This is a question that those into photography often ask their fellow photographers, or are being asked by others. In the same way as we have our favourite musicians, movie stars, artists so we have our favourite photographers. Of course, if one was to name all those who have influenced various generations of artists or simply admired them for their courage, artistic vision or charisma it would be an endless list of great iconic names.
But if I was pressed to name my top 10 list ( it really should be a top 100 list ) from my own perspective they would be as follows;
1. Andre Kertesz
2. Don McCullin
3. Henri Cartier-Bresson
4. Sebastiao Salgado
5. Robert Frank
6. Gordon Parks
7. Dorothea Lange
8. Alfred Eisenstadt
9. Elliott Erwitt
10. Anselm Adams
Since I named just a few iconic photographers, here is my top 3 videos on youtube that I would recommend to all and not only to those into photography.
McCullin - a film by Jacqui Morris e David Morris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-r0IjB44KY
Half Past Autumn: The Life and Work of Gordon Parks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyVZTrB5eAw
Andre Kertesz BBC Master Photographers (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olc_QLDPUeU
So, who are your favourite photographers? Naming your favourite photographers also reveals your photography genre preference, style and approach.
Emily Soto, Miss Aniela, Tim Walker, Lyndsey Adler.
I didn't know that you are into fashion shoots. Yes, Tim walker has great work I watched a fashion shoot video work on youtube, great stuff.
Yes I love fashion it just requires a bigger budget (and assistants) which I don't have! I have done some fashion type stuff but it is easier just to do portraits - you don't have to find fashion models or high end clothing.
Andre Josselin
Dani Diamond
Brooke Shaden
Erik Almas
Sean Mundy
Thanks, André Josselin has some truly awesome portrait works.
Of course. I forgot Brooke Shaden. I knew I left someone out!
:) we all have left out someone, I should have squeezed William Klein somewhere :) . Well, it is an endless list, but one does get introduced to new artists or gets reminded of the giants of photography. How do you like David Bailey's work seen from today's perspective? Do you find it inspirational even though it was fashion in the 70s?
There are a tonne I have left out I think - they'll come to me later - few that work for Vogue Italia.
As for David Bailey I have only seen his really famous stuff so would ned to educate myself before commenting.
I should also mention the amazing Ansel Adams for his landscape photography.
Maybe Aeksandr Rodchenko, Robert Krasker and Man ray
Thanks for the comment nkdk. Uh, those are true icons that have generated entire artistic movements, especially Rodchenko with his " constructivism".
It's really bad that I don't have any favourite photographers, isn't it.
Thanks for the comment. You must have, you just don't think of them as favourite photographers :). One can argue perhaps that admiring someones photography work, courage or fight for a cause is equivalent to "favourite photographer" in this case. When one sees the work and life of Gordon Parks and his engagement in civil rights, or Slagado's reviling of human suffering for example it is really difficult not to be moved by those images. Just a thought :)
Well, I've never really followed photographers' lives or stories.
I like a lot of portraiture... Benoit Paille's Rainbow Gathering portraits, Joey Lawrence's Holy Men especially the Sadhus.
Also, the Russian photographers always seem to impress me. Katarina Smuraga, Alina Lebedeva, Victoria Nazarova, Mike Pavlovsky
Paweł Smiałek, Polish I think, does ambrotypes. Magda Andrzejewska