Who do you love?

[jmolligo]

After bouncing around this site for several months - I would have to say that some of the best photographers in the world today are either subscribers or members here.

I was wondering what photographers you guys/gals like or are inspired by.

Personally I've always been partial to Henri Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus.
More currently - I'm pretty impressed by the lith prints of Tim Rudman.

Hope this is not an overworked question - I looked for a similar one in the search and did not find one. I guess the moderators can cancel this post if it is.

 

[2F/2F]

I am particularly inspired by Lee Friedlander, Ernst Haas, Robert Frank, and Willy Ronis at this time. Haas and Friedlander are the masters, in my opinion. A lot of what and how I see and shoot has a lot in common with them. I really like Robert Capa's stuff as well, and also Garry Winnogrand's. I like both of these guys for their seemingly haphazard attack with the camera. I go back and forth with Cartier-Bresson's work. I have to be in the right mood for it, but when I am, I love it to death. For more still and/or staged things, I like Mapplethorpe a lot, and Ansel Adams. I can't imagine myself doing any work remotely like theirs, but I love what they did.

Also, if you can't be inspired by your own pix, a lot of the joy of photography is lost, IMO. Thus, I am constantly editing, printing, reprinting, etc. my own pix as well. This gives me new ideas, so I guess you could say they are somewhat inspiring.

 

[usagisakana]

My most recent inspirations have been Garry Winogrand, Jonas Bendiksen and Bruce Gilden. Trent Parke has always inspired me, especially being an australian.

 

[jmolligo]

2 posts and some great ones so far.
I tend to forget about some of those guys.
A side thought in regard to Capa - I understand the military lab ruined most of the film he shot on D-Day (I don't think a free replacement roll cuts it in a situation like that).

 

[usagisakana]

Oh and I forgot Robert Frank of course. The Americans was the first photo book I bought, and I still look at it every day. Am going to order Peru when I next buy something from Amazon.

 

[eddym]

W. Eugene Smith, Robert Frank, Eliot Erwitt, HCB...

 

[Slixtiesix]

Barry Thornton and Lord Snowdon are my favourites

 

[KPT]

U Atget, A Adams, L W Hine.

 

[Les McLean]

Edward Weston, Paul Caponigro, Don McCullin and Gary Winogrand are my favourites.

 

[IloveTLRs]

There are a bunch of people on Flickr that inspire me

 

[reellis67]

Heh, like and inspired by are two quite different things, at least for me. I am inspired by primarily the work of Brett Weston, but I *like* a large number of photographers works, although there are few, if any, who's entire body of work I like. I tend to like *some* of any given person's work, but not *all* of it, and for some I only like a few specific prints. For example I like a good deal of Ansel Adams' work, and I appreciate his contributions to photography and his skill as a photographer, but I don't find much inspiration there - I'm just not a landscape type of guy. I just get a lot more out of some of the flower pictures made by Imogen Cunningham than I get from the face of Half Dome and while Hernandez if a powerful print, some of the abstract prints of Brett Weston hit me like a physical blow.

I like *some* of the work done by the following people (in no particular order): Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Minor White, Paul Camponigro, Robert Mapplethorpe, William Mortensen, Lewis Hine, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Timothy O'Sullivan, Edward Curtis, Charles Sheeler, Weegee, O. Winston Link, and a number of others who's name elude me at the moment, as well as a number of people here on this forum to be quite honest. I also think that there are a number of people here who are doing some amazing stuff, just outstanding work, that is very strong and very worthy of more recognition that it receives and much of which gives me a great deal of inspiration and joy.

- Randy

 

[removed account4]

i'm mostly influenced by things i find in junk stores by unknowns,
and by early photographs ( pre 1860s ) .

if i had to put a name to this one would be eugene atget .

 

[André E.C.]

Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Paul Caponigro, Aaron Siskind and Minor White, are the photographers I admire most.



André

 

[GraemeMitchell]

check this discussion: (there was a url link here which no longer exists).

 

[fred]

http://www.stephanvanfleteren.com

A talent and every week top quality images of him in the newspaper "Zeno, De Morgen"

 

[Shelley-Ann]

I'm inspired by a lot of different people, particularly Anton Corbijn and Bruce Davidson. I'm also inspired by some of the work I see on here!

 

[Frank Szabo]

I grew up in southern California during the 50s and 60s and spent much time in Yosemite and the area now called the Ansel Adams Wilderness on many weekends and vacations. If I lived there now, it doubtful I could afford all the film I'd shoot.

I'd have to say Ansel Adams.

 

[2F/2F]

2 posts and some great ones so far.
I tend to forget about some of those guys.
A side thought in regard to Capa - I understand the military lab ruined most of the film he shot on D-Day (I don't think a free replacement roll cuts it in a situation like that).

Thanks.

The pix that were released had to be screened by the military, but I don't know if the lab was actually a military lab. I believe the film was cooked by a Life darkroom tech (who went on to have a career in photography, if I remember correctly). All the medium format was ruined, but about a dozen frames from the 35mm had something on them. What a photographic/historical loss!

P.S. I believe I misspelled Winogrand by using two Ns!

 

[jmolligo]

Yes 2F/2F it's quite a loss. Can you just imagine what might have been on those frames?! I would say also that you are probably correct in that it was a Life darkroom tech (I only had vague details on this story).

 

[tjaded]

Margaret Bourke-White, John Gutmann, Gordon Parks & Paul Strand are the four that would top my list. There are tons that have influenced and amazed me, starting with Ansel back when I was a kid. Usually there are specific photos rather than photographers, but the four I listed are just amazing to me 99 times out of 100!

 

[Andrew Moxom]

John Blakemore, Fay Godwin, Don McCullin, and Photographer/Sculptor Andy Goldsworthy (truly a great visionary) are inspirational to me.

 

[Mark Antony]

For me it changes, I started off 20+ years ago liking the work of Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Don McCullin and Andre Kertesz.
Then I picked up a picture book of the work of Brassaï who I feel is my current favourite.
His shots of Paris and its nightlife are pretty much definitive on the subject, and his portraits of the great artists inspire me.

 

[2F/2F]

I am a big fan of Brassai as well. Good stuff!

 

[Mark Antony]

Can I recommend this:
http://www.amazon.com/Brassai-Tasch...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218779981&sr=8-1

It'll be the best $10 you ever spend...

 

[2F/2F]

Thanks.

$26 for a brand new copy of "The Americans" is a nice price too...although it is "rescanned" and slightly edited from the original...

One of these (1978 edition) came in at my work (I photograph for an estate liquidation company) and they were about to let me have it, but I was honest and told them they should EBay it instead...oh wells. I may just get this new edition until I can afford one of the old ones.