Edward Weston

Edward Weston (March 24, 1886 - January 1, 1958) was an American photographer,

and co-founder of Group f/64. Most of his work was done using an 8 by 10 inch

view camera. Edward Weston was born in

Highland Park, Illinois on March 24, 1886. In 1902, he received his first camera for

his sixteenth birthday, a Kodak Bull's-Eye #2, and

began taking photographs in parks in Chicago and at his

aunt's farm. The young Weston met with quick

success, and his photographs were already being exhibited at the Chicago Art Institute merely a year later, in 1903.

• The Bull's-Eye camera, first manufactured by the Boston Camera Mfg. Company in 1892, holds a very important place in photographic history. It was the very first camera to use numbered paper-backed film rolls, invented by S. N. Turner. In August 1895, Eastman bought the company and continued to manufacture the cameras under the Kodak name.

8 x 10 inchView Camera

Ed’s friendAnsel

Adams

Edward’s life and family• In 1906, Weston moved to California, where he ultimately decided

to stay and pursue a career as a photographer. He married his first wife, Flora May Chandler, in 1909, and she bore him four sons: Chandler (1910), Brett (1911), Neil (1914) and Cole (1919). In 1911, Weston opened his first photographic studio in Tropico, California (now Glendale) and wrote articles about his unconventional methods of portraiture for several high-circulation magazines.

• 1922 marked a period of transition for Weston. Renouncing pictorialism in favor of straight photography, he began regular visits to Mexico with his professional and romantic partner, Tina Modotti, whose relationship with Weston was the cause of much gossip in the media. They were often accompanied by one of Weston's sons, who received a sound instruction in photography. Brett and Cole later embarked on their own, successful careers in this field.

Why does this look unusual?

Excusado 1925

What do you think this is?

Nude 1925

What does this look like?

Dunes, Oceano 1936

Shells 1927

Pepper No. 30 1930

Woodlawn Plantation 1941

Tina Modotti

(August 16 (or 17) 1896 – January 5, 1942) was an Italian photographer, model, actress, and revolutionary political activist.