this thread is to acknowledge those whom you believe are the top level participants in their craft/profession here at MM. Those that continually do jaw dropping and inspirational  work that we wish to emulate. I will start:

Jessie Shannon
https://www.modelmayhem.com/1028874

Chris Keeling
https://www.modelmayhem.com/304778

Phillip Ritchie
https://www.modelmayhem.com/43582

Holly

https://www.modelmayhem.com/362051

J E F F E R S O N

https://www.modelmayhem.com/180431

Robert Alvarado

https://www.modelmayhem.com/15033

Jessi June gotta be up there;
https://www.modelmayhem.com/1430220

also these guys as photographers;

https://www.modelmayhem.com/342902

https://www.modelmayhem.com/650384

Robert Randall #97702 https://www.modelmayhem.com/97702
Udor              #130    https://www.modelmayhem.com/130
Ken Marcus    #197198 https://www.modelmayhem.com/197198
AJay Douglas  #236898 https://www.modelmayhem.com/236898
Jaguar           #289057 https://www.modelmayhem.com/289057
Imagine Studio #116125 https://www.modelmayhem.com/116125

There are so many more!

The following folks make it fun for me to be here:
Models/artists


Photographer:

He has become a friend and is awesome:



A brilliant re-toucher:


And Ken Marcus who always makes sense in the forums since he's actually been there and done that:  https://www.modelmayhem.com/197198

and others but I need coffee....

britalicus
https://www.modelmayhem.com/1512926

and

Neil Snape
https://www.modelmayhem.com/386700

I have admired some on MM, and particularly their websites, such as Neil Snape. I remembered first seeing his website and being very impressed with his commercial work. Herman Van Gestel has inspired me because he emerged out of the chrysalis of film like a butterfly into digital.

I think of luxury when I regard his work which features the most lavish sets, which display his art director's background so well. He is conceptually interesting to me, and has inspired me to move more into bolder conceptual projects.

241131 and here's a short film of him at work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWe6h3mZ-5A

Jewel Santini

https://www.modelmayhem.com/139091

T.H. Taylor

https://www.modelmayhem.com/45851

Bruce Talbot

https://www.modelmayhem.com/7244

B-R-U-N-E-S-C-I

https://www.modelmayhem.com/470507

MM Photographer of the Year Stephen Thorne

https://www.modelmayhem.com/277819

agreed with all those listed, some are are also very generous with their
time and knowledge in the forums

I wanted to add

Scott Miron
https://www.modelmayhem.com/322475

does things I'd like to

Adam Chilson https://www.modelmayhem.com/19554

You can't hide genius

.

Looks like I'm going to have to start shooting nudes otherwise I'm never going to make it.

Inkblotch
https://www.modelmayhem.com/616583

Marco Sanges work never ceases to inspire me and he has done shoots for Vogue and Agent Provocateur, exhibited in top London galleries and made award winning independent art films:



His surreal visions are amazing.

https://www.modelmayhem.com/131091

Then also being a geographer I guess I would count exhibiting at The Royal Geographical Society and getting the cover of National Geographic as a very high level so Ira Meyer :



But he also shoots the most fabulous nudes:
https://www.modelmayhem.com/102105

Besides many mentioned above

Keira Grant
https://www.modelmayhem.com/799498

Nina Pak
https://www.modelmayhem.com/197077

David Hirsh
https://www.modelmayhem.com/1316847

johnnycrosslin

https://www.modelmayhem.com/18463

April Berry

https://www.modelmayhem.com/1034118

Julian Wilde

https://www.modelmayhem.com/801354

Philip'e

https://www.modelmayhem.com/96411

Hmm, Robert Randall came to this site well into his career. I think he's a sharp guy and extremely technically gifted, but I think it's more interesting to see people who have been on this site when they were fumbling with their early creative identities, and then gone out and made something real out of their work.

"Back in the day" Robert got into a pretty heady discussion on this forum about the nature of "fashion photography" and the discussion was interesting on several levels. One, that it laid bare what is for many technical photographers a pretty significant blind spot for the appreciation of spontaneity and mood over the technical merits of the craft; and two, some of the people he tangled with in that thread were just getting their roots and are now full tilt forces to be recognized in the world of fashion photography in NYC. To be more clear: these people who asserted they had a sense of what defined "fashion photography" have by now had their hunches proven right.

For me it's more interesting to see the people who were in their infancy when I showed up, who became "MM famous", and then to consider their professional arc: Sean Armenta, vvv, Michael Donovan, Philipe, Star, Kesler, etc. some of whom are still pretty active. Interesting divergence of paths…