My inspirations Archive

‘I simply looked at the world, not prepared for anything.’ Saul Leiter (1923-2013) I have mixed feelings about Saul Leiter’s black and white work. Some of it I love, especially the images taken through glass. But I have to admit – reluctantly – that a lot of his black and white photos

‘Every body of work I’ve done has a certain social dynamic – and I don’t put too much sugar on it.’ Bruce Davidson (Born 1933 – Chicago) I have a copy of Davidson’s photobook ‘England/Scotland 1960’ on my shelf. Documenting the urban and rural life of that period, in many ways it’s

Born in New York in 1926, Vivian Maier worked as a nanny and took photographs in her spare time. As far as the public is concerned, the story nearly ended there, because she didn’t share her passion with others. Towards the end of her life, her archive of more than 100,000 negatives

I made sure that my copy of ‘The English’ came with me to Zambia, where it has pride of place on the bookshelf. The book was made possible by the award of an Arts Council Bursary and most of the images were taken during 1975. In the foreword, Berry explains that the

‘When you see an unbelievable confluence of chance in a photograph, remember that the photographer was there, booted and spurred.’ Walker Evans (1969) When Walker Evans made this comment, he was thinking of Helen Levitt. He had agreed to write a brief introduction to the wonderful photobook Helen Levitt. And he described

“I like ‘organic’, which isn’t always pristine.” I stumbled on Susan’s work through Flickr, the photo sharing website. We both love dogs and black & white photography, which seemed a good beginning. Then as I explored Susan’s images, I was drawn into her creative world. Sharing home with husband Leon, six dogs

‘To me, photography is an art of observation.’ Elliott Erwitt For a long time Elliott Erwitt has been one of my heroes. And while he’s best known for his humorous dog pictures, the range of his photography is much broader than that. Mr Erwitt likes his pictures (or snaps as he sometimes

‘Making a Calotype is as much a craft as it is a science’ according to my friend Rob Douglas. Having met Rob some years ago, I’ve enjoyed following his photographic journey. Starting with a digital camera, Rob happily admits that the journey has been unconventional. Nowadays he prefers to capture his images

“I don’t have a philosophy. I have a camera.” Saul Leiter (1923-2013) A friend introduced me to Saul Leiter’s work. She took me to an exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery in London, in 2016. I was instantly hooked and I still am. Born in Pittsburgh, USA, Leiter was brought up in a

I want to share my enthusiasm for Roger Mayne’s street photography. Born in 1929 and educated at Oxford, he seemed destined for a conventional career. But he didn’t enjoy chemistry – and by the time he graduated, his photography had already been featured in Picture Post magazine. Mayne’s most famous body of