The Girl Project: January 2010

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Martha Holmes (by Elyssa Marcus)

Martha Holmes was an influential women in the field of photojournalism and photography. She worked mostly for Life. For two years she was one of the three leading photographers at the magazines; however, she later got two covers of the magazine on a freelance basis. She famously spoke of her time at Life, "One thing Life always taught us: They'd say, 'Film is cheap. Use it. Shoot, shoot, shoot.'" Holmes' most acclaimed photographs are of Jackson Pollock, Lauren Bacall, and Humphrey Bogart. Holmes's photographs were published at the International Center of Photography, the Nation Portrait Gallery, and the Louvre. Additionally, her photos have appeared in many publications such as People, Coronet, Redbook, and Collier's. In 1950, she was even was commended for being one of the top 10 photographers in the world of that time. She subsequently died in September 2006.

“She had a talent for extracting the best from people,” said Bobbi Burrows, the director of photography for Life Books and an editor at the magazine for 40 years. “She brought intimacy out of her subjects; people felt they were in good hands.” -- NY Times By Dennis Hevesi

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Gisele Freund (by Elyssa Marcus)

Gisele Freund, was a prominent woman in photography during the 20th century until her death in 2000. Freund became interested in photography in 1928 after she received a Leica camera from her father. She was instantly swept by the simplicity of the 35mm camera. She has been quoted as once saying: "My camera led me to pay special heed to that which I took most to heart: a gesture, a sign, an isolated expression. Gradually, I came to believe that everything was summed up in the human face." Freund is most famously known for her collection Photographie et société (1974), which criticized and praised photography. She has also done many collections for Life magazine in France and England. In fact, in 1950 Life magazine published her critical photography and reporting on Eva Peron of Argentina; a piece that attracted much attention from the FBI, resulting in her being blacklisted.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Fay Godwin (by Elyssa Marcus)

Fay Godwin is a female photographer born in Berlin, Germany. Godwin became originally interested in photography in 1966 while photographing young children in London. Among these young children were her own two sons. She began to photograph after the realization that her husband had little skill in taking simple family snapshots. She explains: "I discovered I loved doing it, eventually I taught myself to print, and it really went on from there." Interestingly, Godwin had no formal training in photography, yet, still managed to prove her talent to the world as her career exploded in the 1980's and 90's. She later went on the publish 17 art books and conduct over 25 solo exhibitions. Godwin's most acclaimed work is comprised of beautiful depictions of natural life and portraits of other public figures of the time. In response to a suggestion that she was lucky to have seen a perfect looking sky, she replied: "I didn't catch it, I sat down and waited three days for it." Since her death in May 2005, many critics have been praising Fay Godwin's contributions to the photography community:

"Her first book, The Oldest Road, was published in 1975 and marked the arrival of a considerable new force in landscape photography." -- The Guardian, Saturday May 28, 2005 by Paul Marinko

"Her photographs, which captured the differing moods and textures of moors, forests and country trails with a remarkable sensitivity and lack of sentimentality, were mostly produced in black and white, but with an extraordinary tonal range. Her portraits, several of which are now held by the National Portrait Gallery, were equally successful; even Philip Larkin was captivated by her ability. Her pictures also drew attention to environmental campaigns (an abiding interest), and her critique Our Forbidden Land won the first Green Book of the Year award." -- The Telegraph, Monday May 30, 2005

"As a landscape photographer she had no betters and few equals in a career stretching over 40 years. Her output was prodigious: thousands of images, all memorable and many sublime... Such a body of work does not come easily. Time and patience are prerequisites." -- The Times, Tuesday May 31st, 2005

"Fay Godwin was passionate about photography, about the students she taught at photographers' workshops, the environment, the position of women in society, health issues and her home on the bleak Romney marshes of Kent. A conversation at a private view would quickly rise above the small-talk of such occasions and become a powerful (and usually one-sided) blast on the state of photography, women's lives and the environment." -- The Independent, Thursday June 2, 2005 by Val Williams