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I've been following the odd link to galleries of various photographic masters and have learned a lot by looking at their work.
(Given my absolute novice status) Which photographers work should I checkout and what should I be looking for/learning from their respective work?
For landscapes Ansel Adams is the master. Others that I admire for portraiture/social comment are Dorothea Lange and Diane Arbus, plus of course Irvine Penn. I'm probably a bit old fashioned, but the Farm Security photos taken in the US during the depression (Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston) have a lot to commend them.
What do others think.
I don't know, but many university sites have references to great photographers. Type the names into Google and you will find sites that are about or refer to them. Try Ansel Adams for a site run by Adams' darkroom assistant - you can still buy prints from the original negs but they are expensive. There is a very good book called 'Worlds in a small room' of Penns work. He used natural, northern light - his portraits of San Francisco bikers and members of various African tribes have to be seen to be believed.
Marion Post Walcott. One of my favourites. Robert Capa is another.
The American Farm Security Administration documented the depression period before WWII. The Library of Congress has the catalogue of 160,000 available at Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Check the Photographers on Assignment pages for some of the best. Every time I look at this stuff colour photography looks superficial for a while as the depth B&W reaches in recording events and history is restated.
Nevermind Ansel Adams - have a look at Robert Adams!
Also...
Horst Hamann
Thomas Demand
Thomas Ruff
Andreas Gursky
Google the words "Citibank" or "Citigroup" and the word "Award" and see what names pop up. Fantastic. Mostly.
Also David Malin. A true master of his trade.
Koudelka ( Joseph ) for grittiness
Miyamoto ( Riyuji ) for urban dereliction
Parr ( Martin ) for wackiness
Kippin ( John ) if you like your art to be impenetrable but lush.
Also, get yersel down to your local speciality bookshop or library as there's no substitute for the printed media and these places are run by enthusiasts only too happy to fill a fresh victim with ideas.
Also, get yersel down to your local speciality bookshop
2nd hand bookshops are also rich grounds for picking up photo books and the relatively low prices usually mean you can risk choosing from the unknown, to you, photographers.
Magnum photographers have got to be the ultimate group though but the National Geographic books are often stunning books to own.
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