magnum

David Becker

Magnum Photos Trying Paid Fan Club to Court Copyright Infringers

Prestigious agency Magnum Photos says it is about to roll out a paid membership system in hopes of turning illegal downloaders into paying customers. The move comes a little more than a year after the agency did away with watermarks on its main site, reasoning that they did little to discourage determined downloaders.

DL Cade

Iconic Photographer René Burri On Six of His Best-Known Photographs

Swiss photographer René Burri has had the opportunity to photograph some of history's most famous personalities. His photograph of Che Guevara smoking a cigar in his office in Cuba has become nothing short of iconic, and by a fortunate turn of events, he even met and photographed Pablo Picasso.

The video above is a short interview with Burri in which he tells the stories behind six of his best-known images, including the photos of Guevara and Picasso.

DL Cade

The Life and Work of Wayne Miller

Last Wednesday, at the age of 94, former Magnum president and photographer Wayne Miller passed away at his home in California. For decades, Miller had photographed the human condition at its best and worst, with a stated goal to "photograph mankind and explain man to man."

The above video, posted by photographer Theo Rigby a couple of years ago, serves as a reminder of the life and work of this phenomenal photographer.

DL Cade

Magnum Photographer Accused of Ethics Breach In Prize-Winning Photo

This striking photo, taken by Magnum photographer Paolo Pellegrin, has been making the award rounds recently, sweeping up first and second place trophies for the photog's mantle. According to the description, the photo portrays a "former Marine Corps sniper," and is part of a series of photos taken in a rough part of Rochester, NY called "The Crescent."

Pellegrin's ethics, however, are now being called into question by a BagNewsNotes article, which points out that the man in the photo, Shane Keller, was neither a sniper nor does he live in The Crescent -- he was headed to a shooting range at Pellegrin's request, as part of a portrait shoot.

Michael Zhang

An Interview with American Photographer Bruce Davidson

Bruce Davidson is an American photographer who's well known for his photographs of Harlem, New York City decades ago. In the video above, he sits down and talks to Leica about his life and work:

Renowned photojournalist and Magnum photographer Bruce Davidson has been acclaimed for over half a century for his searing images of street gangs, circus performers and the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, all captured with a remarkable directness, truth and power that transcends the concept of style. Here, in his own words, are Bruce Davidson's forthcoming, charming, and revealing insights into who he is, what he's done, and where he's going.

DL Cade

Ten Magnum Photographers Working on Portrait of Rochester

Some might say that the city of Rochester, New York is struggling; others might say that it's evolving. One thing's for sure though: Rochester -- nicknamed The World's Image Centre -- is changing. Because of this, and because of the city's rich photographical history (think Kodak), ten of Magnum Photos' photographers have chosen Rochester as one of three locations currently being documented across the United States.

Michael Zhang

The Idea is That People Should Look A Certain Way in the Face of Tragedy

During the 9/11 attacks in NYC, Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker shot what is perhaps the most controversial image created that day: a photo that appears to show a group of young people casually enjoying themselves while the World Trade Center burns in the background. Hoepker kept the image under wraps for four years and then caused quite a stir after publishing it in a 2006 book. Columnist Frank Rich wrote in the New York Times that "The young people in Mr. Hoepker’s photo aren’t necessarily callous. They’re just American."

Michael Zhang

Madness: Magnum Photogs Promoting the Nintendo 3DS as a Camera

What has the world come to? Apparently the prestigious Magnum Photos has partnered with Nintendo to promote the Nintendo 3DS as a camera. Photographers Martin Parr, Thomas Dworzak and Gueorgui Pinkhassov used the handheld gaming device to shoot a series of 3D photos that were then put on display in an exhibition held at the Magnum Gallery in Paris.

Michael Zhang

Magnum Turns to Crowdsourcing to Tag Their Massive Photo Collection

Want to play role in the legendary agency Magnum Photos? Well, now you can as a "Magnum Tagger". The cooperative is having a tough time keeping their large archive of historical photographs organized and easily searchable. Of the 500,000 images they've uploaded to the web, about 200,000 have little or no associated metadata.

Jessica Lum

Photojournalism Dead, Declares Former Magnum Head

Newspapers are fading. News media is in a limbo of redefinition. Now we can add photojournalism to that list of defunct media, said Neil Burgess, head of London-based photo agency NB Pictures. Burgess is also the former head of Network Photographers and Magnum Photos, and twice Chairman of World Press Photo, and has spent much of his life working on social documentary photography and 25 years as a photojournalist.

Michael Zhang

Dell Buys Entire Magnum Press Archive

Billionaire Michael Dell's investment firm MSD Capital, L.P has purchased the entire New York print archive of renowned photo agency Magnum Photos, totaling nearly 200,000 images. The collection includes some of the most iconic images throughout history, including photos of world leaders, celebrities, and major events such as World War II. Though the price was not disclosed, the collection was previously insured for over $100 million.