(guest entry) A friend to peruse...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 10:43AM 
Of course not every great photographer is famous or even represented by a gallery. I would venture to guess there are unfortunately hundreds of great photographers/artists that never "make it" and we never get to see. "Making it" can be quite the crap shoot. Who you know, who you've met, how hard you push, persistence, the right review, the right collector, and so on. You almost need all of the above to come together and that's a tall order.
With that said, I'd like to share a favorite photographer of mine from flickr, Luis Montemayor. We met 3 years ago on flickr when I began shooting and we immediately fed off each other's work for inspiration and ideas. Looking through his flickr portfolio is like coming across an amazing flea market filled with the most random and eclectic items. There are many many styles, subjects, formats to look at and his background in Graphic Design (aka photoshop prowess) is very obvious. From Portrait to fashion, panoramic to sci-fi, he doesn't fear trying anything and everything. His eye for gorgeous color and tones, his ability to use the right balance of "effects" that doesn't over do it, and his creativity for composition are what constantly bring me back to his photos whenever I want some eye candy to stimulate my photo senses. There are several styles that I glance over without interest and just as many that grab my attention. It's incredible to believe that when looking at his photos that they are all from the same person.
I also think his camera is permanently attached to his eye. He doesn't wait for that shot that suits his style or any particular series or body of work he is developing. He simply shoots, shoots some more and then shoots again! So take a few minutes (could take hours if you had them) and wander about his photostream on flickr, I'm sure there's something in it for everyones taste.
Reader Comments (2)
Holy cow! That dude has a lot of images uploaded. A typical photographer's photographer from what I can see. Lot's of great stuff. Probably take me a few days to digest. Thanks for the head's up!
What a great tip. Thanks.