What amateurs do you know who are worth looking into?

[Bill Burk]

Lenny Eiger called to mind an idea that I keep mulling about without fully forming...

He mentioned an amateur photographer, a friend of his dad's, Morty Strauss, and another amateur, Alma Leveson, who I'll have to look up.

Occasionally I will come across the work of an amateur and I'm impressed by what I assume is typical ability of the photo hobbyist...

I get a great deal of pleasure seeing something from someone I've never heard of, and the mystery deepens if they don't come up on Google.

I'm not hoping to uncover a great photographer, I'm talking about good photographers!

Do you know any?

[mdarnton]

I find lots of good stuff on Flickr. I search for groups that have subject areas where I would expect to find the type of stuff that interests me, and page through group postings looking for someone interesting. When I find a photo or two I like, I go look at all that person's stuff. There are some amazingly good people there.

Flickr's system is well set up for that type of browsing [rant]500px is TERRIBLE--what kind of service that supposedly respects photography turns everything into a square thumbnail?!??! That's an insult--a browser made for people who look for things like photos with puppies or breasts in them, not for strong photographs--it's like cropping a two inch square word block out of the middle of a book to show how someone writes.[/rant]

I don't expect anyone on Flickr to deliver 100%, but I appreciate people who have a good eye and can consistently come up with something that's pretty good. Anyway, for me I found that many of the people whose work I like are from Russia and Italy--I have no idea why that would be.
There are a few personal contacts in here, but mostly these are photographers I have found who I don't know, but like their work:
https://www.flickr.com/people/michaeldarnton/contacts/
https://www.flickr.com/people/mdarnton/contacts/

[Merg Ross]

Lenny Eiger called to mind an idea that I keep mulling about without fully forming...

He mentioned an amateur photographer, a friend of his dad's, Morty Strauss, and another amateur, Alma Leveson, who I'll have to look up.

For Alma Lavenson, look for the book by Susan Ehrens.

[Dirk Rösler]

Amateurs... as opposed to...? I don't understand the classification or a need for one. I am always looking for interesting photos and I don't think the photographer's status (or equipment for that matter) really makes a difference.

[Bill Burk]

Dirk Rösler,

As I say, it's not a well-formed idea. I don't mean to classify based on occupational status. I just hope to hear stories of lesser-known photographers. I would appreciate a story of someone who dabbled in photography for a while, made few prints, maybe even showed some. Then they went on to work in the insurance industry and raise a family, never having been recognized for their photography. Small-scale photographers, who made some interesting photographs even if they didn't start a movement.

[johnmsanderson]

stiglitz

[paulr]

A lot of famous contemporary photographers are amateurs, or might be depending on your definition. If they make their living teaching are they still amateur?

[Bill Burk]

If they are famous, I guess it would be easy to find stories and photographs.
-So I might be interested but that's not the idea behind what's going through my mind now.

Teachers might be a good lead to follow. I think it would be cool to find a teacher you like, then follow leads to their students.

[Light Guru]

Amateurs... as opposed to...? I don't understand the classification or a need for one. I am always looking for interesting photos and I don't think the photographer's status (or equipment for that matter) really makes a difference.

Exactly. I don't care how long they have been shooting, what equipment they use or if people pay them to do it. What's important is the final image.

[Bill Burk]

Well, if I'm going to stick with amateur... You know how professional photographers turn their creative impulse to personal projects outside their regular work? I'd be happy to check out landscapes of a portrait photographer... That kind of thing.