muses

When I have encounters with my muses, those sources of inspiration for my work, I can see a glimpse of Muse. How else can there not be a God-like quality to their work?

I draw inspiration for my life from a handful of people, but when it comes to my work, the genius comes from so many sources I couldn't count them: creative director Joy Thigpen inspires me to listen to my simple eye and concept when photographing; creative coach April Bowles-Olin reminds me that I can (and must!) live the life I want with my business as a part of it; designer Joy Cho encourages me to not be shy when expressing my love for colors... academia focused my brain and these women (and sometimes men) remind me to open it up and let it fly...

Today I want to share with you the photographers that inspire my images. Some of them I have followed for quite a while. Others I have recently discovered. They come from all styles and genres and although you probably can't see immediately the influence of their work in mine, if you stick around this year (and specially if you start following them yourself) you'll see a glimpse of Susan's composition, Annie's simplicity, Ray's freshness, and Sue's vintage, creamy look in my own images.

Also, I am pinning images of these photographers, one per week, throughout the entire month of January, so follow me on Pinterest and check it every Thursday to see more of these muses at work.


Annie Leibovitz
She revolutionized the world of contemporary portraits with bold, simple images of celebrities. She gave the cover of Rolling Stones Magazine its signature look. She is famous for, among many others,  the nude image of Demi pregnant, the controversial photo shoot of Miley, and the portrait of Yoko and John the day he was murdered. Annie uses simple lighting set-ups and connects with her subjects in a personal, deep way that permeates through her portraits.

Susan Stripling
She is my favorite wedding photographer out there. She has a self-tought eye and a sense of composition that gives her portraits of brides and couples a fantasy vibe. Her composites are genius, airy and dreamy. She gets inspiration for her simple lighting set-ups from old Japanese horror movies, but when shooting in natural light she finds that light even when it is barely there, and diffuses it away almost magically when there is too much of it. Susan is a courageous woman, both in her life and in her photography.

Ray Collins
This Australian man is living the life and has found a way to get payed to share his view of the world from an angle that's not accessible to most humans. His affair with the camera started 5 years ago when he started photographing his surfer friends in the water. Today he raises before the sun to photograph waves and the way the ocean interacts with man. His images are monumental, powerful, full of life. Ray is in the waves and with the waves, and the connection he has made with the salty water can't be missed in his photographs.

Sue Bryce
Sue is not only my muse, she is my mentor, and from her I learned the bulk of my knowledge when it comes to photographing women. She has been doing glamour photography for 25 years, never stopping even when the industry did, and she has now mastered a creamy and vintage signature look for her images that is all about connection. Sue will photograph women until the day she dies. She knows how to enhance, build up, and empower women before, during, and after they are in front of her lens. I will never get tired to learn and be inspired by this woman.

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