Blog Three - Lee Friedlander

    Lee Friedlander was an American Photographer in the 1960s and 1970s. Friedlander was born in Aberdeen Washington in 1934. By the age of 14 he was already earning money as a skilled photographer. At age 18 he went on to study photography at The Art Center College of Design in California. After school in California, he moved across the country to live in New York City. There Friedlander took pictures of musicians. The pictures he took were used for album covers for the musicians. These photographs established his photographing ability in New York City scoring him an opportunity to photograph for Playboy Magazine. One of Friedlander's most famous photographs was part of his time with Playboy when he photographed Madonna.

    Friedlander's most influential work was in the development of social landscape photography however. Friedlander was the person responsible for coining the name "social landscape." Social landscape photography conveys to viewers the affect that humanity has on the earth. Social landscape photography captures very regular moments in a normal day for many people for example, a photo taken by Friedlander captures an intersection with a stop sign. However what makes the photo so pleasing to look at is the angle the photo was taken. Shadows from surrounding poles provide the viewer with beautiful shades of grey and nice leading lines. There are no vehicles at the intersection, no people walking around. The emptiness of life creates a creepy feeling. My mind thought of a ghost town where all the people left. The people left their town behind with nothing left showing greatly how humanity has affected the landscape which fits perfect in the idea of social landscape photography.

Lee Friedlander Black and White Photograph

https://www.paulpolitis.com/other-stuff/inspiring-photographers/inspiring-black-and-white-photography-lee-friedlander/ 

Friedlander is still alive and well today and continues to take award winning photographs. He won an award in 2018 called "Lifetime Achievement" at the Lucie Awards. The Lucy Awards is an annual event that recognizes outstanding photographers. The Lifetime Achievement award is just one of 9 times Friedlander was recognized at a very high level. His first award was won in 1960 and since then Friedlander has continued to deliver outstanding photographs. Despite him turning 91 this year, he continues to add to a legacy in the world of photography for many to follow.

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