Richard Avedon is an important figure who revolutionized fashion photography and created a new standard that holds to this day. His introspective photography, that not only exposed the vulnerability and flaws of his subjects but also of himself, characterize his impact on this style of photography.
His most popular photos, as his obituary states, “captured the freedom, excitement, and energy of fashion as it entered an era of transformation and popularization.” These photographs emerged when he worked for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and Life. Avedon is often credited with transforming fashion photography as it was then known. Instead of capturing the stone-faced expressions of models displaying clothes on their characterless bodies, Avedon transformed his subjects into the focal point of the photographs – full of emotion, smiling, and laughing. His subjects were photographed in black and white, allowing the main focus of the photographs to be the soul of the subjects, with both their vulnerability and their glory. His work was also remarkable because it went beyond the accepted norms in fashion photography, sometimes using themes such as death, nudity, and violence. Known as one of the driving figures in the revolution of photography in the 20th century, Richard Avedon always stayed true to himself when at work. He imagined that through his work, he told pieces of the story of his life. “Sometimes I think all my pictures are just pictures of me. My concern is... the human predicament; only what I consider the human predicament may simply be my own.”
The important lesson in Avedon’s legacy is that in order to be a successful photographer while still remaining true to one’s own unique self, one must leave a piece of him or herself within each piece of their work. Additionally, one must not be afraid to push the boundaries that currently restrict one’s field. To go beyond the norms is to be brave, and to do that with confidence is extraordinary.
