Inspirations And Influencers
Inspiration. People and other elements that help us define what we do, how we do it and why.
Influencers. Those people or effects that change what we do and how we do it.
When I explained the form of this post to my wife, she suggested the original content and title may be too limiting (“Inspiration”). She felt I needed to sub-categorise my inspirations into inspirations and influencers.
For most of my early life with (film) cameras, my inspiration came funnelled through magazines, the odd book and word of mouth. The day I discovered my desire, my need even to photograph, there was a perfect junction of a piece of music (Enya “Storms Over Africa”) and a magazine article about Jim Brandenburg’s Aerial images of Africa, Namibia in particular. A perfect, un-intentional coincidence and my first influencer. The hairs on my neck stood up and I still remember, thirty plus years later, that all I wanted to do was see and shoot like that (maybe to music?).
I bought the magazine “Photography” because I had just purchased a camera (T80 Canon, a homage to the worst of 80’s styling) and it felt like a sensible reinforcement of my purchase, but the actual driver to do photography as a life imperative came with these images and the accompanying music at an impressionable and overly romantic time in my life.
In a nutshell, the camera was irrelevant (good thing as it was an odd and limiting choice), the true inspiration came from perceptual stimulation, just as it should.
To be inspired by, or even influenced by someone does not mean you set out to copy them, but that they have helped set creative parameters, validations to apply to the loose ideas in your head. They have helped define and clarify who you are and where you want to go.
From that point on, I can identify several photographers and more importantly their images that have helped “focus” my journey through the years*. These are my influencers. I have not provided links, because I may be overstepping the copyright line, but a quick search and you will find them. I have added some of my own images. These are not for comparison as they would not withstand that, but simply to show how an influence can be interpreted to develop another stream of creation, even a lesser one.
Sam Abell; “Branding” Rosman Ranch Utica. This image revealed, with it’s accompanying article in American Photo, the importance of composing from back to front. Abell settled a lot of concepts for me. The term “Sam Abell light” is still synonymous in our house with late afternoon or pre-storm “golden” light and I carry a quote with me about the strength of the quiet image. Include for good measure any of the cowboy images by him.
Not really the same, but composed with similar thinking. Front to back depth and elements of colour to hold it together. This image is probably as much “Alex Webb” influenced in style, but not in thought process.
Sam Abell; “View of the Kremlin” Moscow. The first time I “got” the relevance of the mundane against the extra ordinary and how they are perceived by real people. This fundamental idea went from abstract-artsy (boring b.s.) to uber strong story telling.
No Lemons and no Kremlin and almost the opposite dynamic, but definitely inspired by my image memory. This image was the very first posted on this blog. My wife actually first noticed the similarity in style.
Sam Abell: “Grand Hotel” Hagi Japan. This beautiful image first seen on the cover of his book “Life of a Photograph”, highlights to me both of the above, with a gentle colour palette, reminiscent of the early colourists and sublime, intuitive use of Bokeh as a creative element. The things that hold the image together for me are the red tail lights of the bus with the brilliance of the light on the table.
Sam Abell; “Straw Hat” Kentucky. Another example of the power of light and perfect technique with a relatively mundane subject. He took lots of images in Shaker communities, but this one stands out for me.
A sewage truck in Osaka, highlighting that beauty and serenity can be found anywhere.
Perfecting perfection is also a strong driver for my work. Ever looking at parts of something rather than the whole, I once visited an old car show and stoked with the results, shared some images with the car club. The majority of comments came back along the lines of “great, but where is the rest of the car?”.
Unappreciated by the owner, I felt this (with others) could define the essence of the car and the effort put into creating it. The lesson here is know your audience, but stick to your true self.
Sam Abell; “Dorymen Joe and Clarence Hawkins” Newfoundland. All of the things that make an environmental portrait powerful.
My closest example of the balance between empathy and relevance.
Bill Allard; “Benedetta Buccellato” Sicily. Simply the best and most on point soft/sharp image I have seen. Before Bokeh (or even AF) was a thing, this defined that concept visually for me, before it had a name. He managed to focus on the face net perfectly, allowing the sublime Bokeh and colours to hold the rest.
I have nothing of that calibre, but a few that take my head into a similar space. The red lipstick (under processed in this version) allows a flawed image to just hold together.
Ansel Adams; “Caladium Leaves” Honolulu. A colour image, rare for that photographer and by time (1948) rare for most. The velvety splendour was the best of it’s type for me at a time when “Classical Nature” images were my calling. No matter how many black and white images I look at, especially from this period, minimalist colour always wins out.
A gentleness in craft I had not manifested before this. This image pays homage to both gentle, classic tones and negative space.
John Sexton; “Cornlilly” California 1977. This slot probably belongs the John Shaw, who allowed a young 35mm photographer to think and work like a larger format shooter, but Sexton’s work, especially that image, have been a strong and defining influence on my abstract wilderness images. I would probably take it in colour though ;).
The two above and below are sides of the same coin.
Many years or trying to capture that elusive gentleness of the early Adams images has led to many, many files I may have otherwise passed over. I struggled to find one I liked enough to bother with here. I am fully aware that the audience for this type of image is generally found in midwest America (possible too long ago), so the influence was/is strong enough to hamper the relevance of my resulting images, but an influence it was.
Ansel Adams; “Green Hills Evening” Gilroy California. Again a rare colour image from a reluctant Adams, the subtlety and gentleness of this ( and most others of his like it) is a product of the photographer and the limits or character of his medium (beware of modern over-processed versions). If you see this in any form other than with soft, light lime green and equally soft red-brown’s, you are seeing it incorrectly.
That rare light that defies technical logic, but just works. All it needs is some lime green ;).
Ansel Adams; “Aspens” New Mexico. Several black and white images from his huge portfolio that really woke me up to the power of light and dark made stronger together. All are good, but my favourite is the one where the trees look like they are walking toward you.
Very common in my own mono imaging is the use of negative or black space. It is really handy at the zoo.
Phil Borges; “Maralal” Kenya. Revelatory when first found, Borges work uses light, selective colour and format in a way I had never before seen nor forgotten. He allowed me to break formatting shackles and inspires us all to take the studio into the real world.
Shape and placement, but without selective colour. The way Borges does it (darkroom bleaching and toning) makes it art. Just removing it from a digital file seems gimmicky.
Sebastiao Salgado; The Sudan Images. Back in the 80’s we felt we could actually make a difference with a camera (the Bosnian war broke that spell). These images are always where my mind goes when someone says the word “Famine”, but equally, dignity in suffering. I cannot claim any images of the power and relevance of these, but I will never forget the message, that one image can change a person’s perspective (it did mine).
Michael Kenna; The Rouge, Study 13, Dearborn Michigan. Another example of Bokeh used creatively with Kenna’s typical minimalist strength. There are lot’s of Kenna landscapes on my remember list, images that help remind us that the world is full of beauty, no matter how mundane the subject. Really, his images say to me “get off your %#s and take photo’s anytime, anywhere and in any light”. Other images, often in magazines etc, with similar structure resonated with me well before I understood or had heard of Bokeh, but this one and Eugene Smith’s “Steel Mill Worker” series are the memorable work from this period.
An early and technically flawed attempt at “Kenna” style. I wish I had the patience, because I have spent far too long dwelling on the technical.
Michael Kenna; The Ratliffe Power Station series. I am particularly drawn to his urban and industrial images, especially the power station ones. These were for me the second time beauty clashed with environmental horror (the first was Robert Ketchum’s work), but Kenna’s won out because of their simple strength. Ketchum actually hid the horror inside the beauty, Kenna harmonises with it.
Pentti Sammallahti; Pretty much the whole book “Here Far Away”. Coming late in the piece, this work bought together all of the influences from my own past into a new work, done old style. Pentti shoots film and prints to suit. His book is timeless and perfectly presented, but at the same time so obviously “old school”.
A bit of a cross-over between old school abstraction with colour and Penti’s natural grittiness.
Saul Leiter; “Through Boards” 1957. About 15 years ago, I realised, I was drawn to the early colour photographers (1950-70), especially early street shooters. Leiter’s work in particular became a firm favourite. The palette they used (were restricted to), their brave, sometimes miraculous technique and their use of abstraction, which seemed more acute and advanced than mono shooter’s, all struck to my heart. Even mono image maker’s who made rare forays into colour, seemed to be different artists there.
That Hollywood set, semi-fake light that I find so compelling. This elusive and timeless light followed me one day in Kanazawa Japan (more images below).
Ernst Haas; His reflection, abstraction and detail images and a stunning shot of a swimmer with her eyes closed that I cannot find a name for other than “Swimmer New York City 1988”. Haas was also better known as a black and white image maker. Like Leiter, he takes on a different artistic persona with colour.
Light and abstraction vs form and function, the early colourists battle.
Fred Herzog; “Granville Street from Granville Bridge” 1966 and similar. A compressed by long telephoto, colour, urban landscape from that period is a truly rare beast. I love taking these and these days they are so easy to take, but when this was made it was a genuine boundary pusher.
Never averse to some depth compression, my longer lenses get a lot of work when travelling.
Fred Herzog; The “Crossing Powell” series. Another favourite work environment of mine is late afternoon, often reflected or restricted light in big cities. I discovered Herzog in quantity only relatively recently, with a realisation that if I had found him earlier, he may well have helped define my own style sooner and better.
Lots like this, which in cities are so very easy to do, but the Crossing Powell series are so much stronger, especially when you consider the vast technical differences.
Closer to the same dynamic.
Fred Herzog; “Foot of Main”. The urban landscape, as more recently defined by artists like Stephen Shore or Joel Sternfeld, likely gained inspiration from images like this. I truly believe many of these images are stronger, maybe even only relevant, in colour. The mood colour adds effortlessly, cannot be translated into mono only. Mono has it’s own strength, but colour, often the poor artistic cousin, cannot be discounted.
Countless images of the empty places people make. These have always been a strong element in my work.
Harry Gruyaert; “Fort Mahon” France. If Phil Borges makes the world his portrait studio, Gruyaert makes it his stage. Limited as we all were by the capabilities of out film stock, Gruyaert makes his sing like few others can. His work, especially his book and prints, have the same feel as a black and white printer’s, just with colour added. He is bold, mysterious and deep in tonality with the added richness of heavy, almost unreal colour.
Rich deep Kodachrome colour with a modern twist. Gruyaert and others of his time were not afraid to embrace the limitations and strengths of their medium. My old EM5’s in particular seem to be tuned into this.
William Eggleston; “Glass On Plane”. This one haunts me. Light is the heart of all photography and such blatant glorification of light can backfire, but with perfect time and place, transcend. I was not a huge fan of his work, but as I mature I see the importance of it.
Ha! Just kidding, not even close but one day………
Stephen Dalton; His high speed stop motion wildlife images. Dalton was an early pioneer of super high speed flash captures. I am still amazed by the quality of these images, many using 35mm film, taken 50 plus years ago now. Google; Dalton “Swallow skimming water” or “Frog landing in water”
There are many I have not mentioned, mainly because they do not fit the brief of “pivotal” works in my photographic development. Sometimes this is because they are too new, some because they are too new to me, or some simply because they are inspirations, but not influencers.
They include;
Jan Meisner who has a similar feel to Gruyaert or Webb, using the streets of New York as a stage set for deep and complicated compositions, often full of shadow and mystery.
Nothing about this image works except for the man in the middle, an island in his own spirit. The image does contain elements of Guyaert colour, Abell depth and Meisner theatre, but it otherwise contradicts many of the things that make a truly great image. Still like it though.
Nick Brandt, doing for nature what Borges does for people.
Peter Turnley, a rare master of both black and white and colour. This is the work of a communicating street photographer, not an opportunist like me.
Alex Webb, a master of deep, busy compositions often using silhouettes or near obstructions for framing.
Kate Kirkwood, who manages to merge rural and urban street (lane?) photography into something unique.
Keith Lazelle, David H Wells and McDuff Everton who came to me through the pages of Camera and Darkroom magazine pre 2000’s, each bringing their own style and lessons.
Nathan Benn. Benn’s work, only recently published has two distinctions for me. He is unheralded, but thankfully re-discovered now and his book Kodachrome Memory, is sublime in accuracy and feel for the film and it’s times, but like Adam’s colour work was butchered in all other reproductions I have seen*.
John Shaw, Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe and Alan Rokach, who’s early books on conventional colour photography are still with me and are still relevant.
The bulk of National Geo photographers up until about 2000 when I stopped looking.
Last but not least a personal friend and mentor Peter Motton, a local photographer, advanced black and white technician and winner of numerous international awards for his mono work.
*
I bet I have forgotten someone from the last 30+ years, but I hope not too any ;).
What have I learned about myself from this retrospective?
I like colour over black and white for my work and my inspiration, but will use and I am influenced by both.
I like abstracts, details, mood influencers and the correct application or colour and tone.
I also seem to like the abandoned, the run-down, the melancholy and quiet places.
Lastly, I like multi layered, multi faceted and complicated images that tell a story, especially those containing contradiction and contrast.
I guess I am just like most of you.
*These images are without exception prints from my book collection. When looking for examples be very careful to chose the most accurate, gentle, accurate to source ones, not the modern over-photoshoped takes, especially the Adams colour ones or most things from the Kodachrome era. I have seen the newer printing of “Adams In Color” and I can guarantee, he would not be pleased. Benn’s work also got a good processing (Photoshop) work-over by reviewers doing the beauty and relevance of the work no favours at all.