THE TRUE STORY OF RICHARD AVEDON AN ICON THAT CHANGED FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

1. 01
The true story
of richard
avedon an
icon that
Changed
Fashion
Photography
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2. MAKE SURE TO
SAVE IT BEFORE WE
BEGIN
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3. IN A CAREER SPANNING 50 YEARS, RICHARD
AVEDON IS CERTAINLY AN ICON IN THE WORLD OF
FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY.
HIS BLACK AND WHITE PORTRAITS HAVE BEEN
FEATURED IN VOGUE, THE NEW YORKER AND
HARPER'S BAZAAR ALL OF WHICH PROVE
RICHARD'S UNIQUE ABILITY TO CAPTURE THE
ESSENCE OF HIS SUBJECTS.
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4. RICHARD WAS BORN ON THE 15TH OF MAY 1923 AND
HE QUICKLY GREW TO BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD'S
HIGHEST PAID PHOTOGRAPHERS.
HE REPORTEDLY EARNED AN ANNUAL SALARY OF $1
MILLION IN 1966 AND THAT WAS BECAUSE HIS STYLE
WAS DIFFERENT.
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5. AT THE TIME, PHOTOGRAPHY WAS TYPICALLY
CONSIDERED TO BE FREEZING TIME BUT RICHARD'S
APPROACH WAS ALMOST LIFELIKE; HE FOUND A WAY
TO ADD EMOTIONS AND MOVEMENT TO HIS SHOTS.
AVEDON DIDN'T JUST DO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHS.
THE MAJORITY OF HIS WORK TOUCHED ON SUBJECT
OF WAR, CIVIL RIGHTS AND MENTAL HEALTH.
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6. RICHARD WAS EXPOSED TO PHOTOGRAPHY AT A VERY YOUNG
AGE: HIS FAMILY RAN A CLOTHING BUSINESS- HIS MOTHER WAS
A DRESS MANUFACTURER AND HIS FATHER OWNED A STORE.
SO, YOUNG RICHARD STARTED OUT WITH TAKING PHOTOS OF
HIS PARENT'S CLOTHES AND WITH THE WOMEN'S FASHION
MAGAZINE HE WAS EXPOSED TO, HE BECAME MORE INTRIGUED
BY THE WORKS OF MARTIN MUNKÁCSI.
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7. RICHARD TRIED TO JOIN THE MILITARY DURING WORLD WAR 2 BUT
EVENTUALLY JOINED THE MERCHANT MARINE OF THE U.S. NAVY AND
HE WENT WITH HIS ROLLEIFLEX CAMERA - THE FIRST REAL CAMERA
HE EVER OWNED AS A PRESENT FROM HIS FATHER.
HE SPENT MOST OF THE WAR TIME TAKING PHOTOS FOR IDS AND
EDITORIAL PHOTOS FOR THE SERVICE MAGAZINE CALLED THE HELM.
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8. IN 1945, HE JOINED HARPER’S BAZAAR AS THE YOUNGEST STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE MAGAZINE HISTORY ST 21 BUT HIS FIRTS FEW
PHOTOS WERE REJECTED FOR BEING TOO PREDICTABLE.
HOWEVER, IN THAT SAME YEAR, HE HAD BEEN FEATURED IN HARPER'S
JUNIOR BAZAAR MAGAZINE.
THE SAME YEAR, TWO OF AVEDON’S PHOTOS WERE FEATURED IN
HARPER’S JUNIOR BAZAAR MAGAZINE.
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9. HE WORKED WITH HARPER'S FOR TWENTY YEARS AND MOVED TO
VOGUE IN 1965 SPENDING ANOTHER TWENTY FIVE YEARS SIGNING A
CONTRACT FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED $1 MILLION.
AT VOGUE, HE WORKED UNDER DIANA VREELAND AND, HE BECAME THE
LEADING PHOTOGRAPHER AND WOULD GO ON TO PHOTOGRAPH MOST
OF THE MAGAZINE’S COVERS FROM 1973 UNTIL LATE 1988 WHEN ANNA
WINTOUR.
IN L967, AVEDON PRODUCED HIS FAMOUS PORTRAIT SET OF THE
BEATLES.
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10. AVEDON PASSED AWAY ON OCTOBER 1, 2004, FROM A CEREBRAL
HEMORRHAGE. AT THE TIME HE WAS WORKING ON ASSIGNMENT
FOR THE NEW YORKER. HE WAS 81 YEARS OLD.
AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH, AVEDON WAS WORKING ON A NEW
PROJECT CALLED DEMOCRACY. HE SPENT MONTHS ON THE
PROJECT, SHOOTING POLITICIANS, DELEGATES, AND CITIZENS FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY IN LEAD UP TO THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
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