~ Again & again & again ~

I'm a bit worded-out after yesterday's post, aren't you? So i thought now would be a good time to share some more photography inspiration with you - photographers who aren't on Flickr, though i love them too. And then a very interesting thing happened: the photograph above is by Francesca Woodman, a photographer I have admired since I first saw her work exhibited at the Photographer's Gallery in London in 1999. Woodman committed suicide at 22 and has a Plath-like cult following, but i knew nothing of this at the time. I just happened upon the exhibition while idling away an afternoon in the West End, and discovered a body of work that spoke straight to my heart.

As i scoured the internet for photos for this post i found the shot above; it wasn't my first choice but it was a large jpeg i could resize and get a nice pic for the blog. And it just this second struck me how it echoes this photo of Emma in her floral dress. It's featured in the book I have of her work (i just checked) but i don't remember having seen it before, certainly not consciously anyway. Isn't that insane? Was this image filed away in my head for ten years so that when Emma stood in front of the wall there was a reason why I composed the polaroid in the way i did? Perhaps there really are no original ideas in the world, perhaps they have all been used up and we are only ever recycling what has gone before -? What a scary thought!

Uta Barth : more images : more

Amanda de Cadenet

Diane Arbus : more photos

Dorothea Lange : more images

Sally Mann : more images

Comments

[Mari]

I thought that was you in your new dress in the top image. Spooky.

Love Sally Mann, thanks for the links to the new inspirations!

[Carol]

You know, if you'd told me years ago that one of the main presenters of The Word would turn out to be such a talented photographer, I never would have believed it. Amanda's work is really quite beautiful!

[Susannah]

Carol, my thoughts exactly!

[charlane]

two of my favorites (dorothea and diane). thanks for the other inspirations - i will definitely check them out.

[gypsy Alex]

No... But Yes... :) I think there are new ways of seeing things that are introduced when some people search deep, which makes those works so incredible and unique. But recycling is also a way to respond, a way to throw in our two cents. And it can also be original, as long as it is inspired rather than a copy. xo

[susanna]

Francesca Woodman and Sally Mann are two of my favourite photographers. So is Sarah Moon. All of these women influenced my photography and many of the photos by women photography students at the college where I studied and worked. What I like best about these photographers is the mood that they create in each of their images. Feminine, romantic, melancholic...

[lisa]

I initially thought it was you in your new dress too. beautiful photos.

[Jennifer White]

Interesting thought ... about all things not being original ideas.... BUT.. BUT...here's my thought after pondering this...I think we are all linked in some way, so there are consistencies amidst all of our thoughts and words. If not with everyone, everywhere... then with those that we have stumbled upon where we have friendships, relationships, acquaintances, etc. This may fall in the "everything happens for a reason" category or even the six degrees of separation however, w/out Kevin Bacon :-)

[Jeanine]

i wonder about originality too. i was checking out your lovely e-course site and realized that i have a picture of the menu at jamie oliver's framed the exact same way you took it. totally unbeknown to me when i snapped the shot. i was just attracted to the angle, the contrast, the colors. as jennifer said, perhaps like-minded people see things in similar ways? qui sait?

by the way, i adore the new banner, love.

[Cassandra]

I'm sure someone has already brought this up, but as a design student I am quickly learning that there are no new ideas. Everything is a copy in some way of what someone else has done. We are always taking away snippets from what is around us and applying it. It just isn't a problem until something is consciously copied, in my opinion.

[Jacqueline]

Really interesting thoughts. I kinda see it the way gypsy Alex see it. And i feel the same way, that a piece can be "original as long as it is inpired". Lovely pictures. :) Hope your having a wonderful weekend and love to you!

[Sylvia]

I already said what I think about the issue in my never ending post ;) To be original in our times is really hard, and to copy others is really easy. Sometimes the borders between influence, inspiration, and copying are very vague, and sometimes people came up with similar ideas separately. I agree with Jeanine "perhaps like-minded people see things in similar ways"...

The new vignette suits you very well!

[Scarlett Clay]

Thanks for sharing these captivating photos-and ALL the info you share.I've learned more about photography from perusing your blog than I have in weeks!

[sarah Ahearn Bellemare]

i'm no photographer, but i used to work in a museum where we had a francesca woodman exhibit that was just amazing. we had some of her family (who are in the photos..) visit and talk about her work/life.
My top faves from the museum days though are Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison. They just blow me away. I especially love the Architect's Brother series.
http://www.parkeharrison.com/slidesarchitechsbrother/index.html
thanks for the great links and reminders of amazing photographers... xoxo, *s

[Peonies and Polaroids]

These are some of my favourite photographers but I haven't thought about many them for a long time, not since leaving (fleeing) art school. Thank you for reminding me of them again, it feels like meeting an old friend in the street.

Your blog is lovely, I'm so glad to have found it.