Your favourite B&W photograph of all time?

[Bosk]

I've been paying particular interest to B&W photography of late, having developed my first few rolls at home which has served to fuel and heighten my longstanding appreciation for this supremely 'pure' form of photographic expression.



And so the difficult question I'd like to ask you all is this.....

can you name your one most-loved Black and White image taken by any photographer, at any time since the start of the 20th century?



It could be a candid from Henri Cartier-Bresson, or a landscape taken by Ansel Adams, a portrait by Diane Arbus, a nude from Bellocq.... the impossible part is choosing only only one. (so choose more if you must!)


And please, if you're able to provide a link to a scan or thumbnail of your chosen image we will all have the chance to admire it. 🙂

 

[Bosk]

My choice (a difficult one to say the least) would probably be-


Tomoko Uemura in her bath
by W. Eugene Smith

Link to image: click here.

 

[oftheherd]

My choice (a difficult one to say the least) would probably be-


Tomoko Uemura in her bath
by W. Eugene Smith

Link to image: click here.

Interesting. That was a photo I thought of not as my favorite, but certainly one of the more memorable. Many W. Eugene Smith's photos come to mind for memorable ones.

I'll have to think on the favorite. I am not sure I really have just one. Of course you said most loved, and that may not be the same as favorite anyway.

 

[matteaton]

This one


Easy

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/1114535/?qo=186&q=by:cweeks&qh=sort:time+-in:scraps

 

[iml]

I would find it impossible to name just one photograph, but of my top ten, at least half would be by Josef Koudelka, and probably half of those would be from his book Exiles.

I can only find an inadequate thumbnail of the first image that came to mind, you'll just have to imagine its luminescent beauty:

http://pedagene.creteil.iufm.fr/ressources/image/photo11a.jpg

I'm also very fond of Lee Miller's Portrait of Space, taken in Egypt in 1936:

http://www.spamula.net/blog/i04/miller05.jpg

But there are many photographs I love.

Ian

 

[kully]

There are much to many. Much much too many.

Just looking at Ians and Matts cool puppet one...

However, the one that got me into photography was by Doisneau, a family in Paris on a motorcycle. No idea what it is called though.

 

[Sparrow]

There are much to many. Much much too many.

Just looking at Ians and Matts cool puppet one...

However, the one that got me into photography was by Doisneau, a family in Paris on a motorcycle. No idea what it is called though.

I know the one, very memorable

For me this by Lewis Morley is always the first I think of, it coincided with my first attempts with a proper camera, part of the inspiration I think
😀

 

[doitashimash1te]

This one: http://www.bentkid.com/gfx/Munkacsi.jpg

 

[mfogiel]

For rangefinder photography, this one has been the icon for me "The sidewalk caffè" :
http://www.allposters.it/gallery.asp?aid=999354&c=&search=cartier+bresson&Referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eocaiw%2Ecom%2Fcatalog%2Findex%2Ephp%3Flang%3Dit%26catalog%3Dfoto%26author%3D84&SAID=999354&SAIDTime=5%2F21%2F2007+6%3A45%3A45+AM&maid=999354&AffClickThroughID=987193515

 

[steamer]

Not possible to pick just one, but the question prompted a fruitful google session.
The staggering genius of so many great photographers is both an inspiration and a daunting challenge. I hit on this site of Hungarian photographers: Amazing.

http://galeria.origo.hu/kincses/kk02.html

 

[charjohncarter]

Here is one that is not from the mainstream, but it has lots of quality on the technical side and lots of impact on the artistic side. The image is small so I will include a link to the site that discusses the developer used for this photo.

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Harvey/harvey.html

 

[Bosk]

Interesting. That was a photo I thought of not as my favorite, but certainly one of the more memorable. Many W. Eugene Smith's photos come to mind for memorable ones.

It's definately a "challenging" image to view, particularly for the first time. I think what attracts me to it most is the look on the face of the mother, which is filled with a phenomonal humanity that leaves me speechless.

There is surely a case to be argued for black and white being able to deliver such stunningly immediate connection to the mind of the viewer in a way that colour cannot, nor can motion film IMO.

 

[fgianni]

My choice (a difficult one to say the least) would probably be-


Tomoko Uemura in her bath
by W. Eugene Smith

Link to image: click here.

Another vote for Tomoko Uemura in her bath, but all the Minamata series is really memorable.

 

[Al Patterson]

Most of mine would be by O Winston Link. I'd have to find the book " The Last Steam Railroad in America" to get you any titles though.

 

[3js]

http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive...Album&IID=2S5RYD1T5SDH&SAKL=T&SGBT=T&DT=Image

http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive...Album&IID=2S5RYDI03U5H&SAKL=T&SGBT=T&DT=Image

I just could´t decide, please forgive me.

 

[pesphoto]

VEry tough to choose one image, but got me its all about HArry Callahan
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/C/callahan/callahan_trees.html

 

[ruben]

For aesthetics and originality, Andre Kertesz, Grotesque Dancer:

http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/images/l/06227201.jpg


For The Human Condition, Nick Ut, Phan Tha Kim Phuc And Others Fleeing Trang Bang:

http://www.iraqwar.co.uk/kimphuc2.jpg

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[mjflory]

Why limit it to photography since 1900? Many early photographs, and Fox Talbot's in particular, continue to amaze me both as compositions and as technical achievements. He was an ardent experimenter, both recording and transforming nature. Some of the early processes had incredible tonal range, as these photographs by Talbot demonstrate. His compositions had an unstudied balance to them, and it seems to me that he took a special delight just in the appearance of such everyday things as a ladder or a broom.

 

[peter_n]

Very difficult but these are just two from one of my favorites, Josef Koudelka:

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/K/koudelka/koudelka_rocket_full.html

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/K/koudelka/koudelka_child_full.html

 

[John Bragg]

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...2y1djM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=86&prev=/images?q=Marc+

This image of the painter on perched on the Eiffel Tower is one I find most visually enthralling and I would say it is my all time favorite.