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, Varna Pool, Robert Edward

Robert Edward

Photography . 48.3 x 33 cm Photography . 19 x 13 inch

€155

Photography, Hold My Heart, Moena Weiss

Moena Weiss

Photography . 60 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

€650

Photography, Viela, Yan Carpenter

Yan Carpenter

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

€800

Photography, Untitled, Jack Daly

Jack Daly

Photography . 101.6 x 154.2 x 0.2 cm Photography . 40 x 60.7 x 0.1 inch

€6,214

Photography, Hood raised (XL), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Misled youth (XL), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, East los (XL), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Prayers (XL), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Venice 213 (XL), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Liem barber (XL), Brice Gelot

Brice Gelot

Photography . 120 x 180 x 1 cm Photography . 47.2 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch

€18,000

Photography, Fail (applause), Clare Cornell

Clare Cornell

Photography . 23 x 30 x 2 cm Photography . 9.1 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€600 €480

Photography, Parade, Emilie Mori

Emilie Mori

Photography . 70 x 70 x 0.1 cm Photography . 27.6 x 27.6 x 0 inch

€900

Photography, Motel, Nicolas Boutruche

Nicolas Boutruche

Photography . 100 x 250 x 2 cm Photography . 39.4 x 98.4 x 0.8 inch

€18,200

Photography, Varkala, Shank Arte

Shank Arte

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

€400

Photography, Tchad, José Nicolas

José Nicolas

Photography . 127 x 177.8 cm Photography . 50 x 70 inch

€1,500

Photography, Flashback, D-A Woisard

D-A Woisard

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

€800

Photography, The New Thinker, Akabat Str8t

Akabat Str8t

Photography . 30.2 x 20.2 x 0.01 cm Photography . 11.9 x 8 x 0 inch

€350

Photography, Résistance, Yuhao Pan

Yuhao Pan

Photography . 70 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

Photography, Blackrock, Joost Wensveen

Joost Wensveen

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

€3,300

Photography, Caleta Beach, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 76 x 51 cm Photography . 29.9 x 20.1 inch

€2,545

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

€90

Photography, Nicely Coiffed, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 51 x 76 cm Photography . 20.1 x 29.9 inch

€3,350

Photography, Brasil I, João Luiz Bulcão

João Luiz Bulcão

Photography . 30 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch

€650

Photography, Boys Playing, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

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

€4,338

Photography, Daily Life, Anaiis Lee

Anaiis Lee

Photography . 50 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography . 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

Photography, Cervin, Alexis Berg

Alexis Berg

Photography . 60 x 90 x 1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch

€1,190

Photography, Beetle II, Feng Wang

Feng Wang

Photography . 50 x 55 x 1 cm Photography . 19.7 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch

€1,300

Photography, Aurore, Victoire d'Harcourt

Victoire d'Harcourt

Photography . 91 x 106 x 2 cm Photography . 35.8 x 41.7 x 0.8 inch

€3,600

Photography, Lecture, Alexis Duclos

Alexis Duclos

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

€680

Photography, Beyrouth, José Nicolas

José Nicolas

Photography . 40 x 40 cm Photography . 15.7 x 15.7 inch

€850

Photography, Waiting, Susan Soh

Susan Soh

Photography . 40.64 x 60.96 x 1 cm Photography . 16 x 24 x 0.4 inch

€650

Photography, Expectation, Miran Mun

Miran Mun

Photography . 60.96 x 45.72 x 1 cm Photography . 24 x 18 x 0.4 inch

€650

Photography, Dancers, Ken Heyman

Ken Heyman

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

€4,338