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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Painting, Kotobagaki, Yoann Merienne

Yoann Merienne

Painting . 250 x 200 x 3 cm Painting . 98.4 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch

$30,218

Painting, Twin Flame, Nino Eliashvili

Nino Eliashvili

Painting . 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

$24,174

Painting, Caustic, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 50.8 x 40.6 x 2.5 cm Painting . 20 x 16 x 1 inch

$1,083

Painting, Venise !, Noël Granger

Noël Granger

Painting . 21 x 29 x 0.1 cm Painting . 8.3 x 11.4 x 0 inch

$145

Painting, La Terre Promise VI, Artur

Artur

Painting . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$5,439

Painting, Fashion Paris, David Jamin

David Jamin

Painting . 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting . 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$2,176

Painting, Sofa, Ivan Afronskiy

Ivan Afronskiy

Painting . 32 x 144 x 1 cm Painting . 12.6 x 56.7 x 0.4 inch

$7,131

Painting, Red Lights, Elene Melikidze

Elene Melikidze

Painting . 65 x 85 x 3 cm Painting . 25.6 x 33.5 x 1.2 inch

$1,003

Photography, Dog Wash, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

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

$5,199

Painting, Le retour I, Kaige Yang

Kaige Yang

Painting . 30 x 50 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,934

Painting, Shogun, Anthony Dunphy

Anthony Dunphy

Painting . 40.6 x 50.8 x 0.8 cm Painting . 16 x 20 x 0.3 inch

$905

Painting, The Presence, Pepe Hidalgo

Pepe Hidalgo

Painting . 101.5 x 152.5 x 4 cm Painting . 40 x 60 x 1.6 inch

$10,637

Painting, El bany, Jordi Sàbat

Jordi Sàbat

Painting . 80 x 80 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 inch

$2,659

Photography, Spurs, Gerry Cranham

Gerry Cranham

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

$1,088

Painting, Unique, Isabelle Hirtzig

Isabelle Hirtzig

Painting . 42 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Painting . 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch

$212

Photography, #3, Chloé Laval

#3

Chloé Laval

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

$157

Painting, 16 O9 2O13, Oksana Mas

Oksana Mas

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

$3,022

Painting, Beyond Reach, Alisa Leonets

Alisa Leonets

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

$846

Painting, J'arrive!, Galka

Galka

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

$1,185

Painting, Hybrid War, Kateryniuk Oleg

Kateryniuk Oleg

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

$4,714

Painting, Laura, Carole Leprince

Carole Leprince

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$218

Photography, Rose boy, Marcelina Amelia

Marcelina Amelia

Photography . 45.9 x 30.2 cm Photography . 18.1 x 11.9 inch

$665

Painting, Friends, Kate Aksen

Kate Aksen

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

$2,115

Painting, L'étincelle, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Painting . 120 x 80 x 4 cm Painting . 47.2 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

$1,813

Painting, Pool Party, Irina Bast

Irina Bast

Painting . 65 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 25.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$3,140

Painting, Gun, Petite Poissone

Gun

Petite Poissone

Painting . 10 x 6 x 1 cm Painting . 3.9 x 2.4 x 0.4 inch

$290