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.

Read more
Photography, From Kids 3, Larry Clark

Larry Clark

Photography . 19 x 13 x 0.1 cm Photography . 7.5 x 5.1 x 0 inch

$604

Photography, From Kids 5, Larry Clark

Larry Clark

Photography . 19 x 13 x 0.1 cm Photography . 7.5 x 5.1 x 0 inch

$604

Painting, Deux au soleil, Sophie Hors

Sophie Hors

Painting . 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$1,066

Painting, Paseo, José Pirès

José Pirès

Painting . 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$1,728

Painting, Circo, Maria Evseeva

Maria Evseeva

Painting . 50 x 61 x 3 cm Painting . 19.7 x 24 x 1.2 inch

$1,316

Painting, Bullfight, Benavente Solis

Benavente Solis

Painting . 35 x 41 x 1 cm Painting . 13.8 x 16.1 x 0.4 inch

$2,417

Photography, Solitude, Fabien Strauss

Fabien Strauss

Photography . 30 x 24 x 0.1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch

$306

Photography, Deyang, China, Francoblanco

Francoblanco

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

$236

Painting, Untitled, Adi Michael

Adi Michael

Painting . 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

$10,830

Painting, Rediscover, Mariam Odishvili

Mariam Odishvili

Painting . 140 x 110 x 2 cm Painting . 55.1 x 43.3 x 0.8 inch

$1,088

Photography, TV is Brain, Alain Issock

Alain Issock

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

$1,680

Photography, #11, Julien Espiaut

#11

Julien Espiaut

Photography . 29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm Photography . 11.7 x 8.3 x 0 inch

$230

Painting, Acougo, Marisa Miguélez

Marisa Miguélez

Painting . 79 x 90 x 5 cm Painting . 31.1 x 35.4 x 2 inch

$11,483

Photography, Color Game, Sam Dougados

Sam Dougados

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

$2,176

Photography, Au pied des grues, Samzaï

Samzaï

Photography . 50 x 73 x 1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 28.7 x 0.4 inch

$471

Photography, No smoking, Zhao Bandi

Zhao Bandi

Photography . 50 x 50 cm Photography . 19.7 x 19.7 inch

$302

Painting, NRG In The Air, Miri Baruch

Miri Baruch

Painting . 80 x 110 x 2.5 cm Painting . 31.5 x 43.3 x 1 inch

$1,434

Painting, S.t, Tonino Guerra

S.t

Tonino Guerra

Painting . 50 x 40 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

$3,264

Painting, In the Bus, Maria Avram

Maria Avram

Painting . 50 x 70 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,027

Painting, Suspension, Wait

Wait

Painting . 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

$2,297

Painting, Platja, Martínez Lozano

Martínez Lozano

Painting . 38 x 45 x 3 cm Painting . 15 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch

$3,868

Painting, Sadness, Saba Dolikashvili

Saba Dolikashvili

Painting . 29 x 41.5 x 1 cm Painting . 11.4 x 16.3 x 0.4 inch

$1,692

Painting, Pêcheur, Em'Ji

Em'Ji

Painting . 106 x 74 x 2.5 cm Painting . 41.7 x 29.1 x 1 inch

$2,901

Painting, Quatre saisons 12, San Zi

San Zi

Painting . 62 x 24 x 1 cm Painting . 24.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inch

$4,230

Painting, Août, Carole Leprince

Carole Leprince

Painting . 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting . 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$725

Photography, Dining Alone, Dina Goldstein

Dina Goldstein

Photography . 41 x 51 x 1 cm Photography . 16.1 x 20.1 x 0.4 inch

$1,813

Painting, Cold, Rosemary Achata

Rosemary Achata

Painting . 31 x 23 cm Painting . 12.2 x 9.1 inch

$459

Painting, Blablabla, Alexandre Akar

Alexandre Akar

Painting . 100 x 100 x 5 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch

$2,176

Painting, Collision of Time, Artur

Artur

Painting . 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

$3,868

Painting, With Ease, David Hinchliffe

David Hinchliffe

Painting . 50 x 40 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch

$1,394

Painting, Party Times, Albert Willem

Albert Willem

Painting . 145 x 114 x 3 cm Painting . 57.1 x 44.9 x 1.2 inch

$36,140

Painting, 27th January, Anna Waleron

Anna Waleron

Painting . 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$4,351

Painting, Jump II, tizlu

tizlu

Painting . 160 x 80 x 5 cm Painting . 63 x 31.5 x 2 inch

$8,703

Painting, Mystery, Penyo Ivanov

Penyo Ivanov

Painting . 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,632

Painting, Matcha Break, Pablo Ientile

Pablo Ientile

Painting . 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,438