I actually kind of have mixed feelings about Kubrik as a Director. Some of his films were just fabulous (Barry Lyndon comes to mind, as does his early anti war movie Paths of Glory ) but others, for all the hype about them, are only so so or at least have not stood the test of time so well IMHO. And The Shining stands out for me as being just about the world's most unscary horror movie of all time and so has to be one of his misses as I score it. (But perhaps the fault lies more with Steven King as author - it's hard to polish a "you know what".) What Kubrik really must be lauded for at least though, I think, is his willingness to try just about any genre. And I certainly do not knock him for that.
His early photography was excellent and especially in this he was a kind of prodigy.