From advertising to editorial, Michael Grecco’s work is continually raising the photographic bar. He is known for dynamic portraiture and capturing the essence of his subjects. Grecco works with an unrivaled technical ability and a rare sensitivity. The image he has created for himself is authentic, composed and always striking.

You can read a fascinating article by Michael Grecco here:

Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait by Michael Grecco

I’ve bought his book, but I haven’t had chance to read it yet.

This guy breaks all the rules, he does crazy things you aren’t supposed to do with light, he doesn’t produce well exposed sharp images. He produces edgy art, images that show the essence of the person.

He also teaches you how to deal with people, great portraits are not taken - they are GIVEN.

You can find his site here:

Michael Grecco

Sometimes known as the Indiana Jones of Wildlife Photography - Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols is a superb and innovative National Geographic Photogher.

I’ve been taking pictures for close to 30 years, starting when I was 18. It started with my Photo 101 course in school, right before I got drafted in the Army. I had studied fine art, but the camera was more immediate, and I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to do.

Right after school, I got the draft notice. I was a hippie, so I was really ashamed of wearing the uniform. I was planning to go to Canada, but this was towards the end of the war. So instead of leaving I decided to give an extra year to the Army so I could be a photographer instead of wasting my time in the infantry.

In that time I learned how to print black and white, and got to use equipment that I couldn’t afford. One of the things those guys used to say was “f/8 and be there.” Because they never used a light meter and, as far as I could tell, they didn’t care about quality. But I liked the concept of not depending on the technology so much and using your instincts.

From: Nick’s Take On..How did you get started?

He is one of the pioneers of ‘Camera traps‘ and has stunning pictures of wildlife around the world.

If you want some interesting stuff I recommend checking out Nick’s Take On..Recommended Reading and his complete list of articles is here.

His gear used is here, he uses Canon, Nikon and Leica.