Top 3 Inspirational Photographers from history
Continuing with my 'Top 3' theme for March, I'm back today to share with you, my top 3 inspirational photographers from history - those photographers who are sadly no longer with us, but whose work continues to impress and inspire.
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Last week I shared my top 3 favourite / inspirational wedding photographers and in the coming weeks, I'll be sharing with you lots of my top 3's, including my top 3 favourite photography podcasts, my top 3 Adobe Lightroom processing tips and even my top 3 creative working spaces in London.
For now though, let's dive into top 3. Some of you may be asking yourselves why it is I'm talking about 'Photographers in history' and not just photographers. Well, I've already shared my favourite 3 photographers right now in a previous post from back in 2015 - and those photographers remain very much the same to this day, but I wanted to talk a little more about those photographers who are sadly no longer with us. Those who have left behind a portfolio and body of work that have no doubt had an impact on many of us at some stage.
In truth, had I written this article around 18 months ago, 2 of the 3 photographers in my list wouldn't feature, because it is in only in recent times that they have unfortunately passed away.
So, let's get started. Here are my top 3 inspirational photographers from history. Be sure to check out the links - the work and projects they've left behind are definitely deserving of your time and viewing. (be sure to drop your favourite photographers in the comments too, or send me an email at Michael@RammellPhotography.com)
1. Fan Ho. October 1931 - June 2016
Fan Ho, is perhaps less of a household name than the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, but for me at least, his work has left a huge impression on me and serves as a benchmark for what quality, impactful work should look like.
Without disrespecting any other accomplished Street Photographer (or at least not wanting to), it could be said that many of us have work that looks similar. After all, nothing is new these days, especially to an untrained eye. However, there is no mistaking a Fan Ho photograph for anyone else's.
His work has that unmistakable film look, it's Hong Kong during the 50's & 60's in an era less seen in photographs. His work was minimalist and clean in a way that was ahead of it's time. That shows in the way that the work still feels new today. Yes, sure the work is old now, but it has not aged. The fact it is shot on film is obvious, but the style feels ultra modern. The use of geometry, light and shadow, and black and white make every Fan Ho Image unique and identifiable as a Fan Ho Image.
I talk about making intentional images quite often, the idea that you see a scene and make the picture, rather than just taking it - ducking and weaving to look for a stronger composition or even coming back at another time when the light is more pleasing. To me, all of his images I've seen, seem to exhibit these intentional acts, perhaps more than I've ever seen in work by other photographers.
I've been admiring Fan Ho's work for as long as I've been a street photographer and was devastated to discover he had passed away in June 2016. I can't even remember exactly when it was I came across his work for the first time, but since that time a link to his website has taken firm pride of place atop my list of bookmarks and I view it more regularly than any other photographers' work from any genre or decade.
There's simply no mistaking Fan Ho for someone else.
His work, like many master photographers (and I mean to use that word in a literal sense, rather than just in a complimentary fashion), had a number of books to his name featuring his work. One of note, and one that is still widely available today, is 'Hong Kong - Yesterday'. For this book, Fan Ho revisited some old, previously un-printed negatives he had stored away to produce a great collection of work that had, before then, not seen the light of day.
It makes you wonder what other negatives he had that also didn't meet his high standards, that the rest of us would quite possibly simply marvel at!
Ted Forbes' Study and Farewell videos on YouTube
My aim with this post is to simply encourage you to take a look at Fan Ho's work in the hope that you'll find it as inspiring and captivating as I do. That said though, if you're looking for a succinct, yet thorough study of Fan Ho, then no one does it better than Ted Forbes of The Art of Photography show. Ted dedicated two episodes of his YouTube / Video Podcast. In the first episode Ted walks and talks us through his life and work.
Ted Forbes looks at the life and work of Photographer, Fan Ho. Born in Shanghai in 1931. After learning how to develop images using the family bathtub he went on to be one of the most notable street photographers and finest artists China has produced.
Then, after Fan Ho's death back in June 2016, Ted released a lovely video in homage to the talent that he was:
2. Mary Ellen Mark. March 1940 - May 2015
Whoever you are, whatever you shoot and even if you're relatively new to photography, Mary Ellen Mark should be a name you recognise at least. Given the amount of press and coverage that she and her work (rightly) received in the past few years.
She is known mostly as a photojournalist and documentary photographer, who's images told great stories (often single images were able to tell entire stories!). She had a stint as a Magnum Photographer and produced work that featured/features in galleries and museums all over the world. Mary Ellen Mark worked on documentaries, most notably 'Streetwise in Seattle'. As you would expect from such an accomplished photographer, She also has over a dozen books to her name too.
From a purely photographic perspective, Her work captured so much within a single frame, not in that there were lots of subjects or that the images were busy, but rather that each image was filled with a story. Or, rather the image perfectly accompanied the story that she was telling with a particular project. In her interview with Mark Selliger (Which I'll come to shortly), she talks about the time she photographed in a morgue. Whereas most of us would averse to doing this, Her desire to document and tell a story took over, enabling her to produce images of the bodies that are both shocking, but compelling to look at too.
despite appreciating art myself, I often 'don't get art', but I'm inclined to say that these particular images are very much art.
Many of the portraits that She made were simply haunting, in a uniquely Mary Ellen Mark style.
I myself only became aware of Mary Ellen Mark through a YouTube show called 'Capture', hosted by Mark Selliger. In one particular episode Mark Selliger interviewed Her along with Helena Christensen. Now, yes, it really is only recently that I became aware of Her compared to many. Never-the-less though, I admire her work, her words and her projects and only hope to be able to make a small percentage of the impact that Mary Ellen Mark made on the photographic world.
If you get a chance to watch this episode of Capture, you'll hear that She worked exclusively with film her entire career.
Mary Ellen Mark also gave a talk at the Photography Show in March 2015, just month's before she passed away. I was at the show that year, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to see her give her talk. It bothers me to this day that I missed that opportunity to hear such a wonderful and talented photographer.
Mary Ellen Mark makes my top 3 because of her strength as a storyteller. As someone who wanted to make an impact with her images and because she was an artist in every sense of the word.
3. Jane Bown. March 1925 - December 2014
When it comes to portraits, I'm a believer that the technical is simply unimportant. Sure, you can use 100 lights in a perfect studio and the lighting matters, but it is the relationship between the photographer and the sitter and the ability of the photographer to capture it, that comes through in the final image. I know that many portrait photographers out there at this point may either be screaming 'NO! What are you talking about you're totally wrong' whilst many others may be in total agreement with me, that the connection is more key, but, I just think that portraits are often as much a reflection of the photographer, as they are the subject.
Jane Bown, for me, is a beautiful example of this.
Bown is another superb talent who has passed away only relatively recently back in 2014. However, before she passed away we were fortunate enough that she was able to do a series of interviews and recordings to talk about her work and share some of her stories, meaning we have more of a record of what the woman behind the camera was like. To us, the public (not family members), we're often curious about what it takes to produce work like Her's and what's involved to get those opportunities. It was evident that years of hard graft and effort, as well as consistently producing her own wonderful style of images, was the key to that.
Bown worked for the Observer Newspaper (UK) for a little over 60 years, which gave her many assignments to photograph some well known people, such as Bjork, The Queen (The actual Queen, as in, The Monarch), Mick Jagger and more. Rather than me simply regurgitating those stories here on the blog however, I'd encourage you to have a look at a beautiful documentary called 'Looking for light: Jane Brown' (snippet below):
For me, there is so much more to her than is even discussed and mentioned in the documentary. For example, just the fact that she was a female photographer during a time when it was very much a male dominated industry, in a male dominated time! (50's, 60's & 70's). It's perhaps a discussion for another time, but equal rights had a long way to go back then and still aren't where they ought to be, even today.
As mentioned, I'm a lover of black and white, and with Bown's work featuring nearly exclusively mono images, this is perhaps why I'm drawn to the images she has produced.
Now, as I have said many times before, that gear doesn't matter, there is a little bias here for me when it comes to Jane Bown, as she and I are both lovers and users of Olympus cameras. Whilst she used the original Olympus OM-1 35mm film SLR (groundbreaking at the time), I entered the world of Olympus with the very modern take on that same camera with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 - the modern day incarnation of Bown's camera of choice. Although she Initially photographed using a Rolleiflex, she later moved to Olympus OM-1.
Portraits are a challenging discipline. Some find that the more time they have to think, the more paralysed they can become by the choice that becomes available to them. Whilst others thrive in limited environments, with limited time. Bown proved she was more than capable no matter what the situation. In another video I found on YouTube, Bown talks of the time she photographed Samuel Beckett, who tried to leave without having his picture taken. Ever the optimist and thinking on her feet, however, she pursued Beckett as he left the building and proceeded to make his portrait in the alleyway outside. That image is very much one of her standout Images to this day and features in many of the documentaries I've seen and bodies of work of Bown that I've managed to find. Again, I've included a snippet of this story in this YouTube video:
Books & Media
Like all of the greats, She has a few books featuring her work. All of them wonderful. Jane Bown's 'Cats' in particular is very playful. At first it may sound odd that such a legendary portrait photographer has a book filled with 100 cat portraits, but in truth, that same unique Bown style and feel comes through just as strongly with the 'portraits' of the cats, as it does with her images of John Lennon, Samuel Beckett and the other famous people she has in her portfolio. It is well worth a read. Other books include 'A Lifetime of Looking', which is perhaps could be considered her 'title' book. It features an extensive collection of her most iconic images, as well as images only published in this book too. Another Jane Bown book, although, less widely available as far as I can fine is the aptly titled 'Observer', both in that she observed life, but also in that she worked for The Observer Newspaper and that the work featured in this book is the work Bown made when on assignment for the paper.
Conclusion
So, if we're talking about photographers who have unfortunately passed away, but who's work lives on, these have been my top 3 most inspirational. Who are yours? Henri Cartier-Bresson? Saul Leiter? Drop a comment below or get in touch with me via email, at Michael@RammellPhotography.com. You can also use the contact form too.
I love discussing photography, so if you'd like to talk about it more with me why not join me in London on April 30th for my latest FREE photo walk. All of the details are available over on the events page. Be sure to check it out and sign up. It's open to everyone and there are no limits to the number who can attend. All you need to do is register your details and show up on the day.
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My Three Favourite Olympus Lenses
It's been a few weeks since I've managed to sit at my desk and write for the blog, but in that time over 50 of you have subscribed! Thank you to all you newcomers and subscribers.
The reason for the absence was largely because I've been so busy and focused on shooting weddings. The wedding season here in the UK typically runs from April to September and this year has been my most hectic yet! With me shooting nearly every weekend and then post processing during the week, I've had to shuffle a few regular tasks around and give priority to the wedding work, naturally. I also had a bit of an accident where I was knocked off my bicycle too. Many evening's were taken up with Physio to get my shoulder back to a good place, when I would have perhaps otherwise been writing. So all in all, a busy schedule meant something had to give.
At every wedding my Olympus OM-D E-M1 has been on-hand and has worked flawlessly every time.
But, over the course of the weddings I have shot this year I've tried to refine what equipment I've had with me in the bag over my shoulder (and what equipment gets left in the other bag in the car). Despite using Olympus gear I still have to lug around a fair bit of kit including no less than 2 light stands that each reach up to 9 feet, a 40" Octabox, reflectors, flashes and constant lights. So, suffice to say the lighter my camera bag can be the better. It's for this reason I decided looked at which lenses I've used the most; those lenses that have earned a permanent place in the bag. I've even sold a couple of lenses as a result of this exercise too, including my 12-40mm f/2.8 and my 25mm f/1.8. More on that later in this post...
Although my need to reflect upon which lenses I favoured most was borne out of my desire to work with only the essential lenses at weddings, I do feel that this list actually represents my favourite all-round lenses for any type of shooting situation. So, if you're not a wedding photographer, this post will still hold true for you too...Enjoy!
1: 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO
The 7-14mm f/2.8 is the newest addition to my lens bag and a lens that I anticipated for such a long time before its' release. As a wedding photographer and a keen landscape photographer too, an ultra wide angle like this makes up 1 of 3 of the 'Holy Trinity' of lenses; that being an ultra wide, a standard zoom and a telephoto zoom. In my favourite three here, I include 2 of the 3 lenses from that trio (with the 12-40mm f/2.8 missing out).
The 7-14m is an absolutely amazing lens and scores very highly in every department: the build quality is second to non, its' super sharpness and ability to focus well in low-light make this lens very versatile.
The effective field of view becomes a 14-28mm on an Micro Four Thirds sensor. It's a focal range that can help you to produce some massively creative and interesting photographs, results that perhaps a slightly less wide lens just couldn't offer (the 12-40mm f/2.8 for example). Here are a couple of shots I've made during 2016 using this lens.
As with all wide angles, the key is often to pay attention to those things that need to be excluded from the frame, as much as what you manage to capture within it. Owing to the extremely wide field of view it's not uncommon that you'll find things sneaking into the frame that would have perhaps been outside of the frame were you shooting with a standard zoom or something slightly less wide.
The 7-14mm pairs up wonderfully with the OM-D E-M1 in particular with matching build quality and performance. Thanks to its constant f/2.8 aperture it's a fast lens too, meaning it can be used in many situations only adding to its versatility.
I've used the 7-14mm f/2.8 at weddings and find that the wider shots tend to give a feeling of grandeur to a scene. Think of large staircases and shots from low down on the ground - that wide angle perspective can help to give a feeling of huge by exaggerating things near the edge of the frame and stretching things out to make them look taller or wider (not a good thing with people mind you!) I wouldn't typically use the lens close up to a person unless I was intentionally looking to distort them. These two images show my typical use of a wide angle:
The wide field of view also allows a photographer to capture more in the frame when you have less room to work with, making this especially useful in situations where another lens would have simply too narrow a field of view.
As with many wide angles, flaring can be an issue if you shoot into a light source, but with this 7-14mm I embrace this. The flare and behavior of the light as it bounces around inside the elements can create a wonderful effect. For example (not an award winning image with that wonky horizon):
Another trait of many wide angles and something that the nature of the Micro Four Thirds format 'enhances' is that it is susceptible to chromatic aberration, but with software like Adobe Lightroom, I rarely, if ever, consider CA an issue at all as it is so easily removed with only a few clicks. No layers or masks required!
2: 17mm f/1.8
The 17mm f/1.8 is the only prime lens to make it into my top three favourites, which is actually odd for me when I think about it because I feel that the Olympus bodies work especially well when paired with a prime. It really was a close call between the three primes I do use regularly; the 17mm, the 45mm f/1.8 and the 60mm f/2.8 macro. But, ultimately, the compact size of the 17mm, coupled with its stunning build quality wins it for me.
With build quality you would expect from a lens upwards of £600 and sharpness that you have come to know from some of the most premium glass, the 17mm f/1.8 is an absolute bargain as well as a lens for many occasions. I am an advocate of the saying 'You get what you pay for', but so often is the case with Micro Four Thirds you actually get more than you pay (this is especially true in the case of the 45mm f/1.8 which just missed out on my top 3. I'll come to that later).
The effective field of view equates to 34mm which is a focal range I feel really comfortable using. I've traditionally enjoyed a 50mm prime among my favorite lenses, but with the 4:3 aspect ratio of the MFT sensors I just feel sometimes that a photograph made with a 50mm field of view can sometimes feel rather square, whereas I much prefer a wider frame. It's for this reason that I sold my 25mm f/1.8 lens. It may not be an accurate thing to say, but the 17mm pairs up very well with the E-M1 and gives for a superb result. It's just how I 'feel'.
You'll find that much of the work here on my website, in my street portfolio, was actually shot with the 17mm. Again owing to it's size it is often the only lens I'll take to the streets of London with me.
The 17mm f/1.8 also has other features that really do help this lens to take the 'prime lens crown' (in my opinion) over the others from Olympus. Such as the fact that the minimum focusing distance is just 25cm (or about 10 inches if you prefer). This means you can get nice and close to subjects. When I'm shooting things like wedding cakes and details with this lens this technique can give for wonderful shallow depth of field whilst at the same time not giving that Macro look, which is a look I find works for me.
Another benefit that makes this lens great is the very small front element. The size of the glass on the front of this lens is actually very tiny! Traditionally we expect the front element to be pretty much the same diameter as the lens itself, but because of the 17mm's near-pinhole size element, it means it's sturdy and tough and you don't find yourself constantly covering the front of the lens or worrying about it getting scratched. That makes this lens tough and ideal for many applications (street, weddings etc). Handy!
3: The 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO
The final lens to make it in to my top 3 favorite micro four thirds lenses is my favorite of them all. For me the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO is something of a marvel: It packs the equivalent of 80-300mm in the size of a lens that is about the same as a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8.
I've written a full review of the 40-150mm f/2.8 right here on the blog. For my full thoughts and for more details about this lens you can check out that review too, but the fact is, in summary, this lens is fast to focus, sharp, has great IQ and the ability to resolve detail even at the farthest end. It's built like a tank but isn't too heavy. It features a clever retractable lens hood design. It doesn't hunt back and forth to achieve focus and performs as well as any premium telephoto lens you would expect to pick up for £2,500, even though a savvy shopper can pick one of these up for around £1,200 - £1,300 brand new.
At both ends of its zoom range, it does a great job. The first image of the three below is at 40mm. The second image is at 97mm and the third image at 140m
In addition, the 40-150mm f/2.8 was designed alongside and to work specifically with the 1.4x teleconverter. So, if you want more reach - you can get it without sacrificing much (if anything) in the way of image quality or lens performance. Sure, as with all extenders you lose some depth of field and the 40-150mm f/2.8 quickly becomes a f/4, but, with that extra that you gain it can often be a trade-off well worth making.
The 40-150mm f/2.8 makes it as my favourite in the top 3 because it was the lens that finally sealed the OM-D deal for me. It was when I tested this lens I was convinced that it had what it took to work as a replacement for my previous all-time favorite lens; the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM II (considered to be possibly the best telephoto lens in the standard telephoto lens class!).
Whether I'm at the back of a church photographing the first kiss, in a low light situation photographing a newlywed's first dance, in a forest photographing deer, track-side photographing motor sports or even making a studio lit portrait, the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO is a lens that will take all of those situations in its stride whilst feeling great to handle and use at the same time.
If I had to rescue one lens from a fire, it would be the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO.
Other lenses in my bag
I also have the following lenses in my kit bag and to be honest I love them all, but I find myself reaching for these lenses slightly less than those above that I've written about. Either because the above three lenses tend to be what I favor, or, in the case of the 45mm and 60mm Macro; they're a bit more specialist in their purpose and only suit certain scenarios:
- Olympus 45mm f/1.8
- Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro
- Olympus 9mm f/8 Body Cap Lens (not really a lens, as such, in my opinion. But handy to have on the backup body at all times)
It's only now I list my lenses that I realise over time I have really reduced what I have in my bag. This has been really effective in helping me to choose the correct lens for the right scene. It's great to have a lens for every occasion but be wary - that can often paralyze you with too much to choose from.
Lenses I've Sold
I've recently sold both my 25mm f/1.8 and my 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO. Before I wrap this up I'm sure people will want to know why I sold my 25mm and 12-40mm lenses
25mm f/1.8
I mentioned earlier that I wasn't a fan of the 50mm field of view on the Micro Four Thirds System. Despite this when I made the switch over to Olympus I picked up the 25mm f/1.8. I felt that at the time that every photographer should have a 50mm equivalent in their lens bag. I owned that for about a year but found that I hardly used it, and when I did I wished I was instead using the 17mm f/1.8 instead for that slightly wider field of view. In comparison with the 17mm f/1.8, which is a very dense and somewhat heavy lens for its size, the 25mm felt plastic, too light and quite cheap in the hand (only when compared directly, but I think this speaks more to the quality of the build of the 17mm f/1.8, rather than anything negative about the 25mm f/1.8). I've never exactly had an issue getting in closer to a subject either and for that reason, the 17mm f/1.8 always seemed to be my preference. Don't get me wrong, the 25mm f/1.8 Isn't a bad lens. I just prefer the 17mm f/1.8 instead.
12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
The 12-40mm f/2.8 I appreciate is a highly popular lens for many Micro Four Thirds photographers. It's 24-80mm effective focal range make this an incredibly versatile lens. Couple that with the build quality we've all come to know and love of M.Zuiko PRO lenses and you have a sturdy lens ready for many situations. It does however just miss out being on my favourites list because I find the effective depth of field on offer (f/5.6 throughout the range) at this focal range just doesn't produce that same separation as some of the f/1.8 primes that sit in that same focal range (that being the 17mm f/1.8 for example). At a longer focal range, such as with the 40-150mm you can create better separation between subject and background whilst maintaining a preferred, tighter composition too. For that reason with the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO the effective focal range is fine and you can still get that wonderful soft background that we've all come to know and love from a telephoto lens. I've found that whenever I'm shooting something and need that little bit of versatility, I will often reach for the 7-14mm f/2.8, the 17mm f/1.8 or even the 45mm f/1.8. My poor old 12-40mm f/2.8 rarely got a look-in.
In case you weren't aware, the crop factor of the MFT sensor is x2. As most of us may be aware that affects the effective focal range; with lenses such as the 40-150mm becoming an effective 80-300mm and the 12-40mm becoming a 24-80mm for example. What everyone may not know though is that focal range is not the only thing affected by the crop factor of the MFT sensor. The aperture of a lense is also effected too. However, there is a caveat to this. Firstly, the f/2.8 aperture is doubled and so works out at f/5.6 (2.8 x 2 = 5.6. Furthermore an f/1.8 has a depth of field equivalent to f/3.6). The reason then that these lenses are still advertised as 35mm film form (17mm f/1.8 and 12-40mm f/2.8) is because those lenses and apertures are still accurately representative of the speed of the lense. I.e they let in the same amount of light as other f/1.8 lenses. In simple terms, they have the ability to let in light, directly representative of their aperture, but a depth of field of twice of that.
Conclusion
Thanks to Olympus putting the stabilization in to the body, Olympus lenses are all about optics, leaving the camera the job of steadying your scene. I believe that the stabilization on offer inside the OM-D bodies is the best available and the lenses are reaping the benefits of this. Because they don't need to feature those additional motors and parts the lenses are smaller and lighter. This, coupled with the sensor size of course means that they are smaller even still!
Olympus, unlike Canon and Nikon have one sensor standard and make lenses specifically for that one sensor size. As such M.ZUIKO lenses are designed to work in perfect harmony without any need to compromise or have any sort of change to their design to take another sensor in to account. Square Peg - Square hole!
So, whilst pretty much all of Olympus' lenses are absolutely superb, I've picked out my three favorites based on how much I find myself reaching for to the results I get. My switch to Olympus was of course motivated by the superb OM-D range, but those bodies would be nothing without stunning glass to mount to them.
What are your favorite lenses?
So, what are your favourite lenses? I've chosen all Olympus lenses here in my list, but that's not to say that I couldn't make use of those lenses on offer from Panasonic too! Post your comments and thoughts below and let me know what you find yourself reaching for when you head out shooting.