There are things that we can learn from everybody, whether it's as they say - sitting at the feet of an elderly person - or indeed reading from a book, looking at history in photos and so on. But what, if anything, can we learn from the Famous Photographers of the past? Well, plenty.

Julie Margaret Cameron

She was a shrewd business woman, and her fame came from having the only photographs of some very famous iconic people in History. And how did she manage this? By meticulously keeping details and registering her copyright with every single Photograph she took. We can learn a lot from her actions, particularly in an age where anything can be replicated, if you have the right tools. Equally, we can also learn the value of the equipment we have around us, and how easy it is now to capture a photograph and share it with the world. Julie's time in Sri Lanka served as a testimony that without pure water and chemicals, she couldn't continue with her craft and as such her career was fairly short lived.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson, similarly to Julie Cameron, had a very short lived career with Photography. He gave up shooting long before he died and became bored with Photography. Whilst he turned his attentions to painting, another admirable craft, the underlying message is that if you do anything other than enjoy your camera and your Photography, you are likely to burn out just like Cartier-Bresson.

Ansel Adams

If you read Ansel Adams book which contains personal letters and journal entries, you will find it hard to miss the underlying message that he was trapped later on in his life, because of Photography. He felt that he no longer had the stamina to continue, nor the ambition to keep up to his level of previous work. It's important to remember to look after yourself, but also that you cannot always aspire to be the best. And that sometimes, a shot outside your window taken from the chair you are resting in, is just as important as a Yosemite landscape.

Dorothea Lange

" Pick a theme and work it to exhaustion...the subject must be something you truly love or truly hate" was what Dorothea Lange said when talking about Photography. Her work was a fine example of 'doing something to death' and ensuring that every shot was achieved to perfection and to the utmost of her capabilities before moving on to something new.

Yousef Karsh

"Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a Photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can" Karsh truly had a gift for taking portraits that communicated a person, their deepest desires and emotions included. The big lesson that can be taken from his work is that you should never look upon your model as an object. When you recognise them as a person, you are then able to attempt to capture their emotion - you allow yourself to see more than you usually would, and ultimately you Photograph them heart and soul.

Brassai

Best known for his work on the streets of Paris, Brassai is a fine example of what you can achieve with a small budget and without having to go very far. Photography subjects are all around us, and Street Photography in particular is a great example of that. Moments are just waiting to happen. Brassai didn't explore the world, he didn't have an expensive camera and he didn't photography celebrities. Really then, there's no excuse...is there?

Jerry Uelsman

This guy is probably one that I most aspire to with creating and capturing the surrealistic images that exist out there. He's testimony that you can make it work, and that you don't always have to follow the rules. Jerry used multiple photos to create a surrealistic image and he became famous for that along with his skills in the darkroom. He is proof that Photography, in any form, is Art. You can express yourself in a blur just as much as you can express yourself in a bold, crisp, colourful landscape.