Though my photographic career is in its infancy, relatively speaking, I have encountered a number of modern-day photographers who I greatly admire, and who have influenced me, either directly or indirectly, in the types of photographs that I am most interested in making. I have learned of most of these photographers through the amazing resources NAPP and Kelby Training. A short alphabetical list follows:
Dave Black (www.DaveBlackPhotography.com): Though Dave’s portfolio contains some amazing sports and nature photographs, it is his light painting technique which most captures my imagination. I haven’t yet gotten around to attempting to technique on my own, but it is on my list.
Frank Doorhof (www.FrankDoorhof.com): Frank’s portrait lighting techniques continue to inspire me. He is an incredible teacher and I hope to attend one of his workshops someday.
Bill Fortney (www.BillFortney.com): Bill is a fantastic landscape photographer and is one of the key inspirations behind my desire to focus on nature and landscape photography going forward. I will have the pleasure of spending two days in the Smoky Mountains with Bill in a couple weeks (more on that in a future blog post).
Bill Frakes (www.BillFrakes.com): Bill’s sporting event photos have awakened an interest in me for sports photography. Though I’m not the world’s largest sports nut, I do have an interest in baseball, tennis, volleyball, and motorcycle racing and hope to gain some experience photographing those particular sports.
Scott Kelby (www.ScottKelby.com): Scott is likely the most prolific photography-related author today. He is also an accomplished photographer and top-notch trainer. I had the pleasure of meeting Scott in person in 2010, and I continue to learn both from his books and training website (www.KelbyTraining.com).
Joe McNally (www.JoeMcNally.com): In my opinion, the best working photographer today. Joe is as funny as he is knowledgeable, and I never tire of reading his books and watching his training videos. I was fortunate enough to attend one of his five-day workshops in St. Lucia in 2010.
Moose Peterson (www.MoosePeterson.com): Moose’s love for nature is apparent in his videos, books, and website. Because of Moose’s inspiration, I have tentatively planned a trip to Yellowstone next year in order to experience and photograph one of his favorite places for myself.
There are numerous other photographers whose images are a source of inspiration to me. The above seven stand out as individuals who have had a direct impact, in one way or another, over the photographs I have already taken or that I intend to concentrate on in the future.