Her first photographs of New York were taken with a hand-held Kurt-Bentzin camera, but soon she acquired
a Century Universal camera
, which produced 8 × 10-inch negatives. Using this large format camera, Abbott photographed the city with the diligence and attention to detail she had so admired in Eugène Atget.
What type of photos did Berenice Abbott take?
Berenice Abbott was an American photographer known for her
portraits and documentary photographs
which stressed the communicative, even educational value of the photographic print. She pursued a realist vision in recording history and her own historical experience in order to potentially affect change in her audience.
Why did Berenice Abbott take photos?
She wanted to make a photographic record of this city of contrasts. But Abbott would
photograph New York
in her own way, imposing her love of facts and her belief that photography, a twentieth-century invention, was the only medium worthy of capturing twentieth-century New York.
What camera did Atget use?
Atget photographed Paris with
a large-format wooden bellows camera with a rapid rectilinear lens
, an instrument that was fairly current when he took it up, but which he continued to use even when hand-held and more efficient large-format cameras became available.
What did Berenice Abbott invent?
House of Photography
Abbott's biographer Hank O'Neal discusses some of her major inventions in his book, Bernice Abbott American Photographer. These devises include a
distortion easel
, an autopole, a cloth vest with many pockets, a candid camera and a precursor to the monopod.
Where did Berenice Abbott take photos?
Abbott first became involved with photography in 1923, when Man Ray hired her as a darkroom assistant
at his portrait studio in Montparnasse
. Later, she wrote: “I took to photography like a duck to water.
When did Berenice Abbott retire?
American photographer Berenice Abbott was born in Springfield Ohio in 1898 and died in retirement in Monson, Maine in
1991
.
When did Berenice Abbott start her career?
On
June 8, 1926
, Abbott had her first solo exhibition at the Jan Slivinsky Gallery entitled, Portraits Photographiques. The show received rave reviews. Abbott remained in Paris for almost ten years and during this period she was introduced to Eugene Atget's photography.
Why is Eugène Atget important?
Eugene Atget was a
French photographer noted for his photographs documenting the architecture and street scenes of Paris
. Berenice Abbott once said, in reference to Atget's photographs… Their impact was immediate and tremendous. There was a sudden flash of recognition—the shock of realism adorned.
What techniques did Eugene Atget use?
Atget used
a view camera with a bellows placed on a tripod
, typical of the second half of the 19th century. He worked with 18 × 24 cm negative glass plates, oriented to obtain either a vertical or horizontal photograph. A tilt-shift technique was used to make perspective corrections.
Does street photography have to be on a street?
Although there is a difference between street and candid photography, it is usually subtle with most street photography being candid in nature and some candid photography being classifiable as street photography.
Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street
or even the urban environment.
What is Berenice Abbott known for?
Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her
portraits of between-the-wars 20th century cultural figures
, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation in the 1940s to 1960s.
How did Berenice Abbott become a photographer?
Abbott
ran into Man Ray
by chance on the street in Paris. During their conversation, Man Ray explained he was looking for a darkroom assistant, who knew nothing about photography, so he could train the person to print in accordance with his own method.
Who was the artist that Berenice Abbott promoted after his death full name?
Eugène Atget
After his death in 1927 Abbott looked after a large part of his oeuvre, promoting it tirelessly in America through exhibitions and books. The present exhibition therefore also includes a small selection of photos by Eugène Atget, which Abbott printed from the original negatives in 1956.
