Photographic Influences
Who Has Inspired You and Your Photographic Work?
Many photographers were originally turned on to the art by becoming enamored with other photographers work. My guiding principal is similar. I think photographers need to constantly learn from viewing the work of others.
I have always spent a lot of time viewing others work, some famous, some not so famous. Over the course of 30 years, there have been a few photographers that stand out as being influential in my own photography.
The first professional photographer I really had exposure to, and this name isn’t going to surprise, is Ansel Adams. I first experienced Adams work in the mid-1970’s. I attended a gallery reception with my high school photography club at an art gallery in Birmingham, Michigan. Ansel was in attendance. I was blown away by his work, but even more impressed with his mastery of composition, exposure, and tone. I had never seen more beautiful photographic work displayed in a gallery before, and I haven’t seen anything like it since. It’s a shame for me, that I didn’t realize then how much of a legend he was going to become, I would have liked to say “thank you”.
Another photographer that has influenced me is Pete Turner. Turner has influenced my work, primarily because of his interpretation of color. I’ve been reading articles about Pete and viewing his growing portfolios for about 25 years now. I’ve never met Pete, but his work sure showed me something about color.
Eliot Porter is another source of inspiration for my personal work. Porter was born in 1901 in Chicago, and is the brother of realist artist Fairfield Porter. Originally a biochemical researcher at Harvard and earning a medical degree, Porter soon took to photography. Working with photographers Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams in the 1930’s, beginning his photographic career as a black and white photographer, Porter changed direction toward color photography, which at that time until the 1960’s was not considered a true photographic art form. Porter has inspired me primarily for his color work on tree’s. Breaking all photographic rules, and just producing photographs of tree’s with no central object of composition. I’m often criticized for this part of my body of work, and have to remind people that Eliot Porter did this in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Porter is best known for his Sierra Club published book In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World. My inspiration comes from his subsequent portfolios Glen Canyon, Adirondacks and Maine. You can definitely see his influence in my book Autumn in the Hills.
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