George Bush, Director, CIA, Langley, Virginia, March 2, 1976
Richard Avedon is probably my favorite photographer. His simple, blank-backdrop style eliminates all other distractions and allows you to focus on the person. He often used large 8x10 view cameras causing the line-and-gap black border, a signature trademark of his photographs. He was primarily a fashion photographer.
A few Richard Avedon quotes I like:
If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.
I always prefer to work in the studio. It isolates people from their environment. They become in a sense . . .symbolic of themselves. I often feel that people come to me to be photographed as they would go to a doctor or a fortune teller - to find out how they are.
Visit his website to see more.