Historical Pop Media Photographer: Martin Munkasci

'Just you wait till you see what I can do' 1931 - Martin Munkasci

Biography

Martin Munkacsi was born in Hungary in May 1896. He began his career as a sports photographer for several German magazine and newspapers. He was noted for the technical and artistic skill involved in capturing images in outdoor light.

Munkacsi’s big break came when he photographed a violent brawl that resulted in the death of a man. The images were used during the trial and lead to the conviction of the criminal. With his new acclaim, Muskasci headed to Berlin where he continued to photograph sports, as well as fashion and Berlin Street life. There he had an amazing job at the magazine, Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, which photographed amazing photos of land from inside of aircrafts. In the 1930’s Munkasci was fired from his position for snapping images of Hitler’s inner circle.

Afterwards, her left for America inked a deal with Harper Bazaar for $100,000. During his tenure, he was known for leaving the studio and taking pictures in outdoor settings for a natural effect. He took portraits of Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Jean Harlow, just to name a few. Munkasci was also criticized for nude images that found their way into the fashion magazines.

Munkasci died in July 1963 in New York City.

Significance

Munkasci is one of the fathers of fashion photography. His work with outdoor lighting and aerial images, solidify him as one of the world’s greatest photographers.

Composition

This image experiences high levels of contrast, with the lightness of the sky and darkness of the subject’s attire. The perspective of the image seems to be taken down low to add more emphasis to the subject’s jump. Focus is on the subject’s face, while the image seems to blur around her feet. This technique adds motion to the image.

Motivation

The motivation behind this image is to showcase the subject’s ensemble. The detail of her attire really pops against the bright background.

Methods

The image was taken from a low angle to ad motion and flight to the image. The image is taken against a dark background to emphasize the details of the outfit.

Opinion

This image seems very timeless to me. If the wardrobe was changed a bit, I could imagines seeing an image like this in today’s magazines. I really like the way her face is turned away from the camera to add emphasis to the outfit. I also enjoy the aerial shot. Those kinds of shots are difficult even with today’s technology, so it is easy to see that Munkasci was very skilled.