I’ve always loved looking at photographs; they fire my imagination. Even as a child, many years before picking up a camera, I loved sports photographs and photos from a different age. For me, they spark so many questions: Who is that? Why are they doing that? What happened next? What became of them? Of course, I rarely know the answer, but that’s not the point.

In this section, I wanted to showcase some of my favourite photographers over the years. Often when I lack inspiration, I pick up one of their books and re-create that state of inquisitiveness and creativity.

Here are the 6 who have inspired and influenced me the most. Let me know in the visitor’s book who your favourite is.

Legendary Photographers

Henri Cartier-Bresson has intuitively chronicled decisive moments of human life around the world with poetic documentary style. His photographs impart spontaneous instances with meaning, mystery, and humour in terms of precise visual organisation, and his work, although tremendously difficult to imitate, has influenced many other photographers.

Arguably the first street photographer who spent many years documenting Paris street life.

Steve McCurry (born February 24, 1950) is an American photographer and photojournalist. His photo Afghan Girl, of a girl with piercing green eyes, has appeared on the cover of National Geographic several times. McCurry has photographed many assignments for National Geographic and has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1986.

My favourite photographer ….. he has travelled all over the world, often to the world’s most dangerous places, capturing just about every human emotion you can imagine - pain, suffering, hope, endeavour, joy and sadness. He is a master at just about every genre of photography.

Saul Leiter (1923–2013) became enchanted by painting and photography as a teenager in Pittsburgh. After he relocated to New York City in 1946, his visionary imagination and tireless devotion to artistic practice pushed him to become one of the iconic photographers of the mid-twentieth century. An innate sense of curiosity made him a lifelong student of art of all kinds, and he retained his spirit of exploration and spontaneity throughout his long career, in both his fashion images and his personal work.

Probably the most copied photographer on Instagram. Leiter developed an abstract style, often using blocks of vivid colour. I think it was through looking at his images that I realised I had an interest in capturing life on the streets.

Harry Gruyaert (born 1941) is a Belgian photographer known for his images of India, Morocco and Egypt as well as of the west of Ireland and for his use of colour.

“I am a photographer, but I think of photography like therapy. It’s something I need to do. If I don’t take pictures a month, I miss it. Its relationship to the world I need…. Photography that matters most to me comes from this urgent personal need” - Harry Gruyaert

I think this is the photographer that I can mostly relate to the most. He felt compelled to take pictures of just about everything and didn’t particularly have one style. He was a nightmare to travel with as he had to stop every 5 minutes!

Joel Meyerowitz is an American street, portrait and landscape photographer. He began photographing in color in 1962 and was an early advocate of the use of color during a time when there was significant resistance to the idea of color photography as serious art.

I am fascinated by Meyerowitz’s images. He has the knack of being in the right place at the right time ….. of course it’s not a knack, it’s the skills of observation and anticipation.

Fred Herzog (September 21, 1930 – September 9, 2019) was a German-born Canadian photographer, who devoted his artistic life to walking the streets of Vancouver as well as almost 40 countries with his Leica.

Herzog’s use of colour was unusual in the 1950s and 60s, a time when art photography was almost exclusively associated with black and white imagery. In this respect, his photographs can be seen as a pre-figuration of the “New Colour” photographers of the 1970s.

If you love colour images which really capture the 50’s and 60’s, this is the man for you. For me his images really evoke the feel of the mid 2oth century.

Also check out ….

Martin Parr

Garry Winogrand

Ansel Adams

Vivian Maier

Lee Friedlander

Josef Koudelka