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, Home Run, Nir Hadar

Nir Hadar

Photography . 80 x 120 x 2 cm Photography . 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

£2,839

Photography, Discrepancy, Esther Song

Esther Song

Photography . 45.72 x 60.96 x 1 cm Photography . 18 x 24 x 0.4 inch

£576

Photography, Waiting for Summer, Susan Soh

Susan Soh

Photography . 40.64 x 60.96 x 1 cm Photography . 16 x 24 x 0.4 inch

£576

Photography, Busy Street, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

Photography . 27.9 x 35.6 x 1.3 cm Photography . 11 x 14 x 0.5 inch

£3,894

Photography, Camper family, Nick Veasey

Nick Veasey

Photography . 61 x 118 x 2 cm Photography . 24 x 46.5 x 0.8 inch

£9,742

Photography, Eriba Fuck, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 51.9 x 69.2 x 0.1 cm Photography . 20.4 x 27.2 x 0 inch

£1,770

Photography, Twins, Corinne Dubreuil

Corinne Dubreuil

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

£974

Photography, Haiti Holiday, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 30 x 40 cm Photography . 11.8 x 15.7 inch

£2,768

Photography, State Line, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 30 x 30 cm Photography . 11.8 x 11.8 inch

£2,768

Photography, Poolside Bar, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 101.6 x 152.4 cm Photography . 40 x 60 inch

£3,268

Photography, Harbour Island, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 101.6 x 152.4 cm Photography . 40 x 60 inch

£3,268

Photography, Capri Holiday, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 40 x 30 cm Photography . 15.7 x 11.8 inch

£2,768

Photography, Skiing In Vail, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 76 x 76 cm Photography . 29.9 x 29.9 inch

£2,520

Photography, Marseille, Rodolfo Franchi

Rodolfo Franchi

Photography . 100 x 100 x 1 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

£1,470

Photography, St Tropez, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 101 x 76 cm Photography . 39.8 x 29.9 inch

£3,534

Photography, El naufrago, James Sparshatt

James Sparshatt

Photography . 67 x 100 x 2 cm Photography . 26.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

£1,881

Photography, Port Life, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 152 x 101 cm Photography . 59.8 x 39.8 inch

£4,074

Photography, Headstand, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

Photography . 27.9 x 35.6 x 1.3 cm Photography . 11 x 14 x 0.5 inch

£3,894

Photography, Jump, Mourad Cherifi

Mourad Cherifi

Photography . 40 x 60 x 0.02 cm Photography . 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch

£487

Photography, Waterworld VI, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 70 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 27.6 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

£1,408

Photography, Miami_II_003, Bernhard Lang

Bernhard Lang

Photography . 118 x 150 x 2 cm Photography . 46.5 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch

£2,559

Photography, Happy Hour 3, Feng Kaixuan

Feng Kaixuan

Photography . 60 x 90 x 1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch

£3,631

Photography, Pit Stop (S), Beau Simmons

Beau Simmons

Photography . 81.3 x 101.6 cm Photography . 32 x 40 inch

£7,503

Photography, Nelda's Pool, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 31 x 41 cm Photography . 12.2 x 16.1 inch

£1,816

Photography, Don de soi 24, Feng Kaixuan

Feng Kaixuan

Photography . 60 x 90 x 1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch

£4,340

Photography, Humantouch II, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 70 x 140 x 3 cm Photography . 27.6 x 55.1 x 1.2 inch

£1,762

Photography, Type art II, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 70 x 140 x 4 cm Photography . 27.6 x 55.1 x 1.6 inch

£1,231

Photography, Tokyo passage V, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 60 x 120 x 3 cm Photography . 23.6 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

£1,320

Photography, Urban Sensor V, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

£1,142

Photography, Urban Sensor II, Sven Pfrommer

Sven Pfrommer

Photography . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

£1,142