The early pioneers of photography had no intentions of changing the world, or the medium itself. Even at the time of a discovery, they may not have realised the gravity of their finding. Whether it was Wilson Bentley or
Étienne-Jules Marey—both were drawn to very different subjects—it was curiosity, and a certain desire and eagerness, that had them push the camera towards its absolute extreme, in order to unravel what one could and couldn’t do with it. Or take Dorothea Lange or Walker Evans—relatively younger than the previous two names. While one was an accomplished portraitist, the other absolutely shied away from making his presence felt around people. But their documentation of the American landscape, during one of its toughest periods, gave us unique perspectives into the tragedy. They might not have discovered a new way to use the medium, but they introduced viewers to new and divergent ways of seeing a single event.
Conchita Fernandes gives you a glimpse into the lives and stories of ten extraordinary photographers who have changed our understanding of the subject.