Feb 17 2010
I’m one of the most influential photographer of this decade. PDN survey.
Posted on: February 17, 2010 (69) Comments
To my big surprise I am on the list of the most influential photographers of this decade. PDN magazine, the biggest photo magazine in the world and host of the PDN Photo Expo in new york every year, has asked the photographic community to list the most influential photographers of this decade.
I feel terribly humble in comparison with the other names on the list and sitting here writing this post I look at my bookshelf and can see at least five of the names on the list together with me.
You can check out the other names on the list here.
Stumble This
Add to Del.icio.us
(69) Comments... What do you think?
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS
Microstock Agencies – An Overview for Beginners
What should I shoot and what sells well?
New tool – projected monthly income calculator
Video Episode 6 – Non-obvious smart things to have in a studio
Styling: Pure Hell or a place to “shine”.
Clash of the Titans – Canon 1Ds Mark III vs Nikon D3X for Stock
I spy with my little eye
And i am proud to cogratulate!
And again asking for more tutorials like days ago.
Best regards.
I will get going on the tutorials.
Congratulation!
You deserve it! I seen a video segment about you and you are very good
Well done Yuri!
Congratulations from me too!
Well done Yuri. Not that surprising though – I can’t drive down the road without spotting a billboard or open printed media without noticing one of your images. Since I live at the southern end of Africa, it proves global reach and international influence the others on the list simply can’t match (as good as they may be).
Congratulations too
Congratulations! Well deserved!
Hi Yuri;
did another Photographer in the decade sells ore offer quality work fore low at 0,14 €? NO! Did you realy thing your photos are in the liga of SEBASTIAO SALGADO, ROBERT FRANK, MARY ELLEN MARK and so on…. look on your work and take a brake; NO! You earn money with photos, but so what….TOYOTA duo this with cars. Quality WORK TAKES MONEY TO DO SO,
Your photos are not bad, but soulless
LG
TL
First you completely misunderstand what I do, this is commercial photography, not journalism or fine art, then you misunderstand how the survey is done. I did not nominate myself you know, this is a public vote and it says nothing about what I think. In fact I never said anything about my own images being in the league of anybody. You said that entirely.
Based on these two misconceptions you go out and criticize me personally. It is hard for me to see how this does not make you look a little arrogant and perhaps even foolish.
I feel sorry that the only type of photography you can endorse as not being “Toyota” or “Soulless” is that of fine art or journalistic photography. The list that this post is about contains many names from another league too – The commercial branch of photography and in this league I am doing quit well. In this league we are not trying to make anything but magical images that look stunning and that our clients and buyers like. You can call them soulless, luckily most other commercial photographers that know how hard these images are to actually produce can appreciate the value in them.
People that follow this blog are mostly commercial photographers and they will have a hard time accepting that the only “true” photography is that of fine art or journalism – which is the underlying premiss for what you are saying. I may be the “Steven Speilberg” type of photographer, streamlined, nice looking, broad targeted images and you are criticizing me for not being the “David Lynch” type. Well Thomas, that is my choice and as long as I can make it on the list of the most influential photographers of this decade doing what I do, I am quite happy.
Yuri, love your response to Thomas, I have been doing commercial photography for 20 yrs. and believe me it doesn’t get any easier. I fully understand what you have been able to attain, you make clean imagery with great commercial appeal. Keep it up, you are an inspiration to many. Takes for all your tips, insights, knowledge sharing etc. More power to you.
I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but I’m surprised that you’re not aware of the extreme controversy surrounding this list. The folks mentioned are there because of popular vote. You might not know this but there are more than few photographers on that list who trolled their huge social media networks asking for votes (presumably not you). Because of that, many photographers (like me) question the validity of the list as a whole. If the list was titled, “The Most Popular Photographers Today” then it would certainly make more sense. As it is, I feel like PDN really screwed the pooch with this list. Check out some of the other photographers whose names you may not recognize. One of them is a relative beginner with a really good PR team while others are well known but not of particular exceptional talent within their segment. All of this being said, and to temper my feelings about the list as a whole, notwithstanding the well-known legends on the list, you’re one of my favorite “real” photographers mentioned.
Congratulations Yuri! It was well deserved.
Congrat , you so generous and a good photograph that’s normal that you had this honors !
They will plenty more !
Best regards, keep the paste !
Christian
Congratulations,, you earned the honor!! I am impressed about what you are doing.
Best regards, and go on like this!
Ivonne
Rightfully deserved. Congratulations! It’s amazing what you have accomplished with your enthusiasm and willingness to share information. And most of all, of course, with your photography skills. You clearly love photography, and if someone says your images are soulless, he might be very wrong. I have seen lots of soulless images, but have always loved the natural, fearless, comfortable expressions of your models. You must be a great communicator, which is obvious from your blog posts too. Keep up your good work! And don’t ever loose your artist soul.
Congratulations Yuri, You Rock!!!
Hi Yuri,
.
congratulations for beeing on that list! I remember the day where you (somewhere) posted a screenshot of your statistics showing the first time selling 1000+ pictures on one single day and even today sometimes I am catching me wondering about that huge amount of daily sales I am lightyears away from
You really earned the nomination on that list!
Best regards,
Jo
Congratulations Yuri. You are an excellent photographer, teacher and source of inspiration.
Hi Yuri again,
OK you are like Steven Speilberg and not David Lynch, but if I go to cinema I pay 8€ to both and not 12,00 € for Lynch and 0,14 for Spielberg., If I go to fotolia and click your name… tausend of pictures of the the same mature same lauhgt same ererything,
The apprentice has become the Jedi master
Congrats Yuri!
Oh Yeah: Thomas: Try the Razzie awards…you’ll do just fine.
Finally you update your blog…to tell us how wonderful you are? LOL
Debbi
Thank you for not being a ghost. Welcome back
Ok. Now I get where you are coming from. !
You don’t like the micro prices and and think they are too low, putting unfair presure on photographers like yourself and others. This is true. Microstock has been hard on the business and pushed up the competition a lot. My philosophy is this: The “free images” and “micropriced” images serve as bait to tailor new customers into full-res sales, that are not sold at microprices. This is now people like me make their money. I don’t like selling my images at ultra low prices more than anybody else. But I have to follow market trends to be in business. I will push up prices at first chance. But I cant.
I think it is still there in http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/about19423.html&highlight=1170
That was headlines back then.
Thanks for bringing up! 
Yuri
Angry you! Don’t tell me that if you where on that list and you had a blog, that you would not do a post like this.
i admire how you handle “difficult people” on your blog… you’re really cool, sir. more power to you!
Rightly deserved. Congratulations! Your images are fabulous! I wonder why you dont have the first places in these three lists, I saw images of different photographers, amateurs and pros, and they dont even compete with yours, just many times looking through your portfolio at Shutterstock and enjoying almost every image. Thank you for your incredible articles I carried a lot of necessary info out there. Deep thoughts from accumulated experience, your business strategy and the look of psychology. Thank you!
Awesome! Well deserved.
Congrats Yuri,
It is well deserved because you DO influenced the photography world over the last few years. You certainly influence me with your clean and appealing shots. (I think a part of the credit should also go to your beautiful model… hehe). I like your approach and that you try to reinvent yourself while still keeping to your own style (or brand). I wish you many years of success ahead of you.
Congratulations! I know I personally would want to brag about that too.
You shouldn’t be surprised: your open approach to the stock photographer, as well as your capability to catch the interest is well done and unique. Hope in new tutorials (of course). My compliments!
Congratulations! Well deserved award showing that quality and perfectionism pays off. I see your pictures almost in any corner, showing the high degree of spread you have achieved. Keep up the good work and please …keep posting (;-)
Alex
Congratulations! Every now and then,… change comes, and with that change, new opportunities,new challenges, new ways of doing things. When photography came along, painters said their art was dead. Then the automobile came along, hansom cab drivers thought they were out of a job… they just had to learn how to drive a car! You should us that its still possible to make money in photography,different way of doing it,…. but still possible. You love your work and its shows in your images! Once again,congratulations and continued success!
Stort grattis Yuri! Det är helt klart att du influerar många av oss som fotar kommersielt med dina positiva och rena bilder. Välförtjänt!
/Sophie & Tony (feferoni & tonygers)
once, I have met several persons, who were the authors of some books I really like and used in everyday practice. Yes, it was kind of shock for me. To be in one list with persons you really respect. And finally to know them personally (perhaps, it’s your next step). They were really nice.
.
But you know… meeting them alife – it’s a kind of shock anyway
YURI – a HUGE Danish congrats from me! “Most people are not afraid to fail – what they are most afraid of is to shine” Some of the above discussions show excatly why!
SO THANK YOU – thank you for shining – and keep on doing it! (since you do it so well 
Congratulations from me too! And all sceptics should open their eyes when they walk the streets or read the news. Almost every single day i see at least one of you pics somewhere. You have made a substantial contribution to the success of microstock that revolutionized the whole stock market. So who can doubt that you don´t deserve this title? You do for sure!
I certainly would post it on my blog if something this amazing happened to me.
Congrats, Yuri. It’s not difficult for me to see why you got this title. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to vote. I didn’t even see the poll.
Congratulations.. you deserve it. Your pictures are all over the web and you play a huge part in the stock photography world.
Keep up the work and have fun : )
Well done,you so deserve it,as they say – “what you give out you get back”,and you have helped and inspired so many with the way you do what you do.
I would like to say thanks for the key-wording tool,it has helped me so much.
Again Thanks and Congratulations.
Congratulations.
Best,
Rui
Hej Yuri, tillykke med hæderen. Det giver rigtig god mening at pege på dig. Stock branchen har alt for længe siddet fast i 90′ernes monotone og tilbagelænede mindset. Du er en tiltrængt fornyer der tvinger dynamik og kreativitet ind i branchen. Tak for det. Vi ses på Cepic.
/kris
I am also a big admirer of yours, congrats for your work. Even i feel diapointed that other photographer like sir Thomas cant get the sense of comercial photography, bad for them god for you, and by the way … i bet he watch comercials every day and go to cinema once a week
Like Johnie says, wathever you do, keep walking
Best regards from Romania.
Congrats Yuriii
Well done, Yuri. Whether you were voted in by photographers, or groupies, I don’t care, it’s an achievement well worth noting. And honestly, I see no reason why commercial stock photographers cannot be sharing the same sphere of influence as the Robert Franks, Capa, Delgado, Adams, Clark, Carters and the like. Like someone, who I assume is also from South Africa, like me, noted, that we down here see your images down here on an almost daily basis, it spells influence to me. I get a pain in my most southern bodily cavities from “check-like-art”-types who act as the art integrity police. Commercial photography (I’ve been pro 10 years in the field) is a bloody hard game. I have all the respect for art and documentary photographers, but commercial images do more than lace artists with self-indulgence. It serves others. And with microstock, not just does it serve others, it makes it available to others to enjoy. My guess is that people who criticise you are probably not making a living from photography anyways.
Congratulations Yuri!
This is a wonderful article. The things given are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
————–
marqthompson
Gold Money
Virkelig godt gået
Tak for en rigtig god keyword funktion på din side…
Really well done:) Thanks for a really good keyword function on your page …
A little late but congrats yuri, you deserve it!
If you ever open a studio in stockholm/sweden, list me up!
oh by the way, hows the video-blog tutorial about the “from shot to finished product” that we talked about going? (was about a year ago
in the FAQ section)
Hi Yuri, first of all HUGE congrats on your achievement!
My question is: are you not considering to start some kind of workshops in the future? Either in your studio or maybe somewhere else? I’m sure that you are extremely busy, but let’s say every 3 months for a long weekend?
Yuri,
You work has been the most influential in my life, over the last 3 years, as I have played around with stock photography. I like to follow your portfolio on istockphoto and though I don’t shoot the same images as you do, I try to improve at photography because I so enjoy your work. If nothing else, I have gotten better at taking pictures for my blog.
Sincerely,
Brian Meeks (Ecocandle)
Thanks for this amazingly useful tool
congratulations yuri..
i wish the next decade will be my name on it
Great job Yuri. You deserve the accolade.
There is room for many different kinds of photography styles – that is what is so great about art in general. While your photos may be more commercial – they are obviously still a result of your talent. When you sell your photos online, and are successful at it, you should never have to explain yourself. That said – Congratulations!!
Congratulations! I strongly believe you deserve it.
I wonder what books are in that bookshelf you talked about. Can you please recommend?
Congratulations on your nomination. You deserve it – your photo are fantastic.
David
You deserve it. I used a lot of stock photos in websites design, and found that my best are from you. The quality is remarkable, colors are vivid and there are emotions travelling through your pictures. If there where soulless, you wouldn’t have the success that you have. Commercial photography requires emotions.Keep up the good work.
Congrats! You deserved it.
Way to go! Congratulations on making it, you deserved it!
Hi, Yuri
I just started to learning photography and I decided to follow someone who is the best of this field. When I go through the internet I found you, amazing… You are the best…. I follow you.
Congratulations from bottom of the heart,
Samaradiwakara
Hi Yuri … Congratulations
Well deserved … 
This will probably get lost amongst all the other posts, but I can’t help but to put my own congratulations in here Yuri. I am VERY much a newcomer to the trade and have been lurking on your site for a few months and attribute my VERY limited success so far to your examples…As for those of you who are belittleing this honor, I have to say. Microstock has such a derogatory reputation, yet it’s growing exponentially every day..Those who don’t beleive it is an art form are fooling themselves, It has become just as legitimate as journalistic photography, and as influential on modern lifestyles. And No one in the field can claim to be as much a part of it as Mr. Arcurs. Yuri, I thank you for your Mentoring here on your blog, and Truly beleive you are deserving of the honor….
You do absolutely deserve to be in the top 10 and let me explain quickly my thought!
I can’t believe someone could not agree!
The world is changing and I’m not strictly in one market as photographer, your work is amazing and has always been like that since I first heard your name, years and years ago. I used to be a 3D designer and photoretoucher and your name was always present talking with other designers around the web.
Whatever you did (commercial or artistic are just point of views) you have always been cutting edge, quality and numbers have always increased. Your success is a lighthouse in the sea of poor wannabes and some photographers (mostly old school) envy you.
The world is changing the market is changing you are a young successful photographer, you deserve to be there, and figure it out, you are in the history and no matter how many people disagree, there are so many more people who follow you!!! Don’t stop being so inspiring and enlightening!
Congratulation
Dan
congratulations! that’s one success.
Good luck I hope you win