They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. But is it worth over a million dollars? Well some photos are. Photography is said to be an art because the composition of an image is not just about taking the picture of whatever you see. There’s a projected image, style and even lighting that adds life to a still photograph. Such vision and imagery can be seen in these five photos that proved to be a little more valuable than just a thousand words.
The Kremlin of Tobolsk (2009)
This photograph is worth $1,750,000 not just because it’s a very good projection of the Tobolsk Kremlin in Siberia Russia, but also because it was taken by the 3rd and current President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. This was just recently sold January of 2010 and is the fifth most expensive photograph in the world today.
Billy the Kid (1879–80)
A tintype photograph sold for $2,300,000 in June 2011 at the Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction. Billy the Kid is an infamous gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War. He’s been notorious all over the US and it was believed that he has killed over 21 men before being put down. This photo was bought by the Florida billionaire William Koch and is currently the world’s fourth most expensive photograph.
The Pond Moon-light (1904)
This photograph was taken by Edward Steichen in 1904 in New York. There are three existing versions of the photo and each of them is hand layered and unique, one of which has been sold in 2006 for a total of $2,928,000. The photographer, Edward Steichen is a world renowned “genius in photography.” This is the third most expensive photograph today.
99 Cent II Diptychon (2001)
The 99 Cent II Ditychon is a two-part photo that shows a typical supermarket’s shelves.
The images have been digitally enhanced to exaggerate the colors and reduce the perspective. This photo set was sold for $3,890,500 in May of 2011, making it the second most expensive photograph in the world.
Untitled #96
The 1981 self-portrait taken by celebrated photographer Cindy Sherman was sold at a Christie’s auction Wednesday. This photograph was sold at a whopping $3,890,500, considered the highest price ever realized for a photograph. The buyer was New York dealer Philippe Segalot, a former head of contemporary art for Christie’s, now a private adviser to some of the world’s richest art collectors.