As a freelance photographer he photographed the likes of Ernest Heminingway, JKF and his family, Winston Churchhill, Martin Luther King, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Hitler and Mussolini the first time they met, Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable, and many other famous people. But his most famous photograph was perhaps the sailor kissing a nurse on V-J Day in New York City.
I have used Alfred Eisenstaedt's quote on my blog since the first day I created a post, and I always find inspiration from his work. He is called "the father of photojournalism and candid photography," and his work was featured in life magazine for several generations. He is also the most published photographer in the history of freelance photography.
Here is one of my favorite quotes Alfred Eisentaedt made late in his career: "My style hasn't changed much in all these sixty years," he explained. "I still use, most of the time, existing light and try not to push people around. I have to be as much a diplomat as a photographer. People often don't take me seriously because I carry so little equipment and make so little fuss. When I married in 1949, my wife asked me. 'But where are your real cameras?' I never carried a lot of equipment. My motto has always been, 'Keep it simple.'"
Eisenstaedt was a genius. And I have always tried to follow his words and "catch the storytelling moment" at every photo shoot.
But how does Eisenstaedt's work relate to today's wedding photgrapher? It's the father looking at the bride before they go down the aisle, knowing their lives will never be the same, it's the bride holding her grandfather's handkerchief in the dressing room, and it's the quick glance of a bride and groom looking at each other, and perhaps a quick hug between lifelong friends like a bride and her maid of honor.
As wedding photographers...We have to "find and capture the storytelling moment."
I can't post Eisenstaedt's work because of copyright laws. But here are a couple of URL's you can copy and paste to discover the genious of Alfred Eisenstaedt:
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue9911/eisieintro.htm
http://www.life.com/Life/eisie/eisie.html
