In its early years, photography was an expensive methods of capturing objects, only affordable for the elite. Therefore, the main subjects photographed were portraits of the wealthy and their families. Over the course of time, as the art of photography advanced, there was a change in objects captured.
But who started this revolution and is responsible for the way we know photography now?
Brewed was eager to find out!
Magnum Photos is one of the biggest photography cooperatives in the world. Founded in 1947, the photographers have expanded their reach with offices in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. The 40’s and 50’s was a hard time for women in terms of building a career, but a young photojournalist named Eve Arnold was one of the first women to be hired by Magnum, creating a vast portfolio that ranged from celebrities and political figures alike; from Marilyn Monroe to Malcom X and even Margaret Thatcher.
The first time Eve Arnold held a camera it cost $40 and was given to her by a then boyfriend. She started her young adult life by training as a medical student, but it was not the right fit for her. Over the years, her husband saw her passion for photography and encouraged her to enrol in a course taught by the art director of Harper’s Bazaar at the time. She was 38 years old at this point, and that course would be her only training in photography.
Eve was passionate about tackling social justice. Her start came when she photographed fashion shows in Harlem in the 50’s. As beautiful as the pictures from these shows may have been, American magazines outright refused to use the photos of black models in their magazines. Instead, the photos were published in European fashion magazines. In 1951, her work did not go unnoticed. Applying for a job at Magnum Photos was a big step, but it paid off. Together with Inge Morath they were the first two women to join the photo cooperative and Eve’s career started taking off.
Eve Arnold was a photographer who knew what kind of pictures she wanted to take and did not let anyone stand in her way. She believed in natural and relaxed shots of celebrities instead of traditional portraits. She refused to touch up photos, even when her subjects asked her to. This gave her a reputation for taking honest and candid photographs; a reputation which she upheld until she stopped with photography at age 85 and which is still true now after her death in 2012.