Richard Avedon: American Beauty

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the definition of chic fashion, and with that fashion photography, was constantly changing at a frantic pace. Different photographers attempted to capture the American beauty in all her glory, but many of them resorted to clichés and traditional methods. One young photographer however attempted to change all that and brought in a whole new level of creativity and vision to fashion photography. He was Richard Avedon, and for over fifty years, his dynamic and expressive photography influenced every magazine and editorial publication in the US and the rest of the world.

Cecil Beaton: High Society

There was a time when glamour was celebrated, beauty was venerated and high society was all in between. This was during the two World Wars when the definition of chic and style were in flux, but glamour was unquestioned. And whenever glamour was there, photographer and designer Cecil Beaton was there.

The Men on the Street by August Sander

Scot Schuman of The Sartorialist blog is noted today for singling out extraordinary men and women on the street with the aim of showing off their fashion creativity. Almost a century ago, someone else was doing something similar, although he took pictures of men on the streets, soldiers on rural foot paths and children on farm roads, all in order to document a whole generation on the photographic medium. His name is August Sander and he is widely acknowledged as one of Germany's finest portrait photographers of the early 20th century.

The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman

Some of the best fashion photography events happen not only in studios, but also out in the streets of the city. Through photographer Scott Schuman's lens, the dapper designs of ordinary people which would ordinarily go unnoticed are captured for posterity and presented on The Sartorialist blog.

Edward Steichen: Fashion and Function

A couple of weeks ago, Edward Steichen's photograph The Pond-Moonlight was featured as one of the most expensive photographs ever sold. While the image itself is worth the attention, much of the photographer's work actually involved more than just picturesque landscapes. Indeed, Steichen was one of the 20th century's leading fashion photographers, helping to revolutionize the function of photography and elevating it to the highest levels of artistic expression.

Stolen Scream:The Face of Noam Galai

Having Richard Prince steal, or rather appropriate your photos into his own "artwork" is one thing, but having the whole world copy, edit, share and even sell your original photograph is another thing. It can be both flattering and frustrating, especially if you happen to be a budding photographer. A perfect example to illustrate this case is the photographer Noam Galai and his Stolen Scream.

Richard Prince: Genius or Thief?

How would you feel if somebody sees a photograph you took, rephotographs and edits it slightly, and sells it for hundreds of thousands of dollars? What if he then defends his actions by saying that it's art and his work is protected by the fair use principle? That's exactly what artist Richard Prince has been doing for the last few years.

The Most Expensive Photographs Ever Sold!

What would you do if you had $1 million? Buy a house? Splurge on a sportscar? For some people, they spend it all on a photograph. In some cases, they spend over $3 million for a single print. If you want to find out more about these multi-million dollar pictures, keep reading to see the world's most expensive photographs ever sold.

Barron Claiborne: Saints, Beauties and Goddesses

It's not easy to create a great photograph. Even when you're lucky enough to get celebrities to sit for you, you still have to get the right combination of equipment, lighting and concept that is suitable for your subject. When you have all of those, you get a good picture, but when you add another layer of creativity, you get a really great photograph. That last layer seems to be what photographer Barron Claiborne always has in his portraiture work.

Platon: The Power of the Portrait

Just like the previously featured photographer, today's post is all about beautiful portraits and close-ups. While Chuck Close's daguerreotypes are much more well-known in the art world, the photographs in this post have enjoyed commercial success in America and around the world, having graced numerous publications and magazines. These are the powerful and beautiful portraits of the photographer Platon.

Chuck Close: Not So Typical Daguerreotypes

Sometimes, the old methods work best for certain occasions. This is what the legendary portrait artist Chuck Close proved when he created these beautiful photographic portraits using the more than 150 year old process of the daguerreotype.

Shirin Aliabadi and the Iranian Girls

The previous post on Jodi Bieber's portrait of Aisha Bibi might make you think that all women in the Middle East are oppressed. However these portraits from artist Shirin Aliabadi and her project on modern and outgoing fashion girls in Iran dubbed Miss Hybrid will make you think otherwise.