Sam Tata

Samuel Bejan Tata (September 30, 1911 – July 3, 2005) was a Chinese photographer and photojournalist of Parsi descent. Tata grew up in Shanghai, where he learned the basics of photography from several mentors, including Lang Jingshan and Liu Xucang. Due to political unrest, he mostly confined himself in his early career to portraiture in the tradition of pictorialism.

In 1946, he moved to India for two years, where he took up photography full-time. A friendship begun in Bombay with the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson transformed his approach, emphasising street photography and a more natural style in his portraits. Tata returned to Shanghai and photographed for some months, accompanied by Cartier-Bresson during the occupation of the city by the new Communist regime. Starting in the 1950s, Tata engaged in assignments for prominent magazines such as National Geographic. Via Hong Kong and India, Tata emigrated to Montreal in 1956, where he created documentary stills for the National Film Board and continued photography for various publications. He became known for his portraits of Canadian artists and authors. Tata's work has been the subject of books and touring exhibitions. His photographs are found in several institutions, including the National Gallery of Canada. Provided by Wikipedia