American photographer Richard Avedon was well-known for his powerful portraits of socialites, artists, and celebrities. Although he was a high fashion photographer, he was also very interested in capturing the vulnerability and depth of people's emotions. In numerous interviews, he would talk about the apparent separation between two facets of his career: his fashion work, which was frequently glitzy and focused on aesthetics, and what he called his "deeper work," which was more concerned with examining the essence of people.

According to Avedon, fashion photography wasn't always about exploring the soul or discovering a person's actual nature, even though it could convey trends and capture beauty. In contrast to simply presenting people in exquisite attire or environments, his more profound work focused on bringing out the complexity and genuineness of a person via their eyes and facial expressions.

Consider two rivers that flow alongside each other but never mix: one is deep and murky, carrying secrets and feelings, while the other is clear and sparkling, reflecting beauty and sunlight. Avedon's fashion work was like the glittering river, attracting attention with its glitzy exterior, but his more profound work was like the murky river, with many layers of richness that were only revealed with time and careful investigation.

This viewpoint emphasizes how Avedon negotiated two very different forms of expression during his career, without undermining the merits of either kind of photography. Because of his ability to switch between these realms, he was able to make a distinctive contribution to both fashion and portraiture, leaving a lasting legacy in each.