Photographer stories is a mix of stories about famous photographers along with some of my own stories. Learning from the experience others have gained will inspire you to take better photographs. It may even help you avoid making the same mistakes they have made along the way.
Please let me know if you are enjoying the articles I include in this category. Are there others on my website that would fit this category? Should I add a sub-category to make it easier to locate articles on a similar topic?
Following in the Footsteps of a Great New Zealand Photographer The first photo I took of the Southern Alps. This is part of the Remarkables Range in 1987. The subject material of many a New Zealand photographer these days. by Kevin Landwer-Johan My great grandfather was Frederick Kingsford Jeken Cooper. He was an unknown and […]
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W. Eugene Smith – Master of the Photo Essay by Kevin Landwer-Johan Much of the development of the editorial photo essay can be attributed to American photographer W. Eugene Smith. His essay, “Country Doctor” published by Life magazine in 1948, is recognized as the first extended editorial photo story. Smith was obsessive in the pursuit
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Two Views in Documentary Photography by Kevin Landwer-Johan I love a good TED talk. Here’s one by photojournalist Billy Weeks. In this video, Weeks talks about working in documentary photography and where the intersection of photographer and subject happens. I find it an inspiring idea that we can infuse more meaning into our photographs when
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The silent drama of photography | Sebastião Salgado by Kevin Landwer-Johan I love a good TED Talk. Especially when the speaker is a photographer. And they don’t come more interesting than Brazillian Sebastião Salgado. I first became aware of his work in the early 1990s. I saw some of his images of gold miners in
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Now the easiest kind of a job to cover was a murder … by Kevin Landwer-Johan Famous New York Photojournalist Many people are scared stiff of photographing strangers in the street. Famous New York photojournalist, Weegee, admits, when he started out, he was too. Cutting his teeth on the streets of the city’s lower east
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Don McCullin – ‘I Hate Being Known as a War Photographer’ by Kevin Landwer-Johan War photography makes up a large percentage of Don McCullin‘s portfolio. In this video he talks about an exhibition of his work at the Tate Gallery. Void of his war photographs it does contain a number of the Berlin wall being
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I had the pleasure of meeting photo journalist Tom Stoddart a number of years ago and the privilege of listening to him speak.
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Know your camera well and be prepared for whatever might happen when you least expect it. If you are ready to seize at an opportunity you will probably get better photos than you expected.This means checking your attitude as well as your camera gear. If you approach a photo opportunity with a negative preconceived idea of how it will be, you are not so likely to get great results.
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How Frightening it is to Reach the Top by Kevin Landwer-Johan Freelancing as a photographer has many challenges. Reaching the top of your game requires constant commitment and regular production of stella photographs. This is regardless of whether you want to make them or not. Being able to provide clients and editors with the images
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Photography has been my passion since I bought a camera. I was 19 years old and hungry to learn. But it took me a few years to make any significant progress.In this article, I’ll share some of my story. This is how I made the most of a great opportunity and began my journey as a professional photographer.
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