Image makers/image takers.

The thing I found most interesting in the selection from Image Makers, Image Takers, was how each artist developed their own distinct voice. Steven Shore for example, was able to go to the Light Gallery and receive feedback from John Szarkowski. In Shore’s case his path was shaped by having a mentor to consistently discuss his vision with. Shore also started working with photography quite young, getting a dark room kit by age six, a camera by age nine, selling a print to MOMA by 14, and getting a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by age 24. Shore’s current position as a teacher at Bard is also bound to influence the way he takes photographs.

In Mary Ellen Mark’s case, the main way she seems to have developed her voice is the freedom offered by magazines in the 1960s. Through this freedom, Mark was able to explore and realize her vision without worrying about money. In Mark’s words, “it was like having the most incredible grant to do my own work.” Another thing that interested me was how Mark emphasized the importance of patience for a photographer. In the interview, Mark describes multiple shots she only got because she was patient. These shots often ended up being the best ones on the roll.

For David LaChapelle the decision to become an artist was easy. LaChapelle knew he was going to be an artist from “the time I was in fourth grade primary.” For LaChapelle the person most crucial in helping him develop his artistic voice was clearly his mother. LaChapelle is also inspired by the fact that he has always been an outsider. One thing LaChapelle mentions as important for young photographers seeking to develop their voice is to, “immerse yourself in fashion history.” For me, LaChapelle is an artist who works through exposing contradiction. In fact he embraces contradiction. He comments on how his pictures are about exposing the inherent stupidity in materialism, and yet he is an integral part of an industry that is responsible for some of the most irresponsible materialistic attitudes in America.

One of the interesting aspects of Rineke Dijkstra’s work is how simplistic the pictures are. To me it illustrates how interesting people and portraits of people are. Dijkstra also stresses patience, a thing that seems to reoccur throughout these interviews. To Dijkstra the most important element of her photographs is that they are “democratic.”

Personally, I find Alec Soth a huge influence on me, and how I approach photography. I love the way he makes images with an 8 x 10 camera that look like snapshots. Soth repeatedly mentions how the most important part about photography is, “limitation, it’s about not having everything there.” Another aspect Soth emphasizes is how, “you need to work out an existing language in order to communicate – you need to work with those influences not run away from them.”