Comments on: Influences

By: Chris Klug

Chris Klug — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:00:06 +0000

I can’t say any particular photographer is an influence on me. I know who I wish I was more like (Winogrand) but I can’t say my work is anywhere near as good as his. The first image I can conjure that influenced me was Joe Melziener’s sketch for Death of a Salesman. And I know I’m very influenced by Kandinsky.

By: Andreas Manessinger

Andreas Manessinger — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:36:16 +0000

Ove is right, much of my fascination with a certain kind of landscapes, but also with fantasy literature, or even with certain computer games, goes back to maybe two children’s books that I had. Both were fairly realistic, not at all like what became modern in the early 70s. One was a book of fairy tales, the other a book of, I don’t know, animals in a jungle, a big fire, the story how the animals escape.

I think my current influences are the people whose blogs I read, and sometimes what they recommend. Craig Tanner gave me a method of analysis and critique, as well as the feeling that this is actually helpful for the artist, Ted Byrne opened my mind and encouraged me to actually think of what I do as art, Mark Hobson is an endless source of inspiration, to mention just a few. Mike Johnston recommended the late “Polaroids” by André Kertész, an incredibly touching book, one that I’d like to recommend as well.

Basically in this age of the Internet, influences are not what they were. There is so much communication, so much consummation, Flickr streams that I’ve subscribed to because Brian Auer of EpicEdits pointed had an image in his “Browser Fruits”, often from photographers who I have no contact to, have never commented on. I just happen to see their images, fleetingly, but nevertheless, some influence me. We live in interesting times

By: Cedric

Cedric — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:36:09 +0000

Two photographers who got me interested in photography were Adams and White but as for who has influenced my own style, that I cannot answer with any certainty. I would guess that there would be elements from a number of photographers and artists both professional and amateur. The thing is that I am not even sure that I have what I would call a style. Looking back over my images I see that the way I make images has changed significantly much like an evolution. Perhaps style comes when the evolution stops. I don’t really know.

Oh, and Cheryl Jacobs work is cool. I can easily imagine your style going in this direction but I have no doubt that you would bring something of your own to it.

By: Ove

Ove — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:56:13 +0000

I think your influences dates way back than your first impressions of professional photographers. There are children’s books, cartoons and all the drawing we did as kids. I believe this and a not so small portion of life per se adds up to how we express ourselves today, picture-wise. I wrote ‘adds up’, since you of course get influenced later in life, too – by famous photographers, but also other artists. That’s what I think, anyway.