Inspired Eye
is an online magazine written by photographers for photographers. Unlike most other photography magazines, Don Springer and Olivier Duong’s creation focuses, not on the famous masters of an era long gone, but on working photographers today, the unsung heroes who are shooting, developing, creating, imagining and living out their photographic dreams as we speak. As they state, Inspired Eye is the “photography magazine that [they] wished [they’d] had” back in the day.
The magazine has been designed for photographers of various levels, from beginners looking for inspiration to professional photographers, curious to learn about the techniques of others in their field. Packed with a series of beautiful and very diverse images taken mostly in the street or documentary style, Inspired Eye and the photographers interviewed within its pages will teach you that there is no right way to approach photography. Rather, it shows us that each and every one of us has a unique path to follow in the hunt for personal photographic satisfaction and a distinctive style.
A Summary of Inspired Eye: Issue 11
I was surprised and delighted to see that this issue of Inspired Eye features two photographers with whose work I am already familiar thanks to our social networks: Kevin Mullins, a wedding photographer from the UK, and Thomas Menk, who many of you will recognise as the curator of the informative Fuji X-Pro Scoop page. Both use Fujifilm X series cameras for all their work and are X Photographers.
Fans of Kevin’s work will be interested to read how he started out in photography, what his primary influences are, and what his plans are for the future. Near the end of the interview, he makes brief mention of an upcoming project that would involve documenting the hours leading up to and following a cesarean birth, which I found interesting as I only just saw the incredible results of the project this morning. All I can say is that it is definitely worth checking out!
Thomas, too, shows that he is just as good a photographer as he is a curator thanks to his gorgeous set of photographs from Venice, his favourite city to shoot.
I was equally riveted by film photographer John Free’s stunning set of black and white images. Though he went to photography school for a short while, he states that his greatest “teachers” were the actual photographs of the masters Cartier-Bresson, W. Eugene Smith and Robert Frank, which he would dissect and analyse to improve his own work. As a product of the digital age, I always find it amazing to observe the work of those who work strictly with film for all their photography.
Carl Valiquet’s story from Sumba Island in the Inspired Traveller section is another that will hypnotise you and leave you with the insatiable desire to set out on an adventure with your camera as soon as possible. Through his evocative pictures and words, he colourfully tells the story of the workers in Sumba and their fascinating albeit surprisingly violent traditions such as the Pasola ceremony and Pajura boxing matches. On one or more occasion, he comes within inches of serious danger himself, all for the sake of the photograph.
I thoroughly enjoyed this issue of Inspired Eye, and the diverse photographers Olivier and Don decided to include. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too! 🙂
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