Richard Avedon is known for fashion photography. He first worked as a photography for Merchant Marines then he moved to fashion shooting. He was born on May 15, 1923 in New York city. Both of his parents had a clothing buisness. His mother was a dress manufacture an his dad owned  "Avedon's Fifth Avenue", a clothing store. This made Richard have interest in fashion. He photographed the clothing at his dad's store.

       Richard attended DeWitt Clinton High School during these years he also started liking poetry. One of his closest friends was James Baldwin, together they were co-editors of the school's prestigious literary magazine. His senior year he was named “Poet Laureate of New York City High Schools". Avedon went to Columbia University to study philosophy and poetry but he dropped out a year after to serve in Merchant Marine during World War ll. There, he had to take portraits of sailors. After he left in 1944 he went to study photography in New York. About  a year later he was hired as a photographer at Harper's Bazaar magazine.

       Avedon made history for photography and fashion when he did a photo shoot at a circus. He worked for Harper's Bazarr magazine for about 20 years. After Harper Bazaar, Richard worked for vogue. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Julian Bond, and Alabama Governor George are a few civil rights leaders that Richard got the portrait. Avedon Published a book for photographers called Nothing Personal. This book has an essay from James Baldwin and a collection of Richard photographs.