Famous+Photographer

=Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995)=





"I dream that someday the step between my mind and my finger will no longer be needed. And that simply by blinking my eyes,   I shall make pictures. Then, I think, I shall really have become a photographer." - Alfred Eisenstaedt

"When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear." - Alfred Eisenstaedt

**Biography and Historical Background**

- Born in West Prussia (Imperial Germany), and later moved to Berlin in 1906 - German-American photographer and photojournalist - Part Jewish, which caused much unease to be in a place where Jews were hated - Began taking pictures when he was 14, with his first film camera, an Eastman Kodak folding camera (above picture) - Served in the artillery during World War I, wounded in 1918 - In the 1920's worked as a freelancer photographer for the Berliner Tageblatt while selling belts and buttons in Weimar, Germany - Was a self-taught photographer, but was taught how to enlarge prints by his friend in 1926 - Sold first photograph in 1927 for about $3.00, which was of a woman playing tennis, and then learned about professional photography - Became fulltime photographer in 1929 - Left for the US in 1935, due to Hitler's opression towards Jews - Spent the rest of his life in Queens, New York - Later on became a photographer for Life magazize for a total of 36 years (1936-1972) - He produced a record amount of 90 covers for the magazine, with over 2500 photos

Influences
Alfred Eisenstaedt became a professional photographer, and his career was guided by his influence of Erich Salomon's work, who was also a german photojournalist. Salomon captured candid shots of political and cultural celebrities with his Ermanox camera, and this trait was passed on to Eisenstaedt's work as well. Eisenstaedt was influenced by the heavy regimes of war and jew opression, which was the reason that he left Germany and continued to take pictures as aphotojournalist for LIfe Magazine in America.



His Style and Major Genre
Alfred Eisenstaedt was known as the "father of photojournalism", his amazing candid shots made him one of the best photographers in his generation. Candid photography is the art of taking images where the subject does not pose for the camera; the photo is spontaneous, and brings the viewer right into the action. Eisenstaedt well known not only for his photographs of the war, but also photos of important people and celebrities. In his later life he took some pictures with President Kennedy of the United states, and of his wife and children, and President Bill Klinton. Other famous people included Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstein and Robert Frost. However, his most famous picture is the one of the sailor kissing the woman during VJ day, and this picture is renown around the world. It is a prime example of candid photography, in how the photo is spontaneous, and the subjects do not pose for the camera. Another good example of candid photography is his picture of the children's faces at the puppet theatre; their expressions are all natural and unstaged, and is effective in showing how children were affected by the stories told in the puppet theatre.

Photographs










What design elements are apparent?
The photographer often placed his subjects in the middle of the frames, and used lighting where the faces are always visible. In that way, his photos contain more emotion and portray the personalities of the subjects. The subjects are always in focus, and the background is blurred due to a small depth of field. Also, he payed careful attention to the composition of his photos, which is proven in how Eisenstead's images were always used more often than images taken by other photographers, of the same scene, since Eisenstaedt's composition worked well. An example of this is the picture of the sailor kissing the woman on VJ day. There was another picture made of that famous scene, but the point of view was drastically different, and did not portray the emotion of the image as well as Eisenstaedt's did.

Why are they good representations of the photographer's work?
The pictures that were taken during the world war show the photographer's proximity and experience in taking pictures during very difficult times. The second photos titled VJ Day is one of the most famous photos in the world, and the scene is replicated even today. The images of famous figures and politicians also highlight his influence and expertism in candid and photojournalist photography, and shows that he had the privilege to visit such high statused people. Some of the shots are natural and uncomposed, such as the portraits of the celebrities. The two photos that are composed, the photo of the Ice skating waiter and the mother and child in Hiroshima, show that Eisenstaedt did do some composed shots, and his unique creativity is shown in how he portrays the scene.

Sources:

http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/73608.aspx http://photomentors.com/2009/11/18/history-of-photography/masters-of-photography-alfred-eisenstaedt-profile-quotes/ http://www.artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles1997/Articles0397/AEisenstaedt.html http://www.cristinaarce.com/biografia_fotografo_eisenstaedt_alfred_ing.html --> Same info as the first...

http://www.photographersgallery.com/by_artist.asp?id=211&per=40&i=4

1. Give some historical background on their life. /20 2. Describe their influences. /5 3. Describe their style and major genre (Documentary, Fashion etc.) /5 4. Upload a minumum of 5 Photos that represent their work. /25 What design elements are aparent? Why are they a good representation of this photographers work? Describe the use of light.

Total: /55