My Favorite Photographers

In the wedding photography industry it is easy to get sucked into what everyone else is doing. And while I have a few select photographers I admire for very different reasons, it is the non-wedding artists who really give more depth and meaning to capturing a moment. Here’s a few I’d like to highlight because their work is just simply remarkable, and I encourage you to take a look at their images – which are art as much as a statement of social conscience.

MAISIE CROW

I’m very biased on this first one. Maisie is a former classmate at Salt, where we were in the documentary photography program. She definitely encouraged me, and her ability to challenge herself drove me to do better. We went our separate ways after Salt, both of us practicing our craft in different ways. She is now an independent photographer/producer in New York City. I try to visit her Website once every few months. One of her multimedia pieces is about man’s life as a widower. Click on the screen capture to see the entire story:

GREGORY HEISLER

I’m a little ashamed I didn’t know who this guy was until the Professional Photographers of Iowa conference earlier this year in which I heard him speak. He is a portrait photographer who is a visionary with his work. I remember Heisler being very humble, funny and a great storyteller, especially when it came to talking about different celebrities who have been in front of his camera. Most recently he shot the Sports Illustrated cover featuring LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Here’s a video of the shoot:

BARBARA KINNEY

She was one of the photographers for Chelsea Clinton’s wedding this past weekend. Based on her Website, it’s easy to see why – she was a staff photographer at the White House during the Clinton years. But the aspect of her work I enjoyed the most were her photos on the 2008 campaign with Hillary Clinton.

There’s so many other photographers whose work I really like. But for now, relish in the talents of just these few.

No two pictures are the same. They’re like snowflakes ~ Gregory Heisler.

Have a great day!

Shuva

Harvesting a Dream – Where it All Began

Before I started shooting professionally, I was learning about documentary photography in Portland, Maine at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. During my time there, I did a project photographing a young woman, Rachel Seemar, who was transitioning from being an apprentice on an organic farm to starting her own farm. Everything I shot with black-and-white film, and I processed and developed everything in the darkroom. It was one of the most difficult and most rewarding projects I’d ever done.

Rachel’s story was subsequently published in 2007 in Rural Heritage magazine, a publication about farmers who use draft horses. Recently, a photo from that project was again published in a book by Storey Publishing, called Draft Horses and Mules: Harnessing Equine Power for Farm & Show. While it is exciting to see a photo of mine (one of my favorites in the series) in publication, it is more gratifying to know Rachel’s work continues as an independent organic farmer. Her hard work is a tribute to her and many like her who believe in learning and living sustainable agriculture.

Published in fall 2008