Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer.

Richard Avedon was born on May 15, 1923 in New York City and died on October 1 st Avedon attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. Avedon enrolled at Columbia University to study philosophy and poetry. However, he dropped out after only one year to serve in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. As a Photographer's Mate Second Class, his main duty was taking identification portraits of sailors. Avedon served in the Merchant Marine for two years, from 1942 to 1944.

Avedon has numerous museum exhibitions around the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, presented two solo exhibitions during his lifetime, in 1978 and In 1980 another retrospective was organized by the University Art Museum in Berkeley. Major retrospectives were mounted at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1994), and at the Louisiana Museum of Art, Humblebaek, Denmark.

He worked first as a photographer for the Merchant Marines, taking identification photos. He then moved to fashion, shooting for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, demanding that his models convey emotion and movement, a departure from the norm of motionless fashion photography. Explain: he likes to have emotion in pictures and a way to do that is a picture of a person maybe for a magazine but the person is showing how they feel towards something or someone.

Avedon was inspired by his parents clothing businesses when he was young so he took a great interest in fashion, but he especially enjoyed taking pictures of the clothes in his fathers store. At the age of 12 he joined the YMHA (young men’s Hebrew association) camera club.

he dropped out of high school and joined the Merchant Marines’ photography branch. After a few years of photographing daily life in New York, Avedon was given the assignment of covering the notorious week in Paris. Throughout the next ten years, he photographed the models out and about in the city of Paris, posing in places like cafes and streetcars.

-questions on pictures- Picture 1 titled Audrey Hepburn, New York, The lighting is artificial, and I believe the lighting is coming from the right side. The person is the main subject, she's a dancer I think. I selected this picture because it’s the only few I could find with a title and year. I can tell this picture is about her because it’s a bunch of pictures of her in one photo.

More questions on pictures Picture 2 title Turban, Paris, 1948 I think the lighting is artificial because it looks like they took it inside, also the lighting is coming from the left or middle, well Avedon used to go under cover and take pictures of models in like local places so I think that’s what's happening. I think the chick helps the picture more because it kind of doesn’t look like she doesn’t know if she is taking the picture.

Picture 3 titled Antonella Agnelli, New York, The light used in this picture is artificial and it looks like its coming from the middle of the picture. Since he does portraits its usually trying to sell like what she is wearing or there hair dew. So the main focus might be her clothes. The black and white make the photo striking plus her hair and outfit and the way she is posing helps too. Its trying to communicate her outfit. I selected this photo because it was easy to explain plus I like what she is wearing.

picture 4: Paris, This lighting is natural I think because there is a Eiffel tower in the back. I like the lighting I think it focuses on he foot so you cant see the tower as well but you still know its there. The main subject is her shoe because he is trying to make someone buy her shoe from whatever company that’s selling it. I think the camera focusing on her shoe makes the picture look cooler because it makes the Eiffel tower there but not as visible and it just looks cool. I selected this picture because right when I saw It I liked the picture because of the way everything falls together.

Picture 5 Paris, July 1959 This picture has artificial lighting, the lighting is most likely coming from around the middle. I believe the main subject is the men next to each of them and what they are wearing a tux and a dress. Either its trying to communicate everyone can get a guy or its more like a formal picture and they're trying to sell the dress and tux to people. I selected this picture because I liked their outfits plus I like how they are maybe at a bard and 3 guys are trying to get a 3 different girls.

Picture 6, Paris 1969 this lighting is artificial and I think the lighting is coming from all round. I like the lighting in this because the picture is black and white and the lighting helps show the face better. The main subject is her outfit and you can tell because she is a model for some store trying to make people want what she is wearing. Her outfit makes the photo striking because its pops out in the picture. He is trying to communicate buy the dress. I selected this picture because it popped out at me.

The websites the used to help is: content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,2930 7, _ ,00.htmlcontent.time.com/time/photogallery/0,2930 7, _ ,00.html & avedon http:// avedon