Articles

Commercial, Portrait, and Offbeat Photography by 3 Postmodern Women Photographers

by . June 1st, 2012

As I was going through some blogs I follow, I noticed that one of them brought up this question: If you had to take one poster that was on your wall in middle school and hang it in your house today, which would you choose? I thought hard about it, and came up with two photos I had on my wall when I was growing up. The first is a photo of Paul McCartney with a baby peeking out of his jacket, and the other is the John Lennon and Yoko Ono Rolling Stone magazine cover. Both photos made me think of the women who took them, and their careers in a male-dominated industry.

 

Each of the three women photographers featured in this article took hundreds of photos that show a plethora of emotions on subjects that are often relatable yet sometimes offbeat. Read on and enjoy the photos of Linda McCartney, Diane Arbus, and Annie Leibovitz. Tell us about your favorite photographers and their work through Facebook or Twitter!

 

Linda McCartney

Linda McCartney is an accomplished artist in her own right. She’s remembered for many things such as her animal rights activism and vegetarianism, and she captured photos of the Swinging Sixties depicting that era during its heyday. The fact that she’s married to a Beatle (and the cutest Beatle, at that) did not overshadow her talent in photography. Her images include those of some famous musicians such as the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Aretha Franklin.

 

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Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus came from a privileged family that owned a famous Fifth Avenue department store. Her first photos were for the store’s advertisements. She and her husband, Allan Arbus, contributed to magazines such as Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue. However, they eventually quit commercial photography, with Diane accepting assignments from magazines such as Esquire and The Sunday Times. Some of her well-known photographs show eerie and offbeat subjects. These photos were criticized by other photographers, some saying that the photos fail to make the viewer feel compassionate about Arbus’s subjects.

 

Diane Arbus - Young Man and His Pregnant Wife in Washington Square Park via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Young Brooklyn Family Going for Sunday Outing NYC 1966 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Woman at a Counter, Smoking, NYC via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Teenage Couple on Hudson street New York 1963 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champs Yonkers, NY 1962 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Jewish Giant, taken at Home with His Parents in the Bronx, New York, 1970 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City, 1962 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - Boy With a Straw Hat Waiting to March in a Pro-War Parade, N.Y.C. 1967 via YouTheDesigner.com
 

Diane Arbus - A Family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester, N.Y. 1968 via YouTheDesigner.com
All Diane Arbus photos from source

Annie Leibovitz

One of the most well-known commercial photographers today, Annie Leibovitz and her photos are often associated with glossy magazines. She started her career as a staff photographer for Rolling Stone magazine and was the chief photographer there for 10 years. Her celebrity photos for the magazine helped define its look. Her memorable photos include that of Yoko Ono and John Lennon for the magazine’s cover, shot hours before Lennon was assassinated.

 

Annie Leibovitz - The Blues Brothers via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Spiderman via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Queen Elizabeth II via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - William Borroughs via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - John Lennon via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Kirsten Dunst, Bruce Willis, James McAvoy via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Disney, Ursula via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Disney, Little Mermaid via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Disney, Fairies via YouTheDesigner.com
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Annie Leibovitz - Disney, Prince via YouTheDesigner.com
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