My Photographical Inspirations

After my discussion with Professor Hepworth today, I wanted to share about my three favorite photojournalists who have inspired me as an aspiring artist in writing, photography and ultimately impacting the world.

My hero and favorite photojournalist is William Eugene Smith who was a photographer for Life magazine. Through his photographs, he impacted the world by altering the future for those who thought their situations were hopeless; therefore, he inevitably made the world a better place. The first photo below is my favorite photograph. The emotion expressed through this picture is amazing. The first photograph is from Smith's collection while he resided in Minimata Bay, Japan. Through his work, he exposed the malpractices of the factories in the area. These factories were dumping their excess mercury into Minimata Bay where the fish were being infected. These fish, which were the main food source for the area, were then caught and sold for the people's consumption. After consuming these fish, many people became deformed; this led to many deaths. After his story was published, many American groups had a strong reaction to the photographs and the accompanying story and donated their money and time to get the mercury factories shut down. The people of Minimata Bay never had to worry about mercury poisoning again. The second and third photographs were ones that W. Eugene Smith took on the battlefield during the war and in Spain.
Another one of my favorite photojournalists is James Nachtwey. He is also a man who wanted to make a difference with his photographs. In one of his speeches, he told the audience, "I use the formal aesthetics of photography not for their own sake, but as a tool for social awareness. I want the immediate effect of my photographs to establish a direct relationship between the viewer and the people in the picture." He spoke about the power of photography in shaping public opinion, a tool for creating change and the obligation of journalists to exploit those resources. "It's easy to be cynical about photography, to dismiss its power to create change," Nachtwey said. "But it has made a difference, against all odds, sometimes in great ways, sometimes small. As long as there are things happening in this world that cry out for change, photography will continue to be a factor in the process." Nachtwey believes that war is a turning point in history and, as a photojournalist, it is his duty to document that contemporary history. "I want my photographs to be published while the event is still taking place so that the images become part of society's daily dialogue and consequently become an element in the process of change," he said. "Ultimately, I want my pictures to become a part of our collective memory."
Steve McCurry is another one of my favorite photographers. He has my dream job: a National Geographic photographer. His portraits are beautifully exquisite and express so much emotion. He once said, "If you wait, people will forget you have the camera and the soul will drift into view." This statement proves to be so true, especially in what I've found in my portraiture-taking experiences. Anyway, I believe his photographs speak for themselves - the soul naturally drifts up.