good thread ...
my favourites are
1) michael kenna
www.michaelkenna.net for his amazing vision
2) Fay Godwin
www.faygodwin.com for all-round amazing work
3) barry thornton
www.barrythornton.com although I dont i find his pictures overly exciting, i admire him for his technical expertise and the amazing ability to share without sounding overtechnical or confusing - sad that this wont happen anymore.
4) Gordon Stettinius
www.eyecaramba.com for his incredible toy-eye
there are loads more and too many to list