Masters of the Lens: My Top 20 Photographers of All Time (Part 1)
Every contemporary photographer will always remember that first photo or that first series they saw that inspired them to pursue life behind a camera. For some, opening a magazine either by Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Rolling Stones, Vogue, Time, or LIFE meant understanding that their lives had been changed forever.
A sculpture of Holguín-born artist Enrique Ávila depicts the iconic image of Che Guevara captured by Alberto Korda, while a 1950s Chevrolet drives by the building of the Ministry of the Interior in Havana carrying foreign travelers (possibly Americans). The image has become a symbol of resistance and rebellion to some and a symbol of oppression and brutality for many. Korda was one of the most iconic photographers in the first years of the Fidel Castro Revolution.|Credit: Reynaldo Cruz Diaz
Most of the times, the inspiration comes from more than one source, and in different times and stages in their lives. I would say that the first thing that led me to be interested in photography was baseball. I started by making scrapbooks with newspapers and magazine clippings, collecting baseball cards and getting my two first US baseball magazines, both in 1995.
After that, my second push came from the collection of National Geographic magazines I managed to rescue from the library of the University of Holguín, just when they were about to throw them out.
Throughout my learning process, which even at my age is an ongoing phenomenon, I have come across some master of photography that had brought inspiration, learning, challenge and growth. That’s why I decided to make a list on some of them, explain when I came across them and or why I have found inspiration in them. I am grateful to each one of them, whether I have met them in person or just seen their work after it was referenced to me.
With that in mind, I created my Top 20 list. Although there is no specific order for the of the list, I do have it very clear that the top three of my next article are at going to be the last one I mention and the ones that have impacted me the most.
Edward Weston
One of the most influential photographers of the early 20th century, Weston was, according to the International Center of Photography, “… instrumental in establishing an identity for the West Coast school of photography in the early years of modernism in America. His eloquent combination of expansive landscapes and other natural subject matter with precise, unembarassedly technique created a prototype for the f/64 group's purist style. His legacy continues to this day in the work of contemporary photographers such as Emmet Gowin and Robert Adams.” What inspired me about his work was his amazing capture of detail of textures of shells, rocks, etc, and his daring portraits.
Edward Weston.|Source: Wikipedia
Eve Arnold
The first woman to join the Magnum Photos agency, Arnold produced memorable images of Marilyn Monroe in the set of The Misfits. She was a pioneer among female photojournalists and was well aware of the underrepresentation of women. She photographed women in different scenarios, from brothels to film sets. The website Eve Arnold quotes her by saying: “I have been poor and I wanted to document poverty; I had lost a child and I was obsessed with birth; I was interested in politics and I wanted to know how it affected our lives; I am a woman and I wanted to know about women.” What inspired me from her was how close she managed to get to her subjects, establishing a connection that enabled to capture extremely natural portraits.
Mark Kauffman
The author of the baseball photo on the cover of the first Sports Illustrated edition, Kauffman made sports photography more appealing for readers. In a time in which lens professionals were allowed on the baseball field, he got really close up shots of plays. But his work was not limited to sports, as he also did a lot of work for LIFE magazine and even enlisted as combat photographer. A testament of his talent as a young photographer, LIFE magazine’s website states that: “Of all the possible images of Eleanor Roosevelt that inundated LIFE’s editors in 1939, they chose one for the cover by a 16-year-old high school student named Mark Kauffman (1921-1994), and thus began a decades-long relationship with the magazine.” What caught my eye about him was the iconic 1955 picture of Jackie Robinson stealing home against Yogi Berra in the World Series. Even 70 years past that date, the image is still impressive, to the point that it has been reproduced several times (here’s one by painter Craig Kreindler).
Alfred Eisenstaedt
One of the European photographers to pioneer and popularize the use of the 35mm camera in photojournalism, Eisenstaedt is famous for his iconic photo of VJ-Day, when a sailor kissed a nurse in New York’s Times Square in the middle of the euphoria. Although the photo is today the subject of controversy, as the kiss was apparently without consent, it is one of the most iconic images of that time. According to the International Center of Photography, he “… was a favorite among editors, not only for his quick eye, but also for his ability in making good photographs of any situation or event.” What first drew my attention to his work was his iconic phrase: “When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.”
Osvaldo Salas
A Cuban immigrant who started his photographic career in 1950, Salas went from shooting funny and relaxed baseball images to capturing some of the first years of the Cuban Revolution while becoming one of Fidel Castro’s photographers. According to an article posted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum website, “Salas is most celebrated for his images documenting Cuba’s turbulent social and political transformation after Castro’s rise to power. His career as an internationally-acclaimed photojournalist spanned decades and continents.” What I found interesting about him was that even though he was obviously pro-Castro and capturing powerful photos of him, Che Guevara and others, some of his images hold a slight contrast with his ideology, as they depict a rather harsh reality for the Cuban working class.
Annie Leibovitz
Famous, among other things, for having captured the last image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono before his death, Leibovitz has left her mark in the world of photography with her portraits of celebrities. However, her body of work also includes photos of political and social life in the United States, including some of the last moments of President Richard Nixon after his resignation. Recently, her work captured the imagination of sports fans worldwide due to the photograph of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo (the best two soccer players of their generation) involved in a thoughtful chess match prior to the Qatar FIFA World Cup for a Louis Vuiton campaign. The image got the most Instagram likes ever. What led me to like her and admire her were the amazing portraits and candid images she took of Rihanna in Havana for Vanity Fair.
Al Bello
An outstanding contemporary sports photographer, Bello has covered different sports at different levels, from professional championships in baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, and boxing, among others, to the international stage, including Olympic Games. Even though boxing is his favorite sport, I came across his work during my time making the Universo Béisbol magazine and web site. Many of the great pictures of baseball coverage that I came across were his.
Richard Avedon
Famous for his fashion and portrait work, Avedon had a prolific career that started while serving for the Merchant Marine during World War II. According to the Avedon Foundation website, “he photographed models and fashions on the streets, in nightclubs, at the circus, on the beach and at other uncommon locations, employing the endless resourcefulness and inventiveness that became a hallmark of his art.” What caught my eye about his work was the beautiful photograph “Dovima with Elephants”, taken in 1955, which made me dig deeper into his art.
Gordon Parks
An example of someone who captured racial segregation as a photojournalist, Parks was also a fashion photographer for Vogue, which showed his vast versatility. According to the International Center of Photography, his work “… moved people to action and changed lives.” He was also an accomplished filmmaker, musician, composer, poet and novelist. Like Eisenstaedt, I was driven to his work by a phrase I read of him, “I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.” Someone who captured the need for social justice with his lens, definitely deserves my admiration, and truly inspires my work.
Alberto Korda
Né Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, Korda took one of the most reproduced portrait photographs in the world: Che Guevara’s face in 1960, which went to posterity as Guerrillero Heroico. There is not a single person related to Cuba who hasn’t seen that image of Che Guevara, which evokes admiration in many and repulsion and hate in many others. Korda’s portrait has made it to popular art in different ways, shapes and forms, appearing even in anime, with an episode of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei showing not only a shirt of Korda’s portrait, but also winking Guevara’s most polarizing side: the bloodbath after the Revolution. Korda’s politics were clearly pro-Castro, but his work as a photographer cannot be disputed as one of the greatest ever to wield a camera from my country. What impacted me of him was his ability to capture creative angles and great composition in a rather chaotic time—of course, with the access that his sympathy for the regime granted him.
“Guerrillero Heroico”, the picture that everyone in the world has seen. Korda’s capture of the controversial and polarizing guerrilla man became a symbol for resistance and revolution, but many Cubans on both sides of the Strait of Florida have a lot to tell about his thirst for blood and his radical methods.|Credit: Alberto Korda, via Wikipedia
Final Thoughts (for now)
These are some of the photographers that have made a dent in shaping my way of taking pictures and carry the responsibility of using a camera. Again, the list is not complete, and my top three will be revealed at the end of the upcoming post. In the meantime, I decided to end this post with one of the most controversial photographers, as he captured a beautiful image of a rather polarizing individual.
