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Bruce Davidson is An American photographer who has been a part of the Magnum photos agency since 1958. Davidson was introduced into the world of photography when his mother notice the interest she made him a darkroom in their basement. from the age of 10 he was inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson as well as Robert Frank.
At the age of 19 He won his first national recognition for his work in photography, the 1952 Kodak National High School Photographic Award for a photo he took of an owl. |
I like Davidson's work because of how simplistic it is but yet how it captives the eye, the contrasting black & white really contours the photos well giving them the edge and making the subject the first noticeable object before the eye wonders to scan the surrounding area.
"For two years in the late 1960s, Bruce Davidson photographed one block in East Harlem. He went back day after day, standing on sidewalks, knocking on doors, asking permission to photograph a face, a child, a room, a family. They are Americans; they are Christians; they are black or hispanic or white; they are proud; they dress up nicely on Sundays to go to church; they love their children; they love each other; they drink; they go to the park and have barbeques on Sunday, and have the same pictures on their walls as do "us, other Americans". They are just like us, except they are poor and their skin maybe a different color. While this might not seem radical today, in 1968, this was extraordinary. Through his skill, his vision, and his deep respect for his subjects, Davidson's portrait of the people of East 100th Street is a powerful statement of the dignity and humanity that is in all people."