Inspiring Work: Kent Budge

When I first took up photography seriously in 2006, I had no idea what I really wanted to photograph. I started out photographing the things in my backyard: water-lilies, lotus, dozens of butterflies and bees, all sorts of native flowers, and so on. When I got more serious about things, I began to do the same in the wider world too. I remain interested in, and actively creating, landscape images and, although I have been inactive in the nature field recently, I have no plans to formally shelve it from my interests. However, what has changed is my relationship with other forms of photography. I was initially uncertain of the sort of ‘observational’ photography of the everyday world that I now do myself (although I mostly do work at night).

This change in perception and appreciation came from a variety of places: I subscribed to a variety of photo publications that challenged my tastes (like Aperture), I bought books by, and researched, photographers like Stephen Shore, and I explored the portfolios of photographers on Photo.net where I was very active at the time. Among those photographers whose work really struck me and helped change my mind and expand my perceptions of what held creative potential as a subject, was that of Kent Budge.

He, like me, seems to have become absent from Photo.net, but there is still a handy, easy to visit portfolio of his work there. The site also had him as featured member one month and posted an interesting and illuminating interview with him. I wonder if Kent ever found out that I was at least one person who suggested to Josh Root (the site admin.) that he be a featured member?

Kent was kind enough to allow me to post a few of my favourite images of his here. The image above, “Horse Trailer Heaven”, is definitely one of my favourites. It is also the cover of Kent’s self-published book Coloring Outside the Lines which is available through blurb. As a person who really values non-back-lit, prints of images, I highly recommend the book as a chance to see Kent’s work away from a screen (alternatively, his early, cheaper, smaller soft cover A Few Clicks Down the Road is good for a briefer taste – or in addition).

Here are a few more of my favourites from Kent’s recent work:

(Two more, plus links, after the click.)

Kent’s personal work has its own website and can be seen at Kent Budge Photography.

Tagged as: Blurb, Budge, Colour, Kent, Observational, Park City, Urban, Utah