As soon as I started to think about doing a “Artist of the Day” project, I thought: But who am I going to pick as my first photographer? I have been influenced by many photographers over the years (and certainly many will pop-up throughout this list), but I think the one that impacted me the most was Edward Weston. Weston comes from that “golden age” of photographers (1920-1950), with such greats as Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, and Dorothea Lange (just to name a few), where photography as an art medium really took hold.
Weston was never afraid of any subject and shot just about anything (or anyone) he could. I imagine if Weston was around today, he would truly embrace the Digital age of photography. He took thousands of photos, many of which he never even developed (he had his children help in developing – go free labor!). It’s also important to remember, when I say he took thousands of photos, we aren’t talking about a “35mm point-and-shoot” camera, but a large format 8x10 camera that sat on a huge tripod and took 40 hours just to set up! Well, ok, perhaps not 40, but it sure took longer than a digital!
As prolific as Weston was, it’s amazing to see how many great shots he got. I know from personal experience, if I can get one good photo out of 100-200, I’m happy (not that I’m comparing myself to Weston in any way!), but to get that many great photos so consistently exemplifies the level of mastery that he had over the camera.
I’m not going to pick one Weston photo and say it’s my favorite, because I honestly have so many that I love that I don’t want any to get mad at me! I will say, if you ever get a chance to see them, do it! Seeing them in person is so much better than via computer screen.
Wikipedia
Cool Russian Site (with 160+ photos)
Official Site
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