Mental Musings: Photography Inspirations

During my first meeting with JJ, he talked about how the work of other photographers act as his inspiration for his photographs. His inspirational photographers include Annie Leibovitz, Maki Kawakita, and Mary Ellen Mark. These photographers played with strange concepts, lighting, color, and film type in a way that has made their work memorable. Looking through JJ's work, I can kind of see where their inspiration has taken form.

I have been browsing through a list of famous photographers, and several have caught my eye.

Richard Avedon: I like the fact that he works with black & white film, because up until this point, the photography I have worked with is black and white. Avedon makes his portraits look fun, so the seriousness of black & white just adds a sense of irony that creates an interesting image. Many of his pictures have also been candid shots of celebrities.


Robert & Shanna Parkeharrison: I like how this husband & wife pair make use of color, form, and line in their photographs. Their work has interesting concepts and a fascinating view of nature. Some of their pictures grossed me out a bit, but I appreciate the power of their photographs to do that to me.


Art Wolfe: In Photos 1, I did a report on Art Wolfe because I liked his photographs of wildlife and cultural regions. His photographs are sharp and vivid, as apparent in his pictures of breathtaking landscapes. I like how he can capture the beauty of nature so clearly.


In the future, I'll look to these photographers (and maybe others more) for my inspiration.