Who's your (photographic) inspiration?

T

Tim

Guest
I've spent a good portion of the last couple of days reviewing a bunch of my old transparencies, and as a by-product looking at some photos that really inspire me. So I got to wondering, who inspires some of the others here? So many different styles in evidence from the members of this site.....

So who does inspire you?

For me, my biggest photographic inspiration is Peter Dombrovskis. And I guess some (or a lot) of you will be saying "who?"
so.... http://www.view.com.au/dombrovskis/2-0.htm

tim


(edit: correct url)
 
That's an interesting question.

Garry Winogrand, Robert Frank, Helen Levitt, Walker Evans and Paul Strand are the first photographers who come to mind. I have a specific and strong relationship with the work of all five. I met with Robert Frank briefly in Nova Scotia in 1998 but I didn't bring pictures; we just stood out on a hill, talked a little, drank beer and looked at the ocean. I did meet with Helen Levitt at her apartment several times when I was working on the subway pictures in the early 90s. She advised and helped me edit.

In college I studied under the color photographer Stephen Shore, who of course had a influence on me, and the photographer/writer/critic Ben Lifson (http://www.benlifson.com) who became a close friend and mentor.

I'm also influenced by artists in other mediums. In film: Wim Wenders and his cinematographer Henri Alekan as well as Akira Kurosawa and his cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. Painters? Many of them, esp. Breughel, Degas, Caravaggio and Vermeer.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Margaret Bourke-White has inspired me more than any other photographer. Her style for photojournalism really makes me aspire to shoot through her eyes. She always had a knack for being at the right place at the right time with her camera.
 
Many

Many

There are many I admire like Steichen, Sieglitz, Brand , Evans and AA,, but those who really influenced my approach and work are only a handful:

Atget first of all, but also strongly HCB, Doisneau, Ronis, Izis, Kertesz, Brassai and some other less famous representatives of "La Photographie Humaine" which was developed by the Magnum members. Many to the Magnum members still follow that line today and they are inspiring for me too.
Best,
Bertram
 
The photographers of the Photo League, William Klein, Louis Faurer, Eugene Atget, Josef Sudek, photography done in Eastern Europe in the 20s-30s, Daido Moriyama, Eikoh Hosoe, Hiromi Tsuchida, photography done in Japan in the 60s-80s. and many, many, many more.

Don't even ask me about other mediums!

Keith
www.pbase.com/keithbg
 
I think for me it would be Freeman Patterson, Canadian photographer/workshop leader whose images and words have inspired me over and over. His fundamental message is 'learn to see!' An old message, but when combined with his beautiful images, it makes me want to go shooting.

I think his first book, Photography for the Joy of It, makes a good gift for any budding photographers:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-0181409-6396026?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Gene
 
Dunno, really, i like some of the Big Names too, but don't feel like i would (and could, of course) do what they are/were doing. Not really inspirin,g maybe motivating, yes.
Inspiring, once i've seen an exhibition of Antoine d'Agata, 1001 nights was called i think, now THAT gave me lots of fresh ideas!
OTOH, simple folks found on the Net with their simple shots are sometimes inspiring to try new things, as example, a new RFF member (soprry forgot his name) with his first GSN shots shared here, where one had three bright yellow windows, with the contour of a person in front of the left one; seeing that image gave me some ideas to try as well.
 
Atget, Evans, Frank, Winogrand of course. But I like the work of many others.
Nobody mentioned Lee Freidlander yet. I'd have to say the way he has addressed just about every subject during his career is pretty inspirational. I think he has a major retrostecive coming up this year- can't wait for that.
 
What i find contra-inspiring is, for example, the standardized critiques on sites as photo.net, whining always about sharpness, motion blur, exposure, cropping/framing, indifferent of subject matter and indifferent of what the intentions of the photographer could have been. And, on case, disregarding the context of the photo (story or other related photos).
 
As predominately a nature photographer, for color Tom Manglesen, John Shaw, Galen Rowell. For B&W, Ansel of course and Clyde Butcher ( www.clydebutcher.com ). I got to know Clyde when I lived in SW Florida; always enjoyed stopping by his place in the middle of Big Cypress. You've never experienced nature photography until you've been in front of a 5 foot by 7 foot photo. Makes you feel like you're really there. On a general level, I'm always influenced by any good photo I see.

Brian
 
Photographic: Currently Cristiano Mascaro, whose book "Sao Paulo" is a great inspiration for proper wide-angle use and good timing. Some samples: Pick Cristiano Mascaro from List. By the way: fotosite.com.br is a great mirror of Brasil's hugely active photo scene.

Otherwise: My wife. She's my great inspiration for anything else that matters in life.

Cheers G
 
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As was commented above, there are a great many photographers who have made images that I like greatly, but the number that I can say influence me is much smaller. These days I'd be inclined to say Robert Capa, Diane Arbus, Ansel Adams (more for attitude than direct technique) and David Plowden. The last may not be known to some, here's a starting point: http://www.people.virginia.edu/~bhs2u/david-p/dp-new/dp-new1.html

William
 
For composition Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa for seeing the truth and Sebastião Salgado for his conscience.
 
W. Eugene Smith and Robert Capa - I grew up looking at their photo essays in the magazines of the 1950s.
 
Mine are Don Worth, Ansel Adams, Christopher Burkett, Ray Atkinson and Edward Weston
 
I honestly couldn't name any one person who's work has inspired me; I am continually influenced and inspired by everything I see and read. I originally started with photography for a two reasons: it's was fun to be able to record holidays and such, and it helps keep my addictive personality busy doing something healthy.

I've grown to consider what I do as an art form and a means of expression (even if no-one else think's it is art!). And, I realised that what Iwas doing might have some historical significance. I'm the only person who is making a visual record of my life and my experiences, and maybe one day that record will be important to my family, or (I hope) to society on some greater level.
 
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