Who Are Your Favorite Photographers?

So I start...
Yusuf Karsh
http://www.mfa.org/tours/package.asp?key=132

Imogen Cunningham

http://www.imogencunningham.com/index2.html

She was the first female photographer I learned about in my photography classes.  I am not a feminist, but I do enjoy learning about successful women.  Although I feel such an admiration for her and enjoy her work, I honestly don't care to personally shoot the same subject matter.  So go figure.

WOW!  This is a difficult one . . .

My first hero was Ansel Adams.  I still love his work, but it was his technique that first interested me.  I was a geek before it was popular and Adams' technical prowess appealed to me from the beginning. 

Later, research for a photography class helped me discover the work of Fredrick Evans.  Evans made beautiful platinum prints of cathedrals in England and Europe during the early part of this century. 

I have also spent time studing the works of Julia Margerat Cameron, Imogen Cunningham and the FSA photographers.

More recently, as I became interested in weddings and portraits the work of Rocky Gunn, Joe Zeltzman and, of course, Monte Zucker. 

At this point in my career, the two who have had the largest affect on my work would be the first and last that I mentioned.  Ansel forced me to learn the technical side of photography inside and out.  This allows to forget about the camera and work on the image.  Monte allowed me to make that image so much better.

There are many, many others . . .

Somehow I never "got" Walker Evans.  His work just never reached me.