Ruts.
I cannot stand them. All creative people get stuck in them from time to time.
As a photographer, I am always on the lookout for new sites, new (new to me anyway!) photographers and new blogs. Many times, just looking at what other people are doing can give us that boost we need to get the creative juices flowing again.
So here are five sites that I check often for inspiration…
1. I Shoot Shows
Todd Owyoung is a concert photographer out of Missouri. His photography is great. The design of his blog is awesome as well. Where I think Todd really shines is with his portraiture. He largely uses Nikon speed-lights with his setups and he goes over how he set up his shots.
Here are some examples with the Christian metal band, ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’
2. Dave Beckerman Photography
Dave is a New York City photographer and nearly all of his images are made in NYC. Dave has the ability to see things in NYC from a different perspective and therefore, images of the the Empire State Building and other landmarks will often have a viewpoint most people have not photographed before.
This image of Poet’s Walk in Central Park is one my favorite all time photos.
3. Chase Jarvis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQDTsJfYJrQ
What’s interesting about Chase Jarvis’s blog is there aren’t many photos. Chase challenges people creatively. He will throw out questions that force people to think. Chase is a “look outside the box” kind of guy. A highly successful commercial photographer, Chase is best known for photographs made by the iPhone.
Chase’s philosophy is, “The best camera, is the one you have with you.” He turned that into an iPhone app and a book.
4. John Keatley
Keatley is an amazing portrait photographer. Some of his more famous work includes the cover of Sarah Palin’s book, ‘Going Rogue’ as well as the portrait Mark Driscoll uses for his Twitter profile.
I love looking at Keatley’s images where he is balancing a mixture of ambient light along with flash.
5. Dan Winters
Another portrait photographer, Winters has photographed people such as Bono, 50 Cent, Barack Obama, The Dalai Lama, and Tom Hanks.
Winters portraits almost have a ‘film noir’ quality to them with the way he uses light. He has this amazing knack of getting these very stoic expressions from his subjects (and not just the actors so it isn’t that) that when I look at his images, I think, “What was he saying to them?”
What are some of your favorite sites to check out when you need some inspiration?
Tami Shields says
Great inspiration Jay! As I start trying to get better with photography and learn more this summer, those are great jumping off sites! Thanks!!!
JayCaruso says
Your welcome Tami. Hey, I heard that you attended Zack Arias’s Photo 101 workshop. That must have been so cool!
Jason Cooper says
i ran across an excellent photographer a couple years back. she does mostly portraits, families, weddings, etc., but what she does is excellent!
http://www.stevietphotography.com/
JayCaruso says
She does great work!
PhillipGibb says
great inspiration, shot 4 sharing
JayCaruso says
You bet Phil. Thanks!
Adam Lehman says
Beautiful.
Thanks for curating the list.
JayCaruso says
No problem! Enjoy.
Meghan says
I love to look at pictures done by Christine Hall in Savannah. I love her blog. http://christinehallphotography.com/
Jose Villa is another fave, and I always enjoy seeing how Promise Tangeman gets a shot…and how she does anything creative, really.
http://josevillablog.com/
http://promisetangeman.com/
JayCaruso says
Great stuff Meghan, thanks!
Fair warning to all however. Jose Villa has a couple of NSFW images on his site, so watch it as you scroll down. 🙂
Marcus Williamson says
I will pass this along. Solid post bro!