Your Favorite MAGNUM Photographer

[jamusu]

My favorite genre of photography is documentary/photojournalism. I hope to one day follow this path using film and a wet darkroom of course!

Some of the best documentary/photojournalism photographers in my opinion have, or currently work for The MAGNUM Photo Agency. I visit their website almost daily http://www.magnumphotos.com, for inspiration.

I would like to know:

1.) Who is your favorite Magnum photographer (past or present)? What do you like
about this individuals work that led you to choose her/him?

2.) Who is your least favorite magnum photographer (past or present)? What do
you dislike about this individuals work that led you to choose her/him?

Your answer(s) may include any photographer who has worked for Magnum at any point in their career.

I am curious to see if anyone's favorite will be some else's least favorite or vice versa.

Thank you,
Jamusu.

 

[Ian Grant]

That's difficult, Robert Capa, HCB, Ian Berry, Koudelka, Salgado or even Martin Parr how do you choose. Probably Capa though.

Ian

 

[Pinholemaster]

Elliot Erwitt

Always makes me laugh.

Laughing is important.

 

[ron110n]

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastian Salgado, Arnold Newman, Philip Jones Griffiths, Steve McCurry, Abbas.

 

[donbga]

Martin Parr.

 

[Dinesh]

W.E. Smith

 

[SuzanneR]

W.E. Smith

Was he a member at Magnum? I didn't realize that.

Anyway, I love Larry Towell's work. He has an extraordinary group of pictures made around his farm of his children, and wife that resonate with me. And... I find this intriguing... he can go out into the world, and make excellent work in war zones, among the world's poor and displaced, among closed society's like the Mennonites.

Very few photographers, it seems to me, are good at both travel and the home front.

I'm also quite fond of Paolo Pellegrin's work.. though I'm biased, as he selected my work for first place at the Camera Club of NY's national juried show recently. That said... there's real mystery and raising questions in his very dark and foreboding images. Especially those made at Gitmo.

Good thread, but I'd love to hear your reasons for liking (or disliking?) a Magnum member.

 

[Kerik]

W.E. Smith

Ditto.

 

[2F/2F]

My favorite genre of photography is documentary/photojournalism. I hope to one day follow this path using film and a wet darkroom of course!

Some of the best documentary/photojournalism photographers in my opinion have, or currently work for The MAGNUM Photo Agency. I visit their website almost daily http://www.magnumphotos.com, for inspiration.

I would like to know:

1.) Who is your favorite Magnum photographer (past or present)? What do you like
about this individuals work that led you to choose her/him?

2.) Who is your least favorite magnum photographer (past or present)? What do
you dislike about this individuals work that led you to choose her/him?

Your answer(s) may include any photographer who has worked for Magnum at any point in their career.

I am curious to see if anyone's favorite will be some else's least favorite or vice versa.

Thank you,
Jamusu.

1. My favorite is Ernst Haas because I like his pictures.

2. Pretty much everyone they have now.

 

[André E.C.]

Werner Bischof

Not only for his talent, but mainly for his humanistic approach.




Cheers


André

 

[phc]

Of those Magnum photographer's still active I currenlty love Larry Towell's work. Simple, moving and beautiful. And constant - they'll be admiring his work in 100 years.

Least favourite would have to be Martin Parr. I simply don't see the point of his skewering of the mundane. Or maybe I just don't like his style.

Cheers, P.

 

[Marc Leest]

Elliot Erwitt

Always makes me laugh.

Laughing is important.

second that

-m-

 

[HarryW]

Difficult choice to select only one favourite,
Josef Koudelka followed very closely by Werner Bishof.

Least favourite is Martin Parr

Regards
Harry

 

[loman]

I guess the one with most vision in the current magnum group has to be Martin Parr.
I love his work.
Besides him, Of the ones who are still alive, Koudelka, Larry Towell and Bruce Gilden come to mind.
My least favorite magnum photographer has to be Raymond Depardon, I find his work boring.

Regards
Mads

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I've always loved Steve McCurry's work but still think the two greatest photographers working today are Nachtway and Salgado.... neither are with Magnum though.
As far as dealing with photo agency's from a publication point of view... Magnum is by far the most professional to deal with.
-Rob

 

[phc]

still think the two greatest photographers working today are Nachtway and Salgado.... neither are with Magnum though.

Although they both were, at one point. Salgado was refused promotion to full member the first time around. It "hurt", apparently. Cheers, P.

 

[Domenico Foschi]

Difficult.
Bresson most favorite.
Smith, Salgado seconds.
Least fav has to be Capa, if I really have to.

 

[tony lockerbie]

It is hard, but I will go with 'Gene Smith and Elliot Erwitt.

Tony

 

[smdeep]

Trent Parke. Had the honour of seeing his exhibition in Kolkata, India recently. IMHO his style is fantastic and original.

 

[Struan Gray]

Susan Meiselas

 

[jmal]

HCB followed by Larry Towell.

 

[CraigK]

Raymond Depardon
Ferdinando Scianna