Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz is considered to be one of the first fine art photographers. He is credited with making photography an "acceptable art form". Born in 1864 Stieglitz largely pioneered photography as an art form rather than a simple documentary tool. He primarily took fine art portraits.

Georgia O'Keefe- Alfred Stieglitz  

I love this photo because of his close attention to detail and the way her hands are positioned. I like the focus on her face but then, again, the detail and positioning of her hands also commands the viewers focus creating an interesting image. The contrast, background and composition all combine to make this a fine art portrait.

Heidi Stieglitz- Alfred Stieglitz

I love this photo because of the composition and soft depth of field. It creates a more intimate, environmental portrait that is wonderfully composed.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier Bresson was a french humanist photographer, he is often credited with being "the master of candid photography". Decisive Moment seems to be an appropriate term for his photography as his photos reflected his unique ability to capture moments where everything is interesting, or happening or compositionally perfect.

Again, Cartier-Bresson plays with juxtaposition. The destroyed walls juxtapose with the joyful children give this photo an ominous but uplifting tone that draws me to it.

Henri Cartier-Bresson
This is one of my favorite images from him, I like the whimsy in the shape of the stairs contrasted with the severity of the kids expression. This one is different than a lot of his photographs as it's more obviously posed but, still is very unique and interesting.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is arguably the most famous photographer alive, she rose to popularity as her work with Rolling Stone became more and more recognized. She eventually, however, switched to Vanity Fair. She is notable for her many beautiful, iconic photos, but also her two definitive styles. The first is her earlier journalistic works and the second her extravagant, rigidly posed work with Vanity Fair and other publications. I personally prefer the more raw and emotive characteristics of her early work with Rolling Stone. While I admire her transition to Vanity Fair and appreciate the beauty of her photos I think her most powerful photos are the more intimate ones. The one that struck me most was the one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono taken hours before his sudden death. 

Annie Leibovitz

I think the raw, intimate nature of this photo makes it stronger than many of her extravagant works. Personally, I'm drawn to raw images that may well be posed but look natural, rather than the obviously posed ones for vanity fair. I like and appreciate both but prefer her work with Rolling Stone.
I think this duality of her photos contributes to her almost universal fame. Partially the fame of her subjects but also the quality of her photos has caused her to be so famous. For example, nearly every photo showed in the film with the exception of her personal photos, I was familiar with, suggesting the wide circulation of her work.