Robert Capa – This photojournalist is best known for his war reporting. Capa strived to get up close and personal with the action, though it ultimately cost him his life. He co-founded Magnum Photos, and some of his images remain the most famous in the world.
Matthew Brady – Known as the father of war photography, Brady had to get permission from Andrew Lincoln to go and photograph the Civil War for Harper’s Weekly. His heavy and clumsy equipment made it difficult for him to go into battle, but he was always quick to cover soldiers in camps and after battles. His images were so early that at first they could only be printed as engravings in the magazine.
Dorothea Lange – Her portrait of a migrant mother is considered one of the most viewed photographs of all time. She took this and many other shots documenting American migrants and the poor, which at the time was considered public awareness work.
Henri Cartier-Bresson: a man whose influence is felt in almost every aspect of photography, Cartier-Bresson is also considered one of the fathers of photojournalism. His style, which often consisted of walking through cities to see what he could capture, combined skillful framing of the flâneur with current events and clever social commentary.
Albert Eisenstadt: sailor bends nurse backwards and kisses her in Times Square. You know the shot! Eisenstadt was around for many culturally important moments in the forties, fifties, and sixties – and beyond.