Imitate. Assimilate. Innovate. — Clark Terry, jazz trumpet legend.
It is still the best way to learn art. And it drives the style of teaching I do. I don’t want anyone to copy anyone else, but rather to be inspired by the work of others. In the portrait class, we have looked at seven artists, all masters of portraiture in their own style. We have taken them apart to see how they work, and how they present that work to the world.
And then we get inspired to produce work that pays homage to the master, while hopefully forging our own style and essence into the image.
Dan Winters is a treasure for photographers wanting to learn what style is. His work has been featured the world over, and he has one of the most recognizable ‘styles’ in the business. The students spent two weeks pouring over his images, watching videos and generally discussing what makes the Winters image work so well.
And then they took what they learned and made an image… some images are direct homage, and others take what they learned and put it into their own voice. A voice that may be far from the inspirational, but also one that respects what came before.
I think the photographers did an outstanding job working with one of America’s most iconic shooters.
