Great Black and White Photographers (part 2 and 3)

      Great Black and White Photographers (part 2)

Harry Callahan

Harry Morey Callahan was born on October 22, 1912 in Detroit, Michigan. As a kid he lived in a neighborhood called Royal Oaks, and he attended the local public schools up until college. After working at Chrysler as a young man, he attended Michigan State College and studied engineering, but dropped out after 3 semesters in 1933. He then went back to Chrysler and joined the camera club. That same year (1933), he met his future wife Eleanor Knapp on a blind date. They married 3 years later. It was 1944 when he really decided to take photography seriously. A talk given by Ansel Adams inspired him to do so. Harry loved to take pictures of streets, buildings, and his lovely wife Eleanor. She was his favorite subject. In 1950, their daughter Barbara was born. Throughout the years, he continued to take wonderful photos. In 1996, he was awarded the national medal of arts. He later died at age 85 at his home in Atlanta.

  

1

2

3

    Great Black and White Photographers (part 3)

While looking at Harry Callahan's photography, I was touched by his photos.

I loved that his wife Eleanor was his muse. When I saw them for the first time

I was attracted to the beautiful simplicity of them. Some of them I can't believe

weren't highly edited they are so unique. If you want to see a bit of what I am

talking about, three of Callahan's photographs are above. They are a few of

my favorite pieces by him.

Photograph 1, photographer's point of view- 

I see my wife's beautiful face.
I smell her sweet perfume, a gentle scent.
I hear the birds chirping outside of our window.
I taste the coffee I drank before we started the shoot.
I feel the camera up against my face.

Photograph 2, photographers point of view-

I see Eleanor's pale features.
I smell the seawater below the bridge we stand on.
I hear the crash of waves against the shore.
I taste salt in my mouth.
I feel cold as an ocean breeze brushes past our bodies.

Photograph 3, photographers point of view-

I see the skeletons of trees that long to blossom

I smell a burning fire in the distance.
I hear the crinkling of dead leaves beneath my feet.
I taste hot cocoa.
I feel a shiver rush down my spine as I try to capture the perfect winter scene.

I would absolutely love making a book and putting Callahan's photographs in it

along with my favorite poems. In my opinion, poems are created to be paired 

other kinds of art. Doing this, I believe people will see the photos, read the poems,

and gain an overall deeper understanding of the photographer's work.