Here at Flavorwire, ridiculously talented couples always intrigue us. But what excites us even more are talented couples who work in the same field. We can only imagine what the combination of love, talent, ego and artistic temperament does for creativity. Photographers especially make for interesting romantic pairings, given their tendency to document every detail of their lives. Consider Edward Weston, for example, who took nude shots of almost all his shutterbug lovers. After the jump we’ve gathered some of our favorite photographer couples, from the early 20th century through the present; add to our list in the comments!
Robert Capa and Gerda Taro
Together Capa and Taro changed their names, took pictures on the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, and revolutionized the art of war photography. If there was ever an iconic couple in the history of photography, they would be it. Though Capa became the better known of the two and arguably the most famous war photographer of the 20th century, Taro was not one to take a backseat to her male partner. While they remained together, Taro refused Capa’s marriage proposals, choosing her work over that of a wife.
Scott Schuman and Garance Doré
New York-based Schuman (a.k.a. The Sartorialist) and Paris-based Doré are arguably the two biggest fashion bloggers in the industry. So when the two joined forces, the ultimate power couple of street fashion photography was born. Though they work in the same industry, their signature styles are quite different. “She’s more interested in the real people. Whereas I’m interested in the abstract of the person,” Schuman has said. Check out both Schuman’s and Doré’s blogs to see for yourself how their aesthetics compare.
Martynka Wawrzyniak and Richard Kern
How does a marriage work when your spouse devotes a majority of his work to shooting young, nude women? Actually,in this case it works out pretty well. Wawrzyniak, a former model herself, is also no stranger to the nude photograph, whether she is in front of or behind the camera, and apparently seeing a ton of naked people who aren’t your spouse makes your marriage all the more exciting.
Edward Weston and Margrethe Mather, 1922. Photo credit: Imogen Cunningham
Edward Weston and Margrethe Mather
Along with their intense romantic relationship, Margrethe Mather was something of a mentor to Edward Weston, and an accomplished photographer in her own right. Her photographs of “fans, hands, eggs, melons, waves, and bathroom fixtures” had a major impact on Weston’s artistic development. The couple worked closely together, making jointly signed portraits of luminaries such as Carl Sandburg and Max Eastman. Mather, who was bisexual, promiscuous, and flamboyant, was the opposite of Weston’s traditional, conservative wife. Meeting in 1913, Mather and Weston began an intense affair that would last for many years. Weston later described her as “the first important person in my life, and perhaps even now, though personal contact has gone, the most important.”
Photographs taken by Weston and Modotti
Edward Weston and Tina Modotti
Clearly, Weston had a thing for photographers. Modotti was his favorite and primary nude model, and it was her romantic relationship with him that sparked her career as an important art photographer and documentarian. In the 1920s they traveled to Mexico together, photographing landscapes and people to great critical acclaim.
Lorna Simpson and James Casebere
Simpson and Casebere are big names in the contemporary art scene. While she uses photography to complicate and raise questions about identity, he photographs mind-bending and poignant architectural models made out of foam board. Between them, their work has been showcased at the Venice Biennale, the Whitney Biennial, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim, among others. They live together with their daughter Zora in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and share a stunning four-story artist studio designed by starchitect David Adjaye.