Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus was a very famous Portrait photographer who used her portraits to convey the reality of living in New York City on the 1950s and 60s.
Diane was born in New York City on March 14th 1923 and showed artistic talents early on at school. In 1941 she married actor Allan Arbus who taught her photography after discovering her artistic talents. Together they worked on advertising and fashion photography projects, some of which appeared in the magazine Vogue. However, in 1950 Diane started working on her own photography by photographing the people of New York City. She would visit unusual areas to find the most interesting people to photograph, this would later gain her recognition for her work and by the mid 1960s her work started appearing in highly regarded exhibits. However, after separating from her husband in 1969, Diane became very depressed and committed suicide on July 26th 1971.

Despite her tragic passing, Diane made a massive impact on street photography and upcoming photographers still learn from her techniques to this day. Just some of the many lessons Diane Arbus taught about street photography are as follows: firstly, go places you have never been, by putting yourself outside of your comfort zone you absorb much more about the experience and find a kind of frightening excitement. Secondly, understand you see the world very differently in comparison to how your subject sees the world, so don't try to change reality just photograph the truth. And finally, take bad photos as these teach us in times of difficulty what to avoid doing so these mistakes can avoided next time.

Her effect on street and portrait photography was so great that a movie was produced in 2006 called 'Fur', which was based on her life. Many books have also been written about her including 'An Emergency in Slow Motion: The Inner Life of Diane Arbus' written by psycho therapist William Todd Schultz, who explores Arbus' difficult life.

I found Researching Diane Arbus fascinating as she seemed to look at the world in a very excited and enthusiastic fashion in which connecting with people fascinated her. I loved the way she could capture natural emotions in all kinds of people and her ability to capture the diversity of a city was captivating. Furthermore, despite her personal issues, which eventually led to her suicide, her impact on street photography was truly groundbreaking and greatly satisfying to research.

Some of my favourite photographs shot by Diane:











Bibliography: http://www.biography.com/people/diane-arbus-9187461#unique-photography
http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/10/15/11-lessons-diane-arbus-can-teach-you-about-street-photography/