I am very pleased to participate in this week’s Five at Five project hosted by Bren of Brashley Photography.
If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out her series where she introduces fellow photographers who also blog. On her site this week you’ll find my response to five questions on photography along with five of my favorite images.
One of Bren’s questions is “Have you been influenced by other photographers, if so by whom and why?”
This is a tricky question because it presumes that I’m a serious enough photographer to study the masters and emulate them. That is not the case. I take pictures and discover in post- what I like or don’t. When I look at photos by the masters, I sometimes think “I like that” but rarely do I ever think “I could shoot that”.
In my answer to Bren, I cite Steve McCurry, Elliot Erwitt, Herbert List and Fan Ho as photographers who I admire. McCurry because of his drama, Erwitt because of his comedic eye, List for his sensuality and Fan Ho because of his sense of place.
The Five at Five question and my own Friendly Friday Challenge: Favorites & Why, caused me to review photo from my archives. Which photos echo the elements I admire most in the masters?
Here are a few, with links to original posts if you’re interested in reading more.
Drama
Paduang girls of the long-neck women in the Hill Tribes of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand
Comedy
I used these shots in one of my first photo essays. The video itself was melancholic because of the music but I’ve always thought of these shots as comedic. The full slideshow is here under Prague Street Photography
Sensuality
I don’t do a lot of model shoots but this session was with a troupe of professional dancers in Cuba. We spent a whole day at a beach side resort where the young men and women enthusiastically posed and pouted at the camera. In this post I talk about the process of creating the video called Los Cubanos.
Place
Ho Chi Minh City (previously known as Saigon) in Vietnam is one of my favorite travel destinations. The visual richness of everyday street scenes is breathtaking. In Saigon Photos I share a few photos taken during a one week photo crawl through the city.
I hope you enjoyed this retrospective of photos and old posts.
Remember that my Friendly Friday Challenge: Favorites & Why continues for another week.
If you’re stuck on identifying favorite photos, then consider selecting photos which speak of drama, comedy, sensuality or place. I will be happy to see them!
As Amanda announced earlier, this is my last topic before we officially close down Friendly Friday in September. We still have two more challenges, with the next one on August 12th by Sarah at Travel with Me. Until then!
The Sandy Chronicles 
I started this post when there was a three favourite photo challenge at Lens-Artists. It was impossible to finish – I could not pick only three. But here I was inspired by you breaking it down into categories and then showing a few favourites. Believe it or not this five favourite photos in five favourite categories was easier than just picking three. I’m sad that your Friendly Friday challenge is not carrying on forever, but can only imagine how much work it would be to come up with a theme every other week like you were originally. Thank you so much for lasting as long as you have – this is one of my favourites!
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Asking for 3 favorites is like asking which of your 3 children do you love the most! Given your collection I can see why you had issues narrowing it down.
Thank you for your kind words about Friendly Friday. It’s enthusiasm like yours that made me last as long as I did 😉 Of course, I will continue posting & hopefully, you will be inspired to do empathetic (or sympathetic?!) posts too!
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I love all the photos you showcased here but I especially admire your talent for street portraiture. I can’t believe you haven’t studied the masters and/or had any guidance. I have learned a lot by looking at photos, visiting exhibitions etc., trying to understand why I am drawn to certain images. I don’t deliberately then set out to emulate what I’ve seen but I’m sure it influences me subconsciously. You must have a genuine instinct for that sort of photography 🙂
And now I’m off to read your interview …
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Early on I attended a few workshops and those taught me to not be afraid of approaching people & taking their pictures. That’s a big hurdle to overcome, especially with street portraiture. Thanks for your kind words Sarah, it’s always nice to hear when someone likes my images 😉
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Maybe I should try one of those workshops – that’s the aspect of street photography I’m least comfortable with! My husband is very good at it so when we’re out together I often rely on him to ask, then we both take photos! But to be honest, most of my favourite shots are candid rather than posed 🙂
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I’d think London would offer excellent workshops for street photography!
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These are very interesting captures, Sandy 🙂
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Interesting in a good way I hope.
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Wonderful Sandy. I loved Bren’s interview 🙂
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Thank you Brian. I learned more about you from your interview too 🙂
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Sandy, you are an excellent photographer. I always enjoy looking at your work.
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Thank you for saying Neil. It’s always good to hear.
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Your photos are so expressive!
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I’m glad you enjoyed them Aletta. Thank you for your encouragement!
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You’re welcome.
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Fabulous
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🙂
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