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, Echecs, Stephan Zaubitzer

Stephan Zaubitzer

Photography - 50 x 60 x 5 cm Photography - 19.7 x 23.6 x 2 inch

$1,557

Photography, Le lutteur, Chiara Dazi

Chiara Dazi

Photography - 60 x 60 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 inch

$1,198

Photography, Tuneis, Gilberto Perin

Gilberto Perin

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

$1,102

Photography, Little Buddha, Robert Curran

Robert Curran

Photography - 105.4 x 86.4 x 2.5 cm Photography - 41.5 x 34 x 1 inch

$2,500

Photography, Movida Massala, Sarah Caron

Sarah Caron

Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch

$2,995

Photography, Far Away X, Cheryl Maeder

Cheryl Maeder

Photography - 120 x 80 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 inch

$4,552

Photography, Plongeurs, Elisa Haberer

Elisa Haberer

Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$2,396

Photography, The classroom, Magnus Wahman

Magnus Wahman

Photography - 40 x 73 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 28.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,438

Photography, Last London Bus, Bert Hardy

Bert Hardy

Photography - 31 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 12.2 x 16.1 x 0 inch

$1,318

Photography, La Fenice, Erich Auerbach

Erich Auerbach

Photography - 101.6 x 101.6 cm Photography - 40 x 40 inch

$1,168

Photography, Heli, Yael Shachar

Yael Shachar

Photography - 110 x 73 x 1 cm Photography - 43.3 x 28.7 x 0.4 inch

$9,999

Photography, Flooded Mall, H.F. Davis

H.F. Davis

Photography - 51 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 20.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch

$395

Photography, 2X2 (1), Stephane Hardel

Stephane Hardel

Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$958

Photography, Le Plongeon #4, Samzaï

Samzaï

Photography - 50 x 75 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

$467

Photography, Central Park, Nadine Track

Nadine Track

Photography - 122 x 191 cm Photography - 48 x 75.2 inch

$10,781

Photography, El túnel, Jordi Valls Capell

Jordi Valls Capell

Photography - 100 x 150 x 1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch

$9,362

Photography, Dive In, Terry Hastings

Terry Hastings

Photography - 61 x 91.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.1 inch

$500

Photography, Chapeau, Denis Morel

Denis Morel

Photography - 20 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 7.9 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$527

Photography, Launch, Kramer O'Neill

Kramer O'Neill

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

$1,018

Photography, Dont Walk, Karol Kállay

Karol Kállay

Photography - 30 x 30 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 inch

$1,318

Photography, Le panier, Claude Vesco

Claude Vesco

Photography - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$539

Photography, Letters, Miki Kato

Miki Kato

Photography - 100 x 150 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch

$7,188

Photography, Cuba, Stéphane Cormier

Stéphane Cormier

Photography - 50 x 60 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

$539

Photography, In Exile, Steve Sabella

Steve Sabella

Photography - 125 x 137 cm Photography - 49.2 x 53.9 inch

$21,563

Photography, Sans titre, Julien Drogoul

Julien Drogoul

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,078

Photography, Polka Dots, Mark MacKinnon

Mark MacKinnon

Photography - 102 x 102 x 3 cm Photography - 40.2 x 40.2 x 1.2 inch

$5,038

Photography, Tom Jobim, Thiago Barros

Thiago Barros

Photography - 73.3 x 110 x 0.1 cm Photography - 28.9 x 43.3 x 0 inch

$1,737

Photography, AV_Adria_010, Bernhard Lang

Bernhard Lang

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

$1,545

Photography, Duo Dive, Richard Dunkley

Richard Dunkley

Photography - 76.2 x 50.8 cm Photography - 30 x 20 inch

$1,113

Photography, Miami_II_002, Bernhard Lang

Bernhard Lang

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

$1,186

Photography, Saudade, James Sparshatt

James Sparshatt

Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$833

Photography, Ensayo, James Sparshatt

James Sparshatt

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

$1,113

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Need help with Everyday life Photography ?
What does everyday life photography consist of?

Everyday life photography is a type of photography that captures moments from normal, daily life, such as urban street scenes, everyday objects, or children playing. 

What are examples of everyday life photography?

Examples of everyday life photography include photojournalistic pictures of a town or city, or snapshots of found or everyday objects. 

What is mundane photography?

Mundane photography has the same meaning as everyday life photography, meaning photography that captures images of day-to-day, mundane or banal life.