Greatest influence

I sometimes think about who is/was the greatest influence in my photography. Many times I’m stuck in my effort to identify a single person. One of the first people to really influence my photography was a guy named Neville Elder. How did Neville Elder influence my photography? He was an instructor I had during my photography course. If you’re curious you can find Neville’s work here. Neville Elder was always supportive of the images I submitted to my projects and trust me not all were great or even good. Neville always provided honest feedback and offered suggestions for the next time, but he was also able to say something was good and leave it at that.

While Neville Elder was one of the greatest influencers of my photography he is surely not alone. So many influencers are just everyday photographers I have met along the way. Some I still interact with and others have long ago moved on. I am constantly inspired by the members of a Facebook group I administer. None of the people who I believe have had the greatest influence on my photography are household names.

The point I am wanting to make is that we can all be an influence in someone’s life without being famous. Create your work, share your photography with the world, don’t be a jerk, don’t be afraid to get out there you may just be the one that keeps someone else going.