Goals and Favorites

I'm just going to get both of these done at the same time. First the older one. It's a hard question. There are many photographers i think are amazing for different reasons. Just like everyone else said. I definitely have to agree with W. Eugene Smith. Definitely one of my all time favorite photographers from when I first saw "Lambarene, French Equitorial Africa." But nowadays I'm looking at portrait photographers work, i guess because that is the type of work i do more now. so as far as favorites I'm going to throw out two, one i think could possibly be my overall favorite photographer, and that's Irving Penn, and the other is Frank Ockenfels III. Penn's images are timeless to me, and his light is simple and beautiful. Ockenfels' light is just different and very much has his own way of taking photographs.

But now, I'll try to tie this in with the first part of the post, and that is what to accomplish while at the workshop. Simply, to break out of the way I'm taking photographs now and try a different approach, and then not do away with the current way I photograph, but to use it to break away from the current limitations I put on myself. I hope that by trying something radically different and being surrounded by a different group of people, it will change the way I currently approach doing portraits of people. The point I am trying to reach is growth. One way or the other. I think this workshop will be the perfect platform for that. And I'm really looking forward to this weekend.