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Well-known street photographers

In order to have an overview yourself, here is a list in random order of 25 well-known street photographers:

  1. Henri Cartier-Bresson - founder of photojournalism and famous for his decisive moments.
  2. Eugène Atget - father of street photography, known for his depictions of Paris.
  3. Walker Evans - known for his documentary photography of the United States in the 1930s.
  4. Robert Frank - famous for his book "The Americans" and his portrait of American life in the 1950s.
  5. Garry Winogrand - known for his depictions of urban life in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.
  6. Lee Friedlander - known for his innovative compositions and documentary photography.
  7. Helen Levitt - known for her street photography of New York in the 1930s and 1940s.
  8. Bruce Davidson - known for his portraits of US subcultures.
  9. Daido Moriyama - Japanese photographer known for his experimental techniques and abstract images.
  10. Alex Webb - known for his colour photographs and complex multi-layered images.
  11. Martin Parr - known for his satirical and provocative images of modern life.
  12. William Eggleston - known for his colour photographs of the American South in the 60s and 70s.
  13. Bruce Gilden - known for his portraits of urban life in New York and other cities.
  14. Trent Parke - Australian photographer known for his experimental techniques and abstract images.
  15. Joel Meyerowitz - known for his depictions of urban life in New York in the 60s and 70s.
  16. Mary Ellen Mark - known for her portraits of people on the fringes of society.
  17. Vivian Maier - posthumous discovery of her documentary street photography from the 1950s and 1960s.
  18. Saul Leiter - known for his colour photographs of urban life in New York in the 1940s and 50s.
  19. Don McCullin - known for his documentary photography of war and conflict.
  20. Robert Doisneau - known for its depictions of everyday life in Paris.
  21. Weegee (Arthur (Usher) Fellig) - known for his documentary photography of New York in the 1930s and 1940s.
  22. Josef Koudelka - known for its depictions of the Roma community in Europe.
  23. Jamel Shabazz - known for his portraits of hip-hop culture in New York.
  24. Mark Cohen - known for his close-up portraits of people on the street.
  25. Bruce Connew - New Zealand photographer known for his documentary photography of Pacific life.

Netherlands: Ed van der Elsken

One of my favourite Dutch street photographers is Ed van der Elsken. Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) is considered one of the pioneers of Dutch street and documentary photography. His best-known work is the book "Amsterdam!", in which he captured the city and its inhabitants in the 1950s and 1960s. The book was published in 1979 and is still considered one of the most important works in Dutch photography history.

Van der Elsken was known for his dynamic, direct and unconventional style. He was always looking for the extraordinary in the ordinary and had an eye for human emotions and interactions. His work included portraits as well as street scenes, and he was not afraid to tackle controversial subjects. For instance, he made a series of photographs of rebellious youth culture in Paris in the 1950s, called "Love on the Left Bank", and documented the life of the gypsy community in Spain.

Van der Elsken received several awards for his work, including the Dutch State Award for Photography in 1988. He died of cancer in 1990 at the age of 65, but his influence on Dutch photography is still felt today. His work is exhibited in museums around the world and remains an inspiration for young photographers.

More information: edvanderelsken.co.uk

Street photography on Youtube

For me, an endless source of inspiration: Youtube. The medium is full of videos by street photographers and I am happy to mention 10 of them here (again, in no particular order):