born December 4, 1903, New York, U.S.—died February 8, 1991 American teacher, editor, and photographer who is best known for his innovations in abstract photography. After 1930, Siskind didn’t take pictures of people; he was concentrating instead on architectural photography. He started photographing patterns and textures of such mundane subjects such as coiled ropes, footprints in sand, and seaweed.