Who Are Your Heroes?

Melissa Rodwell.

My background is in Art/Art History, so I find that much of my foundational inspiration has come from such artists as Salvador Dali (visionary & brilliant businessman), Kathe Kollwitz (German artist during the early 20th century for her realism in capturing human suffering), Jackson Pollock (for his instinct in following the moment & Zeitgeist of the Art Culture of his time), and Tiepolo (for his fluidity & passion in drawing & painting the human figure and thus, somehow capturing the spirit of a moment. There are many more for many reasons, but those are a few of my "creative" heroes. My photography business is just a little over a year old, so I am, in many ways, still looking for my heroes so to speak!

Looks like Summer 2011 is shaping up for a FULL season of classes. Can't wait to plan these into my calendar!

"The learning never ends at creativeLIVE. The inspiration never stops. The heroes keep coming.

Who helps you through difficulties and inspires you to continue learning? Who motivates you to push your limits and become a better photographer? Who are your photography heroes?"
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Wonderful post, I need to copy and print this because it speaks to me in a personal way.
chris

Here are the names that initially come to mind when I think of who's work I've admired, learned from, or been influenced by (in no particular order): Pete Turner, Elliott Erwitt, Jay Maisel, Gregor Heisler, Edward Weston, Ruth Bernhard, Eric Meola, Matthew Jordan Smith, Robert Farber, Freeman Patterson, Richard Avedon, Dean Collins, Arnold Newman, Helmut Newton, Andrea Feininger, Ernst Haas, Greg Gorman, Philipe Halsman, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jack Reznicki, John Shaw, and probably a few more that escape me at the moment.

For some of these, it is their vision. For others their technical mastery. For some, I might not even like/enjoy their photos, but feel their passion and energy.

Dan Milnor, aka @Smogranch, and Riccis Valladares.

To be frank, there have been quite a many like Ken Rockwell, Mike & Andy, Zack Arias, Neil van Niekerk etc from whom i always have learnt tons and derive inspiration almost everyday. But you Chase! you are the one who is my Hero! If i wish to become a photographer, it is majorly because of you. In my world of upbringing, a photographer is one who has a 6x6 foot room with some colored curtains and 2 umbrellas and an entry level DSLR, who makes his living by taking passport snaps or silly portraits or taking snapshots in a wedding event, thats it! But when i came to know you, saw the things that you are doing, i was blown out of mind. I would have never collected the courage to aspire to become a pro photographer if i weren't exposed to your vision! You gave me the sight of what awesome things can a pro do, what greatness is there in being a legend like You or David Hobby or Zack Arias or Ansel Adams or anyone of that league. You gave me the vision Chase! You in your own ways always show me the path that that am proud to follow and extremely excited about. There is a charm in your work that just amazes me to wake me up in middle of a night, work on something that i thought about or saw somewhere, push myself hard to create pictures out of crap and have fun with whatever little gear i own. You are my master! And i wish to become one of your favorite disciples some day! Amen! :)

tons of respect for everything that you do!
tons and tons of love and prayers for who you are!
Please continue curing my insanity!
Bimal Nair.

James Nachtwey. He moves me with his hauntingly beautiful images and with his resolute idealism of changing the world through photography. Looking at his work motivates me to get off my butt and make the photographs I want to make.

One of my newish biggest heroes are Zach and Jody Gray. They have all their posing and lighting down so they can get it right in camera and don't have to mess with very much post-processing. If you guys are taking suggestions for future classes, I would work on them!!

Kim

My hero is Penny De Los Santos!! :) She inspired me to really get serious about shooting again!
I also Jasmine Star. She came from a background that I can relate to. I love her infectious spirit!

Susan Stripling. Her work is amazing. She really does make it look simple and her work is far from simple. I remember the very first time I saw her images and was completely blown away. Just seeing her images made me want to learn more and improve my skills. I still have so much to learn.

Hands down Zack Arias, watched and purchased both of his Creative Live classes. His work is awesome and I love his perspective on gear and photography.

Really looking forward to Lighten up and Shoot as well.

Will be intersting to see the names that get mentioed on this blog post.

Rick

My hero is Don Giannatti of http://www.lightingessentials.com - he is an all around amazingly fun person, but also one of the best teachers I have ever run across. He is currently hosting a Project 52 group on flickr [found at the Lighting Essentials flickr group], leading a group of photographers in the quest of better photography and better portfolios. He not only tackles basic lighting technique, but discusses things on the business end of the spectrum. He is always encouraging yet honest in his critiques of our work, and instills in his students to not only do their best, but to be their best as people. I have made amazing strides in my own photography under his mentorship, and couldn't be more grateful and honored to have the opportunity to learn from him.

Alright, I guess I need to narrow it down. You really need to get these two out to Seattle to do a workshop.

Trey Ratcliff (HDR) - http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

Ryan Brenizer (Wedding) - http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/

Isn't Chase in New York right now? Tell him to go meet Ryan.