Most Famous/iconic photographs in history

[HangingBasketCase]

Does anyone else enjoy photogtaphy? I've been looking at some of the most iconic photographs of all time, and I have a few favourites. I'll share three of them with you now.

Firstly lunch a top a skyscraper. Taken in New York during the building of the Rockerfeller Centre. I can't get my head around how they were able to sit on a metal beam, so high up without anything to secure them! If you ever visit the Rockerfeller centre you can recreate this photo, it's become that famous!

Secondly St Paul's Cathedral taken early in the morning following a devastating air raid on the city of London. All of the buildings around the cathedral were destroyed, yet almost miraculously St Pauls survived. How inspirational this image must have been to people at the time, seeing the dome of the Cathedral rising from the smoke like a Phoenix from the flames.

Finally "The Kiss", taken on VJ Day 1945, in Time Square. I believe the identities of the couple are unknown, but they weren't actually a couple. They were random strangers, he just grabbed hold of her and kissed her in happiness because the war was over. Wonder what we'd make of that now?

Coconut.... lost for words ....

This one is quite sinister. It's John Lennon signing an autograph for Mark David Chapman. A few hours later Chapman shot him dead.

Oh god, just seen the vulture one. I watched a fascinating programme on Don Mccullin once where he talked about that conflict - your job is show the truth so do you intervene.
.

I love this

Interesting moral question - no idea what the answer is. Clearly no photographer/reporter can rescue every starving child or raped woman, but to have to walk away…? V v hard - not sure I'd be cut out for those jobs too chicken anyway

diddl, lovely picture of a wave and lighthouse, I thought. Right up until I saw the person
DS(4) wants to know whether they got wet?

I absolutely love this one of Churchill.

It's all in the pose, I think.

Jesus that one of the child and the vulture is horrific. Poor little soul

I was going to say the John Lennon photo but beaten to it. So eerie that he was signing an autograph for Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building, not realising that Mark Chapman would come back to shoot him dead in the same spot shortly afterwards.

BalloonSlayer, I've got a wonderful photography book which belonged to my lovely grandad who was a keen photographer. It's the stories behind many of the most famous images of the 20th century and that Churchill one is one of them. Apparently the photographer had spent ages trying to get a decent pose out of him and decided to Nick his cigar from him. The picture was taken immediately after that, hence Winnie's grumpy glare.

Not sure if we've had this old one before on the thread.
A little boy hears for the first time
whyevolutionistrue.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/hearing.jpg

Where is the person in the lighthouse picture?

The photographs of the liberation of the concentration camps have stayed with me all my adult life.

Citron reminding me of that sort of book made me think of this photo from Picture Post. Lovely happy photo, v famous.

Cinnabar, right in the centre, at the door, yellow jumper/jacket.

Gotcha! Thanks.

Famous pic from Northern Ireland.

Not a popular one but I love the raw-ness and desperation of this photo:

jihandavincka.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/charles-and-camilla-photo-by-rex-features.jpg

I have never seen the first photo posted by OP before and then just gone on facebook and someone on my local selling page is asking if anyone is selling it on canvas. For me, one of the most iconic photograph would be the falling man and also Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William, Price Harry and Earl Spencer behind Princess Diana's coffin.

Pacific, no, apparently they closed the door in time!

It's from a series by Jean Guichard.

There are more here

Marking my place. Love a good photo

www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-22256411

Love this picture taken by Bert Hardy to highlight poverty in Glasgow just after the war.

Great thread.

One of my favourites is Earthrise. Credited by many with kick-starting the (modern) environmental movement.

Margaret Thatcher leaving Downing Street in 1990.

In South Wales, these photos of the Aberfan disaster haunt so many. Relatives of mine and OH (we weren't born at the time) volunteered to dig, as did so many in the valleys. Everything about the story is just horrific

Oh muffin that photo of all the coffins is so sad