Greetings reader.
There are several honors that one can receive in the field of photography. The obvious ones would be awards, prize money, and publication. However, there’s another huge honor that I feel gets overlooked, simply because it’s not really something that can be measured, and the photographer may not even know that they have this honor. The particular honor I’m speaking of is to be someone’s inspiration. To be one of the reasons someone picked up their camera, or picked their camera back up after a long period of time. To be the photographer who encouraged another to break out of their “usual” style and try something new. To create images that help someone see the world in a new and interesting way. To produce images so flawless it helps another see how putting in the extra effort is worth it.
In this post, I’d like to share with you the people who helped me get to where I am with my photography, today, as opposed to where I was back in 2015 and before. It’s likely you’ve heard of these photographers before, but I don’t feel like their impact on my work should go unmentioned.
1) Thomas Heaton - OK, let’s get the most obvious one out of the way. Thomas Heaton, for those of you who have been living under a rock for the last four years, is one of the most prominent photographers on Youtube. He has, no doubt, inspired countless people to pick up their camera and shoot the world around them. Now, I’m far from the first person to come across Thomas Heaton’s work. I first stumbled upon his work back in 2017, right before my first trip to Yamanashi (I believe it was a video titled “The Ugly Side of Landscape Photography”). I was immediately blown away by his determination and the quality of work he was producing. This left me feeling more encouraged than ever to go out and shoot after seeing the power of patience. Up until that moment, I had more or less been a point and shoot photographer, rather than the kind of person who planned trips and stood around waiting for the light to be just right. However, it wasn’t just the end product that impressed me, but the genuine personality Heaton showed me. I had no idea someone so immensely skilled at their craft could remain so humble and down to Earth. After watching that video, I watched another, then another, and another. The rest is history. Thomas Heaton remains the first name that I bring up when people ask me how I “got so good” at taking photos. Had I never stumbled upon this video, I may never have realized the full potential my camera had. Thanks to Thomas Heaton, I rediscovered my passion for photography, and found the motivation required to get to the level I am at today.
2) Mads Peter Iversen - Another popular name in the world of photography, Mads is a prominent figure on Youtube and spends a lot of time in some of the most picturesque parts of the world, leading workshops, and creating his signature work. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll probably never have the time and money to visit the epic locations Mads frequents, but his work has inspired me all the same. While Thomas Heaton tends to keep his post processing to a minimum, Mads Peter Iversen has mastered the art of having a clear style. After viewing the work of Mads, I started spending more time on each image, and utilizing blending techniques to create the image I had in my head, even if it couldn’t be done entirely in camera. This has lead me to do more pre-visualization before each shot. Rather than shooting the scene as it is, I shoot the scene with a clear end product in mind, and use the technology available to me to make it a reality. However, beyond the work itself, Mads has most inspired me by still finding time to respond to my questions and comments on Instagram and on Fstoppers. This may seem small, but it has helped me view Mads not just as a photographer, but as a person. I occasionally get asked for help on sites like Reddit, so having Mads be so responsive has helped me understand how much a simple reply can mean to someone who is trying to improve themselves. As a person who works nearly 50 hours a week, and has a young daughter, my free time is incredibly limited. On top of that I’ve always been on the more introverted side, but I’ll continue to try my best to offer advice and provide help to other aspiring photographers whenever and wherever I can. Thanks to Mads, I understand how much something as small as 3 minutes of your time can mean to someone.
3) Peter Stewart - If you’ve been following my work over the last 2 years (which, let’s face it, you likely haven’t), you will have noticed that something has changed, this year. If you look back at my work from before October 2018 you will notice I primarily focused on nature and night photography. However, after having a daughter I realized that this wasn’t going to work anymore. My opportunities to go out and chase the light and gamble on conditions wasn’t going to allow me to take as many high quality photos as I would like. Luckily, I stumbled upon the work of Peter Stewart on Fstoppers. Stewart primarily focused on building photography in South East Asia. His is a portfolio I could spend hours looking at. Not just a skilled photographer, Stewart has found a way to add a level of depth and liveliness to his photos, with his processing, that still blows my mind to this very day. I try not to “copy” the style of other photographers, but this depth is something I feel a lot of my photos lack, and I’ve been spending more and more time trying to find the missing piece that he seems to have found. Going back to his subjects, after viewing his work, I began to realize that I was only seeing half the picture. I was only viewing the cities around me through a wide angle lens. Since finding his work, I’ve been able to see the cities I visit in a completely different way. I’ve lived in the Tokyo area for almost 6 years, but it wasn’t until I saw Stewart’s work that I realized how amazing the everyday structures around me could be, at the right focal length. I’ve since built an entire portfolio of abstract images based in the city, which has allowed me to spend more time with my family while managing to continue building my body of work. I understand that this work isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t always get fantastic responses on social media (not that social media is a reliable measure of quality), but I’ve never been more excited to go out and rediscover the cities I’ve been living near for half a decade.
4) Fan Ho - This one may come as a bit of a surprise, because I don’t do street photography, but Fan Ho may actually be my favorite photographer, in terms of the actual work itself. I feel his work is so incredibly well shot that it transcends genre preferences. He is proof that even after your passing, your work can live on forever. Fan Ho’s amazing use of light, shadows, lines, and space within his frame is simply stunning. I don’t think any words in the English language can ever describe how absolutely breathtaking his work is, so all I can do is encourage you to seek his work out, I’ll leave a link below, regardless of how you typically feel about street photography. This entry is a little brief, but I did feel the need to mention his work. Fan Ho’s ability to create the stunning works he did with the limited technology available at the time is a testament to how hard work can pay off. Your gear doesn’t determine if you can take a good image, you do. I may have top of the line gear now, but back when I didn’t, Fan Ho was a constant inspiration, and his work remains among my favourites to this day.
I strongly recommend checking out the work of these individuals, as they are some of the best I’ve ever seen. I can only hope that some day I will be able to produce work at their level. I’d love to be able to call myself an award winning photographer, it would be nice to earn some extra money for my hard work, and seeing my work published would leave me speechless. However, most of all, I hope some day my work can serve as an inspiration for those looking to get into photography. It doesn’t matter if you have a mobile phone camera, a medium format, mirror-less, or a DSLR. Go out, and see the world through your lens. Show us your version of the world though your lens.
Here are a list of links to the websites of the photographers I mentioned in this post:
Thomas Heaton: https://thomasheaton.co.uk/
Mads Peter Iversen: https://www.mpiphoto.dk/
Peter Stewart: https://www.peterstewartphotography.com/
Fan Ho: https://fanho-forgetmenot.com/
And as always, thanks for reading.