Gallery 2 - Influence

I have been influenced in my black and white work by Hungarian born Andre Kertesz. He used the hand camera and a reportage style to capture everyday subjects, and he spent his early years photographing the peasants, the gypsies and the landscapes of the Hungarian plains.

He photographed through windows, shooting downward: he photographed roofs, shadows, and dreamy nocturnal ambiances. Andre Kertesz was a quiet but important influence on the coming of age of reportage and the art of photography. His subtle and penetrating vision helped to define a medium in its infancy. Very few artists are able to witness the formation of their own artistic medium. Kertesz was not only able to witness much of the beginnings of hand-held photography, but had a profound effect on it.

Among photographers who were aided or influenced by him in Paris at this time were his fellow Hungarian Brassai and a young French student, Henri Cartier-Bresson. HCB went on to become a major force in photo reportage.

Click on the photos for a larger view.