Richard Avedon was born May 15, 1923. He began his career in photography in 1942 when he photographed identification pictures of crewmen for the Merchant Marines. In 1944 Avedon began working as an advertising photographer for a department store. His work was seen by the art director for Harper’s Bazaar and in 1946, Avedon set up his own studio and began shooting images for Vogue and Life as well. Soon he became the chief photographer for Harper’s Bazaar. His style was unique in that he did not conform to the normal techniques of fashion photography. Instead of photographs where models stood still and seemed uninterested in the camera, Avedon preferred to shoot models full of emotion who were smiling, laughing, and most often in action. In 1966 Avedon left Harper’s Bazaar and began working as a staff photographer for Vogue. Along with fashion photography, Avedon began to photograph patients of mental hospitals, the Civil Rights Movement in 1963, protesters of the Vietnam War, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Besides his style to define him, he was also distinguished by his large prints which sometimes measured over three feet in height. The images I chose to show of Avedon had a somewhat risky feel. The second image with the very toned black man holding the red handbag and high heel which had been strategically placed was one that caught my eye and had a sexy yet comedic value.
