It makes me laugh when I see people jumping on any, so called, favourite photographer.
In photography one need to make the difference between the many
types and kinds of photography. There is the one of Mendelson, the one of La Chapelle, the one of Cartier Bresson and so on.
All those photographers have there own style. Mendelson plays the colour setup game, La Chapelle the crazy poster style, Cartier is a reporter and has no style what made him one of the greatest.
Why was Cartier Bresson so "great". he has indeed his own vison of things and would certainly never have been inspired by others. He had his favourite too, but allmost all of them where reporters like him.
Reporters make good shots with more easy because they are allmost allways where things happen and are paid for this.
So, why not try to get inspired by yourself. Do your photography and try to show people how you see the things. you might do a Mendelson or a La Chapelle but it will be something that peopl will say ; oh that looks like ...
Is this the goal. Gaining comments and good points is easy to do. Look what people like and do the same. This is then the start in a pro career where you do people's photos for people and your own for yourself.
Not the good way to my opinion. The best way to do it is to fix a goal and a style and get specialized in that field only if ever you want to earn money with it. Unless you are a freak for one certain style, just see the world your way and catch it that way with your camera.
I am someone in the Cartier Bresson category. I am interested by just anything I see around me and my camera helps me to keep this alive.
I have, like Cartier Bresson, no style and my mood and my fields of interests are determining the subject on my pictures.
My camera is where ever I am, this now winde more then 40 years and it still make me pleasure. I have climbed yesterday on the top of a 50 meters high blast furnace of a Steel industry that turned to bankrupcy and which is there like a ghost city and made in this village of rusted steel, tubings and dust the most amazing pictures.
This just to tell you that inspiration is not a thing you need to find at others.
This said, choose your material, your goals and go ahead. Portrait, abstract, coulour, poster, wedding, reporting,just anything, nature, architecture or even picture artwork which is the best way to destroy a picture to make people like it. All is to know what you want to do on the end.
On my side, i have choosen since a long time, I do just ..photos, my photos. What ever I see and what ever I think I need to shoot, I just do it. Like in the ancient west, shoot first, discuss later.
Enjoy and take care folks.