Professional Practice - Inspiring Photographers

As part of the research into the Professional Practice assignment, students had to explore photographers that  inspired them. More importantly it was those photographers that they would like to take elements of their photo practice into their own - standing on the shoulder of giants time!!

Irving Penn

Irving Penn is someone I have admired for sometime now. Its not his fashion that I am particular drawn to but his portraiture and especially his creativity in still life. He has a way of make the ordinary look spectacular. This is created by  his use of lighting and compositional presentation.



Yousuf Karsh

I'm always amazed when in the past I have presented images of Karsh's work to discuss in tutorial groups. I always get a feeling that students don't understand him. He used the most amazing light setup I have seen in portraiture from yester year. Lighting the face and hand separately and specifically. He mostly used a 10 x 8 camera with film. His images seem to have an artistic like quality without trying to be art. However, one of his greatest skills is capturing the sitters unique personality and character within the composition.





Nick Night

Yet again another photographer better known for his fashion but I'm drawn to his still life. This body of work was called Flora, working with the Natural History Museum and taking three and half years to completed. Knight selected the best of the Museums specimens of dried and pressed flowers. He brings a different facet to the capturing a forna and flora with this series of images. I was first put onto this work in discussions with lecturing staff. 


John Blakemore

Lastly but no means least is John Blakemore. This is another photographer that came up in discussions with lecturing staff. This may have to do with the staff member being one of his students back in the day. However, exploring Blakemore's work added a new dimension to what can be achieved with still life. He is renowned for being an expert printer in the use of silver based materials. However, as he and other great exponents of silver based it starts with a good neg. His still life work is a good example of this.