud - Christian Spurling - did not tell the public that his stepfather, Marmaduke Weatherell, hired by the London Daily Mail to search for a large animal, could not find him and decided to take this fake photo with the help of Christian's stepson and son Jen. Yen is the actual author of the photo. The Nessie was a hastily constructed and supported on the surface with a toy submarine and a plank counterweight. In order to make the story look more believable, the scammers persuaded a local surgeon, Robert Kenneth Wilson, to identify himself as the author of the picture. "Rice Line" Between the winter of 1948 and the spring of 1949, Henry Cartier Bresson traveled with his camera to Beijing, Shanghai and other cities. This photo was taken in Nanjing. The photo shows a line of starving people for rice. "Gandhi and his spinning wheel". One of the most influential people of the 20th century, Gandhi, did not like to be photographed, but in 1946, Life staff member, Margaret Bork-White, was allowed to take a photo of him in front of a spinning wheel - a symbol of the struggle for Indian independence. Before the photographer was allowed to take part in the photo session, she herself had to learn how to use a spinning wheel - these were the requirements of Gandhi's entourage. After overcoming this obstacle, Margaret had two more. To begin with, it turned out that it was forbidden to speak with Gandhi - he just had a “day of silence”, which he traditionally spent without talking to anyone. And, since he hated bright light, Margaret was allowed to take only three shots (accompanied by three flashes). The problem was also the very humid atmosphere of India, which adversely affected the condition of the camera, so the first two photos were unsuccessful, but the third shot turned out. It was he who shaped the image of Gandhi for millions of people. The photo was the last lifetime portrait of Gandhi - two years later he was killed. "Dali Atomicus" Philippe Haltzman was the only photographer to have made a career out of shooting people…in a jump. He argued that in the jump, the subject involuntarily shows his real, inner essence. One cannot but agree with this statement, looking at a photograph of Salvador Dali called "Dal? Atomicus". 6 hours, 28 jumps, a full room of assistants throwing a bucket of water into the air and angry cats - this is how this photo was born. In the background of the photograph is Dali's unfinished surreal masterpiece Leda Atomica. Haltsman wanted to pour milk out of the bucket, not water, but in the post-war period this was too dismissive of the food product. Haltzman's photographs of celebrities in a jump have appeared on at least seven covers of Life magazine and have given rise to a new kind of portrait - without the obligatory hitherto static. "Einstein showing tongue" You may rightly ask yourself, "did this photo really change the world?" Einschnein revolutionized nuclear physics and quantum mechanics, and this photograph changed the attitude towards both Einstein and scientists in general. The fact is that the 72-year-old scientist was tired of the constant press harassment that pestered him on the Princeton campus. When he was asked for the hundred thousandth time to smile at the camera, instead of smiling, he presented Arthur Seiss with his tongue sticking out at the camera. This language is the language of genius, which is why photography instantly became a classic. Now Einstein will always be remembered and considered a great original - always! "The Body of Che Guevara" Thug? Sociopath? A beacon of socialism? Or, as the existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre called him, "the most perfect man of our age"? Regardless of your point of view, Ernesto "Che" Guevara has long been the patron saint" of revolutionaries around the world. Without a doubt, he is a legendary man, and this status was assigned to him not by life, but by his own death. Dissatisfied with Che's efforts to propagate revolution among Bolivia's poor and oppressed, the national army (trained and equipped by US troops and the CIA) captured and executed Che Guevara in 1967. But before his body was buried in a secret grave, the assassins gathered around him, posing for staged photography. The military wanted to prove to the world that Che was dead, hoping that his political movement would die with him. Expecting accusations that the photo was faked, Che Guevara's prudent executioners amputated his hands and preserved them in formaldehyde. But by killing a man, the Bolivian officials unwittingly gave rise to a legend about him. The photograph that went around the world bore a striking resemblance to Renaissance images of Jesus taken from the cross. Che's face is eerily calm, and his killers preen in front of the camera, one of them points to a wound in the body of Che Guevara. Thanks to this photograph, Che Guevara will forever be remembered as a martyr who died for socialist ideas. "Airship Hindenburg" The explosion of the Hindenburg airship in 1937 is, of course, not the wreck of the Titanic or the Chernobyl tragedy of the 20th century. Of the 97 people on board, 62 miraculously survived. During landing at Lakeharst Airport, New Jersey, after a flight from Germany, the German zeppelin Hindenburg exploded. The airship shell was filled with hydrogen, and not safe inert helium, since the Americans at that time had already refused to sell this gas to a potential adversary: ​​a new one was approaching World War. The event was filmed by 22 photographers. After the incident, airships were no longer considered a safe and developed mode of transport. This photo recorded the end of the development of the airship. "Snake Valley" Many believe that the era of photography can be divided into two parts: before Ansel Adams and after Ansel Adams. In the “pre-Adomsian” era, photography was not considered at all as an independent art. Photos with the help of various manipulations were made similar to paintings. Adams, on the other hand, avoided any manipulation of the images with all his might, declaring photographic art "the poetry of reality." With his work, he proved the value of "pure photography". In an era of fairly compact portable cameras, he stubbornly clung to bulky equipment and old-fashioned large-format cameras. Adams showed Americans the beauty of their national nature. In 1936, he took a series of photographs and sent them to Washington to help save Kings Canyon in California. As a result, this area was declared a national park. "VE Day, Times Square, 1945" or "The Kiss" On August 14, 1945, the news of Japan's surrender heralded the end of World War II. A stormy celebration began on the streets of New York, but perhaps none of the inhabitants of the city felt freer at that moment than the military. Among happy people who gathered in Times Square that day included one of the most talented photojournalists of the 20th century, a German immigrant named Alfred Eisenstadt. Snapping pictures of the celebration with his camera, he spotted a sailor "walking down the street and grabbing every girl in his field of vision." He later explained that he didn't care if she was "grandma, strong, thin, old or young" - he didn't Of course, a photograph of a sailor imprinting a kiss on the lips of a venerable pensioner would never have appeared on the cover of Life magazine, but when a dashing military man danced and kissed an attractive nurse, and Eisenstadt took a picture, the image was circulated by newspapers all over the country. It goes without saying that the VE-Day photograph was not a depiction of two war-torn lovers meeting, but to this day it remains an enduring symbol of America at the end of a long struggle for peace. "The Boy with the Grenade" The boy with a toy grenade in his hand is a famous work of photographer Diane Arbus. The boy's name is Colin Wood, the son of the famous tennis player Sidney Wood. In his right hand, the boy squeezes a grenade, in his left hand is empty. Diane took a long time to select the shooting angle she needed, as a result, the guy could not stand it and shouted “Shoot already!”. In 2005, the photo was sold for $408,000. "Trunks" Street punks threatening the photographer with a gun. Yes, the child is only 11 years old, and the gun in his hands is a toy. He's just playing his game. But if you look closely, you will not see any game in his eyes. "Picasso" Eight pieces of xl:) were required in order to ideally display the dissimilarity of views on the world of Pablo Picasso and other people. The artist was delighted with this photo. “Look at the bread! Only four fingers! That's why I decided to call this photo "Picasso",” Picasso told his friend, photographer Duwanuoshi.





"People and Pictures" Robert Doisneau (Robert Doisneo) did not follow the traditions of artistic photography of his time. Using the reportage technique of shooting, he looked for the unusual in the ordinary, exciting in the everyday. Every day, a nude painting was displayed in the window of a popular shop and the reaction of passers-by was photographed. Best photos made by Robert Doisneo were included in the series “People and Pictures”. So, perhaps, a “hidden camera” appeared.

"Dinner at the Skyscraper"
1932

100photos.time.com

Dorothea Lange "The Migrant Mother"
1936

100photos.time.com

Yevgeny Khaldei "Victory Banner over the Reichstag"
1945

100photos.time.com

Alfred Eisenstadt "Victory over Japan Day in Times Square"
1945

100photos.time.com

Philippe Halsman "Dali's Anatomycus"
1948

100photos.time.com

Richard Avedon "Dovima and the Elephants"
1955

100photos.time.com

Harry Benson Pillow Fight
1964

100photos.time.com

Neil Armstrong "Man in the Moon"
1969

100photos.time.com

Annie Leibovitz "Demi Moore"
1991

100photos.time.com

Celebrity selfie from the Oscars
year 2014

100photos.time.com