Interesting question - one that I've asked myself. I've recently subscribed to Blind Spot magazine to get a better idea of what constitutes "contemporary" photography - I've only received one issue so far, and I'm not sure yet if I actually *like* any of it, but at least it's interesting to challenge oneself with - scratches in chromagenic material, but no actual image, pages of (slightly) different moire patterns, solid colours in different shapes, "drive-by" photos of a burning trailer. Definitely challenges one's perception of what photography is, or can be, and I think that's ultimately a good thing. Will I be doing anything remotely like that? Unlikely at this point, but you never know
So, while I'm personally not inspired by any single "contemporary" photographer, I do think looking at contemporary images and thinking "outside the box", cliche as it is, is important from time to time.
Contemporary Influences 
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