born Oct. 22, 1912, Detroit, Mich., U.S.
died March 15, 1999, Atlanta, Ga.
U.S. photographer.
He had no formal training in photography and first developed an interest in it in 1938. In 1941 Ansel Adams 's photographs inspired him to develop his own style. His subjects included landscapes, cityscapes, and unconventional portraits of his wife and daughter. He was best known as a teacher; he was head of the photography department at the Chicago Institute of Design (1949–61) and developed the photography department at the Rhode Island School of Design (1961–76). In 1980 two collections of his works were published, Water's Edge and Harry Callahan: Color, 1945–1980 .