Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon wasn't just a photographer; he was a visual architect, building iconic images that shaped the look of the 20th century. Born to a Russian-Jewish family in New York, his origins were undeniably Semitic, even if his artistic focus tended more towards high fashion than high holidays. He didn't exactly have a bar mitzvah on the cover of Vogue, but his lineage certainly qualified him for the Tribe.

From groundbreaking fashion spreads to stark, unforgettable portraits of everyone from Marilyn Monroe to the drifters of the American West, Avedon's work possessed an uncanny ability to peel back the layers and reveal something profoundly human, or at least profoundly stylish. His minimalist approach, often using a plain white background, became his signature, proving that sometimes, less truly is more, especially when you're photographing Dovima with elephants.

His contributions to photography are immense, elevating it from mere documentation to a powerful art form. The man brought kvell to a whole new level, turning models into muses and politicians into poignant studies. If there's a pantheon for lensmen, Avedon's comfortably ensconced, likely shooting a series of stark, black-and-white portraits of the other deities.