Photo Influencers

While the direction of this site is shifting some, it doesn't mean that photography is not going to continue to be a part of it. It's a major factor of what I want to showcase here, and it's a good way to document God's creation, and the story that He is bringing about in this world.

It's a skill that I need to continue to grow in; we never arrive, we're always growing. This is true of everything in life.

But what has influenced me photographically? What factors have brought me to where I am in this field?

Recently I wrote about influence, and about how many things shape our lives. So, what photographers have influenced me the most? Who have I looked to to help shape my craft?

As this is a Christian site, I am a little hesitant to share things like this that aren't directly Christian. But I also realize that we're all influenced by many things, and while people have differing views, the craft and art themselves are not inherently one way or the other, necessarily.

And so with that, what photographers would I say have influenced me the most? I'll share three.

1. Sam Abell

A renowned National Geographic photographer, his work has been featured on multiple covers of the magazine. The colors in his images are perhaps the most vibrant, and the style is not immediately eye popping, but upon closer inspection you'll see that he is a master storyteller.

Whether it's a photo of a landscape, people, animals, regardless of what it is, there's plenty to look at in his images.

2. Ian Plant

If you want bold, vibrant, and unique landscape photographs, you can find them in his portfolio. He is very proficient with using ultra wide-angle lenses, and long exposures.

Beyond his basic style of photography, I also learned a lot from his websites over the years as they featured not just images, but blogs from a variety of photographers.

When it comes to landscapes, I very much enjoy his style, and hope that I come close to the quality of his work every great once in a while anyway.

3. Dean Sauskojus

This is kind of a given, since I would consider him not just a good photographer, but also a friend. As such, I've been influenced less by his work and more by him himself and his friendship.

That said, I'm not sure you can find someone with the wealth of imagery from Yellowstone National Park that Dean has.

I hope he doesn't mind my mentioning him here, but if I'm going to list photographic influences, he is certainly going to be one.

So, no, I haven't delved much into these influencers on my photography, but I hope you'll check out their work. While I have no idea their faith (except for Dean, we've had some good talks!), and as such don't take this as an approval of everything they've ever done, their work still stands as a testament to the beauty that God has created, and the stories of humanity.