Photographers that taunt you

[fjrabon]

Honestly, I've kind of stopped looking to other photographers' work for deliberate inspiration. I have the a bad habit (more like a curse) of being a people pleaser, so more often than not, I end up trying to emulate some part of a photographer's work because I like their work, and I want others to like my work in the same way. However, failure is almost imminent because I don't have their eye. I don't have their sensibilities.

Knowing this about myself, I try to look to other places for inspiration: music, painting, illustrations, short stories, other people, etc...

Luckily, I think personally even if I ever set out to try to copy someone's work, it would still come out differently enough that it would be mine (partly through lack of skill in being able to pull it off, partly in stylistic habits so strongly engrained that I can't break them even if I want to). I'm sort of reminded of Willie Nelson admitting that as a guitarist he tried to copy Django Reinhardt's guitar work, but he couldn't play like Django, so it created what most consider to be a very distinctive personal style.

That's the thing though. Although what I create might be different, I rarely find it to be better because it's derivative at its core. I'm subconsciously creating to the standard of the other photographer's work even when I think I'm doing something different, so I prefer to take photos without a direct and recognizable influence, because then I'm more likely to synthesize all of my acquired skills and preferences from all the works that I enjoy into something that is truly unique to me (even if it's not anything groundbreaking in the photographic world).

That's not to say I don't study other work to figure out how to do new things. I still like to study lighting and add stuff like that to my toolbox.

But if someone asked me whose work has influenced me the most, I probably shrug and give a neutral "I don't know. All of them."

I agree there, I don't think I see any particular photographer's influence in my actual photography and I certainly don't try to mimic photographers.

If anybody maybe a touch of Michael Freeman influenced me, but mostly because his books were so formative for me (photographers eye, capturing light and perfect exposure mainly). But even then I don't think it's something that comes across visually so much as how I approach a shot.

 

[Gary A.]

There is nothing new under the Sun.

I am watching The Voice right now. There is this kid singing "Imagine" ... is he imitating, copying John Lennon? He sang a song written and made famous by someone else ... yet he put his own style on it.

Being inspired, influenced, taunted, et cetera is all about learning ... not about copying. Replying solely upon your own machination for development ... is a long, slow and arduous learning process. I find it better to not only build upon my mistakes ... but also the mistakes and success of others.

 

[ronitbajaj]

Nope...

 

[pgriz]

On a slightly serious note, I find the excellence of other people's abilities to be inspiring. It is not a criticism of my own abilities, but a reminder that there's still much to learn, to understand, and to sense. If I see another person's work that I admire, I will often try and replicate that, not as a form of imitation, but to get into the mindset that allowed the production of that image or work. "mindset" because there is usually a thought process, coupled with a vision, expressed with talent and skill. By trying to replicate the process (of seeing, conceptualizing, and then executing), I usually gain an insight. It is THIS insight that is valuable to me. The fact that the resulting image looks like someone else's is much less important to me.

 

[sashbar]

So, I just finished up re-reading/viewing Alex Webb: The Suffering of Light and man, that dude just taunts me. How he manages to get that much going on with his images, while keeping good composition, nearly perfect application of color and still maintain great tonal depth is just stunning. He tends to not worry about light as much as most, so that's one thing he's often willing to punt on, but man, still, it's so daunting to see images he managed to pull off, when I'm doing everything I can to get two people to work in a street frame (or even one for that matter).

Like there are times when I just think "if I tried to put any of these ideas into play in my own photography, disaster would only ensue, I just simply can't do this type of thing." That's what I mean by taunting. I love his work so much, but I don't even know what I can even learn from it.

So who is a photographer that taunts you?

Interestingly I just recently wrote about him here and some forum members were quite dismissive which left me slightly bemused. When I see some of his shots I want to eat them, they are that good. So yes, Webb taunts me alright. Reminds me there are mere mortals and gods in photography.

 

[Ian63]

My Father taught me SO much ... then I developed my own style. AT any given time I either love what I have done or I hate it. There is never any ... middle of the road with me. One thing I DONT want to ever do... and that is endlessly quote this and that photographer.
We all have our successes and failures. Our achievements should always be measured by our own perceptions and our capability to learn, and process; to achieve what WE want for ourselves. I am still working on that BTW.

 

[Joves]

None of them. I follow my own path.

........ Or do you not study any other photographers at all?

Nope.

Yeah that is pretty much me as well. I am glad to also see that others have the same attitude when it comes to it.
I like to look at photos, and have since I was a pup, but I never really had admiration for them. My grandfather handed me one of his old 120 cameras, and told me to go out and shoot. And since 67" I have been doing that on and off developing my own style, or changing it a few times.
The only photographer that taunted me last was some young punk with a Canon. I was out during the spring runoff season to a canyon that I wanted to get a waterfall image of. Well I saw the kid shooting his shots, and I moved out of his field so I would not be in them. So I setup for my shots, and the punk purposely chose to stand right in the middle of my shot near the falls. I was about ready to toss his happy butt off the side of the canyon, but common sense told me that I did not have my remote, so I would have missed getting him going over.