Richard Avedon Biography (photographer) (1923–2004)

Photographer Richard Avedon Story:(born May 15, 1923, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 1, 2004, San Antonio, Texas) U.S. photographer. He began studying photography in the U.S. merchant marine. In 1945 he became a regular contributor to Harper's Bazaar; he later was closely associated with Vogue. Avedon's fashion photographs are characterized by a strong black-and-white contrast that creates an effect of austere sophistication. In his portraits of celebrities and other sitters, he created a sense of drama by often using a stark, white background and eliciting a frontal, confrontational pose. Many collections of his photographs have been published.