A Photographer Who Inspires Me...

Someone who has always inspired me in photography is Terry Richardson. As I mentioned in my last post, I'd like to photograph artists on tour. Well, Terry has been doing this for years. I first saw his work around three years ago. His photo was of Lady Gaga on the cover of Vogue Magazine.

I discovered later that the photographer was Terry Richardson, so I searched him on the internet to see some of his other work. What immediately got my attention was how many celebrities he has worked with. Almost all his photos I saw were of pop artists or actors. I thought how cool would it be to work with all these famous people even if you have completely different careers. Besides working with famous people, normal people like me would still be just as exciting....okay maybe not, but I'd still love interacting with anyone I shoot.

In 2010, Terry traveled with Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball Tour North American leg and photographed everything from her brushing her teeth, to performing onstage in arenas. He also traveled with Gaga photographing her life during her Born This Way Ball world tour in 2012-2013. This is exactly what I want to do; Photograph the simplest everyday tasks of an artist but still make it interesting. Now of course I probably wont travel with Gaga on tour and photograph her everyday life but I aim to do it with other artists I like. I've always loved traveling, especially in Europe, so this would be a great job for me. Yes it might take a while till I could achieve this job, but it would be worth it in the end.

Aside from the celebrities he shoots, his photography style also caught my attention. His classic set up for portrait shoots is a white background and a one light set up. One light set up means there's only one light on the person being shot, which draws a soft shadow from the focus point, or person in this case, onto the white background behind them. To me, the dark shadow on the white background makes the portrait unusual and the person appear to "pop out." Terry takes unique and even sometimes provocative photos that can cause controversy. I love it because it's shock art and gives people something to talk about. I want to be known by the world for having unique photos like his. Maybe someday I will be able to work with artists and capture their memories on tour.

Some of Terry Richardson's work:

Another option...

Lately I've been thinking about if I were to be a professional photographer for my career. I know it has nothing to do with music producing or sound engineering, but it's one of my other interests. Anything that involves creativity is up my alley. At the moment I have two cameras, my Nikon SLR and my Nikon DSLR 3200.

I guess you could say I've always had an interest in taking photos, whether it be of my friends, concerts I attend, or vacations. Over this past summer, I really got into photography while traveling the U.K. & surrounding countries. I saw old and historical architectural designs left and right throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Germany, and France. The way buildings were designed and how old cities looked were so different than America in general. The architectural designs in London and it's culture made me even more interested in photography. Because it seemed like another world, I had millions of ideas for where and how to photograph their country. 

Taking traditional photography this year has given me more experience, already being familiar with digital. I personally enjoy traditional more than digital because it's more challenging. Also, I have to say seeing the image appear on the paper when placed in the developer is pretty cool. Although there's those frustrating moments like when you discover the film in the camera has torn or when none of your photos turn out after the long process of developing it, it's still worth having an interest in. After high school, I know I want to continue doing traditional photography. The only problem is I have to use a darkroom in order to actually print the photos. Chemicals and other needed supplies are expensive so most of my profit from selling photos would be spent on that.

Two photo paths I'm interested in are photographing musicians on tour or landscape photography. I know they're two very different kinds of photography but I enjoy doing both. Because I love concerts so much, why not be there and doing something you're passionate about? To me it's the best of both worlds. As for landscape photography, there's endless options of what to photograph. Depending on your composition, you can make something ordinary look interesting and completely different. I think it's pretty awesome. With my Nikon SLR and DSLR 3200, I hope to share with the public my view of the world through my lense.

"Even though fixed in time, a photograph evokes as much feeling as that which comes from music or dance. Whatever the mode – from the snapshot to the decisive moment to multi-media montage – the intent and purpose of photography is to render in visual terms feelings and experiences that often elude the ability of words to describe. In any case, the eyes have it, and the imagination will always soar farther than was expected." – Ralph Gibson

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." - Elliott Erwitt

"Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera." 

– Yousuf Karsh