Photographers who shot 35mm...

ChristopherCoy · May 21, 2020

Who are some better known fine art photographers who shot 35mm?

Through reading, watching documentaries, and general research, it seems that most of the "greats" used LF gear. I can only think of two photographers off hand that probably shot 35mm - Winogrand, and Nan Goldin probably.

I'm interested in seeing some work that was produced from 35mm, that is more fine art than documentary.

guangong · May 21, 2020

I can start the list for others to follow: my late friends Louie Stettner, Bernie Boston, called the dean of White House photographers, and Sal DiMsrco. All shot primarily 35 mm, although some like Louie began with LF and occasionally used MF. And of course all those photographers that made Leica, Contax and Nikon famous such as Eugene Smith and Ellie Siegel. I’ll let others continue with what will be a very long list.

logan2z · May 21, 2020

Lee Friedlander has shot mostly 35mm with a Leica throughout his long career, although he also used a Hasselblad Super Wide for a few projects.

Robert Frank used a Leica for most of his well known work (he used small P&S and Polaroid cameras later in his life).

There's no shortage of great fine art photographers who have shot 35mm, including Winogrand as you mentioned, Saul Leiter, Fred Herzog, William Klein, ...

Ko.Fe. · May 21, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
Who are some better known fine art photographers who shot 35mm?

Through reading, watching documentaries, and general research, it seems that most of the "greats" used LF gear. I can only think of two photographers off hand that probably shot 35mm - Winogrand, and Nan Goldin probably.

I'm interested in seeing some work that was produced from 35mm, that is more fine art than documentary.

Fine art? What Winogrand has to do with it?
I'm not aware of any fine art photographer, LF or else. What is it? Rotten peaches and lousy landscapes with sixteen shades of grey?

4season · May 21, 2020

Alexandr Rodchenko, Daido Moriyama, Masahisa Fukase, Sebastiao Salgado, even Ansel Adams.

John Bragg · May 21, 2020

James Ravilious was an ardent user of old Leica lenses and cameras.
http://www.jamesravilious.com/

http://www.jamesravilious.com/photos/12.jpg

ChristopherCoy · May 21, 2020

logan2z said:
Robert Frank used a Leica for most of his well known work (he used small P&S and Polaroid cameras later in his life).

I'm watching the documentary on him now - "Leaving Home, Coming Home." He seemed like he was a bit rough around the edges. In the first 10 minutes he tells the camera crew "this is $H!+, I can't do it, lets go to Coney Island." LOL

logan2z · May 21, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
I'm watching the documentary on him now - "Leaving Home, Coming Home." He seemed like he was a bit rough around the edges. In the first 10 minutes he tells the camera crew "this is $H!+, I can't do it, lets go to Coney Island." LOL

Check out "Don't Blink" as well:

https://archive.org/details/DontBlink-RobertFrank

voceumana · May 21, 2020

Henri Cartier Bresson

warden · May 21, 2020

Ko.Fe. said:
Fine art? What Winogrand has to do with it?
I'm not aware of any fine art photographer, LF or else. What is it? Rotten peaches and lousy landscapes with sixteen shades of grey?

Yes, rotten and lousy, you nailed it. Well done. Thanks for stopping by!

warden · May 21, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
Who are some better known fine art photographers who shot 35mm?

Through reading, watching documentaries, and general research, it seems that most of the "greats" used LF gear. I can only think of two photographers off hand that probably shot 35mm - Winogrand, and Nan Goldin probably.

I'm interested in seeing some work that was produced from 35mm, that is more fine art than documentary.

I have many favorites but I don't think they meet your request of being better known. But Jay Maisel certainly was well known in his heyday and created a wealth of commercial and fine art images. (I don't think there is a wall between commercial and fine art.)

If you haven't seen the documentary about emptying his studio it's truly worth the price.

logan2z · May 21, 2020

Helen Levitt, Leon Levinstein, Louis Faurer, although the last two may not be considered 'better known'.

logan2z · May 21, 2020

Elliot Erwitt

jtk · May 21, 2020

"well known" and "famous" don't often mean worthwhile. For every one of those there are thousands unknown to Photrio.

MattKing · May 21, 2020

When documentary becomes fine art - Jane Bown and her Olympus OM (Samuel Beckett is the subject):

jtk · May 21, 2020

Lots of these photogs shoot 35mm, tho that often includes full frame (35mm) digital (of course...since most aren't oldsters or dead).

http://lenscratch.com/2020/05/the-center-awards-noelle-mason/

removed account4 · May 21, 2020

Duane Michaels, Lee Friedlander, Danny Lyons, Bruce Davidson, William Klein, Colin Corneau, Endre Ernő Friedmann ...

BradS · May 21, 2020

I remember Galen Rowell used Nikon 35mm cameras pretty much exclusively.

BradS · May 21, 2020

I think that Andreas Feininger was known to use 35mm too - Leicas ?

logan2z · May 21, 2020

jnantz said:
Duane Michaels, Lee Friedlander, Danny Lyons, Bruce Davidson, William Klein, Colin Corneau, Endre Ernő Friedmann ...

I mentioned Friedlander and Klein earlier. I thought about Davidson but the OP asked for non-documentary photographers and I thought he fell into the documentary category - as do most Magnum photographers, which is why I've mostly been avoiding them. If we start to include them then this list is going to get pretty long

Pieter12 · May 21, 2020

First you have to go back to the thread about what is fine art photography. There are dozens and dozens of photographers who shot (and still shoot) 35mm whose work is considered fine art by many. Although your observation that most of the "greats" used LF, many indeed used MF and 35. And innumerable crappy photographers use all the formats.

logan2z · May 21, 2020

Pieter12 said:
And innumerable crappy photographers use all the formats.

Ko.Fe. · May 21, 2020

jawarden said:
Yes, rotten and lousy, you nailed it. Well done. Thanks for stopping by!

Reading this thread responses makes me even more firm on my description. Fine art is a bogus term.
Jane Bown was taking portraits, not fine art. Klein - fashion commercials. Herzog - street photographer.
Here is no fine art, but landscapes, naturmorts, portraits, documentary, street and so on.

removed account4 · May 21, 2020

logan2z said:
I mentioned Friedlander and Klein earlier. I thought about Davidson but the OP asked for non-documentary photographers and I thought he fell into the documentary category - as do most Magnum photographers, which is why I've mostly been avoiding them. If we start to include them then this list is going to get pretty long

oops !
my problem is that I believe all photography is documentary, so. ...its either all of them, or none.

warden · May 21, 2020

Ko.Fe. said:
Reading this thread responses makes me even more firm on my description. Fine art is a bogus term.
Jane Bown was taking portraits, not fine art. Klein - fashion commercials. Herzog - street photographer.
Here is no fine art, but landscapes, naturmorts, portraits, documentary, street and so on.

I'm not going to stand in anyone's way of compartmentalizing. If you see no fine art (or art without "fine" in front of it) that's your business. I can easily find art in every genre of photography because it's not about the genre in the first place, it's about the artist holding the camera. These compartments mean nothing.

What is a naturmort?

Photographers who shot 35mm...

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