I saw an exhibition of Gordon Parks' work around 2012 at the Studio Museum of Harlem. It was centered around an impoverished Harlem family and the hardships that they faced. It was striking, moving, and completely made me want to take more pictures and push my creativity as a photographer. I mean, the man is a legend in his own right: a true renaissance when it comes to expressing deep compassion. His work is something that I aspire to be: visually arresting, yet yields a soft emotional core.
Untitled, Harlem, 1948 - Gordon Parks