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Roger Fenton, who was born in 1819, Lancashire, is widely regarded as the most popular and influential British photographer from the 1850's. He began his art career in the 1840's with paintings, after leaving behind a career in law. In 1851, he attended the Great Exhibition and was inspired by the photographs that were on display. Photography was the latest art form, he decided to head to Paris, where he learned the craft from of Paris' lead photographer. Fenton proved to be a quick study and was already creating successful images by February 1852.Fenton spent the next ten years dedicated to the field of photography, both producing it and advocating for it. He is credited with helping to prove to a British audience that photography was a worthwhile art, comparable to painting and drawing in importance. The Royal Photographic Society, which is still in operation today, was his creation and has become a vital piece of his legacy. Through his work with the Royal Photographic Society he helped put together public photography exhibitions.
Fenton's first photographic attempts, in the beginning of 1852, often centered around self portraits. He also captured images of the area surrounding Regent's Park. His career spread that autumn, when he took a trip to Russia. Originally intending to photograph a suspension bridge that his friend Charles Blacker Vignoles was building, he quickly decided to branch out and photograph several landmarks throughout Moscow, Kief and St. Petersburg. A few short months later he returned to London with a full portfolio of Russian images which were then exhibited in 1853. His photographs were the first that the British public had ever seen of Russia and were met with much enthusiasm. While the British public was taking in these photographs, Fenton had turned his lens to the forests, rivers and pathways of Yorkshire, along with its medieval abbeys.
Fenton's first photographic attempts, in the beginning of 1852, often centered around self portraits. He also captured images of the area surrounding Regent's Park. His career spread that autumn, when he took a trip to Russia. Originally intending to photograph a suspension bridge that his friend Charles Blacker Vignoles was building, he quickly decided to branch out and photograph several landmarks throughout Moscow, Kief and St. Petersburg. A few short months later he returned to London with a full portfolio of Russian images which were then exhibited in 1853. His photographs were the first that the British public had ever seen of Russia and were met with much enthusiasm. While the British public was taking in these photographs, Fenton had turned his lens to the forests, rivers and pathways of Yorkshire, along with its medieval abbeys.