Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus was a Jewish - American fashion photographer turned documentary photographer, born in 1923 New York City. I have to say I love her work its truely depressing and gritty. She chose to photograph people that where anything but ordinary, so called 'freaks' of society. Anything from dwarfs, transvestites and circus performers to the mentally ill.

She would follow these people day and night and catch them when they were off guard and most vulnerable, because they had begun to trust her.

She has been criticized by art critiques such as Susan Sontag. One being for her choice of lighting when photographing her subjects such as the one in the portrait above. Arbus did anything but beautify the person in the image.

"These photographs show the world only as a meaningless place of ugliness, horror and misery." Smith, C. Zoe. "Audience Reception of Diane Arbus' Photographs." Journal of American Culture, volume 8, issue 1, pages 13-28, Spring 1985.

She used a harsh flash creating a dark carved shadow around the person; further enhancing any unflattering features. So forth not giving a fair representation of them and the 'people' they represent within society.

Above I have also chosen a photograph Arbus took in a Psychiatric hospital of a few of the patients. She truly makes them look like a bunch of freaks; photographing them with paper bags on their heads. You can question the ethical stand point on this as she is photographing people that aren't of sound mind. She is coming in to their seemingly 'safe' and 'protected' environment and photographing them at their worst.

Though Arbus cannot be criticised to full extent as she to suffered from mental health problems. She was Bi - Polar and suffered from severe mood swings and bouts of depression. Leading to her death at the age of 48; suicide by ingesting barbiturates and slitting her wrists.