We all remember that sea-green eyed Afghan Girl on the front page of National Geographic magazine, but do you remember the photographer who captured 'the most recognized photograph' in the history of magazine.
Tim Mantoani, a photographer from San Diego went on a mission to track down all the photographers behind iconic images that have marked their place in the history of mankind. Over the past 5 years, he has shot over 150 portraits of photographers posing with their best work; he has finally published his new book: Behind Photographs: Archiving Photographic Legends.
These days every other person has a camera in their pocket, and this recent fad of photography has given birth to billions of self-proclaimed photographers. Photography is an art, and it takes years of hard work to get that picture-perfect shot. By giving a face to these talented photographers Tim wanted to ensure that they get the credit they deserve. “I felt like there was kind of this void,” says Mantoani. “There were all these anonymous photographers out there who have not been given enough credit.”
Further adding: “It was important to step back and understand that cameras didn’t make these photos, photographers made these photos. Without these people and their understanding of photography, these moments would not be there for us to understand and appreciate over the course of time.”
Jeff Widener: Tank Man in Tienanmen Square
Neil Leifer: Ali vs Liston
Steve McCurry: The Afghan Girl. "I looked for this girl for 17 years and finally found her in 2002."
Mary Ellen Mark: "I am holding my photograph of Ram Prakash Singh and his beloved elephant Shyama — taken in 1990. Ram Prakash Singh was the ringmaster of "The Great Golden Circus."
Mark Seliger: "Originally an inside opener for Rolling Stone cover story of Nirvana in conjunction with the release of In Utero, my first Polaroid (with Negative) was by far the most emotional and revealing of his spirit. Two months later Kurt died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. This photograph became the memorial RS cover."
Brian Smith: "The magic of photography happens when you don't see what's coming next."
Bill Eppridge: Robert F. Kenedy after his assassination on June 1968.
Karen Kuehn: "From the 1993 Cats Story shot for National Geographic. The director Thomas Kennedy asked me to shoot an entire story about 'cats.' He did not want it to be typical! So problem solving this assignment was good fun. The Russian Blue Cat and Ballerina legs was inspired by George Balanchine — he used the idea of cats landing always on their toes to teach his dancers."
Harry Benson: "Brian Epstein — Beatles' manager — had just told them they were number one in America, and I was coming with them to New York, 1964."
Douglas Kirkland: "This is from my evening with Marilyn."
Lyle Owerko: "Written words will never convey the whole scope of the event, nor even summarize the sounds, the smells or even the voices that are frozen in my memory bank from that day. I did the best job I could in photographing 9/11 so that future generations would have an idea of the scope of what happened, to have the evidence of how innocence can so easily be snatched away in a razor's edged moment of time."
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