inspirational

Blind Photographer Pete Eckert Describes How He Sees and Captures the World

When Pete Eckert found out he was going to lose his sight to retinitis pigmentosa 27 years ago, he was well on his way to becoming an architect, receiving acceptances from graduate programs. It was also around this time that he discovered his mother's old camera.

He's now an award-winning photographer, and in the above short by The Avant/Garde Diaries, he describes how he sees the world and uses his photography to create "a bridge between the world of the blind and sighted."

Photographer Gets a Second Chance at Life, Embarks on a 100 Portrait Journey

In 2011, photographer Giles Duley stepped on a land mine while working in Afghanistan. Originally a celebrity portrait photographer who had been turned off to celebrity culture by the people he was photographing, he had always hoped to return to portraiture.

That's why, during his 46-day fight for his life in intensive care, it was to portraiture that his mind turned, and a project took shape.

Documentary: The Life and Work of Iconic Photographer William Klein

It's the weekend, which means we get a chance to share something inspirational with you that you might not otherwise have the time to sit down and enjoy in the middle of the week. This week's contender is an hour-long documentary, put together by the BBC One show Imagine..., about legendary photographer and filmmaker William Klein.

Short Inspirational Profile of Large Format Photographer Marty Knapp

This video, put together as a personal project by Logan Kelsey of Vertical Online, tells the inspirational story of large format photographer Marty Knapp from the first time he ever picked up a camera to his current work capturing the landscapes of Northern California and the surrounding areas near Point Reyes.

Photo Series of a Young Girl Dressed Up as Great Women Throughout History

Photographer Jaime Moore's daughter Emma recently turned 5 years old. Naturally, being a photographer, Moore wanted to commemorate the event for her daughter by putting together a cute photo shoot for her, so she turned to the Internet for inspiration.

Much to her chagrin, however, something like 95 percent of the ideas she ran into were actually the same idea: how to dress up your 5-year-old as a Disney Princess. Moore wasn't keen on that, so she went another way. Instead of dressing her daughter up as a made up ideal, an "unrealistic fantasy" as she put it, she chose to dress and pose her daughter as some of the greatest women throughout history.

How One Photographer Rediscovered His Passion After Going Legally Blind

Photographer Gary Albertson calls himself "the luckiest unlucky guy in the world." In 2010, after decades spent shooting the outdoors, he developed a rare form of glaucoma that has left him with little more than a circle of peripheral vision in each eye. But after some time away from the camera he's come back stronger than ever, creating photography so stunning he's attracted the attention of a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist.

Creative 365 Project Captures the Same Lighthouse in 365 Different Ways

One Lighthouse, 365 Clicks is a fascinating photo series by Brazilian photographer Tunisio Alves Filho. Like all 365 projects, he took one photo per day over the course of a year. Unlike most 365 projects, he never changed subjects, just vantage point, composition and style -- needless to say, he had to get pretty creative.

Photographer and Lab Owner Discusses the Art of Film Photography and Printing

Over the years, Billy Mork has been a photographer, an art director and even a practicing architect, but he ultimately ended up back where his passion lies: in black and white film photography. This inspirational short film -- put together by broadcast media student Duong Thai Anh for a class at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore -- tries to capture a bit of that passion and pass it along to you.

Behind the Scenes with One of Canada’s Most Renowned Portrait Photographers

Call it the an energy, call it an artist's personality, call it whatever you want, Canadian portrait photographer Christopher Wahl has it. One of the best and best-known portrait photographers from the Great White North, his pictures have been published in every major magazine in his own country, and many beyond its borders.

And in this short segment, television program 16x9 goes behind the scenes at his studio and gives us a peek at one of the most energetic and passionate masters in the business.

Nat Geo Photographer Talks About What it Takes to Lead ‘a Photographer’s Life’

Here's a short inspirational video by photographer Joel Sartore in which he talks about shooting for National Geographic and living "a photographer's life." He talks about what it takes to be that kind of photographer, and even though his list includes everything from a palate that can handle strange foods to a Type A personality, it seems that the quality Sartore has in spades is a healthy sense of humor.

Inspirational B&W Short Film Voiced Over by an Interview with Henri Cartier-Bresson

The folks at 522 Productions have been slowly putting out videos that capture the essence of what inspires each of them. The charge was led a few weeks ago by 522's art director Chris Jurchak, but it was editor Eli Sinkus' What Inspires You? video, uploaded on April 1st, that caught our eyes and ears.

His video tells the tale of his love affair with photography and Henri Cartier-Bresson's famous "Decisive Moment" through the magic of (mostly) black and white film. A fictional tale of a boy discovering the world through photography, the entire video is then "narrated" by an interview Cartier-Bresson gave Cornell Capa in 1973.

Antonin Kratochvil Discusses His Love of Simple, Intimate Photography

Over the course of his career, Antonin Kratochvil has made a name for himself as one of the great photojournalists of our time. He's photographed everything from Mongolian Street Children to war zones, to Bono, and through it all has managed to maintain an intimacy in his style and simplicity in his approach that is both inspirational and refreshing.

The Sartorialist Sits Down with Legendary Photographer Steve McCurry

Scott Schuman, known better as fashion photographer "The Sartorialist," is currently four of five parts through a fascinating interview with legendary Magnum photographer Steve McCurry. We'll add the fifth video as soon as it goes up, but for now, each of these short 2-4 minute talks offers plenty of wisdom to get you through the day (or week... or maybe month).

Clyde Butcher Talks About His Journey to Massive Black-and-White Photography

Photographer Clyde Butcher shoots big photos, and we mean big. He develops large format black-and-white prints that range in size from your standard 8"x10" all the way up to 5x8... feet! This phenomenal photographer's journey and the type of photography he's become famous for are an inspiration to the people out there who want to see the extent to which the medium can be pushed.

The Experience of Being the Only Photog to Shoot the Manti Te’o Interview

One of the biggest stories in the sports world over the past couple of weeks has been the hoax involving star football player Manti Te’o and a girlfriend that never existed. After the news spiraled into the national spotlight, Te'o agreed to an exclusive off-camera interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap to explain his side of the story.

Although no footage was to be recorded at the interview, ESPN was allowed to capture the interview with a single still photographer. That photographer turned out to be University of Florida photojournalism student Ryan Jones.

The Benefit of Researching a Subject’s Life Before Shooting a Portrait

Here's a nice little video in which photographer Matthew Jordan Smith tells the story of a portrait session he had years ago with American actor/dancer/singer Gregory Hines. After finding himself in a sticky situation with a subject that wouldn't offer the personality and emotion Smith wanted to capture, he reached deep into the knowledge of Hines that he had accumulated through his research; one particular fact saved the shoot.

Stunning Underwater Photography

Having just mentioned National Geographic yesterday, it's appropriate that we're featuring a photographer whose work has been used in the magazine many times over. David Doubilet is certainly one of the greatest underwater photographers in the world, and his work in both fresh and salt water, in both black and white and color, really leaves one breathless.

Retiree Raises Nearly $200,000 for Charity by Repairing Old Cameras

Photography enthusiast and retired physicist Milo Shott of Oxford, England has found a way use his love for cameras to raise boatloads of money for the poverty-fighting charity Oxfam: camera repair. 11 years ago, Shott noticed some workers at an Oxfam store throwing out an old piece of camera equipment. After saving it from the trash, he fixed it up and helped the store sell it for £270.

Photojournalist Joao Silva on Life, Loss and Conflict Photography

Photojournalist João Silva lost his legs to a land mine in Afghanistan at the end of last year, but -- after months of intense rehabilitation -- returned to work in July, landing a photo on the front page of the New York Times. On August 2nd, Silva visited the Bronx Documentary Center and gave a talk on his thoughts and experiences.

15 Minutes to Shoot, 15 Years to Master

Here's a story that was shared over on the Photo.net forums recently:

Client : Nice shot. You got it in 15 minutes. But isn't 1,000 bucks for that a robbery?
Photographer : Yes, you are right, but to get it done correctly in 15 minutes it took me 15 years of hard work and dedication to master this art of "robbery".

When people see photographers at work, they often assume that the results must not be worth as much as other forms of art, since pressing the shutter to capture an image seems so much faster and easier than painting a photograph.