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Spooky

Spooky

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Simon
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Ok TP folks, am after picking your brains.

A colleague of mine is currently putting together a database of sorts for our AS and A Level Photography students as a starting point to their research into photographers. The idea is this: to have a bank of theme sheets (e.g portrait, landscape, wildlife etc) each containing between 6 and 12 photographers who might be considered leaders of their field (Ansel Adams in the landscape section for example), complete with an example of their work.

My question is this; who would you suggest should included for the following sections:

Portrait
Fashion
Landscape - natural
Landscape - urban
Digital Art
Street Photography
Still Life
Macro
Documentary / Reportage
Sport
Advertising / Commercial
Fine Art
Food
Industrial and Scientific
Wildlife
Painting with Light
Architecture
Glamour
Weddings
Live Music / Event

Also, are there any themes missing from this list? :thinking:

Thanks in advance of some thought provoking responses

Spooky
 
Would like to see that list completed :thumbs:


Would it be possible to add, Nature & Wildlife in there too? Or was the list specific to the fields you've already posted?

Thanks
 
You've missed out:

Weddings
Architecture
Fine Art
Commercial
Food
Industrial and Scientific
Medical
Glamour
Wildlife

I may have missed some, but I think adding these on to your list will make it more comprehensive and true to life.

And then your question poses questions in itself.

Are you looking for the photographers whose work people like best or for the people who have had the greatest impact on the industry in their sector? There are some amazing photographers whose work is exceptional, but they remain fairly unknown to the public (even where they have a name within their chosen discipline in photography), whilst others produce work of a lower standard, but have done a lot to push the genre they work in forward.

So the question is this, are you looking for people who are well known in their field, or people who produce the best work in their field? What makes someone a leader? The fact that they have made a name for themselves? Or the fact that their work is exceptional? Or maybe the fact that they developed a new approach or technique?

I think you're in danger here of discovering the names of photographers that the populist vote will go for, and not necessarily leaders in their field. As this is for AS and A level, surely the facts need to be accurate rather than opinion based?

Just a few thoughts :)
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far. Have added the theme suggestions to the list - need the practitioners now.

No problem with posting the list when it is complete - is there a way I can get the PDFs posted once I have done them?
 
ZoZo said:
And then your question poses questions in itself.

Are you looking for the photographers whose work people like best or for the people who have had the greatest impact on the industry in their sector?... So the question is this, are you looking for people who are well known in their field, or people who produce the best work in their field? What makes someone a leader? The fact that they have made a name for themselves? Or the fact that their work is exceptional? Or maybe the fact that they developed a new approach or technique?

I think you're in danger here of discovering the names of photographers that the populist vote will go for, and not necessarily leaders in their field. As this is for AS and A level, surely the facts need to be accurate rather than opinion based?

Just a few thoughts :)
Click to expand...

Were you listening at the door to our office;)?

These are all questions we have been asking ourselves whilst putting the project together. To that end I decided to leave the post open in the hope of gaining a range of responses; it does not matter at this stage if they are populist, exceptional, genre breaking or unknown. When we compile our final list we will select across the range and provide a varied list.

The aim of the project is to give students a springboard to aid their artist research; they are required to draw inspiration from them rather than know lots of factual details. I suppose this will look something like a visual directory as sometimes they do not know where to start and sometimes we are fumbling around trying to remember the name of that photographer that goes with that photograph we can picture in our heads.

Thanks for voicing the questions - I guess my short answer is, it doesn't matter - bring the suggestions on.

Cheers

Simon
 
Ah well, now you pose a new set of questions, because if it's about drawing inspiration, then why are you limiting yourselves to photographers? As a professional photographer myself my inspiration is taken from art, film, adverts, light, nature, people, emotion, etc.

Oh, and thought of another genre

Music/band/gig

And no, not listening at the door :lol: I'm an educationalist - I teach photography from my base in the North West, so I am constantly questioning myself.
 
Documentary / Reportage:

Jonathan Moller
http://www.jonathanmoller.org/
Simply some of the most emotional images I have seen.

Landscape:

Maciej Duczynski
http://lonelywolf.pl/
One of my fave contemporary landscape photographers

Documentary / Reportage / Landscape/ Portrait:

Mary Ethel Muir (AKA MEM) Donaldson
http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/sub_section.jsp?SectionID=122&currentId=1421 (bio)
http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/search/subject_id?id=1421 (images)
The book 'Herself' is amazing for it's time. She's so old and obscure she doesn't even have a wikipedia page!

Enjoy the info gathering!
 
ZoZo said:
... if it's about drawing inspiration, then why are you limiting yourselves to photographers? ...inspiration is taken from art, film, adverts, light, nature, people, emotion, etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments, good to hear from another educationalist - which board to you teach and at what level?

We do use other forms of inspiration (I also teach media and film and so all sorts of stuff creep into my lessons); this directory is solely for photography practitioners.

Cheers

Spooky
 
morbidorbits said:
Documentary / Reportage:

Jonathan Moller
http://www.jonathanmoller.org/
Simply some of the most emotional images I have seen.

Landscape:

Maciej Duczynski
http://lonelywolf.pl/
One of my fave contemporary landscape photographers

Documentary / Reportage / Landscape/ Portrait:

Mary Ethel Muir (AKA MEM) Donaldson
http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/sub_section.jsp?SectionID=122&currentId=1421
The book 'Herself' is amazing for it's time. She's so old and obscure she doesn't even have a wikipedia page!

Enjoy the info gathering!
Click to expand...

:clap:Brilliant - this is exactly what I am after - thanks very much!!!:clap:
 
Spooky said:
:clap:Brilliant - this is exactly what I am after - thanks very much!!!:clap:
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I have just added a link to some MEM Donaldson images.
 
Some of mine.

Contempary photography (which may fall under fine art and documentary) Probably one of the most popular forms of photography when going into a degree.

Hellen Van Meene
Rineke Dijstra
Francesca Woodman
Sally Mann
Erwin Olaf

Reading materials: Portfolio magazine.

Documentary

Robert Frank
Garry Winogrand
William Klein
Edit: some more

Richard Billingham
Nan Goldin

Movies and Programmes: The Genius of Photography & Muhammed Ali:The Greatest.
 
Many thanks for these folks - if there are any others out there wishing to add their thoughts to the mix, you would be most welcome.

Cheers

Spooky
 
Spooky said:
Thanks for the suggestions so far. Have added the theme suggestions to the list - need the practitioners now.

No problem with posting the list when it is complete - is there a way I can get the PDFs posted once I have done them?
Click to expand...

do you have a site?

if not you can use my hosting (good google foo for me and no hassle) and point people to it with a link here, or site staff might let you if its gonna be useful for members
 
I don't know if they exist for other fields but when I did some work experience with a food photography studio they showed my their contact books; books produced for industry clients to put them in touch with photographers who do the kind of thing they are after. They are great for showcasing styles and showing the sort of vareity that exists. They've got one online here:
http://www.contactebooks.com/food14/
 
OK - finally coming back to this now that coursework and exam stuff is almost over. Thanks to all those who have responded - any other thoughts would be fab too

Spooks
 
Cool - thanks for the more suggestions - thought this one had died. Will be putting the stuff together during May half term in readiness for the new Y12s coming in.
 
Really looking forward to the final list!!! Whether it's a list hosted on someone's website or a pdf please do compile it and share it. Will be a very nice resource.
 
Architecture...

I've got 2 good ones, who are very different in their style too.

My personal favourite is Helene Binet, who works with Daniel Libeskind and other contemporary architects.

Her work is stunning and illustrates a use of light that only an architect could "see".
www.helenebinet.com

Richard Bryant is also amazing in his work. A little more "conformist" and standard, but still brilliant.
www.richardbryant.co.uk
 
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