~ E. Mottner's Writing and Photo Blog ~: W. Eugene Smith

W. Eugene Smith's photo of Angelo Klonis was featured on the cover of LIFE Book: World War II

W. Eugene Smith

W. Eugene Smith

He captured life! His use of black and white medium brought out the emotions of his photographs He was a master at capturing the contrasts and textures in his photographs. A great many of his pictures look like they are set up, but he had an incredible knack of being in the right place at the right time, capturing that glorious nugget of life in his photos.

Albert Schweitzer captured by W. Eugene Smith in his photo essay, Albert Schweitzer: the Man of Mercy.

W. Eugene Smith's Life

* W. Eugene Smith was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1918.

* One day he burrowed a camera from his mother, who was a hobby photographer, to take pictures of planes.

* After that his love of photography was born. After he graduated High School he started working for local newspapers, The Witchita Eagle and The Beacon.

* Following his career, he moved to NYC and began working for Newsweek.

* Unfortunately, his independent nature and quest for perfection, he was fired from Newsweek. He was unwilling to bend and use a medium format camera, preferring his 35mm.

* He joined Life in 1939.

* He worked for Life and Ziff-Davis Publishing during World War 2

* In World War 2, he focused on the Pacific Theater and was known to island-hop, capturing the war in combat conditions.

* He was wounded in 1945 while documenting battle conditions.

* He quit Life over how they used his photo essay Albert Schweitzer: Man of Mercy

* In 1955 he joined Magnum Photo Agency and continued his work in photo essays.

* Spent 3 years on a 3 week project on Pittsburgh. He took so many photos that the photo essay was never shown. Several smaller essays where published.

* Attacked by Japanese employees over his documentation of Minamata Disease - disease caused by heavy metals contamination in water from companies like Chisso. Even after the attack he lived in Japan for 3 years with is Japanese wife.
* He moved to Arizona to teach.

* He lived a hard life, driven by his need to be a perfectionist and capture life.

* He died in 1978, he died in Arizona from a massive stroke from his life long abuse of drugs and alcohol.

"What uses having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling"

-W. Eugene Smith

Mother bathing daughter in Minamata, Japan. Daughter suffers from the Minamata Disease.

W. Eugene Smith Notables

* Master Photographer

* Considered the originator of the Photo Essay

* Used black and white medium to capture his images

* Known for his gritty, vivid, unapologetic photos.

* His photos inspire emotion in the viewer

“Photo is a small voice, at best, but sometimes-just sometimes- one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough emotion to be a catalyst to thought.”

- W. Eugene Smith

* Was a perfectionist

* Known for his stubborn determination and prickly personality

* Pushed the boundaries and was a rebel but would never compromise his integrity

* Had at least three life covers and numerous photo essays published in Life, Nurse Midwife: Maude Callen, Country Doctor, Albert Schweitzer- A man of Mercy

* Known for his colorful quotes

"Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold."
-W. Eugene Smith