There are many great photographers living and working in Washington D.C., and we love viewing their work. We thought it would be interesting to ask a few photographers, with various backgrounds, whose work they enjoy watching. Their answers are fascinating. Some follow photographers whose work is completely different from theirs, while others follow someone who has helped them along the way. One photographer was named twice, and one of the photographers we asked was named by another.
Aside from being part of the Exposed DC team, James Calder is a talented photographer in his own right. He was the team photographer for Crystal Palace Baltimore, and now covers the DC Rollergirls, and pups in need of a home at City Dog Rescue. He says:
I’ve been a fan of Chris Suspect‘s photography for several years. I’m always amazed at how astutely he’s able to frame his subjects, which for me is the key to his distinctive sense of humor. The name of his website, Suspect Device is the icing on the cake for this Stiff Little Fingers fan.
Formerly based in D.C. but now living in Baltimore, Mark Zimin also goes by the name The Blow-Up, after the seminal 60’s mod movie about a fashion photographer. Not surprisingly, he mostly shoots female portraits based around fashion, but it’s his punk/pin-up aesthetic that makes him really stand out of the crowd for me. Check his work out on his website or his always-active Facebook page.
Gaston Lacombe is an editorial photographer whose “Captive” series we featured last month. Lacombe also works with the locally-based International League of Conservation Photographers. He says:
I really enjoy the contact I have with our D.C.-based iLCP fellows, and their work is phenomenal. I am thinking of the leading amphibian photographer in the world, Robin Moore, also of Krista Schlyer and Karine Aigner, two brilliant chroniclers of the natural world. We also work with two legendary National Geographic photographers, Annie Griffiths and Karen Kasmauski. What I enjoy about their work, and the work of all of our iLCP Fellows, is that their photography is not just “pretty pictures.” The photos are taken with the concrete aim of achieving conservation goals and improving our planet – and that is very important to me.
One of my good friends Kristi Odom does marvelous work. Not only is she one of the top wedding photographers – probably in the world – she is also a very talented nature photographer, and a wonderful person to have lunch with to bounce ideas and discuss new projects.
John Harrington is definitely someone I follow closely, specifically for his business advice. The “pricing” tab on his website has gotten me out of many confusing situations, and helped me make more money as a photographer as well.
Noe Todorovich is a documentary photographer, who also photographs weddings and important life events “in a sincere manner.” She says:
D.C. has such an interesting mix of photographers and collectives. I like to keep an eye on groups like STRATA and InstantDC (which I’m actually a part of). A few specific photographers that catch my eye are…
Jim Darling. Jim takes amazing portraits. He has a way of connecting with people and capturing something so strong about them in his images. I always feel like there’s something more to the person that I want to know—their story.
Aziz Yazdani. I love the deep contrast and often darkness Aziz incorporates into his work. And his ability to click the shutter at just the right moment. He’s got great timing.
Joshua Yospyn. I can’t get enough of his instant film portrait collages. I find them to be brilliant. Such a creative way to assemble a portrait. I also love his more traditional portraits that indicate such a strong connection and intensity. And he has a great way of framing shots that create such a unique perspective and make something interesting that might otherwise be considered mundane.
Victoria Milko. I was instantly drawn in when listening to her episode on Patrick Onofre’s Staying in Focus podcast. I had seen her work, but hearing her talk about her story, her travels, her dreams…it just caught and kept my attention. I love the freedom and hint of whimsical wanderlust in her photos.
Yonas Hassen is a street photographer who often works with film. He chose two photographers, whom he describes as “devoted to shooting with film.” He says:
It is hard to keep up with the entire flow of photography in our city, but two local photographers whom I admire and follow very closely are Aziz Yazdani and Steve Goldenberg.
Aziz’s photos show the full spectrum of human emotion and experience. Although some of his shots are dark in nature, many others display love, humor, and the bizarrely awkward. It really speaks to his ability to capture human nature’s diverse spectrum, not just a narrow sliver.
Steve is a photographer I’ve followed for years. At the risk of drowning to death in a cliché statement, I am nonetheless compelled to say that Steve is a master of composition. Often times Steve’s photographs are framed so well that one is left with an entire story, and no further questions to ponder.
We featured Jim Darling‘s portrait work earlier this month, but the two D.C. photographers he enjoys take a different route with their work.
I tend to seek out the work of Jenn Verrier and Jenny Markley. Both Jenn and Jenny have a way of seeing and photographing spaces that might go unnoticed by others. And the results are always beautiful – even if you can’t explain why.
Verrier’s “Unfamilar” series documents her cross country drive in the Fall of 2012 and it was then I first started noticing and following her work. She even admitted to getting out of her comfort zone and included photos of people she met along the way. Since she returned to D.C. I enjoy seeing her photos of nearby weekend excursions pop up from time to time, and it reminds me that I need to get out of the city more often.
Markley’s keen eye for composition, shapes and color is what draws me to her work. She can take a familiar place in town and make it seem like you’ve never been there before. Or make a photo of an old gas station in a rural town you’ve never been look familiar. When looking at Markley’s photos, they remind me of those places or people you might pass on a car trip to somewhere new that you say to yourself, “Oh! That would have made a great photo,” but just keep driving. I get the feeling that Jenny is the one that stops.
When I was given an opportunity to shoot a band for the first time back in 2007, I reached out to Kyle Gustafson, whose work I admired, for some advice. We didn’t know each other, so he could’ve easily discarded my email, but he responded with some tips that laid the foundation for most of what I know today.
It’s been great seeing Kyle’s work evolve from his days of shooting small shows at venues like the Black Cat and 9:30 to getting prime gigs at places like Merriweather and the Verizon Center. He’s always had the ability to capture the energy of an act, but what consistently impresses me is the clarity and quality of light that he’s able to create in less-than-ideal conditions.
Which local photographers do you follow? Tell us in the comments.