Weegee.

"Girl jumped out of car, and was killed, on Park Ave, c1938"(c/o The Guardian)

  Arthur Fellig, better known as "Weegee" was a street photographer who operated mainly out of New York, and later out of Los Angeles. His claim to fame was in grim crime scene photography that was popular at the time(pre and post world war two era). He was also famous for his ability to show up at a scene just after police or firefighters, or even beforehand. He was also the only reporter in New York that was allowed to carry a police scanner, which would have been a huge advantage in a time with such limited technology. He even went so far as to live next to the police station so he could follow the police to the action. In a way, his early tabloid style made him a macabre TMZ of his time.

  Another very unique aspect of his photography was his darkroom setup. The trunk of his car also served as a mobile darkroom that allowed him to get his photos and have them ready for delivery all in one shot. His methods for pricing pictures were also fairly unique.  Gruesome shots were in high demand, as crime scene tabloids were very popular at the time, and Weegee capitalized on this. He would charge $5 per bullet hole in a picture of a corpse.

  His early work was within the New York area, specializing in street and crime scene/accident  photography. While the majority of his work was in grizzly tabloid styles, he also captured a lot of scenes of daily life and candid New York scenes. Two of his more famous shots, one of children sleeping on a fire escape, and one of a lost boy on Coney Island stray away from this tabloid style and display his interest in every day New York. 

  In 1945 he published his first book called "Naked City", a compilation of 299 accompanied with his text. The book was a big success, and he gained a lot of notoriety for his ability to capture things other than crime scene tabloid shots. This notoriety was his motivation to move to Hollywood. While in Hollywood he worked in movie production and photography and even had some acting experience.(Photo Journalism: The Professionals' Approach, The New York Times: "He Made Blood and Guts Fabulous")

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