Often, when people ask me “who is your favorite photographer”, I have a massive brain fart and suddenly can’t think of anybody except Peter Lindbergh. But there are several out there who have inspired me along my path as a creative, as a human, and as a photographer. It’s hard to put these in any kind of order, but in general these are some of my favorites.

Elizabeth Messina

I don’t remember the first time I became aware of Elizabeth Messina but her soft, delicate, feminine portrait resonated with something in my soul. Although I don’t by any means affiliate my style with hers, her beautiful portraits never cease to stir something in my soul… and also I love her incredibly gorgeous family like whoa.

Jamie Beck

If you’re not already following Ann Street Studio on Instagram how do you even, bro? Jamie is master of light, master of beauty, maker of Cinemgraph with her husband Kevin. An artiste, and a romantic, Jamie’s point of view from her idyllic home in Provence is captivating and full of masterful, intricate, intelligent beauty. And we would totally be besties IRL.

Joey L

My admiration and love of Joey’s work only deepened after I saw the photo-journal he created of the guerilla fighters in Kurdistan, and particularly his captures of the women gripped me. Joey is a commercial photographer but his style of subtly incorporating artificial light with natural lighting and elements fascinates and inspires me to do the same. I also crave his cinematic post processing and strive to add the same element of glitz to my own work.

Lara Jade

I probably affiliate my style most closely with Lara’s, as my entire philosophy is centered around bringing high fashion to the family and giving private clients a commercial experience. I love her ability to create a beautiful, soft image and a resolute, masculine image in the same fashion photo. Her icy-clean lighting styles appeals to my sensibilities and her soft colors and styling makes my heart skip a beat.

Peter Lindbergh

And of course, where would I be without Peter Lindbergh? From first glimpsing his work in fashion magazines as a teenager to my absolutely favorite shoot several years ago with mature supermodels, his soulful work of women has always stirred me to strive to capture the essence of people, in their most beautiful and also their most natural.

That’s it for now! Who inspires you and what you do?