Margaret Bourke-White: Depression Era Food Line

A good photojournalist might count himself lucky if he gets only one of his images published in a leading newspaper. A good photo should be able to convey an entire story on its own, but sometimes the image itself might be misleading because of the time and place it was made. In this famous example, Margaret Bourke-White's picture of a depression era food line has actually more to tell than its face value.

Robin Hammond: Condemned Mental Patients of Africa

Images of war and conflict have helped sway the opinion of people towards acting for the benefit of the victimized groups. In today's world however, the prevalence of war photographs has become so commonplace that most viewers have become desensitized to these images. This is saddening since a lot suffering still happens even years after armed conflict has passed. In his series entitled "Condemned", Robin Hammond gives a different perspective as a he exposes the cruel treatment of mental patients of Africa.

Tamara Staples: The Chicken Fancy and Pretty Birds

Portrait photographers such as Yousuf Karsh and Annie Leibovitz are famed for bringing out that extra spark out of an otherwise ordinary subject. Many aspiring portraitists today follow their example in trying to coax out a little bit more out of their subjects. Fortunately for Tamara Staples, her subjects already look glamorous  The only thing need in her portrait series was the patience and passion to get all participants in one book. These pretty birds are the subjects of the chicken fancy in her book, The Magnificent Chicken.

Alexander Gronsky: Less Than One

Winter still dominates much of the northern hemisphere, so it's only fitting to feature more photographs on this subject. This special season only heightens the feeling of loneliness and the perception of endlessness with its foggy textures and white-gray hues, but what happens when these feelings and perceptions are presented in an area with less than one person per square kilometer? Alexander Gronksy tries to answer that question in his series, "Less Than One".

Alexander Gronsky: The Edge Of The World

The changing seasons have long provided inspiration for artists since man began creating art. Winter, while being one of the more somber seasons, provides plenty of material for storytellers. The themes of death, rebirth, beginning and end all play into this season, and its easy to see why. Photographer and artist Alexander Gronsky captures what the edge of the world looks like in his project, "The Edge".

Robert Capa: 20th Century War Photographer

Images and videos of war have become more commonplace in today's digital age compared to the situation years ago. It's now possible for ordinary citizens armed with a camera phone to shoot an armed conflict scene, upload it to Facebook or Youtube, and have thousands of views the next day. Decades ago, only a select few has the technology and willpower to do that. Here is the story of 20th century war photographer Robert Capa.

Man Ray: Photography As Art

There's no doubt that photography grounds itself in being able to take factual scenes with objectivity. Most people might argue that editorial photography really began with the advent of Photoshop and its related programs, but almost 100 years ago, one pioneering artist was blurring the lines between photography and art, even advocating for photography as art. This is the ground breaking work of Man Ray. (WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS NUDITY).

Mario Testino: Hollywood Royalty

Young photographers looking to break into the print industry today will have to face an uphill climb. Not only  are there more photography enthusiasts encouraged by cheaper DSLR prices, there are also established professionals who have made a name for themselves photographing Hollywood royalty. Even those that have spent 20 or 30 years in the business don't seem to be retiring anytime soon. If there's one photographer that has been there and done that, it's Mario Testino.

Patrick Demarchalier: In Vogue

Over the years, consumers have come to expect a certain quality when it comes to magazine covers and editorial prints. Whether it's in the pages of Vogue or Vanity Fair, people expect to see subjects lit by soft light against stark grey backdrops or gorgeous mansions. Creating photographs like these becomes a challenge when the photographer has to jump from portraiture to fashion to fine art. One photographer who makes the whole business look easy is Patrick Demarchalier.

Jill Greenberg: Cry Baby

From kids smiling and playing in their rooms to toddlers crying their eyes out, it's time to close this week's feature on children. The images here aren't anything new, but their impact is so far reaching that it's worth dedicating a post here. These are the controversial portraits of crying babies from Jill Greenberg's "End Times".

Tim Flach: More Than Human

Last week's image feature on Tim Flach's action portrait of an English Springer Spaniel was so striking that it would be a shame not to feature more from the photographer. With a new publication that's about to come out, it's quite timely to have Tim Flach on this blog again, this time on his upcoming book, "More Than Human".

Tim Flach and the English Springer Spaniel

It's been a while since the last post featuring animal portraits, so while everyone else is enjoying their weekend, here's a picture of man's best friend hard at work. This outstanding action photo is just one of the images in the previously featured book "Dogs" by the talented Tim Flach.

Howard Schatz and Beverly Ornstein: The Different Body Types of Olympic Athletes

Turn on your television nowadays and it's likely that you'll stumble onto some news of the London 2012 Olympics. Looking at the sports individually, it would seem like all athletes have the same muscular body type, but when seen side by side, their differences are astounding. The different body types of Olympic athletes is presented in glorious detail by Howard Schatz and Beverly Ornstein.

Terry Richardson: No Controversy

Some photographers have reached a controversial status because of the sensitivity of their subject matter. Artists like Sally Mann have gone through intense media scrutiny for the nudity in their photographs, but after the initial uproar, most critics agree that their work bears immense artistic value. One contemporary photographer however has gained famed not just for his photographs, but also because of the way he makes them. That photographer is Terry Richardson. (WARNING: This post contains NUDITY).

Sally Mann: The Beauty of Family

Every so often, a photographer will find himself embroiled in scandal because of the sensitivity of his chosen subject. Photographers like W. Eugene Smith and Lewis Hine experience some criticism for their photographs many decades ago, but these days it seems the most innocent subjects can be the most controversial. When portrait photographer Sally Mann began documenting the beauty of her own family, she found herself in the middle of a heated debate on what exactly passes for natural and indecent in the medium. (WARNING: This post contains NUDITY).

Irving Penn: 20th Century Portrait Master

While W. Eugene Smith was busy capturing the unflinching honesty of people, another photographer was busy photographing the compelling beauty in people. Irving Penn moved seamlessly from portraiture to fashion and back again, producing some of the most striking portraits of his time and proving that he was undoubtedly the 20th century's master of portraiture.

W. Eugene Smith: Unflinchingly Honest Photojournalism

Photojournalists can sometimes receive flack for taking visceral photos on assignment. Where is the line between decent, objective reporting and shockingly explicit imagery? Photojournalist W. Eugene Smith didn't seem to care much when he published his unflinchingly honest photojournalism in the pages of America's most popular magazines.

Diane Arbus: The Weird and the Wonderful

Looking through the images of Helmut Newton in the last post, one might think that most of the world is glitz and glamour, and everything easy on the eyes. Of course, that's far from the truth, and most photographers just take pictures that sell the most. Some other photographers, however, made it their mission to capture the weird and wonderful, insisting on recording the beauty of the person as the whole. Photographer Diane Arbus made a name for herself doing just that.

Helmut Newton: Bare and Naked Fashion

Turn the pages of almost any fashion magazine and it's very likely that you'll find a scantily clad lady or ladies in a number of advertisements. While most of them will be very tame compared to the bare and naked fashion photographs of David LaChapelle and Herb Ritts, these images wouldn't exist without the pioneering work of the fearless Helmut Newton.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Color of Shadow

In today's world of Instagram madness, it can be hard to find a photograph that makes use of color in a unique, yet familiar way. Artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto doesn't seem to have a problem with color photography, marrying both simplicity and beauty in his work, "Color of Shadow".