When three German Jews – Kurt Safranski, Ernest Mayer and Kurt Kornfeld -- fled the Nazi terror to New York and founded the Black Star photo agency in 1935, they wanted to do more than make money. They wanted, in Mayer’s words, “to create something worthwhile.”
Safranski, Mayer and Kornfeld did more than create something worthwhile. They forged a historic partnership with Life magazine and, in so doing, introduced modern European photojournalism to the United States. Black Star photographers such as Robert Capa, Ralph Crane, Fritz Goro and others helped make Life the most influential and popular magazine in America for nearly three decades, with tens of millions of readers.
Since those historic beginnings, Black Star has continued to innovate. Black Star was a pioneer in transitioning corporate assignment photography to 35 mm in the 1960s. What began as a service for a handful of industrial clients has now grown to include hundreds of Fortune 500 companies that need custom corporate photography.
Today, Black Star is a leader in the use of digital photography among photo agencies. And as the photography business increasingly transitions to the Web, Black Star is making plans for new ventures in this arena.
Black Star Rising is a blogzine designed to educate professional photographers, amateur photographers and photography buyers alike. Black Star has a long history of mentoring our photographers and clients, and Black Star Rising is an attempt to extend this ethos of teaching -- and caring -- to a broader audience. We hope you find it of value, and that you'll come back often.
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