Most famous photograph
This is the most famous photography in history, according to image search study
(Image credit: NASA)New research has revealed the world's most famous and liked images, discovered using tools that include reverse image searching and Instagram likes to compile the list together.
A world-record holding image of an egg photographed in front of a white backdrop is the most liked image on Instagram, with a staggering 56.1 million likes! The other set of data revealed that one of the most recognizable photos in history is the Apollo 11 moonwalk captured by NASA.
• Check out these 5 photographs that changed the world
When we think of the world's most famous images, there's a certain list that come to mind – William Henry Fox Talbot's latticed window, Henri Cartier Bresson's decisive moment, the controversial Kevin Carter image featuring a vulture preying on a child, and what is regarded as the first ever permanent photo in history captured by Joseph Niépce in 1825.
The most famous photographs of all time are usually also the most recognizable, and printing company inkifi has taken the opportunity to discover through new research not only the world's most famous photographs, but the most Instagram-famous photographs to reflect our current digital era of worldwide photo sharing.
Top 3 most famous photographs (Image credit: inkifi )
The results from inkifi's research are a little surprising, as the images they found to have the highest reverse image search results – and therefore what they consider as the most famous images in the world – were not necessarily the most obvious. And famous images didn't feature at the top end of the list that would instantly come to mind when reflecting on the most famous photographers and their notable works.
The full set of research from inkifi can be found on its blog, but to make things simple we've created basic data tables to display the findings, so we can easily compare the statistics:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Rank | Name of Photo | Photographer | Year | Reverse Image Search Results |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Man on a Moon | NASA | 1968 | 31,003 |
2 | Lunch atop a Skyscraper | Unknown | 1932 | 18,691 |
3 | Flag Raising on Iwo Jima | Joe Rosenthal | 1945 | 16,235 |
4 | Einstein's Birthday | Arthur Sasse | 1951 | 15,206 |
5 | Migrant Mother | Dorothea Lange | 1936 | 14,711 |
6 | Earthrise, Nasa | William Anders | 1968 | 14,351 |
7 | Afghan Girl | Steve McCurry | 1984 | 10,556 |
8 | Napalm Girl | Nick Ut | 1972 | 8,925 |
9 | The Wright Brothers first flight | Unknown | 1903 | 8,419 |
10 | Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston | Neil Leifer | 1965 | 8,224 |
11 | Mushroom cloud over Nagasaki | Lieutenant Charles Levy | 1945 | 8,074 |
12 | Winston Churchill Portrait | Yousuf Karsh | 1941 | 6,015 |
13 | V-J Day in Times Square | Alfred Eisenstadt | 1945 | 5,409 |
14 | The Burning Monk | Malcolm Browne | 1963 | 4,207 |
15 | Falling Man | Richard Drew | 2001 | 2,294 |
16 | Tank Man | Jeff Widener | 1989 | 2,112 |
17 | Gandhi and the Spinning Wheel | Margaret Bourke-White | 1946 | 1,946 |
18 | Black Power Salute | John Dominis | 1968 | 1,910 |
19 | The Steerage | Alfred Stieglitz | 1907 | 1,765 |
20 | Leap into Freedom | peter Leibing | 1961 | 1,725 |
If you're unfamiliar with reverse image searching, it is a tool accessible primarily via Google that enables users to search using an image as opposed to text – and the yielded results show every corner of the web in which the image has been used. (This is also a great way to search for copyright breaches of your own photography and other interesting applications.)
With this in mind, the data gathered from inkifi may not best reflect what are the most famous images in the world, but should perhaps instead be referred to as the 'most replicated' or 'most used' images. The Apollo 11 image being top of the list might therefore make sense, as a lot of NASA's images are public domain, hence them being used and repurposed a lot more frequently.
(Image credit: inkifi )
As for the most famous images on Instagram, top of the rank is the most basic of images of an egg pictured with a white background. Made Instagram famous for the purpose of obtaining a world record, it certainly succeeded, with 56.1 million likes to date, which is over 23 million more than the second most liked post.
This egg is more famous on Instagram than the Kardashians, Spider-Man actors and even Billie Eilish!
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Rank | Description | Year | Number of Instagram Likes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | An Egg | 2019 | 56. 1m |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo announces twins with his partner | 2021 | 32.9m |
3 | XXXTentacion's last Instagram post | 2018 | 29.5m |
4 | Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez marriage photos | 2021 | 26.6m |
5 | Travis Scott & Kylie Jenner second child announcement | 2021 | 25.0m |
6 | Zendaya's Birthday post to Tom Holland | 2022 | 24.5m |
7 | Tom Holland recreates Spiderman meme | 2022 | 24.2m |
8 | Kylie Jenner holds her second baby's hand | 2022 | 23. 0m |
9 | Billie Eilish reveals blonde hair | 2021 | 22.9m |
10 | Lionel Messi PSG announcement | 2021 | 22.0m |
11 | Billie Eilish in British Vogue | 2021 | 21.9m |
12 | Lionel Messi wins the Copa America | 2021 | 21.9m |
13 | Lionel Messi says goodbye to Barcelona | 2021 | 21.2m |
14 | Tom Holland's Happy Birthday post for Zendaya | 2021 | 20.04m |
15 | Girl reacts to real life mermaid video | 2021 | 20.0m |
16 | Cristiano Ronaldo says goodbye to Diego Maradona | 2020 | 19. 7m |
17 | Billie Eilish at the Met Gala | 2021 | 19.3m |
17 | Cristiano Ronaldo's first game back for Manchester United | 2021 | 19.3m |
17 | Chadwick Boseman death announcement | 2020 | 19.3m |
18 | Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United return | 2021 | 19.0m |
The interesting thing about the most famous images on Instagram and their total number of likes, is that the images often have no photography related purpose or elements to them. The popularity of these images (or 'posts', we should probably refer to them as) are often less to do with the images posted themselves and more to do with which celebrity or influencer has posted it, and the meaning behind it.
For example, the post below shared to Instagram by Tom Holland made the list of most famous photos on the platform, and this is in part due to the actor's celebrity status, the fact it is a recreation and reference to an existing pop culture meme that took over the internet – and the relevance to Spider-Man, Marvel and an enormously publicized new Hollywood blockbuster will undoubtedly bring in likes from a high volume of people.
A post shared by Tom Holland (@tomholland2013)
A photo posted by on
This photo in terms of photographic approach is nothing super special, and would not necessarily appeal to a panel of judges or experts in the medium of photography. The reason many of the posts on this list have a high quantity of likes is due to the influencer culture and celebrity gossip culture, less so than the actual contents of the image when observed from a photographic standpoint.
How do we critique and define what are the world's best or most famous images in a digital age dominated by hashtags and social media? Are the most famous and worthy images even posted to Instagram any more? Especially with the changing algorithm and constant updates putting pro photographers off of using the platform. Let us know what you think!
Read more:
The 50 best photographers ever
20 famous photographers you should follow on Instagram
10 most Instagrammed landmarks in America – top photo hotspots
My Instagram page is a mess: How do photographers organize their grids?
10 tips for Instagram success with your photography
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A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.
20 of the Most Famous Photographs in History
This collection of 20 famous photographs has been carefully chosen because of their importance in history. Each one of these iconic images has helped shape our history and alter the world which we live in. They are some of the most powerful and influential images ever captured by some of the most famous photographers in history.
Images have a way of cutting through and triggering an immediate emotional response like nothing else can. They open a window for us to view the world through the eyes of the photographer.
Photography has helped to reinforced history making it more tangible and real. It has also made the camera an important tool not only to document history but also to help change it.
Warning: Some of the images in this collection are very graphic and may be hard to see. So if you are averse to this sort of thing, please be forewarned.
#1 Henri Cartier-Bresson’s famous photo Man Jumping the Puddle | 1930
Henri Cartier Bresson | Man Jumping the Puddle | 1930In this, one of his most iconic photos, Henri Cartier-Bresson captured a scene through a fence behind the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris.
This image became the perfect example of what Cartier-Bresson referred to as “The Decisive Moment”.
“There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson
The French photographer is often referred to as the father of modern photojournalism.
He coined the term “The Decisive Moment” to refer to a moment when the photographer captures a fleeting second, immortalizing it in time.
#2The famous photo The Steerage by Alfred Stieglitz | 1907
Alfred Stieglitz’s famous photo The Steerage | 1907“I stood spellbound for a while. I saw shapes related to one another—a picture of shapes, and underlying it, a new vision that held me.”
Alfred Stieglitz
One of the most famous photographers of the early 20th Century, Stieglitz fought for photography to be taken as seriously as painting as a valid art form. His pioneering work helped to change the way many viewed photography. His NYC galleries featured many of the best photographers of the day.
His iconic image “The Steerage” not only encapsulates what he called straight photography – offering a truthful take on the world. It also gives us a more complex and multi-layered viewpoint that conveys abstraction through the shapes in the image. And how those shapes relate to one another.
Note: Many years ago one of my instructors at my photography program in college showed us The Steerage and talked about how important it was, how significant. The 21-year-old version of myself didn’t get it.
I admit it took me many years to understand its genius and its message. So if you don’t “get” it right off the bat you’re in good company.
#3 Stanley Forman’s famous photo Woman Falling From Fire Escape |1975
Stanley Forman’s famous photo Woman Falling From Fire Escape |1975Forman was a well-known photographer working for the Boston Herald when he attended the scene of a fire. What began as him documenting the rescue of a young woman and child quickly took a turn when the fire escape collapsed.
The pair began to fall and he continued shooting as they were falling. He capturing them swimming through the air. Forman only lowered his camera and turned at the last moment when he realized what he was witnessing was a woman plummeting to her death.
This famous photograph won Forman a Pulitzer prize. But its interesting legacy is the ethical questions it raised about when a photographer should stop shooting and whether it is appropriate to publish disturbing images. It also caused many municipalities to enforce stricter fire-escape safety codes, so you decide.
Read Also: 12 Famous Portrait Photographers You Need To Know
#4 Kevin Carter’s controversial photo – Starving Child and Vulture | 1993
Kevin Carter Pulitzer Prize-winning photo Starving Child and Vulture | 1993This image is another Pulitzer Prize-winning image. As famous for its social impact, as it is the ethical issues it raised.
In 1993 South African photojournalist Kevin Carter traveled to Sudan to photograph the famine. His image of a collapsed child, with a vulture stalking over her, not only caused public outrage because of the horrific subject. It also stirred up a lot of criticism directed toward the photographer, for photographing the child, rather than helping her.
That day, and the onslaught that came after continued to haunt Carter until he took his own life in 1994.
For the record, the mother was apparently right next to the scene and the child was never in danger of being attacked by the bird. Notice that it was also shot with a longer telephoto lens which makes a scene look more compressed, making the bird appear closer to the child than reality.
If you want to learn more about this image and more shot by photojournalists in South Africa during the fall of Apartheid, check out The Bang Bang Club. Watch the trailer below, and you can watch the full movie on YouTube for $3.99. It’s a great documentary, but not for the faint of heart.
#5 Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams | Saigon Execution | 1968
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams was on the streets of Saigon on the 1st February 1968 photographing the devastation of the war.
Eddie Adams | Saigon execution | 1968Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. - Eddie Adams, PhotographerClick To Tweet
Believing he was witnessing a routine execution of a prisoner. He looked through the viewfinder of his camera, to capture the scene. But what he captured was the casual assassination of the prisoner.
This iconic photo became one of the most powerful images of the Vietnam War. It helped fuel the anti-war movement and end US involvement in the war because it brought to life in a horrific visual, the magnitude of the violence occurring.
#6 Yousuf Karsh’s iconic portrait – Winston Churchill | 1941
Yousuf Karsh’s iconic photo, Winston Churchill | 1941“By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent, he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph.”
Yousuf Karsh
In the wake of the attack on pearl harbor, Churchill arrived in Ottawa, to thank the allies for their assistance.
Unaware that a photographer had been commissioned to take his portrait he refused to remove his cigar. Once the photographer was set up he walked towards Churchill, removed the cigar from his mouth and took his famous photograph with the scowl.
Of the incident, Churchill told Karsh “You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed.”
This image is one of the most widely reproduced political portraits. It gave photographers permission to take more honest, and even critical, portraits of political leaders.
#7 Nick Ut | The Terror of War | 1972
Nick Ut’s famous photo The Terror of War | 1972“The horror of the Vietnam War recorded by me did not have to be fixed.”
Nick Ut
25 miles northwest of Saigon, war photographer Nick Ut, captured one of the most harrowing images in the history of the Vietnam War. More often than not, the faces of those who suffer through the collateral damage of war are not seen.
But the harrowing image of 9-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc forced the world to see. A victim of mistakenly dropped napalm, she was later helped by Ut and received lifesaving treatment.
At the time of publication in 1972 many Newspapers had to relax their policies on nudity. The image remains controversial to this day, recently it was briefly removed from Facebook for the same reasons.
Nick Ut won a Pulitzer Prize for this famous image in 1973.
#8 Margaret Bourke-White’s famous photograph – Gandhi and the Spinning Wheel | 1946
Margaret Bourke-White’s famous photograph – Gandhi and the Spinning Wheel | 1946In 1946 Margaret Bourke-White, LIFE magazine’s first female photographer, was offered a rare opportunity to photograph Mahatma Gandhi. This dream opportunity quickly turned into a nightmare. She was made to overcome many challenges before gaining access to India’s ideological leader. Including to spin Gandhi’s famous homespun.
After two failed shoots, thanks to technical difficulties, it was third time lucky for Bourke-White.
This iconic image of Gandhi at his spinning wheel was captured less than two years before his assassination.
Note: Bourke-White was an icon for me coming up as a young photographer. She seemed fearless and went where even some men dared not to go. Her courage and fortitude influenced me and my work early in my career. There is a movie about her life (she’s played by Farrah Fawcett) called Double Exposure. If you can get your hands on it, it’s a great watch.
#9 Lewis Hine’s famous image – Cotton Mill Girl | 1908
Lewis Hine | Cotton Mill Girl | 1908Established in 1904, the National Child Labor Committee, existed to fight for the rights of child workers in the USA. They realized that the most powerful tool they had was to show the real face of these children. They believed that seeing these images of child labor would awaken the citizens to demand change.
When Lewis Hine, an investigative photographer, came across Sadie Pfeifer, one of the smallest children at work. Standing at just 48 inches, he knew he had a shot that would change peoples views.
This photograph along with others was a crucial part of the campaign which led to a change in legislation. The outcome of which was a 50% cut in the number of child laborers over a 10 year period.
#10 Blind Beggar by Paul Strand | 1916
Blind Beggar by Paul Strand | 1916Paul Strand’s groundbreaking image of a blind woman was a candid portrait that departed from the more formal posed portraits of that time.
Strand not only captured a moment in time, when a country was changing rapidly, due to an immigration surge. But he also took the first image that paved the way for a new style – street photography.
#11 The Iconic V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt | 1945
The Iconic V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt | 1945“People tell me that when I’m in heaven, they will remember this picture.”
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt’s mission through this photograph was to “to find and catch the storytelling moment.” In this post-WWII photograph in Times Square, he did just that.
His famous photograph of the soldier and dental nurse has become one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, signifying the joyous end to years of war.
#12 The first photograph in history – by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce – View from the Window at Le Gras |circa 1826
This is the FIRST photograph ever taken, it was made by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce | View from the Window at Le Gras circa 1826Interestingly the first permanent photograph ever taken was not by an artist, but by inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. His fascination with printing led him to set up a camera obscura at his studio in France in 1826.
The window scene was cast on a pewter plate and presented a crude copy of the scene outside his window. It was an 8-hour exposure and there is only one copy, a positive image. This is why the image is somewhat confusing because the sun had moved across the courtyard during the exposure, causing shadows on both sides to appear.
His groundbreaking work paved the way for the development of modern photography.
#13 James Nachtwey | Famine in Somalia | 1992
James Nachtwey | Famine in Somalia | 1992“Dare we say that it doesn’t get any worse than this?”
New York Times Magazine reader upon seeing Nachtwey’s image
Unable to get an assignment to document the 1992 famine in Somalia photojournalist James Nachtwey decided to go alone.
Supported on the ground by the Red Cross, Nachtwey captured the horrors of the famine. This, his most haunting image captures a woman in a wheelbarrow waiting to be taken to a feeding center.
After the publication of his harrowing images the Red Cross received the biggest wave of public support since WWII and were able to save ONE and a half million people.
I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated. -James NachtweyClick To Tweet
#14 Alberto Korda’s iconic photo of Che Guevara, Guerillero Heroico | 1960
Alberto Korda | Guerillero Heroico | 1960Little did photographer Alberto Korda realize when it took two frames of Fidel Castro’s young associate, as an afterthought, that it would become such an iconic image.
Upon his death 7 years later his portrait of Che Guevara would become the iconic image of rebellion and revolution for people around the world. Even still today it is prevalent in the Cuban culture and around the world. Controversial as Che was, whether you consider him a hero or a villain, the portrait stands the test of time.
Here are two images that were taken in Cuba and combined in Photoshop. You can find portraits of Che painted all over the country that mimic Korda’s image.#15 Philippe Halsman | Dalí Atomicus | 1948
Philippe Halsman shot this famous photo Dalí Atomicus in 1948Philippe Halsman’s life’s work was to capture the essence of those he photographed. Knowing a standard portrait of the flamboyant Salvador Dali was not going to wash, he set out to create something extraordinary.
Halsman even roped in his wife and daughter to assist in throwing the cats and water into the frame. After 26 shots they finally captured this image that has echoes of Dali’s own artwork in it. Note: Remember that was all film so had to be done in a single frame, there was no Photoshop!
Halsman and Dali both had an unusual sense of style and creativity – some might even say bizarre. They collaborated on many projects together including Halsman recreating one of Dali’s painting of a skull using human nude figures.
Halsman helped to shape modern-day portrait photography. His images of Dali, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and Alfred Hitchcock broke the mold and encouraged photographers to collaborate with their subjects.
Note: One of my favorite coffee table photography books is Halsman at Work. It includes not only stunning photographs but the stories behind how he made them, narrated by his wife Yvonne who worked alongside him taking photos of him working.
#16 Dorothea Lange | Migrant Mother | 1936
Dorothea Lange | Migrant Mother | 1936On assignment for the Resettlement Administration, Dorothea Lange was tasked to capture the plight of those most affected by the Great Depression in 1936.
Lang tightly framed 32-year-old Thompson and her young children drawing the viewer into the pain and exhausting etched on her face which appears aged beyond her years.
Upon her return, Lange’s, now famous photograph, became the most iconic image of the 160,000 taken to document this desperate time.
The government acted upon seeing the suffering and sent 20,000 pounds of food.
#17 Eadweard Muybridge | The Horse in Motion | 1878
Eadweard Muybridge | The Horse in Motion | 1878Embarking on a task to discover whether a horse takes flight when galloping. Photographer Eadweard Muybridge was commissioned by California governor Leland Stanford to prove his theory.
Muybridge developed a technique to capture the horse using an exposure lasting just a fraction of a second. He had 12 cameras lined up that were triggered to photograph in rapid succession by the galloping horse.
The series of images Muybridge captured didn’t just prove that a horse does indeed take flight. They also led the way for a new way of using photography with other technology to capture the truth.
This method led the way for the development of animation and motion pictures.
#18 W. Eugene Smith | Country Doctor | 1948
W. Eugene Smith | Country Doctor | 1948“I do not seek to possess my subject but rather to give myself to it,”
W. Eugene Smith
Smith’s aim was to see the world from the perspective of his subjects and for the viewers looking at his work to do the same. This image is taken from his photo Essay “Country Doctor” was taken after Smith had spent 23 days with the subject.
Following the doctor around and really getting to know him, Smith was able to capture the essence of his subject through a single frame. This image and accompanying essay became a template for the form which many have emulated since.
But the image was part of the large photo essay which set a new standard for this genre of photography, photojournalism.
#19 Robert Capa | The Falling Soldier | 1936
Robert Capa | The Falling Soldier | 1936Capa’s image of a Spanish militiaman being shot was taken without him ever looking through his viewfinder.
Captured by holding his camera above his head while in the trenches this image took war photography to a different level. Soon after, journalists began to be formally embedded into army units as their importance in capturing and documenting the horrors of war was realized.
#20 Harold Edgerton | Milk Drop Coronet | 1957
Harold Edgerton | Milk Drop Coronet | 1957Electrical-engineering professor Edgerton began a series of experiments in his MIT lab, inventing a camera that would photograph a fleeting moment in the dark.
Combining high-tech strobe lighting and a camera shutter that would enable the photographer to capture a moment invisible to the naked eye. He set up a milk dropper next to a timer along with his camera.
His stop-motion photograph was able to freeze the impact of a drop of milk on a table and cemented photography’s importance in the world of advancing the human understanding of our physical world.
Keep studying
I want to remind you these are just 20 of the many really important images that have been created over the years. There are so many more significant photo and photographers, so I encourage you to continue reading and researching.
For starters, you can read about 12 Famous Portrait Photographers from History that You Need to Know and also 25 of the most famous photographers from the past who’ve taken the iconic photos you’re familiar with (or maybe not.)
Please share your favorite famous images in the comments below, and tell us how it’s significant and why it’s important to you.
😮 The most famous photos in the world: XX century in photos | Interesting facts
Since photography was invented, this way of capturing reality has become a real art. The editors of uznayvse.ru invite you to recall the most famous photographs in the history of mankind.
Afghan Madonna
A 1985 photograph of a 12-year-old girl in a Pakistani refugee camp featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine and became a symbol of the war in Afghanistan. The haunted look of a teenage girl seems to look straight into the soul and in her eyes the expression seems to change. Because of this, the portrait has been compared to Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
The identity of the Afghan Madonna was established by retinal biometrics
The uznayvse.ru editors note that photographer Steve McCurry did not recognize the name of the girl. Her identity was established only in 2002. It turned out that an Afghan woman named Sharbat Gula returned to her homeland in 1992, got married and gave birth to several children.
Times Square Kiss
Alfred Eisenstadt's photograph of a sailor and nurse kissing in New York's Times Square has become a global symbol of the joy and relief associated with the end of World War II. The photographer who shot for Life magazine did not ask the names of his models, and many people claimed that they were the ones in the picture.
That Kiss in Times Square
The book describing the history of this photo states that these people are named George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman. “Suddenly I was in the arms of a sailor,” Friedman recalled in 2005. “It wasn’t even a kiss, actually, but a spontaneous act of happiness and relief that he no longer had to go to war.”
Marilyn Monroe in a flowing dress
Even five decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains one of Hollywood's most famous sex symbols. And the first image of her that comes to everyone's mind is this picture taken during the filming of the movie The Seven Year Itch. Marilyn is standing on the sidewalk, and the warm air coming out of the New York subway lifts the hem of her white dress. It is said that the then-husband of the star, the famous baseball player Joe DiMaggio, after seeing this frame, gave Monroe a terrible scene of jealousy. A few weeks later they divorced.
Marilyn Monroe in flowing dress
Napalm
In 1972, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut captured children fleeing in terror from a napalm attack during the Vietnam War. The bomber accidentally dropped a napalm charge on his own soldiers and civilians. Nine-year-old Kim Phuk flees a bombed-out village after ripping off her burning clothes. The photo has become one of the most famous symbols of the Vietnam War protest. After taking a picture, Nick took the children to the Saigon hospital.
Haunting evidence of the Vietnam War
Einstein with his tongue hanging out
At Albert Einstein's 72nd birthday party, photographer Arthur Sass asked the birthday boy to smile for the camera. Tired of such requests, the Nobel laureate suddenly stuck out his tongue. The photo became one of Einstein's most famous images, and he liked it so much that he ordered nine copies for himself. One of the photographs signed by Einstein was sold at auction in 2009.year for an amount exceeding $75,000.
Albert Einstein didn't really want to be photographed
Falling man
Richard Drew managed to film the flight of one of the victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The publication of the photo caused a lot of protests from people who called the reporter insensitive. The reporter himself sees it differently. Ten years after the event, he said in an interview that he considered this picture to be an image of the “unknown soldier”, representing all who shared his fate that day. At least 200 people are believed to have jumped out of the WTC windows after two airliners crashed into the Twin Towers.
The identity of the man who jumped out of one of the Towers is still controversial
The most famous selfie in the world
At the 2014 Oscars, where it turned out that 12 Years a Slave was better than Gravity ”, several first-class Hollywood stars got into the frame of the famous selfie of the host of this ceremony, comedian Ellen DeGeneres. The picture shows: Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Ellen herself, Bradley Cooper, Peter Nyong'o, Channing Tatum, as well as Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Lupita Nyong'o, Angelina Jolie and her now ex-husband Brad Pitt.
The most famous selfie in the world, taken at the Oscars
No film can boast such a stellar cast. No wonder internet users retweeted this photo over a million times in just the first hour after it was posted. The photo caused more noise than the Oscar ceremony itself.
Man against tanks
An unarmed man stopped a column of tanks in Beijing during student protests in 1989. Then, hundreds of demonstrators were killed by bullets from the People's Liberation Army of China on Tiananmen Square. The moment, captured by at least five reporters, has become a symbol of unarmed resistance to state violence around the world. Charlie Cole, photographer for Newsweek magazine, won a World Press Photo award for this image. The identity and fate of the man standing in the way of armored vehicles remained unknown.
A tiny figure in the foreground is a man who stopped the tanks
A portrait of Che Guevara
Alberto Korda photographed Marxist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara in 1960 at a ceremony dedicated to the victims of the explosion of the Belgian ship La Couvre in Havana. The portrait, called by the author "Partisan Hero", was replicated on millions of posters and T-shirts, becoming a universal symbol of resistance and social justice. The photographer, who shared Che's Marxist ideals, never demanded royalties for this shot.
One of the most recognizable photographs in the world - a portrait of Che Guevara
Explosion of the Hindenburg
In 1937, Sam Shear photographed the explosion of the hydrogen-filled airship Hindenburg in New Jersey. The plane crash, which claimed the lives of thirty-six people, marked the end of the era of passenger zeppelins, until then considered the main means of transportation in the future. “There were two blank shots left in my camera, and I didn’t even have time to bring the camera up to my eyes,” Scheer later wrote. “I shot literally from the hip – everything happened so quickly that there was nothing else to do.”
Photographer Captures Hindenburg Zeppelin Explosion
Famine
Kevin Carter's 1993 photograph of a famine in South Sudan garnered worldwide attention - and criticism. Carter said the emaciated girl made it to the food stand after the photographer chased off the vulture, but that only raised more questions as to why he didn't take her there himself. The editorial office of uznayvse.ru notes that a few months after receiving the Pulitzer Prize for this picture, the South African photographer committed suicide. He suffered from depression and the loss of his friend and colleague Ken Osterbrock, who was killed by a peacekeeper's accidental bullet near Johannesburg.
Horrible illustration of famine in South Sudan
Nessie
A 1934 photo of the Loch Ness monster taken by British military surgeon Robert Wilson in Scotland made a lot of noise and for a long time was considered irrefutable evidence of the existence of a lake monster. Wilson claimed to have filmed Nessie on an early April morning while driving along the northern shore of Loch Ness. Nessie is perhaps the most famous mythical monster in the world.
"Proof" of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster
Later, however, when the photo caused a worldwide sensation, Wilson took care not to associate his name with the image, and the photo became known as the "surgeon's shot." In 1994, one of the people who witnessed this shot confessed on his deathbed that the portrait of Nessie was just a prank, and that the photo actually showed a piece of plastic attached to a toy submarine.
The art of photography is relatively new (compared to, for example, painting), but it has managed to form its own canons, a hierarchy of artists and a cloud of meanings and currents. At the same time, one or another photograph, which is considered a reference in the professional community, may look unremarkable to an outsider. The editors of uznayvse.ru invite you to look at the most expensive photos in the world and decide for yourself whether they are so good.
Photo of the century: the best shots of all time according to Time magazine
Impressions
Philippe Halsman. Dali Anatomikus, 1948
© 100photos.time.com
Author Anastasia Novikova
January 06, 2017
In the fall of 2016, Time magazine named the 100 most significant photographs of all time. RBC Style carefully reviewed the pictures, which took the creators of the project three years to select, and tells the story of nine rare shots.
Skyscraper Dinner
1932
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Eleven men dine, chat and smoke. Everything would be fine, but they do it, sitting on a steel beam at the level of the 69th floor above Manhattan. It was this scene that was captured by an unknown photographer in the Lunch at the Skyscraper image. The shot was taken on September 29, 1932 as staged, but with real workers, and a couple of days later it was published in the Sunday supplement to the New York Herald Tribune. The photo was taken during the Great Depression, when desperate people were ready for any job and climbed to gigantic heights without any insurance.
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Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother
1936
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The famous shot was taken in March 1936, at the height of the Great Depression. Dorothea Lange, who worked as a reporter, captured Florence Thompson. “I saw a mother who had lost all hope, I was drawn to her like a magnet,” Lange recalled in 1960. “I took five pictures, each time getting closer to her, but I didn’t even ask her name. She said that she was 32 years old and that she and her children ate frozen vegetables from the fields and birds, which they sometimes managed to shoot. That day, she just sold the tires from her car to buy some food.” 10 March 19For 36 years, the San Francisco News printed a photo of Florence in the article "Degraded, Hungry, Hopeless—Crop Harvesters Live in Poverty." A picture of a strong unknown woman instantly spread throughout the country, and soon around the world. And the original photograph went under the hammer in 2005 for $296,000.
Yevgeny Khaldei "Victory Banner over the Reichstag"
1945
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“This is what I have been waiting for 1400 days,” Soviet photographer Yevgeny Khaldei admitted. The war correspondent took his world-famous photograph on May 2, 1945. By that time, street fighting had already ended in Berlin, and the city was completely occupied by Soviet troops. Khaldei asked the first soldiers he met to help take photographs. Soon he filmed two cassettes with them. The banner depicted in the picture, Yevgeny Khaldei brought with him. It is curious that it was sewn from a red tablecloth, which the photographer "borrowed" on one of his visits to Moscow in the dining room of Photochronicles.
Alfred Eisenstadt Victory Day over Japan in Times Square
1945
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In the summer of 1945, photographer Alfred Eisenstadt took a random shot that was destined to become iconic. A sailor who found out about the end of the war with Japan got into his frame. “He ran all over the street, grabbed all the women he saw - it didn’t matter if they were old, portly or slender. I ran in front of him with my Leica, turning around and trying to take a picture, but I didn’t like any of them. And then, suddenly - like a flash - I saw that he grabbed something white. I turned and pressed the button at the very moment when he kissed the nurse, ”the photographer later said. A week later, Eisenstadt's picture was published in Life magazine, where it took up a whole page. The frame has become iconic, and for many Americans has become a symbol of peace.
Philippe Halsman Dali Anatomycus
1948
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Philippe Halsman is called the founder of surrealism in photography. His famous "Jump" series has become a classic of photography. It includes more than 200 portraits of famous people who jumped in the frame. One of the heroes of the series was Salvador Dali. Halsman took six hours to complete the Dali Anatomikus shot. An easel and a painting were suspended from a fishing line from the ceiling, a chair in the foreground was held by the photographer's wife, and two assistants tossed cats and splashed a bucket of water. “When a person jumps, his attention is mainly directed to the act of jumping, the mask falls off and his true face appears,” Philippe Halsman explained the choice of subject for the photographs.
Richard Avedon Dovima and the Elephants
1955
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In 1955, Richard Avedon filmed an advertisement for the new Christian Dior collection. As a model, he chose his favorite Dovima and decided to capture her against the backdrop of elephants. Avedon wanted to convey the symmetry of fragility and power, light and dark. The photograph of "Dovima and the Elephants" was taken at the Cirque d'Hiver. And the dresses of the model were created by a young and then little-known designer Yves Saint Laurent, who worked as an assistant to Christian Dior.
Harry Benson Pillow Fight
1964
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On the evening of January 16, 1964, photographer Harry Benson took one of the most famous pictures of the Liverpool Four. He captured the members of The Beatles at a pillow fight in a Paris hotel room, Hotel George V. In general, Benson did not plan to photograph the Beatles. He wanted to shoot a "serious story" in Africa. “I saw myself as a serious journalist and didn’t want to make a rock and roll story,” Benson said. But the case nevertheless brought him to Paris, where at that moment the Liverpool Four were located. The "pillow fight" caught on film began spontaneously. Such was the reaction of the musicians to the announcement that their single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” had reached number one on the American pop charts.
Neil Armstrong Man in the Moon
1969
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The 1969 photograph was taken by Neil Armstrong himself. The first man to walk on the moon captured his Apollo 11 crewmate, astronaut Buzz Aldrin. “Most of the time, Neil had the camera, and I was the subject of these wonderful shots, because each of his shots was simply magnificent,” Aldrin later recalled. Photographing was not among the priority tasks of the astronauts, however, the pictures became historical and remained in the memory of mankind.
Annie Leibovitz Demi Moore
1991
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In 1991, Annie Leibovitz photographed Demi Moore nude for the cover of Vanity Fair when the actress was seven months pregnant. For the beginning of the nineties, the picture turned out to be a real shock and made a splash. The issue of the magazine went on sale in special packaging envelopes. They hid Moore's naked body, leaving only her eyes open. The cover of Vanity Fair with naked Moore became the most successful for the glossy magazine of all time. And the audience of the issue amounted to more than 100 million readers. Annie Leibovitz herself, however, was quite strict with her photographic work. “I don't think it's a good photo in and of itself. This is the cover of a magazine. It would be a great portrait if Moore had not covered her chest, ”Leibovich noted.
Star Selfie from the Oscars
2014
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