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I've never really known about other photographers' work - other than Ansel Adams (probably only because I've been to Yosemite) and perhaps a handful of others - Annie Liebowitz & Mario Testino. I'm more inspired by photographers whose work I see on flickr. You can add someone as a contact and then see their new work more easily - I particularly love a guy who does long exposures of moody Icelandic scenes and another Icelandic photographer.
Other than that, no specific photographer - I think I get my inspiration from the landscapes (corny as that may sound!).

I always thought Heather Angel did superb work.  I long wanted to do macro like her but never had the lens, now I have and am only learning but realise how good she was.  My husband loves Ansel Adams, he used to spend hours taking pictures of silver birch trees in black and white.

I love the work (photographically and in the darkroom) of long-exposure innovator Michael Kenna, the portraits of Anton Corbijn, and master travel photographer Steve McCurry -- but I don't try to shoot like them (most of the time), as I often feel like a clone or imposter of the genre.  I try to shoot what inspires me, and through that I've learned what I'm actually good at!

For a 'human' documentary photographer, I've always admired Sebastiao Salgado - since 2004 he's been working on a long-term assignment, which I imagine will be his magnum opus, called Genesis, in which he's photographing the flora and fauna of the world that is as yet untouched by man. His work is really special - his work with light is very reminiscent of a Caravaggio or a Titian.

For nature, I fell in love with the work of a Japanese photographer called Michiko Hoshino. He specialised in Alaska, and returned there constantly to capture it. His work is very 'clean' and natural - 'Hoshino's Alaska' is an essential coffee table book in my house. Hishino's story ended prematurely and tragically - he was killed by a bear in Russia's Kamchatka's province. An Alaskan author  - Lynn Schooler - wrote about his deepening friendship with Hoshino in ' The Blue Bear', which is well worth reading also.

It would have to be Eric Hosking and Stephen Dalton, maybe David Bailey from a completely different perspective...... alongside some fella called MrG I s'pose.....

Good post. As with Moose and Sarge, I'm a big fan of the likes of Steve McCurry and Sebastiao Salgado but there are so many amazing photographers out there. Eric Lafforgue and Timothy Allen (Human Planet) are probably two of my favourites but as with Sophie there are so many portfolios I admire on flickr and 500px.

When I first started taking photography seriously I didn't know of any photographer except Bailey. Since getting into travel and street there are two that stand out as true masters, Steve McCurry and Henri Cartier-Bresson, and a couple of younger photographers, Eric Kim and Emilio Morenatti.

Steve McCurry was doing in India 30 years ago what I am doing now, 10 times better, which makes me feel like I'm wasting my time! Cartier-Bresson, meanwhile, only ever shot with a 50mm prime, which is what I am now stuck with after breaking my fave lens. Both these people are true personal photography heroes.

Other photographers include Eric Kim for his street stuff and there's a Spanish visual journalist named Emilio Morenatti who's stuff is simply sublime. Check out a profile of him here.

Eddie Ephraim was good for landscape too.  Did a Royal Photographic Sopciety day with him, well, Graham wanted to do it and I was dragged along.  He did only black and white and really "made" the picture in the darkroom, which was the subject of the day.  Very interesting.

Hi Everyone - Thanks for your responses and for introducing me to some photographers I didn't know about. 
@ Jamie, I'm a McCurry fan too, but don't sell yourself short - your pics are quite distinctive. :-) 

I really like Yves Arthurs-Bertrand who takes the "Earth from the Air" photos, his compositions are amazing and give a very different perspective on things. Whilst I don't take photos like him I have been inspired to look up and visit a few of the places he has photographed.

What a great forum post - thanks JayR! I didn't have a particular photographer who inspired me. Rather I was influenced by the photos in a magazine - National Geographic. The standard of photography was universally excellent and I'd look at the photos to try and figure out how they got the shots. (Hence a period of using 1600ASA film to get a particularly grainy look). The other upside was that each issue provided a host of new must-visit destinations ...

Peter, thanks.  Nat. Geo features quite highly in my photography awareness, too.  As well as wanting to go everywhere that was featured in the mag.  I've just been reading the latest edition in which Chris Hudson talks about what makes a good photo.  Will put his quote up on the other forum thread.  (:D Jean