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, L'Exode, Pierre Moreau

Pierre Moreau

Photography . 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch

CHF 1,846

Photography, Duelo, Rocio Villanueva

Rocio Villanueva

Photography . 100 x 100 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 inch

CHF 3,012

Photography, Le Plongeon #2, Samzaï

Samzaï

Photography . 50 x 76 x 1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 29.9 x 0.4 inch

CHF 379

Photography, Marinella, Claude Billès

Claude Billès

Photography . 60 x 110 x 2 cm Photography . 23.6 x 43.3 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,846

Photography, Manège, Alexis Duclos

Alexis Duclos

Photography . 37 x 40 cm Photography . 14.6 x 15.7 inch

CHF 661

Photography, Fascination, Pierre Moreau

Pierre Moreau

Photography . 50 x 150 x 0.1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 59.1 x 0 inch

CHF 2,332

Photography, Le petit marseillais, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 23.8 x 14.7 x 0.1 cm Photography . 9.4 x 5.8 x 0 inch

CHF 679

Photography, Le Plongeon #1, Samzaï

Samzaï

Photography . 50 x 70 x 1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch

CHF 379

Photography, #3, Antoine Cahors

#3

Antoine Cahors

Photography . 15 x 10 x 1.5 cm Photography . 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.6 inch

CHF 87

Photography, Soleil plein, Juliette Royer

Juliette Royer

Photography . 31.9 x 23.9 x 0.5 cm Photography . 12.6 x 9.4 x 0.2 inch

CHF 107

Photography, Fish from Varkala, Shank Arte

Shank Arte

Photography . 20 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

CHF 389

Photography, Surprise Mthfcker II, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 29.6 x 44.5 x 0.1 cm Photography . 11.7 x 17.5 x 0 inch

CHF 485

Photography, Baiser laser, Arnaud Baumann

Arnaud Baumann

Photography . 24 x 16 x 0.1 cm Photography . 9.4 x 6.3 x 0 inch

CHF 291

Photography, Family Planning, Arthur Steel

Arthur Steel

Photography . 48 x 61 x 1 cm Photography . 18.9 x 24 x 0.4 inch

CHF 1,773

Photography, Hobie Red Cat, Bonnie Lammar

Bonnie Lammar

Photography . 30.5 x 30.5 x 0.5 cm Photography . 12 x 12 x 0.2 inch

CHF 556

Photography, Eux trois, Bogdan Kotewicz

Bogdan Kotewicz

Photography . 100 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography . 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

CHF 1,457

Photography, Conversation, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 45 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 17.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Assiettes, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 30 x 45 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Atelier de moule, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 30 x 45 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Ciel, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 30 x 45 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Danse, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 30 x 45 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Voyage de nuit, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 30 x 45 x 1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Kollywood, Shank Arte

Shank Arte

Photography . 20 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

CHF 389

Photography, Field, Eduardo Rezende

Eduardo Rezende

Photography . 149.9 x 99.8 x 0.3 cm Photography . 59 x 39.3 x 0.1 inch

CHF 5,785

Photography, L'enfance, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Paysan, Feng Hatat

Feng Hatat

Photography . 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 680

Photography, Blue Pearl, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 26.7 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography . 10.5 x 15.7 x 0 inch

CHF 679

Photography, Silence, Laura Makabresku

Laura Makabresku

Photography . 20 x 30 cm Photography . 7.9 x 11.8 inch

CHF 340

Photography, Ganesh & family, Shank Arte

Shank Arte

Photography . 20 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

CHF 389

Photography, Good Old Days, Soohyun Kim

Soohyun Kim

Photography . 40.6 x 60.96 x 3 cm Photography . 16 x 24 x 1.2 inch

CHF 632