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 12
In Issue 12 of Inspired Eye, we encounter quite a diverse spectrum of photographers, with a nice balance of film, digital (reflex and mirrorless), medium format and cellography. Though it may not have been intentional, I certainly felt that the overriding theme of this issue was portraiture, both planned and candid.
Of all the artists featured in this issue, I was most impressed with the work of Dan Cristea, and I was quite surprised to learn that he works solely with smartphones. According to Dan, there is no distinct line between mobile and traditional photography, though people would like to believe that it exists. Rather, he considers a camera to be any mobile object that has the capacity to take photos, irrespective of the form it takes.
Not only did I enjoy his beautiful series of portraits and double exposures, but I could also appreciate and relate to his attitude towards photography in that he wants “to become the camera and have the tool be an extension of [him]self…” This is very much the mentality with which I approach photography myself.
The second interview I enjoyed was with James Maher, a Fuji X100s and Canon 5D Mk II user. Unlike many street photographers, much of his work is in colour, which was refreshing to see. He has a knack for picking out interesting details on the street, such as a woman’s flashy pink shoes against a rather plain background, or ghostly shadows watching over a string of homeless people sleeping on the streets. He was born and bred in New York, so it isn’t surprising that street photography grabbed his attention at an early age.
Then we come to the amazing street work of Gary Battle who uses the Ricoh GR for his work. What instantly took me aback was his incredible ability to capture intense expressions, ranging from anger to surprise to sadness. He also tends to get very close to his subjects (as he says, within “spitting distance”), making the emotions they project all the more powerful and communicative. I can only wonder if he has ever had any close encounters with people on the street!
Once again, Olivier and Don have delivered an issue that will keep you captivated from start to finish. I hope you enjoy it too!
