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. The Idea Grove has been fortunate enough to work with Black Star and its leadership, the father-and-son team of Ben and John Chapnick, over the past several months as the agency prepares to launch a number of compelling initiatives.
For starters, Black Star has launched a blog called Black Star Rising, which we’ve been publishing for a few weeks now, but which we are “officially” unveiling today. I’ll be contributing to the blog and serving as editor, and my friend and fellow blogger Andrea Weckerle will be contributing as well.
But the real draw will be our columnists and other contributors, including stock-photography guru Jim Pickerell, celebrated photojournalist Dennis Brack, and many other noted photographers and industry experts who’ll be announced soon. John Chapnick will also be a frequent contributor to the blog.
If you are a photojournalist, a corporate photographer, or a marketer who buys stock or assignment photography in your work, this blog’s for you. Black Star has a long history of mentoring its photographers and clients, and Black Star Rising is an attempt to extend this ethos of teaching — and caring — to a broader audience. It also includes a photoblog that will highlight some of the most remarkable photos taken by Black Star photographers over the years.
You can subscribe to the main blog here, and to the photoblog here.
We’ll keep you updated on the blog’s progress — as well as other upcoming Black Star initiatives — both here and on Black Star Rising. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions for Black Star Rising or would like to become a contributor, please let us know.
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