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, Encore, Ian Jones

Ian Jones

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

$1,027

Painting, Copenhagen, Nigel Bailey

Nigel Bailey

Painting . 40.3 x 51 x 0.3 cm Painting . 15.9 x 20.1 x 0.1 inch

$1,239

Photography, -13052024, Songlin Ji

Songlin Ji

Photography . 100 x 100 x 0.4 cm Photography . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.2 inch

$5,802

Painting, Untitled, Natia Sapanadze

Natia Sapanadze

Painting . 24 x 29 x 3 cm Painting . 9.4 x 11.4 x 1.2 inch

$483

Painting, Fruit Picking, Kosta Morr

Kosta Morr

Painting . 30 x 42 x 0.1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 16.5 x 0 inch

$302

Painting, Evening Pool, Kosta Morr

Kosta Morr

Painting . 30 x 42 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 16.5 x 0.4 inch

$302

Painting, Billiard, Maria Papa

Maria Papa

Painting . 70 x 68 x 3 cm Painting . 27.6 x 26.8 x 1.2 inch

$1,934

Photography, Lecture, Alexis Duclos

Alexis Duclos

Photography . 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Photography . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

$822

Painting, Connexion, Babacar Dieye

Babacar Dieye

Painting . 100 x 60 x 3 cm Painting . 39.4 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

$3,022

Photography, Pit Stop (S), Beau Simmons

Beau Simmons

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

$10,018

Painting, Les 3 saltimbanques, Zafi

Zafi

Painting . 150 x 150 x 4 cm Painting . 59.1 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch

$17,526

Painting, Catherine, Procach Olesia

Procach Olesia

Painting . 110 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 43.3 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,904

Photography, Headstand, 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, La place, Pierre Sojo

Pierre Sojo

Painting . 110 x 90 x 3 cm Painting . 43.3 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch

$6,044

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

$5,923

Painting, Shut up!, Jonas Profil

Jonas Profil

Painting . 61 x 51 x 4 cm Painting . 24 x 20.1 x 1.6 inch

$3,490

Photography, Anchor, Monica Denevan

Monica Denevan

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

$1,394

Painting, Wings, Helen Uter

Helen Uter

Painting . 114 x 148 x 2.5 cm Painting . 44.9 x 58.3 x 1 inch

$4,835

Painting, Jeux d'eau, Nicolaï

Nicolaï

Painting . 46 x 65 x 2 cm Painting . 18.1 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,934

Photography, Walk on Rivoli (S), Streety

Streety

Photography . 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$302

Painting, Have a Caliday, Sa Hara

Sa Hara

Painting . 27.3 x 34.8 x 3 cm Painting . 10.7 x 13.7 x 1.2 inch

$423

Painting, L'X, Gérard Eppelé

L'X

Gérard Eppelé

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

$5,620

Photography, Pink column party, Ian Jones

Ian Jones

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

$1,027