What / Who influences your photography?

[jsrockit]

Those of us that participate on RFF have many differing views on what photography is and what photography should be used for. We come from many different skill levels and work in many fields. For some, it is a job... for others it is simply a way to keep memories. For others, it is an art and for others it is a science. For others, it's the craftmanship in the camera that does it for them. Using the camera is the fun part. We have room for everyone here.

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?
2) Why do you do it?
3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?

Let's remember that there is no wrong answer to these questions. To some, photography is very serious business. However, to others it is just fun.

Let's try to keep this civil.

 

[airfrogusmc]

I get my influences from many places and maybe not so evident in my work. I have been influenced by music, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Beethoven, Paganini, Wagner, Eddie Cochran, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Willy Dixon, Arcade Fire, Jane's Addiction. Iggy & the Stooges, MC5.

The paintings of Monet, Renoir, Pollack, Kline, Turner, Rubens, Van Gogh, Pissarro, Duchamp.

The writings of Joyce, Hemingway, Sinclair, Steinbeck, Bradbury, Salinger.

The photographs of Adams, Weston, Callahan, Siskind, Robert Frank, Bresson Winogrand, Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark, Arbus and there are so many more.

 

[benlees]

Lee Friedlander is my number one photo person. I also like John Divola. For more straight up b&w formalism type stuff I like Ray K. Metzker. The biggest influence for sure is Ed Ruscha, and those of the Vancouver school (Jeff Wall, Stan Douglas, Roy Arden, Ian Wallace, Ken Lum, etc.)

 

[hipsterdufus]

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?

I am influenced heavily by movies. I love photographs that have a cinematic quality to them. Examples of movies that have influenced me: The Seventh Seal, Let the Right One In, High Plains Drifter, Goodfellas.

2) Why do you do it?

It's hard to explain. I feel compelled to have some sort of artistic outlet. It's a kind of relief valve for some of my mental instability. If I don't do anything artistic, I become unhappy and morose. Sometimes, photography is stressful. Not doing it is more stressful.

3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?

I'm looking at as many surreal photographers as I can: Man Ray, Philippe Halsman, Andre Kertesz, Diane Arbus, etc.

 

[gns]

I was initiated (photographically) in the early seventies. That was an explosive time in terms of photography and much of what was going on then had a pretty direct influence on me.
Winogrand, Friedlander and others in that vein. The New Topographics show, for sure. As I've gotten older, the influence of others is still there but broader and probably less obvious. I know photographers who say they don't look at much else. I could never do that because it's just too much fun looking at others' work. I am always at gallery shows and museums(not just photography, but all the visual arts) and have a pretty good collection of photo books.

Why do it? Just a fascination with the process is the best I can come up with.

 

[jsrockit]

It's hard to explain. I feel compelled to have some sort of artistic outlet. It's a kind of relief valve for some of my mental instability. If I don't do anything artistic, I become unhappy and morose. Sometimes, photography is stressful. Not doing it is more stressful.

I agree completely... and this is my answer too. When it wasn't photography, it was music. I just need to be creating something. These things have gotten me through some rough times (though the output has been depressing at times).

1) Walker Evans and William Eggleston seem to be my biggest influences that I can think of. There are many more, but not as blatant.

3) Lately... Lee Friedlander, Robert Adams, Rinko Kawauchi, Alex Webb, Zoe Strauss, etc.

 

[squareshooter]

The "Family of Man" exhibition (I saw it in Los Angeles) knocked my socks off.

 

[bonatto]

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?

It's always been an evolving process, and because of communities like this I ended up being exposed to photographer's I may not have necessarily stumbled upon.

From big names, my first book was Henri Cartier Bresson: Photographer. Later on I added Bruce Davidson, Meyerowitz, Koudelka, amongst others.

I've also closely followed the work of a few members of RFF and particularly like the work of Daniel Eric Weiss.

2) Why do you do it?

I enjoy the process, being by myself, thinking about what I'm doing, and playing the anticipation game. Photography can bring all of those together.

3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?

Reading a lot of interviews.

 

[hipsterdufus]

These things have gotten me through some rough times (though the output has been depressing at times).

That's kind of the phase that I am in right now. I'm taking pictures, but very few are worth publishing (imho). Glad to hear there's similar folks out there.

 

[jsrockit]

The "Family of Man" exhibition (I saw it in Los Angeles) knocked my socks off.

Man, lucky you to have seen that in person. 😱

 

[Ko.Fe.]

1) and 2)

I just want to take pictures. If I don't do it for couple of days, I feel not comfortable.
It seems, I can't walk without camera anymore, even if I don't take pictures.
I like film RFs because of their small size and IQ for it.

I find big influence in my wife opinion, then she is accepting her pictures (only few times so far).
It seems she likes her pictures on b/w film more compare to digital.

Just previous evening it was something, which I feel like influence to me.
We were visiting our friends home and all of the sudden they showed me my b/w film pictures I gave them last year. They choose to put them at their house wall.
Feels like very powerful motivation to me.

3) Almost none. I like to read books about photography. But, I have my own vision.
Not very special, but my own. I like to see others pictures, but just as something nice on them.
I think, if I spend more time to look at big names pictures I'll ended up with weak compilation of their vision, not my own.
Most of the big names I learned (and forgot after five minutes) in photography was after someone would mentioned to me - your picture looks like this Big Name picture.
I google this Name, look and ... OK. What was the name?

Somehow, I remember Annie Leibovitz name and her story, not her pictures.
Like smoking and eating dope for weeks to be accepted by famous musicians and get their snapshot, then they don't think anymore what she was the stranger. This was great example to me. I'm using it, sometimes, but no dope.

It was interesting to read about Garry Winogrand, his street technique part.

Here is only one big source to me. HCB. I still have hard time to remember his name, just as any person name never stays with me.
He seems to be right direction to help me to try to keep distance from modern mass street photography by long AF tele lens to get people on their mobiles, hobos without getting close to them and close ups of attractive woman parts. And street musicians. 🙂

HCB pictures helps me to start to take my time to think on the street, about light, about moment and composition, instead of chasing of long legged "rabbits" and people on bycicles. It is hard not to at summer time 🙂 like it is now.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I take photos to see what's there. For me, there's nothing like composing a picture to show you what you're really looking at.

Hence, it's the subject that influences me.

 

[back alley]

i like the act of photographing...i like the gear.
i love looking at photographs, mine & others as well.
music is a big part of why i want to be creative...nothing moves me like listening to great music or looking at a great image. it seems easier to create great music though as there is so much more of it than great images.
early influences...david vestal...gene smith, bill pierce...annie liebovitz, the early years...maryellen mark...

 

[thegman]

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?

Past, Ansel Adams, present, probably the likes of Tim Parkin.

2) Why do you do it?

I just really enjoy taking photos and seeing the results. My favourite type of photography is landscape, and I love nature, and being in beautiful places.

3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?

Nothing in particular, just looking at whatever catches my eye. Maybe paying a bit more attention to large format photos, as I plan to buy another 4x5 camera soon.

 

[giellaleafapmu]

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?
2) Why do you do it?
3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?

(1.) I don't know, too many things influence everybody's photography and sometimes it is hard even to notice it. I have a couple of photographers I like to follow which are for example Skoglund, Kander, McNally, Heisler, Tejada, Sara Lando and Dave Black (in no particulr order and for sure I am forgetting someone) and I am sure they might influence me more than I'd like but I try not to copy them if I can. On the bad side of course my photography, as anything one does, is influenced by one's limitations.

(2.) I am addicted.

(3.) Already answered in (1.).

GLF

 

[redisburning]

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?
other people's photos

2) Why do you do it?
enjoyment. one half process, one half result.

3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?
I got my start looking at Kenro Izu books at the library but my latest obsession has been Salgado

 

[Photo_Smith]

I take photo's I have no choice, I do it when I don't have a camera. Sometimes it's been a curse but after all these years it seems more like those old shoes...
Everything I've seen and experienced influences me, in the early years photographers like Bill Brandt, Brassaï and Bresson, later the biggest was August Sander.

 

[daveleo]

. . . .
1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?
2) Why do you do it?
3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?
. . . . .

The work of photographers influences me, but they are generally not the biggest influence, and it's not so much the images that influence me as the attitudes that I read behind the images.
I am very impressed by bold, obtuse images that show some moxie on the part of the image maker. Some of the strongest influences have actually been photographs that I don't like but show me what a gutsy person is willing to produce.

My images are relentlessly tiresome - I cannot break out of that, and I look up to people - painters, jazz musicians - who produce wild and crazy stuff.

 

[Keith]

My main motivation is what I see with my eyes ... particularly when I'm not carrying a camera. I find myself constantly putting a mental frame around so many things in front of me and the fact that I don't have a camera with me doesn't really bother me oddly. Life is a constantly changing, ever evolving 'movie' that is mine to see and whatever bits of it I choose to freeze for eternity is up to me.

There's been a lot of banging on about HCB here over the years I've been a member and although I'm no street photographer he looms large in my mind as an inspiration for all forms of photography. He got it so perfectly right on so many occasions!

 

[furbs]

Great questions; I'll have a go.

1) So, what or who influences your photography (past and present)?

I'm influenced more by motion picture directors than photographers. Mostly David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Robert Bresson, Michaelangelo Antonioni and Andrei Tarkovsky. Funny enough, I haven't seen a film in over a year and just look at photos nowadays. Andrei Rublev has been tempting me, though.

Also heavily influenced by European Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Paintings made after 1920 tend to lose my interest.

2) Why do you do it?

I guess it's a hobby for me most of all. I enjoy the craft of shooting and developing film, and am looking to get back into wet printing. Having a good final product is nice, but I find the path far more interesting. Photography is also a great medium for studying my interactions with others.

3) Who / what are you looking at photography wise right now (new or old)?

I just discovered Daido Moriyama and I've been enjoying his work. I went through a mild obsession with Japanese films and artwork ten years ago so his stuff fits in there nicely.