Check out this website on Richard Avedon

I love Richard Avedon because his photos capture that perfect moment; the fleeting expression on someone's face that  makes the photo real. Rather than seeming staged and formal, his photos are usually quite simple and focus on the subject with just a white backround. This gives an intimate, almost imperfect feel to the photos. Though he often photographed celebrities, they seem at ease and the character  of his subjects is expressed through portraits. His subjects are sometimes in staged positions but they never look stiff, awkward or unnatural. His photos showcase the subject for who they are, which is not an easy thing to capture in a photo.