Hi friends, good vibes to all.
Everyone at some point when we started in this world of photography we did it without knowing much about it, in my case I started thanks to a friend who convinced me to do it because according to him I had a good eye for photography. Personally I think that "good eye" can be innate, I have seen people that without studying anything make extraordinary photos but others that after having studied everything, it seems that they have nothing left.
Before starting in this I had not read or seen anything, much less knew in which branch of photography I saw myself in the future, it was until I was in my first class when curiosity and desire took over me and began all the corresponding reading to understand photography and especially who could be my guides. That is why today I bring you some of the most influential photographers, according to me, who helped me to have a better vision for this of the photos.
- Ansel Adams.
Ansel Adams was one of the fathers of black and white but above all of nature photography, I remember when I first saw some of his photographs I was amazed at how impressive they were. The capture that possibly catapulted him to fame as one of the great photographers was the one he took of a granite summit in Yosemite Park in 1927.
Monolith, the face of half dome!
He is considered by many to be the greatest photographer because few, if any, know as much about photography as he did. He was a consultant for Polaroid and Hasselblad as well as having written 10 manuals on photography. To take the photo I showed you he decided to take it with a yellow filter but the contrast was too pronounced and it provided the drama he wanted so he decided to use a red filter to bring the bright sky to the tones you see in the shot, a genius without a doubt.
Although there could have been a world without the photographer Ansel Adams, since he studied music from a very young age to the point that he could read music and play the piano, but at the age of 18, when he was about to become a pianist, his life changed when he went to Yosemite Park for the first time and contemplated all that nature.
- Henri Cartier Bresson.
Adams may be known as one of the fathers of black and white but Cartier Bresson is certainly one of the fathers of photojournalism and all with a Leica camera. He was one of those who professed that the most important thing was to capture the "decisive moment" as these were the moments where the action was at its most expressive.
For me he is a great example because for several years I had the opportunity to document the protests in my country, Venezuela, and it was because I saw some of his photographs that I became very interested in that world. Another relevant thing about Bresson is that he was the founder of the "Magnum" photography agency, one of the most important in the world today.
Como dato curioso, Bresson siempre criticó a Ansel Adams porque este nunca o muy rara vez ponía a personas en sus fotografía.
As a curious fact, Bresson always criticized Ansel Adams because he never or very rarely put people in his photographs.
I can say that I have learned a lot from Bresson: to understand that the camera has to be a part of our body when taking pictures, the COMPOSITION is always the most important thing, to help us with the environment and use it to our benefit and finally, to look and look and look at things until we are convinced of the picture. ALL this is vital in street photography, a style he knew very well.
- Martin Parr.
Martin Parr is one of those irreverent photographers that there are in the world and that are undeniably needed because it is always incredible to see life the way he appreciates it. His photographic style is based on documentary but with a certain amount of humor and sarcasm showing the lifestyle of the wealthy and especially tourism.
Another of the factors that characterize Parr is the excess of saturation and lighting in his photos and for those who think that this type of photos are "ugly" or not useful, I tell you that he is part of the photographic agency "Magnum" and of which he was its president between the years 2013 to 2017. Martin Parr is a genius in what he does because he was a pioneer in his style and NOBODY has dared to do what he does.
This is one of his best photos, I assure you that if you go to the tower of Pisa you would never imagine taking a photo like this. Parr's eye is one of the things that at some point I would like to emulate, even in a very small percentage, and it is one of the reasons why I have him as one of my most important references. "I create fiction from reality" and "Everyone has something" are some of the phrases that encompass his photographs very well.
- Joe Mcnally.
Joe McNally is one of the best photographers, if not the best, at handling artificial light that I have seen taking pictures. I say seen because I had the opportunity to see some classes that he once taught online and the truth is that he is another genius. We are talking about a photographer who uses 32 flashes to take a photo and ALL of them have a specific purpose and purpose.
Nowadays the use of the flash gun or hot shoe is almost vital for any type of photography, even if we are under an inclement sun as it will allow us to eliminate those hard shadows that are formed in the contours of the face by the effect of the sun, for example.
One of the things that stand out about McNally is how versatile he is, since he does not focus on a single style of photography, but covers sports, fashion and social life in general. He holds a record: the first 100% digital photograph to appear in National Geographic magazine was taken by him, and many photographic magazines consider him to be one of the top 5 photographers today.
I specifically studied the flash gun thanks to this gentleman. Seeing his photos and the magic that can be achieved with the proper use of these devices is mind-blowing.
Speedlite course!
These are, my friends, my great influences in photography. Each one with a totally different style from the other but together they form a very large school of which over the years I have had the opportunity to read and see infinite times to be able to do the least similar to these great masters of photography.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos vemos en la próxima!
Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to everyone, see you next time!