Everyday life Photography for Sale

In the 1830s, Nièpce discovered how to print images onto metal plates. When he died in 1833, Louis Daguerre, followed by Francois Arago, continued to develop his research, resulting in the invention of the daguerreotype which consisted of an image printed onto a silver plate when exposed to the light. Together they had invented photography.

The first ever photographs began to appear. Initially used for research purposes, photography started to spread as daguerreotype studios opened everywhere. Portrait photography immortalized the faces of the upper middle classes and were later used to capture all members of society. Celebrities were also a popular subject choice and many photographers specialized in taking their portraits, as Jean-Loup Sieff did all throughout his career almost a century after the invention of photography.

In the beginning, taking a portrait or even the simplest of family photos required a great deal of preparation and time in the studio. However, key technological developments brought about the invention of more compact cameras including the Leica and later the digital single-lens reflex, which meant shorter exposure times and made it easier to produce a greater number of photographs.

These advances also helped contribute to the development of the genre of everyday life photography, which became more popular at the end of the Second World War and focused at first on photographing wealthy or urban families. Families, couples, communities... artists were interested in everyday moments (marriage, lovers kissing, children's games). The simplest of moments in life were seen as the most important and were immortalized in film as testaments to the beauty of human life.

Some of the great photographers made a name for themselves in the genre. Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, David Goldblatt, Martin Parr and Vivian Maier are only a few of the artists associated with everyday life photography.

Vivian Maier is an American photographer who was born in 1926 in New York. A professional nanny in Chicago, she spent her spare time photographing the world around her and produced around 150,000 photos. Having remained anonymous throughout her artistic life, her genius and photographic accomplishments were finally recognized publicly in 2007.

Cofounder of the Magnum Photographic Cooperative in 1947 alongside David Seymour and Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson was a pioneer of photojournalism but also an excellent photographer in a more artistic sense. He revolutionized photography by working with incredibly lightweight equipment. He didn't use a tripod or a darkroom and treasured a sense of immediacy when taking photographs. He believed that “above all else, the camera is a sketchbook". Henri Cartier-Bresson's photographic technique is unique and unmistakably recognizable. He never photographed with flash and only worked with natural light, something which was highly characteristic of everyday life photography. Often in the same black and white image, the subjects coexist together but are not centred. His framing, focus and depth of field all help us to see the simple beauty of everyday life that he so exquisitely enhances.

Artsper has a range of everyday life photographs for you to discover, including works from Cartier-Bresson as well as many other artists, whose photos reveal the precious moments of the everyday lives of people from around the world.

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Photography, Plongeurs, Elisa Haberer

Plongeurs

Elisa Haberer

Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$2,373

Photography, Color Game, Sam Dougados

Color Game

Sam Dougados

Photography - 75 x 75 x 1 cm Photography - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

$2,135

Photography, Echecs, Stephan Zaubitzer

Echecs

Stephan Zaubitzer

Photography - 50 x 60 x 5 cm Photography - 19.7 x 23.6 x 2 inch

$1,542

Photography, Le lutteur, Chiara Dazi

Le lutteur

Chiara Dazi

Photography - 60 x 60 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 inch

$1,186

Photography, Tuneis, Gilberto Perin

Tuneis

Gilberto Perin

Photography - 40 x 60 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 inch

$1,091

Photography, Little Buddha, Robert Curran

Little Buddha

Robert Curran

Photography - 105.4 x 86.4 x 2.5 cm Photography - 41.5 x 34 x 1 inch

$2,500

Photography, Heli, Yael Shachar

Heli

Yael Shachar

Photography - 110 x 73 x 1 cm Photography - 43.3 x 28.7 x 0.4 inch

$9,750

Photography, Movida Massala, Sarah Caron

Movida Massala

Sarah Caron

Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch

$2,966

Photography, The classroom, Magnus Wahman

The classroom

Magnus Wahman

Photography - 40 x 73 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 28.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,424

Photography, Last London Bus, Bert Hardy

Last London Bus

Bert Hardy

Photography - 31 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 12.2 x 16.1 x 0 inch

$1,305

Photography, La Fenice, Erich Auerbach

La Fenice

Erich Auerbach

Photography - 101.6 x 101.6 cm Photography - 40 x 40 inch

$1,157

Photography, Dive In, Terry Hastings

Dive In

Terry Hastings

Photography - 61 x 91.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.1 inch

$500

Photography, 2X2 (1), Stephane Hardel

2X2 (1)

Stephane Hardel

Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$949

Photography, Dont Walk, Karol Kállay

Dont Walk

Karol Kállay

Photography - 30 x 30 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 inch

$1,305

Photography, Chapeau, Denis Morel

Chapeau

Denis Morel

Photography - 20 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 7.9 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$522

Photography, Le Plongeon #4, Samzaï

Le Plongeon #4

Samzaï

Photography - 50 x 75 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

$463

Photography, Launch, Kramer O'Neill

Launch

Kramer O'Neill

Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$1,008

Photography, Flooded Mall, H.F. Davis

Flooded Mall

H.F. Davis

Photography - 51 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 20.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch

$391

Photography, Le panier, Claude Vesco

Le panier

Claude Vesco

Photography - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$534

Photography, Letters, Miki Kato

Letters

Miki Kato

Photography - 100 x 150 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch

$7,118

Photography, Cuba, Stéphane Cormier

Cuba

Stéphane Cormier

Photography - 50 x 60 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

$534

Photography, In Exile, Steve Sabella

In Exile

Steve Sabella

Photography - 125 x 137 cm Photography - 49.2 x 53.9 inch

$21,354

Photography, Sans titre, Julien Drogoul

Sans titre

Julien Drogoul

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,068

Photography, Polka Dots, Mark MacKinnon

Polka Dots

Mark MacKinnon

Photography - 102 x 102 x 3 cm Photography - 40.2 x 40.2 x 1.2 inch

$5,087

Photography, Tom Jobim, Thiago Barros

Tom Jobim

Thiago Barros

Photography - 73.3 x 110 x 0.1 cm Photography - 28.9 x 43.3 x 0 inch

$1,720

Photography, AV_Adria_010, Bernhard Lang

AV_Adria_010

Bernhard Lang

Photography - 90 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$1,530

Photography, Duo Dive, Richard Dunkley

Duo Dive

Richard Dunkley

Photography - 76.2 x 50.8 cm Photography - 30 x 20 inch

$1,123

Photography, Miami_II_002, Bernhard Lang

Miami_II_002

Bernhard Lang

Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.5 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.2 inch

$1,174

Photography, Saudade, James Sparshatt

Saudade

James Sparshatt

Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$841 $757

Photography, Ensayo, James Sparshatt

Ensayo

James Sparshatt

Photography - 40 x 50 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 inch

$1,123 $1,012

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Need help with Everyday life Photography ?
What does everyday life photography consist of?

Everyday life photography is a type of photography that captures moments from normal, daily life, such as urban street scenes, everyday objects, or children playing. 

What are examples of everyday life photography?

Examples of everyday life photography include photojournalistic pictures of a town or city, or snapshots of found or everyday objects. 

What is mundane photography?

Mundane photography has the same meaning as everyday life photography, meaning photography that captures images of day-to-day, mundane or banal life.