Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham was born in Portland Organ April 12, 1883. Her love of photography started in 1906 at the university of Washington Seattle. In 1907 after graduation, she worked for Edward Curtis at his studio. Between 917-1920 she lived with her husband Rio Partridge and her three sons in San Fransisco, CA. In 1920 they moved to Oakland, CA, where her husband taught at Miss College. In 1921 her view of her photography changed and she became interested in nature and near focus. She took photos of the bark of a tree or the pattern of a zebras stripes. She started to look at the tiny detail that many people miss. She was so focused with detail and near focus that she did a two year study (1923-1925) on the magnolia flower. She soon changed her focus once again, to human study. She looked at hands, feet the body all in detail. In 1934 Cunningham was asked to photograph for Vanity Fair. Her husband wanted her to wait so he could travel with her but she refused and they divorced. She worked for Vanity Fair till 1936, when it stopped publication. In the 1940's she turned to street photography and supported herself through her photo's. Cunningham was asked to be part of the Art, Photography department at the California School of Fine Arts. In 1973 her photo's were shown at the Rencontres d'Arles festival in France. Cunningham died at the age of ninety-three on June 24, 1976.

 

By Imogen Cunningham

 

 

These three pictures are my favorite because the show so much detail and presision. I like the first one because Cunningham captures the detail of her facial features and the emotion in her eyes while getting the patterns and elegance of the lace which was placed intfront of the object in focus. I think this is so cool because you can see the woman without getting detracted by the lace but the lace adds so much pattern and makes the photo beautiful. 

I like the second picture because it shows the beauty of the flower that most people dont usualy look at. Most people see the color of the petals and they way the petals fold and show. But Cunningham shows the inside of the flower and the detail that makes up the flower. She shows the complexity of nautre and the beauty of it.

I like the third picture because  it shows the beauty of the human body and how simple yet prey, the hands are. I like it because the hands are saying "help" in sighn language Its showing the detail of the knuckle's, veins and bones and how it makes up the beauty of the human form.