The Greatest #16: Horacio Salinas

I was thrilled to discover the work of Horacio Salinas; playful, totally unexpected and always a bit luxurious. I can only hope to see more.

The Greatest #15: Ellen Rogers

I stumbled upon Ellen Roger's work the other day and was floored. She mixes her own chemicals and does her own printing, but more importantly, her work employs old-time photo processes but it is fresh, exciting, unpredictable and modern. She is nothing short of truly remarkable.

The Greatest #14: Saul Leiter

Saul Leiter does incredible color work, evolving from more muted to very lucid tones, all the while, keeping the story in mind. His placement of people, use of movement and ability to capture such evocative scenes in what he sees everyday is unlike anyone else.

The Greatest #13: Dorothy Hong

I have been on fire finding new photogs I love. I just discovered Dorothy Hong's work, and she is wonderful. While being very hip, her work moves beyond just shooting cool looking people: her use of natural light is inspiring and she seems to create an interesting dynamic with her subjects - they seem totally unintimidated by her camera.

The Greatest #12: Eddie Adams

I have admired Eddie Adams work since high school. Everything else to say about him sounds douche-y, so I'd just check out his work.

The Greatest #11: Julia Soler

I stumbled upon Julia Solar's work the other day and fell in love. She shoots both clean and impressionistically; her style is tremendously varied yet evocative and effective. It's exciting and actually inspiring to spend time examining all the chances she takes visually.
She has this lovely other project.

The Greatest #10: Brian McCarty

Brian McCarty is a breath of fresh air; he is the best toy shooter I've ever seen. His photos are funny, original, inventive and, most importantly, they feel alive. What an incredible talent.

The Greatest #9: Olivia Bolles

Olivia Bolles is 15 and her work is nothing short of incredible. It is personal, beautiful, imbued with a huge array of emotions and very honest. I can't wait to see how her career flourishes and her style evolves.

The Greatest #8: Frank Ockenfels

I first saw Frank Ockenfels' work at the lab I use in Los Angeles, The Icon, and I was blown away.
He can shoot everything from straight-forward commercial work to very artsy portraits with vintage cameras, and he does it all wondrously.

The Greatest #7: Kate Bellm

Last week, I found a few images by Kate Bellm and immediately went to her site. What struck me right away (and left the strongest impression) was her use of flash without the hideous, over-done black shadows that tend to ruin the style for me.

Her work somehow feels cleaner and more thought-out while retaining the immediacy and sexiness the flash creates. As well, her poses are unexpected and exciting, I look forward to seeing her style evolve.

The Greatest #7: Elinor Carucci

I was in the Bay Area last week doing my first nude shoot when a friend asked if I wanted to see Elinor Carucci speak at SF CameraWork about the re-release of her book, Closer. I'd never heard of her before, but I was blown away by her work and thought it might be helpful reference for my editorial. Her personal work covers a wide range: from her husband to her parents to nudes of herself, moving from adolescence to marriage (and not shying away from domestic problems) to parenthood.
I love the work in Closer above all else, it feels unexpected, unguarded and immediate, as well Carucci is gorgeous, intense and beguiling; as a subject she brings much to the image.
Her commercial/editorial work is wonderful as well, it bears her style, sometimes leading to striking results (Dame Edna's mouth).
She is truly remarkable, in every way: an animated, witty and gracious public speaker, a memorable photographer and a seemingly genuine, normal person unaffected by her success.

The Greatest #6: Corey Seeholzer

I was reading J. Wesley Brown's blog a while back and saw his post on Corey Seeholzer. I emailed Corey and then had coffee with him. He is lovely.
His work, to me, is a perfect example of what retouching and digital photography should be. It bears the mark of being done by one photographer, while maintaining a genuine sense of intimacy and emotion with his subjects.

The Greatest #5: Katie Shapiro

I am always envious of those photographers who can take something everyday, something no one (or atleast I) would never notice and bring it to life with their unqiue eye. I was in the best lab left standing in LA, The Icon, when I saw the card for a show of Katie Shapiro's new work. I went to her site and she has this very quiet, unobstrusive way about her images, but they are striking; I never thought I would find urban plant life compelling.

The Greatest #4: Hilary Walsh

I was roaming around on the web today and I found the work of Hilary Walsh. While I'm not wild about everything in her portfolio, she is remarkable with color and has a restrained playfulness. Her work for Current Elliott (Fall '09) is quite nice; I'm always a fan of natural light and the world she made is replete is atmosphere and subtly dramatic.

The Greatest #4: Nadine Rovner

I found Nadine Rovner's work online a several months ago. She does very moody, lush, sexy photos. They are rich in color and tone, but I was most struck by the variety of worlds she creates and captures (her 1970's film looks are wonderful as are her low-light night shots). I would love to see how she would shoot in an editorial context.

The Greatest #3: Rosie Hardy

My friend and fellow photographer, Lisa Wiseman, just sent me the work of Rosie Hardy.

Who is this girl and where did she come from? Her work is fantastic, although I do prefer what's on the link above to what's on her official site. Again, it is such a thrill to know people like her are taking photos.

I've read a bit about people feeling she copies other artists with out giving credit, but I think her work stands on it's own, it has a unique style, and all of us use images that inspire us without giving credit. For example, I have a shoot coming up and this photo gave me the idea to shoot at Pyramid Lake.

While I understand some people feel she is directly reinterpreting/copying the work of others, I feel so much of her work is her own, and very good at that, it isn't truly an issue.

The Greatest #2: Amanda Friedman

Amanda Friedman's night landscapes blow me away. They have her signature unexpected colors but it's a very different approach: mysterious, unpredictable, moody, sensual.

I don't know how she finds the places she does, or rather, how she reinvents these places one drives past everyday without looking twice, but it is a testament to her talent that she can truly turn the everyday into something remarkable.

The Greatest #1: Julia Galdo

I have decided to feature someone who work I admire in a new section called the greatest.

This entry is about Julia Galdo, who is an amazing photographer, she just moved from SF to LA and has a gorgeous portfolio.

Her work has the dreamy, sensual qualities I always admire, coupled with a feeling of precise and finely-tuned attention to detail. Nothing in her images feel like a mistake. That being said, she finds unusual locations or poses that give her images an unexpected playfulness.

I haven't been this excited about a photographer in a long time.