A Challenge for the Commentariat

I have a slightly-more-formal-than-usual challenge for those of you who comment: Do you have a favorite photographer whose work you look at on his or her website?

If you'd like to play, please limit your nominations to people who have their own discrete websites (no flickr, etc.), and please write at least a couple of lines to a paragraph about why you like them or what they mean to you. And play fair: please don't "game the system" by nominating yourself or getting a friend to nominate you.

I'll feature a few of the ones I don't know below, but go to the comments to see all those mentioned.

As Scott Adams would say: go!

Mike

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UPDATE: I have closed the comments to this post temporarily only because I am being inundated. I will work at moderating the comments already received and then I'll reopen the post for more. Please stay tuned! —Mike the Ed.

UPDATE #2: On second thought, I've decided to leave the comments closed, as there are more than enough leads here for people to investigate for now. However, we will do this again. Thanks to everybody who contributed, and, if you wanted to contribute but weren't able to, "hold that thought."  —Mike

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Beth Dow, Three Rocks, from "Fieldwork"

From Dalton: "Wow, this is a real challenge. I'm afraid I have to give you at least two: 1. Beth Dow: I have been following her work for a couple of years, it knocks my socks off. My favorite series is probably 'Fieldwork.' All of her work is printed in platinum by her husband, master printer Keith Taylor. 2. Daniel Shea: His photos from Baltimore and his 'Moving Mountains' series are both incredibly well done and very powerful."

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Sam Javanrouh, Scott's bike on a rainy day

From Wil Macaulay: "Gotta nominate Sam Javanrouh, at [daily dose of imagery]. He's got an eye for this city (Toronto) and a style which reflects what I'd like to be able to do."

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Jens Olof Lasthein, Transylvania, Romania, 2001, from "White Sea Black Sea—Pictures from the Borderland"

From EP: "I'd like to mention Jens Olof Lasthein, a photographer in Stockholm who travels a lot in the former east block. I especially like his exhibition 'Black Sea White Sea,' which also can be viewed on his website. Panoramic pictures with a lot of life."

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Ciro Totku, Namib, Sihanoukville, 2007

From Franz: "Two photographers whose sites I regularly visit for inspiration are Ciro Totku and Oleg Kasko. Ciro is an abstract photographer while Oleg is a master of the 6x6 format (well, for me anyway). With his astounding eye for finding art in the ordinary, Ciro inspires me to be more aware of everyday things. With Oleg, he's why I am saving up for a Hassy system. His 6x6 photos are dreamlike and mindblowing to say the least....

I have no relation whatsoever to either photographer; in fact they have no idea I even exist. I just find their work inspiring, that's all."

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John Wolf

From Markus Spring: "John Wolf for sure presents a body of work that deserves some closer looks. I enjoy very much the dry, restrained way he composes without sacrificing to simplification."

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Sergio Mottola, from Weddings —> Exhibition Two

From Jayson Merryfield: "I'll play. I follow only a few photographers, but the one I love the most is a young guy shooting people & weddings out of the Pacific Northwest—Sergio Mottola. Website. Blog."

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Daniel Peebles

From Bob: "The Chinese landscape photographer Lehping Zha has the ability to take my mind when I look at his site...and the English landscape photographer Charlie Waite is a constant joy....

"However, for pure crafted photography with minute attention and the ability to strum your feelings while admiring the texture, I must direct you to the staged situations of the American photographer Dan Peebles."

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Mark Tucker, Sienna with the Wizard Head

From Erlik: "A couple of people....

"One is Mark Tucker, particularly his landscapey photos. They should tame the automatic slideshow, though. :)

"And the other is...James Nachtwey. :))) The second photo in Romania, for instance, is one of the most powerful photos I've seen."

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Camille Seaman, from "Big Cloud"

From Josh Wilson: "Camille Seaman. I discovered her work through Photolucida's annual Critical Mass, which published her book The Last Iceberg. Her new project, 'Big Cloud,' is really appealing to me with its dramatic lighting and wide open spaces."

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Shinya Arimoto

From Floyd Takeuchi: "The Japanese photographer Shinya Arimoto. He reduces the image to its essential elements. Arimoto-san works mostly in black and white, but also ventures into color."

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Struan Gray, Raspberry

From Gavin McLelland: "I really like Struan Gray's work. I like the Northern feel. It reminds me of home."

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Magdalena Sole, CocaCola Prayer, Oaxaca, Mexico

From Edi Weitz: "I hope it's okay if I name two. The first one is Magdalena Sole. I like her work because (IMHO) she's one of the few color photographers who really use color and pay attention to it (as opposed to taking color pictures just because they can or because everybody else does). I think she has an Alex Webb-like sensibility for 'street photography' in color. The second one is Chiru Andreea. I don't understand the text on the website, I don't even know if the photographer is a man or a woman, but I like the creamy/dreamy black-and-white style. Attention: Americans might be offended by this website as there's some nudity there."

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David J. Nightingale

From James Whitaker: "Possibly the only photographer's site I visit (nearly) every day just for the pictures is David Nightingale. I'm not one for extravagant photshoppery/processing, but the treatment he puts on his pictures is both subtle and evocative (figure that one out). I enjoy his images and how he makes both the ordnary and the dramatic into great images."

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Alexandre Buisse, Hidden

From Dave Sailer: "For someone who was born in 1985 and didn't begin photographing until 2005, Alexandre Buisse has done a lot—more than I ever will, including being published in National Geographic France. Besides being a climber and general outdoorsperson, he's also chasing down a Ph.D. in theoretical computer science, And then the photography. One of my favorite recent ones (fresh daily) is 'Hidden.'"

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Dalton Rooney, Sicily, 2008

From Chap Lovejoy: "I really enjoy Dalton Rooney's work. His landscapes capture magic in the chaos of nature and give me inspiration to keep trying to find the same.

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From Calvin Amari: "I see that this was mentioned, but the archive section of Ralph Gibson's site (which, as luck would have it, appears to be down today) is really one of the most rewarding things on the interweb. It appears to contain all the images, in their original groupings and sequence, from Gibson's self-published monographs over the years beginning, as I recall, with The Somnambulist.

"Gibson, a sort of street-formalist, has always been sort of an enigma to me. His influences always seem palpably obvious, and those from whom he has managed to absorb so much are among my favorites. Despite the obvious influences, Gibson also manages to be his own singular artist. A glance through that archive reveals just how many iconic images he has produced.

"Similarly, I'm not sure Gibson's contribution to the art of the photo-book are conceptually unique, but I am confident that his monographs stand as pure and rigorous examples of that form. His editing and sequencing create tensions that generate, like sparks, idea after idea about visual information. And this is precisely the value of the archive section of his website. I'm not sure whether the ideas come through more clearly on the website or whether it is just a matter of convenience. (I don't own all Gibson's books and, even if I did, I'm not sure if I would ever pull them all off the shelf to page through them, one after another.) I've mentioned this quite often even to those who are not photogeeks: if you have an hour or so to surf the web, I personally don't know a more valuable way to spend it than to carefully peruse Gibson's archive. Best of all, the experience only improves with repetition."

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Damon Winter

From Ken Bennett: "That's easy, Damon Winter."

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Philip Bebbington, A Chair, Two Bowls, A Bottle & Red. Vrahassi, Crete

From Michael MacLean: "I regularly follow lots of great photoblogs and would highly recommend Xavier Rey Photoblog by Xavier Rey and Terrorkitten by Philip Bebbington."

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Rinko Kawauchi, Untitled (from the AILA series), 2003

From Ivan: "Rinko Kawauchi, whose latest work I saw at Photo Miami 09. She shoots mainly 6x6 and is popular in Japan, but her books are hard to come by in the U.S. (I believe you can order them online through Mountain Fold Gallery). Another is Christoph Maout, particularly his Homelux and Spring projects. One thing I like about both is that they're unsentimental. And I would love to know what Maout is doing when he creates his JPEGs for the web; they're utterly perfect."

Comments

[Spiny Norman]

Brownlow's Human Traffic is one that I've returned to again and again.

[Tim F]

Galen Rowell. Words cannot describe how I felt about his work - especially his magnificent photo books. His work inspired me to buy my first camera in 1997, a used FE2. His writing guided me through the whole process. Even after his tragic loss, I still visit Mountain Light on a weekly basis.

[John Brewton]

Ralph Gibson.

[Mike Johnston]

Spiny Norman,
Me too.

Mike

[Ken Tanaka]

Offhand, I would have to nominate my friend, John Caruso's work. I look at A LOT of photography but I've not seen anyone who can get to the point of both the micro and macro scenes as consistently well as John. I'm also envious of his eye for color. John is way up there among my favorite photographers.

[Stephen]

I absolutely enjoy the work of Chicago Tribune photographer Scott Strazzante. He seems like he approaches the same assignments that any newspaper photographer gets these days, but with a distinctly different eye. I saw his presentation entitled "Common Ground", a photo essay linking a farming community to a present day suburb and it changed the way I think about taking pictures.

His blog (no website): http://strazz.wordpress.com/

"Common Ground":http://mediastorm.org/0023.htm

[Geoff Wittig]

1) Christopher Burkett: gem-like color landscape photographs, most of them tightly composed moments of perfect light and quiet beauty. The only problem is that it makes my own photographs seem so inadequate by comparison.

2) Richard Lohmann: delicate gossamer black & white landscape images, subtle and nuanced. See above regarding inadequacy.

[Ken N]

Oh, this one is easy for me.

Riccis Valladares. Not only has he found a classic style which works in the medium of his choice, but he's also advancing the art through his own unique style and vision. He "gets it".

http://www.riccisvalladares.com

Riccis is the one I'd want to photograph my daughters' weddings.

[Doug Brewer]

Peter Ziebel is an old cyberbud from back in the days of GEnie, and I always enjoy studying what he's doing.

KingNopa

[Ricardo Araújo]

Despite having several favourites, there are at least two that have to be mentioned: [link url=http://www.michaelkenna.net/]Michael Kenna[/link] and [link url=http://www.michaellevin.ca/]Michael Levin[/link] .

Both have such a a beautiful and timeless vision, that constantly remind me of what i should aspire to achieve. Besides that, the visual and emotional pleasure i get from their work is overwhelming.

[Salvador Moreno]

I am lucky enough to be a friend of a great spanish photographer: Pepe Florido, he's got a wonderful eye for the aesthetics of usual things, people and cityscapes.

www.pepeflorido.com

look in the portfolio to see his works.

[Marius]

I'd like to propose Stefan Vanfleeteren, a photographer from Belgium (http://www.stephanvanfleteren.com). His portrait section of famous (well most of them) Belgians amazes me all the time. His work represents what portrait photography for me is all about: to get a glimpse of a personality in just one picture.

[Julian]

As a dyed-in-the-wool landscaper, nearly all the people whose work I admire are active in this genre. I have a whole bunch whose work I look at regularly but the photographers I keep going back to in case they've put up something new are the Swedes, Jan Töve and Hans Strand and the Swiss photographers Paul Schilliger and Emil Salek.

All these people have influenced my own photography to a greater or lesser extent and they all have very individual approaches to the landscape.

[Chap Lovejoy]

I really enjoy Dalton Rooney's work. His landscapes capture magic in the chaos of nature and give me inspiration to keep trying to find the same.

[Michael Schwabe]

I have a rather odd reason to mention Martin Vukovits.
http://www.martinvukovits.at/
He's been my neighbor for decades and only recently I found out what great photographer he is. I'm not quite sure who or what's to blame for the circumstance that I've been living next door to him without having the slightest clue about his skills. Either it's his shyness and low-key appearance or my ignorance, most likely, it's the latter.

[Dave Dillahunt]

Michael Kenna (www.michaelkenna.com) has some awesome work. Very moody and minimalistic. Galen Rowell would be another nominee but has been already mentioned.

[robert e]

Benjamin Lowy

http://www.benlowy.com/

Thanks for making me browse through all the photographer sites I'd bookmarked. Reminded me that there are many great photographers working today (most probably pointed out by you, so I apologize if this is redundant). I have special respect for those willing to go into dangerous situations and bring back striking images that communicates on many levels and make me think. Among them, Ben Lowy's portfolio had me once again mesmerized. I think his work is courageous, not only in terms of who, what, where, and how, but morally and aesthetically, too.

I look forward to looking at others' suggestions.

[Andy Frazer]

I'd like to nominate the following:

Aaron Hobson's self-portrait, panoramaic format narratives: http://aaronhobson.com/

Troy Paiva's gel-colored night photography of abandoned sites: http://www.lostamerica.com

Richard Renaldi's natural light portraits: http://www.renaldi.com/

[David Dyer-Bennet]

1) I'm very fond especially of the portrait work of Kyle Cassidy. He's currently working on a project on workspaces of science fiction and fantasy writers which has particular personal meaning to me (and includes my wife and a scale model of her office, though that one wasn't online last I checked). http://kylecassidy.com/

2) Oleg Volk is heavily involved in gun rights activism, making posters based on his photos, and does commercial photography for lots of companies in the field. So some people won't like what they find at his site. The photography is first-rate, I think. I mostly see work as it comes by on his LiveJournal at http://olegvolk.livejournal.com/

[Anonymous Coward]

dsankt: http://sleepycity.net/

Because the photos are from places you cannot see anywhere else. And they blow your mind.

[Bryce Lee in Burlington Ontario Canada]

There is no specific photographer of choice!

Ironically I don't believe any photographer
of the current era can do anything more or less than any other photographer.

IN days gone by of large format cameras
and photographic plates it was then all
an experiment. These days with the availability of digital imagery, it
is all still an experiment.

Perhaps as much as the existence of life
itself.

What any one of us do with the tools
provided is out choice. If it appears
on the junk pile (your phrasing mike)
known as the internet,
so be it or published, somewhere.

My photo web site/persona
are three in mumber all motorcycle related, more for the historical aspect:

http://vespalx150.blogspot.com/
Steve Williams is a photographer with the
University of Pennsylvania at State College.
He has a distinct eye for detail and enjoys
riding his motorize device in the area around his employ and as a commuting device weather permitting. His hardware ranges from a D700 to a Leica rangefinder.

http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/
Mike is a police dispatcher in Key West Florida, and his blog is a continuing history of the area and the streets and byroads of the area.

Finally there is Jeffrey Freidl's site, based in Japan. And follows his adventures
of his growing child of seven years of age from his marriage in Japan to a resident.
Jeffrey enjoys his existence and also uses a D700; he is obviously a family man
and is also involved in the Lightroom process
as an innovator and inventer.
http://regex.info/blog/

One more I should mention which is very historical is www.shorpy.com; history in a larger format, and with a further ranging
outlook than most.

I am a Canadian and NO Canadian photographer of anything inspires me.
Canadians are too polite to interfere the way they should in the world, and we are too small a country to matter on the world stage. We have our differences as much as any other country.
My own personal bias is French as a language
should be banned and Quebec forced to leave the country of Canada. Too much time money and effort has been given to the french problem. Move the capital of Canada to
Saskatchewan and rearrange the provincial boundaires resulting in fewer provinces but a more fair method of representation and of taxation. A flat 20 percent across the board tax does seem fair, both for the sale of goods and taxes on income.

[Bill Symmons]

Rene Asmussen. To me he is one of the best all round digital photography artists working today. His work is full of atmosphere and technically superb.

His site is www.reneasmussen.com. There is also a slide show of one of his portfolio's on U Tube. Both are well worth a look.

[Jean-Louis Cuvellier]

Ralph Gibson
William Eggleston
Simon Norfolk
Mona Kuhn

[Cristian Radu]

Well, I get my daily dose of photography from flickr lately. Among the large amount of mediocre (at best) photographs that I see there, sometimes one stands up in my mind for many days. This is one of them: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vigo2008/4037424220/
I don't know who the photographer is but for me, this photography encapsulates in a way, what photography is all about.

[Gilles Champagne]

Gregory Colbert: Ashes and Snow
www.ashesandsnow.org

I'm simply stunned and moved to silence every time I visit this site. Perhaps too overdone in production with narration, The images, the tonality, the consistency across years of work toward one project is simply amazing.

[Steve Gray]

Lately I've been digging Dustin Diaz (http://photography.dustindiaz.com/). His night shots are something I really like to emulate. He takes the time to explain his lighting technique, which is a huge gift to me.

[Dave Brown]

Clyde Butcher is absolutely number one (http://www.clydebutcher.com/). And Tony Ryan (http://www.beauty-reality.com/). From time to time, Jim Galli's site (http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/) as well.

It's a book, not a website, but when I forget how to make good photographs, I go back to a small volume of Eugene Atget's work, much as I reread Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" when I forget how to write.

[Judith Wallerius]

I think the work of Stephan Vanfleteren is amazing.

Very calm, yet powerful work in B&W, covering a variety of social themes like »Hobos in the U.S.A.« or »Kosovo«, but also more whimsical subject matter like »Flandrien«, which is about cycling in Flandrien and its fans. And don't miss the »Single Shots« on the portfolio page.

His images are timeless and beautiful and show that amazing ability to both catch the right moment and frame it perfectly.

www.stephanvanfleteren.com

[psu]

Ryan Brenizer

[Pedro Aphalo]

I visit Ian Cameron's "Transient Light" website frequently, and I have a copy of his recent book of the same name. I first saw his landscape photographs in photo.net some years ago. The web site is at http://www.transientlight.co.uk/

[mike]

It's not exactly his own website, but the stuff Todd Heisler has been doing for the New York Times' 1 in 8 million series is so outstanding. To me it's one of the best examples of photojournalism on the web. Perhaps most impressive is that he's been doing it every week for the past year and starts from scratch each week. The entry on the bar fighter turned bike racer is my favourite. What I find most inspiring is his ability to "see" each subject in a different way and present them in a fresh approach.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html#/steven_marmo

[Kevin Schoenmakers]

I'm in love with the visuals of Wong Kar-wai. He's not a photographer, but a movie director (which I would think is nearly the same) from Hong Kong who makes the most gorgeous romance movies. His use of a wide aspect ratio and lots of negative space have really influenced me.

I haven't really been able to find an official website, but here's
a youtubeclip of one of his most famous scenes, and this is his IMDb bio.

[Nicolas]

Didier Vereeck is a french landscape, and mostly abstract (he calls his main body of work "natural abstract art") photographer.
He's quite good at writing too, too bad so few of TOP's readers may read french...

[Larry Eiss]

I am a huge fan of Joe McNally. I have learned a ton from him and his photography is amazing. Making a great image no matter the circumstances something he's great at doing and something I want to become good at.
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/

[Federico Calboli]

I think Ed Leys landscapes (http://www.blackmallard.com/cal_ls/) are just incredibly inspiring and beautiful. Ed manages to portray the beauty of the California landscape showing its everyday beauty. Ed's photos avoid falling into the emotionally shallow trap landscapes often fall into and are a pure joy to behold.

[Pavel]

I know what you are talking about in this article, and it speaks to me. We are drowning in riches! There are a few photographers however who have the equivalent of an online book as you speak of it. They edit and they have cohesiveness - and of course something unique, something compelling.
My favorite site such as this is by a Man who is Russian but who for a long while has lived in China. He inspires with his photographs and words both but possibly more important to me is that he inspires me with his approach to photography. He shoot film as much or more than digital. A medium format Hasselblad flexbody is his usual instrument of choice. But in a way that, other than the constrain of the square format one gets the impression that the instruments are not the thing. The photography is.
I find his a rare and inspiring site on the web and so imminently worthwhile to single out in this sea of such riches.

Oleg Novikov

http://www.olegnovikov.com/

[Pavel]

And while I am thinking of it I'd like to say thank you for this idea, to share in such a way some of the best of the best.

[Tom Brenholts]

http://kendallarsonphotography.com/yaksfish/index.php

Easy. My friend Kendall Larson. He is an outdoorsman, and his images reflect his passion; the photos themselves are incredible, and transcend categorization.

[Jenny Rose]

One site that I keep going back to is Simon Robinson's. I especially like his photographs of animals and trees - I have a similar interest in both these subjects! He has recently started taking street photographs which are excellent. Also, I am lucky enough to own a couple of his prints.

You can see his work at

http://www.sar-photography.com

[Steve L]

I'll nominate a few of my favorites...

Rocky Schenck www.rockyschenck.com
Out of focus has never been more inspiring. His website doesn't have any pictures, but the gallery links will take you to them.

Chris Friel www.chrisfriel.co.uk
Probably my current favorite. I discovered him while using HiveMind to browse around Flickr one day.

Ed Freeman www.edfreeman.com
His "Realities" series is what drew me to him, but all his work is special.