Alfred Stieglitz
Born 1 January 1864 ; died 13 Juliy 1946
Stieglitz , an American , probably did more than any other individual to promote photography as an art form.
At 11 years old he began to take an interest in photography , and learned by observing a local portrait photographer work in the darkroom . His bluntnatire often came over. On one occasion he abserved the photographer retouching a plate and , on enquiry , was told that this made the subject look more natural , to which he replied : I would’I do that if I were yau .”
In 1903 Stieglitz launched , edited and published Camera Work , a magazine that became world famous . It was in 1907 during a trip to Europe that he took Steerage ( right ) , one of his best-know pictures .
Not the easiest of people to get on with , his leadership was little short of dictatorial , but he made an influential contribution to the progress of new styles of photography .
His own images make him one of the greatest of photographers , and his influence over photography has been enormous .
