Background
Fridliand, Semen was born in 1905 in Kiev. Son of a shoemaker.
Fridliand, Semen was born in 1905 in Kiev. Son of a shoemaker.
Graduated in 1932 as a cameraman but remained a photojournalist all his life.
From the age of 14, had to work in a shoemaker’s workshop. His cousin, Mikhail Koltsov, who was appointed editor-in-chief of the first Soviet illustrated magazine, Ogonek, in 1923, invited him to Moscow to train as a photographer. Taken on as a laboratory assistant.
Began to take photographs in 1925, and a year later took part in a Soviet photographic exhibition, receiving 2 awards, one for dynamic composition and the other for excellent printing. At the 1928 exhibition, Ten Years of Soviet Photography, already recognized as one of the 6 best photo-reporters in the USSR, and won the first prize. In 1930, was taken on by the Unionfoto agency (later Soiuzfoto), where he worked as a picture editor, reporter and department head until 1932.
At the same time, studied at the State Institute for Cinematography (Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography). From 1932 until his death, worked for Pravda and for the magazines USSR in Construction and Ogonek as head of the picture desk. Under his supervision such big names as G. Koposov and Lev Sherstennikov were trained.
Frequently contributed articles to photographic magazines. As department head of Ogonek, laid the foundations for planning photographic information in Soviet illustrated periodicals.