The idea of where inspiration comes from has always fascinated me. It can be a pretty esoteric, philosophical topic – or we can cut to the chase and realize that our ideas come from triggers we see, hear or feel – whether its another photographer’s work, a painting, a chord in a piece of music, a cloud in the sky. Sometimes my inspiration comes from watching a little kid’s fascination with the ordinary…a trait so many adults have lost.
I was thinking about inspiration tonight and thought back to about a year ago when an artist I had the chance to become acquainted with by the name of Adam McEwen turned me on to a British photographer named Jane Bown. Bown is one of the most incredible portrait shooters I’ve seen – she has that feeling for light and how it plays on her subjects , a feeling that comes from the heart and soul not from formulas- so here I was thinking about Bown’s work ( actually I was more thinking about a book she did that’s now out of print that I would love to own but can’t afford) and I went digging for a couple of portraits I did that were inspired by her.
I figured as long as I had them open I’d do an extra post to make up for some I’ve missed.
The first one is John O’Gorman, the father of my good friend Tom. John and his wife were visiting from Ireland and I did the portrait at Tom’s house.
The second is dancer Ronald Brown who was in New Hampshire to do a master dance class and performance at the Music Hall in Portsmouth.
