Edward Sheriff Curtis 

Edward Sheriff Curtis (February 16, 1868 – October 19, 1952) was a photographer of the American West and of Native American peoples.

There are two reasons I love Edward Sheriff Curtis's Photos first for the way he used lighting. He began working in photography while photography was still in it's infancy and he helped develop the dramatic lighting used in portrait images. I also love that he document the American Indians before their way of life was changed forever.

Self-portrait circa 1889

White Man Runs Him, c.1908.Crow scout serving with George Armstrong Custer’s 1876 expeditions against the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne that culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl--Hupa, c. 1923. Hupa man with spear, standing on rock midstream, in background, fog partially obscures trees on mountainsides.