Photography
5 Photographers You Need To Know
Some of the greatest creative minds to ever live, and what you can learn from them.
Ansel Adams:
One of the many names on this list that need no introduction, Ansel Adams is known for his breathtaking landscapes. As one of the first Americans to photograph many of America’s great parks, he used a variety of different cameras, starting with a Kodak Brownie. One of his most famous innovations was the zone system. The zone system allowed for accurate exposure by assigning each element in the photography to a different zone. F-Stoppers has a great article here on the zone system and how to use it in your work: f-stoppers zone system.
You can view more of Ansel Adam’s Images here.
Steve McCurry:
“I think good documentary photography, on its highest level, gets into a realm where you’ve tapped into some archetype of human connection. You’ve struck a chord in people that has tremendous meaning beyond the event itself.” — Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry is undoubtedly one of the most iconic photographers of the past five decades. As a prominent photographer, McCurry has captured dozens of cultures and brought images of conflict, happiness, and simple life into the view of average people all over the globe. On top of his immense technical skills, he has been able to convey emotion and tell a story to the reader in simple images.
More of Mr. McCurry’s work can be found here.
Annie Leibovitz:
If you have seen a magazine in the past 50 years, you have probably seen some of Annie Leibovitz’s stunning work. After starting her photography career at Rolling Stone magazine she had over 140 covers in only 3 years. She didn’t slow down from there, and for the past 50 years, she has shot hundreds of celebrities and esteemed figures. She is often regarded for her use of pristine lighting and vivid colors, but also for a sense of inner dialogue in her subjects.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
The pioneer of photojournalism as we know it. The first image is perhaps his most iconic of all time, and the second is a personal favorite from his expansive collection.
courtesy Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris
Henri Cartier-Bresson is a highly regarded photojournalist who traveled the world taking awe-inspiring photographs. He later co-founded Magnum, which allowed photographers to retain the rights to their photographs when published. His work is so extremely commended because of how spontaneous his photos are. Without Henri Cartier-Bresson, we might not have photojournalism as we know it today. One of the main reasons I love his images so much is because of their sense of movement and personalism. When you look at these photos, your attention is instantly drawn to every detail that was captured.
courtesy Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris
View more of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s images here.
Jimmy Chin:
Jimmy Chin is lesser known (even though he’s won an Oscar) and influential, but he has had a huge impact on my career.
Jimmy Chin has inspired me so much because he is able to capture the beauty of nature in a way no one else quite can. Ansel Adams made a name for himself because of the remote national parks he would photograph, but Jimmy Chin’s photos were taken in places that literally no one else could have been. He also works to document some of the greatest mountaineering and climbing feats ever accomplished. His most notable example of this is probably his photos and film surrounding Alex Honnold’s free solo of El Capitan. You can check out some more of Jimmy’s work here.
The names on this list, are not the most influential or greatest of all time (though an argument could be made for several of them), but they are large personal inspirations and great figures that any photographer can learn from. I might be doing a second edition of this concept, so if you have any other photographers you would like to see in the next article let me know.
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