Favorite self-documenting photographer?

[food goes in my mouf]

Some photographers are more photogenic than others, and include themselves in their body of work more than others. For example, Edward Steichen is a prolific self-portraitist and of the two books I checked out by him, I noticed that there's a photo of himself at every step of his life, from a young professional to a studio master.

My personal favorite is André Kertész, he always had an artistic way of including himself into the frame, whether it would be with his brothers in Hungary, or his peculiar wedding photo, or simply just his shadow in a Polaroid. I seriously don't know how he knowingly places himself in the frame with such perfect form/composition, I envy him so much.

So who's your favorite?

 

[ic-racer]

Friedlander

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Cindy Sherman must hold the record for including herself in the photograph.

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/sherman/sherman_14_full.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Sherman

My favorite she is not.

Every photograph includes the photographer - just as every painting includes the painter or novel the writer. I don't know that including the photographer's body parts or shadow in the photo adds anything. When the photographer does show up in the image I think it only adds novelty value and, almost by definition, is something that is best done on the rare occasion.

Hitchcock included himself in most of his films - it can take quite a bit of study to spot himhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeboat_%28film%29, but wiki will do the work for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hitchcock_cameo_appearances

 

[Dan Henderson]

I am not trying to place myself in the same company as the famous photographers (and directors) mentioned above, but I try very hard to exclude any reference to myself in my photographs. Occasionally a reflective surface could include me or my camera in a photograph; if I see this pre-exposure I will recompose to eliminate this intrusion. If not, I will usually not consider the photograph successful. Similarly, I find that I sometimes "overprint" a photograph and can later see my fingerprints, so to speak, on the picture.

I know of Adams' adage that "every photograph includes two people: the photographer and the viewer," and I agree with the idea. I just think the inclusion of the photographer has to be much more subtle.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

How about Chuck Close?

 

[SuzanneR]

Sally Mann has made these striking grids of self-portraits done in wet plate collodion.

 

[Andrew Horodysky]

Josef Sudek, Duane Michals, and recently re-visiting Robert Mapplethorpe -- after reading Patti Smith's "Just Kids".

 

[Mike Crawford]

How about Francesca Woodman?

 

[Jeff Bannow]

Friedlander

Well, I saw a really nice progression of self-portraits by ic-racer recently. Very interesting series.

I suppose he's not famous yet though.

 

[wfe]

Cig Harvey

 

[winger]

Friedlander

Mine, too.