List Your Top Photographers of all Time

[crazyfly1]

Hi all,
I’m trying to improve my photography. I’m finding that the biggest part of that and in improving my retouching is being able to see what a good photo looks like.
To that end I would like to spend time looking at other peoples photos and trying to figure out what makes them great photos.

So, I looked here and did a search for "favorite photographers" and all I found was one thread started by cj swartz in 2007 and sadly, it went nowhere.
I found this
http://www.flickr.com/groups/central...7594132713204/
But I think we should have our own.

I would like to know who your top 5 photographers of all time are. A good format would be;

1. Name
" Link to work if available"
2.
And so on.

You all will really help me out if you participate in this. The type of photography does not matter. Can be anything from wedding to landscape.
I’m also curious to know if you all think there should be two lists, one for classic photographers using classic darkroom techniques and one for photographers of say, the last 15 years where they tend to rely heavily on digital retouching.

[crazyfly1]

Hmmm, I also wonder if there is a list of 5 that every one could agree would be the best of the best. Pioneers.
You know like in classical music; Haden, Bach, Chopin, Straus, Beetohven? Oops, 6, and Rachmaninov.


Hmmm, and do you think there sohould be one list for color and one for BW?

[crazyfly1]

K, so I'm being really active in my own thread.

I don't really know photographers hence, the thread, so what I did was go to the link above and drew a top list from there.
Of 37 posters with preferences this is how the list washed out;
Top 7 are;
cartier-bresson 5
capa 4
adams 3
henri lartigue 3
kenna 3
lange 3
newton 3

and ten get honorable mention- listed alphabetically;
brandt 2
burri 2
crewdson 2
erwitt 2
goldin 2
karsh 2
lorca dicorcia 2
nachtwey 2
smith 2
weston 2

All others were only in one persons list.

[JD Spears]

My list of favorite is always changing but Nick Vedros has been on my short list for about 25 years now.
Sorry but I couldn't cull it down to just 5.
Nick Vedros
http://www.vedros.com/

Jack Reznicki
http://www.reznicki.com/

Bill frymire
http://www.billfrymire.com/blog/

Marc Simon
http://www.marcsimonphoto.com

Glen Wexler
http://www.glenwexler.com/agree.html

Bill Simone
http://www.billsimonephotography.com/

Rod Evans
http://www.evanscreativity.com/

Doug Landreth
http://www.douglandreth.com/

Jim Divitale
http://divitalephotography.com/

John Fulton
http://www.johnfultonphotography.com
&
http://www.atticfirearchitecture.com

[crazyfly1]

Thanks JD, no need to hold it to 5. 11 is great!

BTW JD, How did you get the look on the girls face with the green hoody? It's so pained.

(First one in the gallery next to the police cars)

[Janet Petty]

Here are two threads that address your question. Rather than adding to what's already been written. I attached the urls.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...nfluences.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...we-aspire.html

Below are two photographers that I'm acquainted with. They both have something I aspire to.

http://www.cloudland.net - This is Tim Ernst's site. I like Tim's style a lot. He lives just a short drive from where I live.

http://www.glennwheeler.com - This is Glenn's site. Glenn is a good friend and a great photographer.

Have fun.

Janet

[crazyfly1]

Thanks Janet.
That's why I started this thread and suggested the format. You and JD togather listed more Photographers than were mentioned in both those threads combined. I know we can do better.

[crazyfly1]

JD,
I really didn’t hit on anything until I got to Bill Simone, and I really liked that.
Evans is great, love the use of color, hate the flash site though. (And I thought the gallery title “girls locker room” was totally misleading. )

Evans mother child photography is stunning.

I think Landreth’s stuff flew right by photography and landed on art.
I enjoy Divitale’s tutorials more than his photography.
I’ll have to spend some time with Fulton. I can’t decide if I love it or hate it.
And Spears. I want to know how the attached image is done.

[crazyfly1]

Originally Posted by Janet Petty

http://www.cloudland.net - This is Tim Ernst's site. I like Tim's style a lot. He lives just a short drive from where I live.

[Have fun.

Janet

Wow, talk about painting with light!

Isn't re-arranging furnature and pillows and calling it before and after kind of cheating?

[JD Spears]

Originally Posted by crazyfly1

Thanks JD, no need to hold it to 5. 11 is great!

BTW JD, How did you get the look on the girls face with the green hoody? It's so pained.

(First one in the gallery next to the police cars)

Actually, that was taken several years back and though over time she got to be very good at giving different expressions I think that one was because it was very cold and very windy.

[JD Spears]

Originally Posted by crazyfly1

JD,
I really didn’t hit on anything until I got to Bill Simone, and I really liked that.
Evans is great, love the use of color, hate the flash site though. (And I thought the gallery title “girls locker room” was totally misleading. )

Evans mother child photography is stunning.

I think Landreth’s stuff flew right by photography and landed on art.
I enjoy Divitale’s tutorials more than his photography.
I’ll have to spend some time with Fulton. I can’t decide if I love it or hate it.
And Spears. I want to know how the attached image is done.

Yeah! Bill Simone's work is interesting. Be sure and check out his blog if you haven't already. BTW He's also a member here.
I like Evans old site better. It was easer getting around. As for the girls locker room.. Don't you wish! Yeah, me too for that matter.
Also the Attic Fire website is Fulton's as well.
As for the attached image.. It's almost 3:00 AM here in Georgia so I'll look up the PSD and give you the details tomorrow.

[zganie]

There are so many great photographers but for me,one of the top photographers is most definately
ALBERT WATSON go take a look at his images

[JD Spears]

Originally Posted by crazyfly1

JD,
I really didn’t hit on anything until I got to Bill Simone, and I really liked that.
Evans is great, love the use of color, hate the flash site though. (And I thought the gallery title “girls locker room” was totally misleading. )

Evans mother child photography is stunning.

I think Landreth’s stuff flew right by photography and landed on art.
I enjoy Divitale’s tutorials more than his photography.
I’ll have to spend some time with Fulton. I can’t decide if I love it or hate it.
And Spears. I want to know how the attached image is done.

Carzyfly,
I took the attached images plus one of a clothesline (not shown) and composited together. I started building the rain in a typical way; Separate solid black or white layer;
Noise, motion blur, levels, more blur, experimenting around ,a few layers of rain with just slightly different angles and opacity. I used a plastic wrap on her to try and make her look wet. On an transparent layer I drew a few rain drops with black & white and used cut & paste onto her and used free transform. They look kind of milky. I thought I might do it over sometime by photographing some actual rain drops.
I was intending for it to look like she was coming in the door after getting caught in the rain but most people see it as looking at her through a window. Which mean I need to work on telling the story more clearly. Photographically that is.
If you want to know more about any of the details or have any suggestions for improvement, let me know.

[santajuana]

I have some..... not in order

1. Ansel Adams www.anseladams.com/
2. Jan Saudek http://www.saudek.com/
3. Patrick Demarchelier http://www.demarchelier.net/home.html
4. David Lachapelle www.davidlachapelle.com/
5. Settimio Benedusi www.benedusi.it/
6. Click Hamilton www.clickhamilton.com/
7. Markus Klinko www.markusklinko-indrani.com/

i could continue putting names lol !!!

[dkcoats]

I couldn't stop at 5.
Past (in no particular order):
Cartier-Bresson
T. Eugene Smith
Avedon
Ansel Adams
Robert Frank
Diane Arbus (has nobody mentioned her yet???)
Walker Evans

Current:
Sebastiao Salgado (!!)
James Nachtwey