Who inspires me - an open thread

Ansell Adams for his meticulous detail. Henri Cartier-Bresson for making staged shots look spontaneous. Bert Hardy, Dorothy Lange and Frank Meadow-Sutcliffe for demonstrating how important photography is in recording social history.
 
G.K.Jnr. said:
@garryknight

Garry as you know I've mentioned this guy before but I thought you might like this vid' as he's snapping on your favourite patch "Brick Lane" ENJOY.

View: https://youtu.be/vuEt7WPUwKA?si=5Y1ZAoLGqNXjupGP
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Thanks, George. :) There are a line of Instagram photos on the wall opposite the entrance to Dray Walk, where the street artists with easels and the street musicians hang out, for some years now. I remember discovering them the first time I ever visited Brick Lane, and I remember thinking that they wouldn't be there long. And, years later, they're still there, and many people come along and take photos of the photos,
 
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garryknight said:
Thanks, George. :) There are a line of Instagram photos on the wall opposite the entrance to Dray Walk, where the street artists with easels and the street musicians hang out, for some years now. I remember discovering them the first time I ever visited Brick Lane, and I remember thinking that they wouldn't be there long. And, years later, they're still there, and many people come along and take photos of the photos,
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Yes I've seen them there on visits to Brick Lane and thought very much the same as you, but they are still there and as you say are enjoyed by many including myself.
 
I came across this lady on YouTube and was immediately impressed with her B&W photography (mainly street). Together with her excellent image presentation. If you have the time I urge you to take a look at some of her vid's. The one below is only a sample of her work.

View: https://youtu.be/6KD__PX_g9M?si=CSOuG2NNRY6cWJK5
 
I am not normally one for portrait photography, but recently came across Rory Lewis and have spent quite a bit of time looking through his work
 
Ed Sutton said:
Why you shouldn't look to Youtube for inspiration. :exit:
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Great video. The comment around Magnum made me smile. I used to have three lessons on research & analysis of those photographers per course and seeing students' horizons being broadened by good work rather than the [mostly] bland generic junk we are fed on YouTube was extremely fulfilling.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Great video. The comment around Magnum made me smile. I used to have three lessons on research & analysis of those photographers per course and seeing students' horizons being broadened by good work rather than the [mostly] bland generic junk we are fed on YouTube was extremely fulfilling.
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I do wonder if the proliferation of Youtube channels as entertainment, made by so-called photographers of very little ability is narrowing the scope of photographers these days. The magazines of old did to an extent but I'm sure they were also where I became aware of photographers like André Kertész and Ian Berry who first changed my way of approaching what could be photographed and how from the 'camera club' styles and the emphasis on perfecting technique.
 
Garry, I have only just discovered this thread. When I saw the title "Who inspires me " i.e you, I just had to look in case it was me. lol

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I think the heady days of every photographer and his dog (literally in some cases) having a YT channel have probably gone now. I detect a gradual cooling off.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Why you shouldn't look to Youtube for inspiration. :exit:
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The ones I dislike are the ones where someone has discovered THE BEST CAMERA IN THE WORLD, SO YOU NEED TO GET ONE TOO!!! Or they've found out that they ONLY NEED ONE LENS, AND IT'S THE ONE YOU SHOULD GET TOO!!! Or maybe, I REALLY LIKE THIS LIGHTROOM PRESET, SO YOU SHOULD START USING IT TOO!!!

OK, thanks for the inspiration. Now I'll go and look at some sensible reviews of all that stuff, if I think it's worth it. But no, I don't need any of that stuff.
 
garryknight said:
The ones I dislike are the ones where someone has discovered THE BEST CAMERA IN THE WORLD, SO YOU NEED TO GET ONE TOO!!! Or they've found out that they ONLY NEED ONE LENS, AND IT'S THE ONE YOU SHOULD GET TOO!!! Or maybe, I REALLY LIKE THIS LIGHTROOM PRESET, SO YOU SHOULD START USING IT TOO!!!

OK, thanks for the inspiration. Now I'll go and look at some sensible reviews of all that stuff, if I think it's worth it. But no, I don't need any of that stuff.
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What about the 'Top (insert random number) Tips To Improve Your (insert your chosen genre) Photography' ones? :D
 
There are some good YouTubers out there, but they're very rare, and don't get the exposure of their clickbaity colleagues.

Otherwise, it's just one big echo chamber.. who the hell it watching these videos? basically I think there's a market for people who like to hear/watch hot takes rather than be out with the camera or put some graft into learning
 
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I've already posted in this thread in the past.

I tend to watch people who go to places/locations and almost take you with them rather than anyone who talks about gear and presets. I very rarely click the stupid clickbait video titles too.
 
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benc98 said:
There are some good YouTubers out there, but they're very rare, and don't get the exposure of their clickbaity colleagues.

Otherwise, it's just one big echo chamber.. who the hell it watching these videos?
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Yes, people like Simon Baxter and Kyle McDougall still offer some value but I recently unsubscribed from most of my Youtube photographers as I got sick of seeing the same old nonsense, and what I call the Youtube circle jerk. Most recent circle jerk member being Henry Turner, making guest appearances on various other channels, with visits being reciprocated on his own channel. Maybe it does increase their channel membership, expose them to a larger audience etc, but my immediate response is to unsubscribe. Also, I don't wish to appear unkind, but no amount of Youtube followers will ever convince me that Henry Turner will ever be a gifted landscape photographer; his is one of the many 'entertainment only' channels.
 
I would suggest that Wikipedia represents the zenith of social media while Youtube represents its nadir,

Cue jokes about Soviet camera design and production... :tumbleweed:
 
I just had a quick flick through all the pages in this thread and it's interesting given the recent discussion that most of the links are to YouTube

Where else are people getting inspiration? Does subject matter inspire you? Books? Fiction? Art? Cinema? TV? Poetry?.. It's a bit boring perhaps that photographs are just getting their inspiration from photographers ;)
 
In my case, the work of photographers I consider good and books on art and art history. I'm not a great YouTube watcher, going there for technical information and background info. My choice would be Lina Bessanova if I had to make one.
 
benc98 said:
Does subject matter inspire you? Books? Fiction? Art? Cinema? TV? Poetry?.. It's a bit boring perhaps that photographs are just getting their inspiration from photographers ;)
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Perhaps it does, but it isn't as clear cut as pigeon holing a Youtube photographer... a few have books out with real value and artistic merit; Simon Baxter and Alyn Wallace, have both released excellent and inspirational books.
My own preference as a landscape photographer is to simply take inspiration from the environment I'm in and I need to travel to maintain that enthusiasm.
 
benc98 said:
Where else are people getting inspiration? Does subject matter inspire you? Books? Fiction? Art? Cinema? TV? Poetry?.. It's a bit boring perhaps that photographs are just getting their inspiration from photographers ;)
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I don't think anyone "inspires" me but I steal ideas from all sorts of visual arts; in the sense that I see something I wish to record and, with any luck, an image I saw previously will suggest how I might wish to arrange my picture.

Of course, this only works when there's time to think about it - often I just grab what's in front of me and I don't think about arranging the image.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
I don't think anyone "inspires" me but I steal ideas from all sorts of visual arts; in the sense that I see something I wish to record and, with any luck, an image I saw previously will suggest how I might wish to arrange my picture.

Of course, this only works when there's time to think about it - often I just grab what's in front of me and I don't think about arranging the image.
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And there's me thinking I was an inspiration to you Andrew. :) :coat:
 
Santafe2000 said:
making guest appearances on various other channels, with visits being reciprocated
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It's not only photography channels this happens on. Seems to be a general Youtube thing. And it compounds the homogeneity of thought IMO.
Santafe2000 said:
a few have books out with real value and artistic merit; Simon Baxter and Alyn Wallace,
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Never heard of them, and a quick Google suggests they're just two Youtube photographers making Youtube type photos that won't be remarked upon after they're dead and gone.

As I've said before, I'm surprised how few photographers seek out work from the past and seem content to make work that imitates current trends.

Channels like those of Ted Forbes and Alex Kilbee throw up lines worth following to find new-to-me photography worth a second look from time to time, but most of their content now is aimed at producing revenue or repetition - which is fair enough as they're making money from them.

I realise I'm not representative of the majority of non-professional photographers in my approach to the medium. A lesson I was taught early on as a student was that you have to look at what's gone before to understand what's happening now in the arts. Alway try to seek out what has influenced today's photos that interest you. You might find it more interesting for a start!
 
benc98 said:
I just had a quick flick through all the pages in this thread and it's interesting given the recent discussion that most of the links are to YouTube

Where else are people getting inspiration? Does subject matter inspire you? Books? Fiction? Art? Cinema? TV? Poetry?.. It's a bit boring perhaps that photographs are just getting their inspiration from photographers ;)
Click to expand...

Most of the inspiration I get from YouTube is simply seeing something that makes me want to pick up my camera and go out. But when I get inspiration from anywhere, often from an exhibition, a TV programme, a poster, or a group of themed photos in an online newspaper, I'll often go to YouTube to look for more work by the photographer(s) as it's the one place they might have been featured. I first heard about Vivian Maier in a news article, and I heard about Saul Leiter after seeing the cover of one of his books in Waterstones. A well-presented and educational video about Harry Gruyaert came up on YouTube in my suggestions after watching some videos about Saul Leiter. In the very old days, if you saw or heard about a photographer that gave you inspiration, you might go to the library, or to the better bookshops. These days it's Google and YouTube.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Never heard of them, and a quick Google suggests they're just two Youtube photographers making Youtube type photos that won't be remarked upon after they're dead and gone.
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You may find that this comment ages like milk...

Let's take Alyn Wallace who recently passed. he was a pioneer in the field of Astrophotography, a branch of photography that wasn't fully realised until the advent of digital cameras.
His image 'Protector' won the Landscapes at Night award in 2020 and is an image (amongst many) that will be remarked upon, long after his passing.
He has a popular Ted talk on the devastating impact of light pollution and had released what is in my opinion, the definitive book/guide to astro photography, photographing the night sky.

www.ted.com

The devastating impact of light pollution

Landscape astrophotographer Alyn Wallace (https://www.youtube.com/c/AlynWallace) discusses the devastating impact of light pollution, not just on the night sky but on nature as well. As the human population explodes and towns and cities grow, light pollution is growing at an alarming rate and is...
www.ted.com www.ted.com
 
Having just stumbled across this thread, I started reading a few of the early posts and found comments about inspiration vs copying etc. Not wanting to go down that conversation rabbit hole but I think there's a difference that I can relate to very well....
When I first became a photography enthusiast I spent a lot of time researching the technical aspects myself but also scoured Flickr looking at photos and ended up finding landscape locations that I liked, one of which was the following photo from a random photographer.....

On Top of the World by Paul Taylor, on Flickr

When I first saw this, I loved the idea of being in that situation and as the exact location was within a reasonable driving distance, I planned to go there and to try and encounter the same conditions. I did go and luckily I did encounter the same conditions, and took a slightly similar photo...

Like Minds by NPUK, on Flickr

My photo was nowhere near as good and it could be argued I was copying someone's work, but the reality is that a random photo by a random photographer inspired me to research a subject and location that I previously had no knowledge of. The same can be said of specific photography techniques where copying can be a good thing if it leads to someone learning something.

There are many famous photographers, new and old, whose photos I like and will gladly copy their style, not for copying's sake, but for enjoyment, education, and because you never know where it will lead you.
 
garryknight said:
Most of the inspiration I get from YouTube is simply seeing something that makes me want to pick up my camera and go out
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I agree.
I now subscribe to about a dozen channels that entertain me but they don't really inspire me and I have a few books that I re-view from time to time.
In truth I just take photos that are available to me when I'm out and which appeal to me after culling.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Well worth repeating to the philistines. :D

Although Fay Godwin was far more than a 'landscape photographer'.
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Oh yes, although I believe she started off as a "landscape photographer" and evolved into something else altogether whilst still using the landscape as her subject (muse?).
 
NPUK said:
Having just stumbled across this thread, I started reading a few of the early posts and found comments about inspiration vs copying etc. Not wanting to go down that conversation rabbit hole but I think there's a difference that I can relate to very well....
When I first became a photography enthusiast I spent a lot of time researching the technical aspects myself but also scoured Flickr looking at photos and ended up finding landscape locations that I liked, one of which was the following photo from a random photographer.....

On Top of the World by Paul Taylor, on Flickr

When I first saw this, I loved the idea of being in that situation and as the exact location was within a reasonable driving distance, I planned to go there and to try and encounter the same conditions. I did go and luckily I did encounter the same conditions, and took a slightly similar photo...

Like Minds by NPUK, on Flickr

My photo was nowhere near as good and it could be argued I was copying someone's work, but the reality is that a random photo by a random photographer inspired me to research a subject and location that I previously had no knowledge of. The same can be said of specific photography techniques where copying can be a good thing if it leads to someone learning something.

There are many famous photographers, new and old, whose photos I like and will gladly copy their style, not for copying's sake, but for enjoyment, education, and because you never know where it will lead you.
Click to expand...

I think we're all influenced by other peoples work (both consciously and unconsciously) until such time as we find our own way and our own style, and that's ok. As a landscape photographer, I've also visited many of the landscape mecca's, in both the UK and abroad, and you view other shots from those locations and hope you can put your own original spin on things. Again, with progression, we strive for new locations and originality. I no longer share new locations that I find in order to keep those shots original, and I had to learn that the hard way after coming across two images online, which were almost carbon copies of images I'd taken three years previous. I estimate that there was zero chance of this being nothing more than a happy coincidence.
 
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