Inspiring photo masters

[Jazz]

Here's a couple of inspiring photo masters. Please feel free to add your favorites or comments.

Josef Sudek
The Poet of Prague lost an arm in WWI at age 19, but became a photographic genius who went on to create a rich body of work. From the coffee table book Sudek (rich with nice duotones from Takarajima Books) “… one-armed, he hauled his (large format) equipment in a backpack, with tripod in hand, through the streets and countryside of Prague over the next five decades. Sudek’s pictures show not just his mastery of technique, but his unique ability to humanize the inanimate …”

An example of that humanizing effect is apparent in the two series he began when the N*zis made photography punishable by death, so he was forced to explore his home, in “The Window of My Studio” and “A Walk in My Garden”. Here’s just one link of many available on Google.
http://www.masters-of-fine-art-photo..._sudek_01.html



Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley
This guy invented snowflake photography. Remember the phrase “No two snowflakes are alike?” This discovery was made in the small rural town of Jericho, Vermont by Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931). By adapting a microscope to a bellows camera, and years of trial and error, he became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885.

From The Snowflake Man - A biography of Wilson A. Bentley, “While still in his teens, he taught himself how to photograph the intricate but transient crystals, and then he endured years of indifference and scorn as others around him derided his fascination before the artistic and scientific value of his study became known to scientists and the general public. Bentley was the originator of the phrase “No two snowflakes are alike!” and his more than 5,000 photographs of snowflakes are widely recognized for their enduring beauty and quality.
http://snowflakebentley.com/

 

[JIP]

W. Eugene Smith, in his own lifetime, became one of photography’s legendary figures. He was, undeniably, one of the worlds greatest photojournalists (in the opinion of many). He was a photographer of technical competence matched by very few and his consummate skill in the darkroom makes an original Gene Smith print a work of art in itself, over and above the skill and insight that went into the actual taking of the picture. Finally, and most important, Smith was fanatically dedicated to his mission as a photographer. His passion for truth invariably places the integrity of the picture far above such matters as monetary gain or personal safety. As a result of this dedication, Smith was a figure universally admired as an artist.

He came here in pittsburgh for a short assignment for Life and ended up staying for 2 years and shooting 11,000 photographs making a masterful essay on life at the time

http://www.geocities.com/minoltaphotographyw/williameugenesmith.html

"One print from the famous series on Albert Schweitzer required over five days to produce to Smith's satisfaction."

something from that site for all the people who agonize over how much time people spend photoshopping their pictures