Now that I have done my shot of the week I just had to mention Joel Sternfeld and cant believe I didn't mention him earlier. I have been familiar with the work for some time now and may be his biggest fan. If you managed to see The Genius Of Photography there was a short piece on him which was great because I dont think there is much stuff of him around like that, unlike Shore, Meyerowitz and Misrach. He talks of the images from his book American Prospects (published first in 1987 and recently made into a second edition) claiming that he limited himself to shooting two sheets of 10/8 film a day on his trips across America due to lack of funds (now thats editing). Of all the photographers I have mentioned so far I think Sternfeld has left the biggest impression on me. His timing, methods and unique view of America have influenced me greatly.
Strangers Passing (see cover shot) is always worth a look and is as remarkable as his landscape images. Its interesting to see how much influence photographers like Sternfeld create. A good example is the work of Alec Soth
Which is not surprising as he used to assist Joel Sternfeld. I believe Alec also has a nice blog and although his work quite wonderful I don't think he holds an edge quite like Sternfeld.
I think thats enough of the great American masters for now. Next week its an all British addition, with a few European thrown in for good measure....
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