Photographers Who Influenced me the Most

Each of us have been influenced by someone at one time or another. I'd like to share with you what photographers influenced me most and why. I'm sorry but Ansel Adams was not one of them.

A good friend of mine by the name of Oliver J. Bochantin (O. J.), introduced me to photography while we were stationed together in Belgium in the early 80's. I have since lost contact with him but if not for him, I wouldn't be writing this blog and you wouldn't be reading it. Not to infer that millions of readers are reading this anyway.

Although I learned from O. J. we were both transferred to different parts of the world and I was left to figure out the rest on my own. I didn't really produce any quality shots consistently until I read several books years later.

The first book I purchased was Michael Langford's 35mm Handbook "The problem-solving book for every photographic situation". This book is mainly for the amateur photographer but none-the-less it was a good start.

Bryan F. Peterson, who by the way is an excellent photographer, wrote 4 books but I can only comment on two: Understanding Exposure and Seeing Creatively. Understanding Exposure really defined what mode I shoot on a regular basis, which is the AV mode. There are many times that I change the mode but if you were to open my camera bag you would find my camera set on AV. Seeing Creatively another excellent source helped me understand to not look at things for what they are. For example oil spots on the road after a rain. If the sun is hitting them just right it makes an interesting photo. I must admit I haven't taken such a photograph yet, but who knows, maybe someday I will.

Another outstanding photographer and author is Dan Heller. Of all the photographers he has inspired me the most, not because of his technical expertise but because of his business sense. Don't get me wrong his photographs are very inspiring as well. Dan is also the author of several books but the two that I have read are: Profitable Photography in the Digital Age and How to Make Money with Digital Photography. By far Dan is an out of the box thinker and it's probably the reason he is so successful.

So by now, if you've made it this far, you've probably realized that the only training I've had is self-taught with the help of many good books published by excellent photographers. But it is thru these photographer's books and websites I obtained valuable information that has helped me grow as a photographer immensely; and I still use them as a source of reference.

If you are a budding or established photographer I highly recommend the above photographer's books as a must read. There are several other good books by Lee Frost, Bill Smith, and John Shaw that you may find valuable in your quest to become an inspiring photographer.

Happy photographing and please share your thoughts and comments.