This week’s Top Ten List started because of an email I got from a teacher in Boston who was asking for advice for friend of hers who was getting into photography and was not satisfied with the classes they were taking, so she asked where I find inspiration.
In my college years in Olympia, WA, my classes would end in the early afternoon. I worked most nights in the deli on campus, so I killed time by disappearing into the tall stacks of books in the library, pulling out the published work of photographers, poring over all the images, fantasizing about where I wanted my studies to take me.
Below is a collection of photographers who inspire me, most of which I found during those expeditions on the bookish dark.
I could talk a long time about each of these folks, but will try to keep it short. These are in no particular order.
1. Eugene Atget (1857-1927) Architectural Photographer– I love Atget because of the tools he used, how he used them, and his overall approach to photography. He shot with an 8×10 view camera, using very long exposures, and captured the majority of his photos in the early morning hours in the streets of Paris. I have fantasized about being him at times. I imagine the work he did was extremely meditative. I have worked with a large format camera only a few times, and each exposure took several minutes to shoot. Quiet streets, working hard at getting the exposure exactly right, composing the photo perfectly, I imagine all these things came together to make for a fantastic creative experience for Atget, as I know they have made for a wonderful viewing experience for me!
2. Pierre and Gilles- Their work is a collaboration between a painter and photographer, and is incredibly stylized and iconic. The attention to the image, the use of color and emotion, and that they collaborate so well is amazing. What really appeals to me about it is that it looks like candy to me! I try to edit the occasional photo in the shoots I do to be vibrant and saturated… I wonder if I got the desire to do that because of my love of their artistry…
3. Christian Oth Wedding Photographer- Mr. Oth is based in New York City, and not only are his photos amazing, but his blog posts are inspirational. Many of his blog posts display his great work, but he occasionally interjects his philosophy and wisdom, encouraging readers like me (though I sometimes think of myself as a student of his) to “…put down the camera and just start seeing.” Or, reminding me that “it’s important to look for different view points that reflect your unique take on something familiar.” I really admire his style and his words, and hope to become as wise of a photographer as he is.
4. Sebastiao Salgado (born 1944) Documentary Photogrpaher- The way he treats his subjects, especially his photos of iron workers, is what impresses me most. The reverence of the images he took of iron workers made me feel like he was shooting monks in an old stone church. Like Atget, it felt his work was meditative, and he understood his subjects thoroughly. He captured images that were timeless, images that could be taken today or 200 years ago. The work I love most of his focuses on the proletarian struggle, showing both the industry and the humanity in our industrial world. He shows the genesis of the everyday items I use, trying to remind me that there are people behind the production of these things. He shoots in black and white, and the tone, the contrast, and the emotion of those images pull it out of time and make them eternal. I feel connected and emotional when I look at his photos. Evoking those feelings in viewers is a gift that I am so happy he has shared with the world.
5. Melvin Sokolsky (born 1938) Fashion Photographer- His extensive career, his artistic vision, and his variety is what draws me to him. The first collection of his that I came across was of a series he did in 1963 for Harper’s Bazaar where the models were in giant glass bubbles suspended off the ground (see photo). It felt risky and fresh, and made me see that there is ALWAYS another way to look at things, another way to think about what could just be a standard photo shoot. Later, I learned that he found inspiration for these images from Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. I try to find inspiration from painters too (specifically Caravaggio), so in some small way I felt connected to Sokolsky. In addition to all the work he has done, the fact that he continues to be inspired, continues to try new things with his photography helps me see that this craft I have chosen to hone is one that I can evolve with. Check out his work (link below), it’s fantastic!
6. Julius Shulman (1910-2009) Architectural Photographer- I have often thought it best to help the work of masters spur me on to becoming masterful. I had an architectural shoot for Powderhouse Productions a few weeks ago (those photos are here). So, to help inspire me, I watched a documentary called Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman, as well as one on Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a precise, playful, and prolific photographer. Not only are his photos amazing, but it is his personality, his life’s path and his longevity that really moves me. After seven years of college, he left without graduating, knowing that something else drove him. He pursued his love, and it supported him, and this gives me confidence that I too will be supported by my love of photography. In the documentary, he couldn’t stop smiling, seemingly giddy at what he gets to do every day. I know that feeling! 
7. O Winston Link (1914-2001)- Trains! There is something about trains that I LOVE, and it is obvious that Link shares that love of trains. His gorgeous photos of these machines of industry captures the emotion and the awe I have of them.
8. Clarence Sinclair Bull (1896-1979) Portrait Photographer- Bull, along with a generation of photographers, found a bevy of subjects during the Golden Age of Hollywood (the 1930s and 1940s). My favorite photos matched the film noir look from that time, using several lights, not only to highlight their subject, but to light the background, crafting an environment for their subjects. These were true portraits–not just pictures–capturing the persona of these iconic Hollywood stars, and I constantly look to them for inspiration!
9. Henri Cartier Bresson (1908-2004) Documentary Photographer- Bresson captures the moment, not just of someone moving through space, but truly being with that space. All of the components (human and otherwise) in his photos are integral for each other’s survival and meaning in that moment. His keen awareness of his surroundings and his complete presence in the moment, (the Decisive Moment, as he called it) come together in each of his photos.
10. Sandy Skoglund (born 1946)- Like Pierre et Gilles, each of her photos are a result of long hours of labor, crafting the image to be exactly what she is looking for. What I like most about her photos is that there is a great expanse to them. Not only are they well taken photos, but when I peer into the frame, I feel a sense of vastness of the creative energy, an overwhelming sense of love and care that went into this image. Each of these images took an incredible amount of patience and love to create. I know how it feels to be in love with the creative process. Her work reminds me of that.
If you would like to learn more about these photographers or see their work, consult your local library, do a google image search for their name, or look below for some links I have provided:
Eugene Atget
Melvin Sokolsky
Sebastiao Salgado
O. Winston Link
Christian Oth
