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WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Ed Hidden

Lawrence — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:28:49 +0000

“At that point, I was still shooting my hobbies but I would try some artsy stuff that I had read about in that book occasionally. Then I found iStockphoto.com and my interest took off.”

PAST

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: In high school, were you involved in the yearbook ? What sparked your interest for photography? Do you recommend all the weekend photographers out there to initially stick with the subjects they know and build from there? Do you have any suggestions on how to build that progression? How did you progress to where you are today?

ED HIDDEN:
I went to vo-tech for graphic design and then after high school went to a design school. While I was there a classmate got me into photography and how seeing things through a lens could improve your graphics composition. So I begged for an SLR that christmas (Canon Rebel S, longtime fanboy I guess. Lol). I had one book on 35mm photography and I think I read it over and over for like 5 years or more.

I started off shooting the sports I was into. I raced motorcycles at the time so I would take the camera to the track or I’d setup the bikes or cars I had and took pictures of those. It was never anything “artistic” but I always enjoyed shooting.

When I worked at an ad agency, I would volunteer to shoot some in-house design projects that we had no budget to hire a photographer for. That’s probably what really got me into shooting more of what I do today. I tried doing high-key isolation with a single daylight bulb and learned the hard way about color temp mixing. In 1997, I paid WAY too much for an Olympus 1mp Point and Shoot, but I calculated that I could shoot 25 rolls of film and it would pay for itself.

At that point, I was still shooting my hobbies but I would try some artsy stuff that I had read about in that book occasionally. Then I found iStockphoto.com and my interest took off. At that time, the community seemed like it was people like myself, Graphic Designers who took decent pictures and would help each other out and exchange images for a low overhead. The competition fueled everyone to be better and shoot better images. That’s what was the focus for me to get better.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

ED HIDDEN:
I have some, but the are mostly just snapshots. Nothing much worth sharing.
[note: If I can find something good I’ll include it here.]

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What books did you read when you first got into photography? Title of book, author and price of book please…just messing around, the title of the books should be fine thanks to google search. Do you recall any other resources that you referred to heavily to help you grow as an amateur photographer?

ED HIDDEN:
That first book that I read over and over was Micheal Langford’s 35mm Handbook. When I got into istock and was studying lighting I relied pretty heavily on Christopher Grey’s Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers. The other was a website, dg28.com. Over the years, I’ve learned from various photographers we interview on our podcast, LightSource at StudioLighting.net. After getting a really good handle on the fundamentals it was really just a matter of getting some good lighting equipment and making a lot of bad photos to get to the better stuff.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Have you made some money from your photography as an amateur? What was your first photo sale? How long was it after that first sale you sold your next photo? If you haven’t sold a photo, do you have any plans to do so?

ED HIDDEN:
Well, I currently make a pretty good supplemental income from istockphoto.com and I shoot a couple weddings a year. Weddings are nothing I solicit but I end up doing them by referral.

When I started selling images on istock, I figured I’d see if I could earn some money to get some download credits for the websites I was working on. After I saw I could make some money, I decided to let the balance grow. Now it’s pretty decent money. It’s not my “day job” so I’m happy with how I’m doing.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?
ED HIDDEN:
A good SLR and the best lens you can afford to put on the front of it will take you a long way. The quality of the current crop of cameras is amazing. If you want to do studio style photography a single monolight is hard to beat. A single strobe will teach you a lot about exposure and light position. Strobist kits are nice and portable, but really focusing on manual mode and flash exposure teaches you a lot.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

ED HIDDEN:
That’s in interesting question because I’ve kind of lost motivation for the last year. I have a pile of images sitting on my PC that I’ve done nothing with and I had no desire to do any new projects until I got my “pipeline clear”.

I’ve listened to a lot of our photographers on the podcast talking about shooting what you love. And I’m doing that again. I’ve started shooting some cycling images and sports that I take part in. It’s kind of back to where I started years ago. I think I got feeling like I was shooting only to “make a buck” and got creatively drained.

Now that I’ve been doing shoots I want to do, I’m starting to see images in my head again that I want to take. A creative director I worked with was guiding me through directing a radio commercial one time. He said, “read the script in your head… hear how it’s going to sound. When the talent reads it, just try to match it.” Sounds simple but that’s kind of how I approach photo too now. I see stuff in my mind and sketch it in my moleskin book and then try to match it.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

ED HIDDEN:
I’ve always considered myself a humorist. I think some of my best work were some photo illustrations I did where I either poked fun at myself or try to inject a little bit of fun into the images.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have a studio? If so, why? What are the benefits of having a studio as a weekend photographer?

ED HIDDEN:
I used to. It was a small room in a local warehouse. It wasn’t pretty but it was a place to work. I decided to not renew my lease this year for various reasons. It was great to have a space where I could just leave and lock the door and not have to worry about breaking all my softboxes down or put backgrounds away. I could just roll them up and leave.

Previous to that, I was shooting people in the basement or on location. That limited me to shooting in good weather or my light setup because of not having height. The other nice thing about that was not having to worry about models or strangers coming by the house to do a shoot. I could keep the family separate from whoever I might be working with. Luckily, there isn’t anyone I’ve worked with that I wouldn’t mind coming to the house, but you just never know. For the time being, I’ll do location for a while or there are a few places not far that I’ll schedule a studio for a day and just stack shoots back to back.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What photography resources do you consistently refer to date ? Can you name at least 5 websites you refer to religiously for your photography?

ED HIDDEN:
HYPERLINK “http://www.studiolight.net” www.studiolight.net
HYPERLINK “http://www.strobist.com” www.strobist.com
HYPERLINK “http://www.dpreview.com” www.dpreview.com (for the occasion I’ll read up on gear)
HYPERLINK “http://www.thefstopmag.com” http://www.thefstopmag.com
HYPERLINK “http://www.zarias.com” www.zarias.com
HYPERLINK “http://www.chasejarvis.com” www.chasejarvis.com

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

ED HIDDEN:
I have a couple I’ve recently started to plan for…

FUTURE

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are your immediate goals as a photographer and artist? Are you planning on releasing any how-to books? What are your recommendations to people thinking about starting a photography book as a weekend photographer/ part time photographer?

ED HIDDEN:
My immediate plans are to produce more. My portfolio could certainly use some refreshing. I’ve toyed with a book, but my wife has authored a few and I know the work involved behind it. Granted they aren’t photography books, but it’s a lot of work and I wouldn’t tackle it unless I had something unique or new to add to what’s available.

My friend Tyler Stalman (stalman.ca) has a couple books he’s put together through blurb and they look really cool. Something like that might grab my interest, but it’s not on the table at this time.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

ED HIDDEN:
We tried it once, they are a lot or work. We are talking about doing some photowalks or something informal like that. Our podcast is our major contribution to the community. People seem to get a lot out of those.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: I am sure you’ve read many articles discussing how in the future videography and photography will be one? What are your thoughts on that and how will you evolve to the new morphed medium?

ED HIDDEN:
It’s hard to ignore that and there will certainly be some merging of the two, but there will still be a call for either one. And to be good at either one, you’ll have to know the medium. When I worked at the ad agency and was exploring photography, my official title was “Multimedia Art Director”. I had a pretty good video editing system for the day and I did all of our TV commercials on it. I’ve done video production at every job I’ve had since then, so I have an interest in it.

I don’t currently have an SLR that shoots video but I have been playing with a small FlipVideo HD Ultra for grabshot stuff and playing around. It has a kind of “lomo” or “iPhone photography” feel to it. I’ll probably do some playing “behind the scenes” and stuff like that.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Where do you plan to take your photography passion? Are you planning on going pro one day? If so, which area of photography are you planning on getting into professionally? If you don’t plan to go professional one day, what are you aspiring to as an amateur photographer?

ED HIDDEN:
I’m happy to just shoot more often, earn some more income, and have a good time doing it. That’s the big key for me. As my day job seems like it is getting more into coding, photography has become my creative artistic outlet. So having fun is the big key to enjoying what I do!

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Thank you again for your time and giving back to the photography community. What would you like to leave for us photographers to think about when moving forward with photography for the future? If you have any words of wisdom will be appreciated.

ED HIDDEN:
Just make it fun and like so many photographers before me have said, shoot what motivates you. Shoot what you enjoy. Not only will you enjoy it, but it’s the key to getting those types of jobs.

WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Ariston Collander

Lawrence — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:09:06 +0000

“For my future plans, I would love to get into teaching. I’ve had a few friends ask me to teach them photography because they really liked the work I’ve generated.”

PAST

ARISTON COLLANDER
I came into digital photography in 2005 with the purchase of an entry level Nikon D50. It was my first DSLR and allowed me to expand my photographic horizons. My parents were always interested in photography, and I remember going to camera club meetings with my parents when I was in my early teens. I believe that these memories contributed heavily to my interest in photography.
My recommendation to weekend photographers is to follow your passion and do not fear your equipment. Because photography is not your bread winner, you have the opportunity to explore your desires in photography. If you want to be an “everything photographer” then so be it! Use that freedom to start with what you know and to branch out. The best way to do this is to challenge yourself. If you’re a fine art photographer, try getting into modeling. If you’re a wedding photographer, then try still life. The concepts carry over no matter the genre or specialty. For me, I started photographing whatever I saw. I’ve progressed significantly when I started Photo Informatica, my 2009 daily photo blog and setup a profile on Model Mayhem. Both provided opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise had.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

ARISTON COLLANDER
I do still have some of those old photos somewhere. I remember the first “official” photo I took with the D50 was of a tree in Ontario, California just before I went to dinner. It sticks out in my mind because it was at that dinner that I had to explain to my wife that I had just spent a couple hundred dollars on a camera. My subjects consisted primarily of my son and locations we visited as a family. Nothing too fancy really. Regarding my early work, I do have some up on http://www.freneticphoto.com and on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/aristonphotog.

ARISTON COLLANDER
When I first started out I didn’t do a whole lot of reading of physical books. I relied on websites like the PPA, Digital Photography School, and various blogs. I tried to absorb as much as I could in the hopes that something would help me move into the professional realm.

ARISTON COLLANDER
I have made a little bit here and there. The first photo sale was from a historical reenactment event I attended. I’ve discovered that the majority of my friends love dressing up in costumes. I leverage that fact by recording them via photographs. After that I shot a business christmas party in which I sold several prints. I definitely have plans to sell more. I’m hoping for my Fine Art images on Photo Informatica to generate some sales.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?

ARISTON COLLANDER
Other than the camera itself, I have fallen in love with Lightroom and the presets. They expose the photographer to different techniques that can be manipulated to explore colors and aspects of photography. Also, the greatest tool I’ve invested in thus far was the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens. This amazing piece of hardware rarely leaves my camera simply due to its amazing versatility.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

ARISTON COLLANDER
My primary focus on photography at present is my Fine Art work on Photo Informatica (http://www.photoinformatica.com). This daily photo blog was created on January 1st, 2009 to force me to pick up the camera everyday and simply capture what I see. But it’s not just a simple collection of snapshots. This project 365 site is a piece of art and a symbol of my devotion to photography.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

ARISTON COLLANDER
I, like many newer photographers, struggle with this concept of a niche. Because I don’t rely on my photography to pay my bills, I have the option to explore different aspects. With my Fine Art, I try to focus on capturing the everyday world but then tweak it to show that beauty is everywhere, even outside an office building. I bring my creativity to those who wish to hire me.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have a studio? If so, why? What are the benefits of having a studio as a weekend photographer? What is currently in your photography bag? Please be as detailed as possible for those starting out photographers wanted to purchase more equipment. From your photography equipment arsenal, what do you bring most of the time for your photo shoots?

ARISTON COLLANDER
I still have aspirations of owning a studio. Granted it’s a lot of work, but just the ability to have a space to explore creativity sparks excitement. It also presents a more professional location to bring in clients. The challenge, though, is affording the space. I’ve rented a studio whenever I’ve needed to do modeling work but I am limited to what has already been assembled. With my own space, the control is in my hands.
For the equipment list that I keep in the bag, I have the following:
- Nikon D300 with MB-D10 battery pack
- Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens
- Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
- SB-800 and SB-600 flashes
- 2 x Pocket Wizard Plus II remote triggers

For photogs just starting out, I would highly recommend a good DSLR with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens depending on how much you wish to spend. If the cost is too prohibitive, then the DSLR with a 50mm f/1.8 lens is a great alternative at a fantastic price.

ARISTON COLLANDER
I have a set of websites in Firefox that I open and check every morning just to see what’s going on in the industry. Along with the websites, mostly blogs, I also have three forums that I check regularly:
- Alltop Photography (http://photography.alltop.com/)
- Camera Dojo (http://cameradojo.com/)
- D-Town TV (http://www.dtowntv.com/)
- DIY Photography (http://www.diyphotography.net/)
- Digital Pro Talk (http://digitalprotalk.blogspot.com/)
- Atomic Safari (http://www.atomicsafari.blogspot.com/)
- Strobist (http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/)
- Zack Arias (http://www.zarias.com/)
Forums:
- Digital Photography School (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/index.php)
- Garage Glamour (http://www.garageglamour.com/forums)
- PPA Forums (http://www.ppa.com/community/forums/)

Photographers like Joe McNally, Zack Arias, and Chase Jarvis are my inspiration. These amazing artists are who I aspire to become. I have so much to learn from each one.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

ARISTON COLLANDER
My latest project is Photo Informatica (http://www.photoinformatica.com). I have read on several websites and heard from several photographers that the best way to learn is to just get out and shoot. So in late 2008 I decided to set a resolution for 2009 to take a photo and post it every single day of the year. From that resolution, Photo Informatica was created. I have been keeping up with this project religiously since the 1st of January. My goal with the site is to learn by doing, to learn by shooting everyday.

FUTURE

ARISTON COLLANDER
For my future plans, I would love to get into teaching. I’ve had a few friends ask me to teach them photography because they really liked the work I’ve generated. But it goes beyond the basics. Seeing photographically takes practice and can be taught, but it comes with experience. I do not plan to do any how-to books because it loses context. The written word, although functional, does not convey the human aspects of photography that can only be experienced.

For those who wish to start a book, it is crucial to have a clear point. There are so many books on the basics of photography that another is not needed. Be unique, and try to pass on your knowledge to anyone willing to learn.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

ARISTON COLLANDER
I would definitely consider doing a workshop and sharing my knowledge and experience. Shooting is only part of the process. Understanding the basics of photography forms the foundation but beyond that it’s a matter of learning to see photographically and artistically. For now, though, I am offering photo critiques to those who follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/whoisariston). Details can be found on my blog (http://bit.ly/acpcritique). The purpose is to help others learn from my critiques, and for me to learn by being exposed to a variety of images and to view them critically.

ARISTON COLLANDER
I have no plans to move into video. Although the concept of “fusing” video and photophotography works in the realm of weddings, as a fine art and model photographer, I am satisfied with the capabilities of a plain old still camera. I think few photographers who want to delve into video are aware of the editing and storage requirements that come with it.

ARISTON COLLANDER
The beauty of photography is simply how many options are available. The future of my photography lies ready and waiting in the world around me. Fine Art can be found in a simple flower or drop of dew and I’ve truly enjoyed the models I’ve photographed. I see my future in a studio executing themed shoots for various clients.

ARISTON COLLANDER
Thank you Lawrence! I really appreciate what you are doing with these interviews. It’s giving other photographers great insight into their peers. Moving forward, I highly recommend to new photographers that they learn as much as they can by doing. Leverage the digital age and just keep shooting. But there is a caveat. Don’t just shoot, shoot critically. Look at your images and determine ways to improve. And finally, don’t be afraid of critique. Photographers don’t need praise as much as we need critique.

WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Cody Jensen

Lawrence — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:07:21 +0000

“Actually, I wasn’t involved in yearbook. But what sparked my interest was a “Videography” class they offered at my Jr. High.”

PAST

CODY JENSEN: Actually, I wasn’t involved in yearbook. But what sparked my interest was a “Videography” class they offered at my Jr. High. It was my absolute favorite class in school. I learned a lot of the basics for photography, although I was learning how to use the skills in video, it still applied. I was so enthralled by what I was learning, every night I would go home and shoot, edit, and export a video to VHS. Almost everyday, I would bring a new video to show my teacher and every day I would be frustrated and disappointed because all my teacher would do is tell me what was wrong with my work! At least that’s what I thought at the time. In reality, he was giving me very good constructive criticism that helped me develop that “eye” for photography. I didn’t come to this realization until many years later and now I am very grateful for someone in my life who was willing to give me honest feedback and not just tell me what I wanted to hear. That is why your mom isn’t the best person to ask an opinion, unless you are having a bad day and just need some encouragement.

From my experience, I don’t think I would recommend only sticking with what you know. I started out just photographing objects, places, and candidly shooting people. The reason wasn’t because that’s all I wanted to do, but rather I was scared of portraits; scared of posing people and thinking “portraits” meant being stuck in a studio. Recently however, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and found I love taking portraits now. That doesn’t mean I have lost my original interest for places and things, I have just added to my skills.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

CODY JENSEN: I had a Hard Drive crash a few years ago and I lost everything; all of my past and current projects! This was a smack-in-the-face lesson about backing things up. A lot of my early photography was of the the really crappy bands I was in. Unfortunately, I didn’t lose all the songs we recorded in the HD crash. All of my friends in Junior High were really into skateboarding. I sucked at skateboarding, so I took advantage of that and I shot many rolls of film of all my buddies skating. I did find one thing that I did back then that I thought was really humorous. I had taken a sequence of about 5 photos of a friend doing a skateboard trick and I physically cut the photos and taped them together and scanned that into the computer. Very primitive but I thought it was awesome at the time.

CODY JENSEN: I really hate reading! My mind doesn’t learn through books. I learned through a lot of trial and error. I searched the Internet continuously looking for how-to videos. Finding good videos used to be difficult but now with millions of users on HYPERLINK “http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Photography+tutorial&aq=f” YouTube & HYPERLINK “http://vimeo.com/videos/search:%2520Photography%2520tutorial” Vimeo there are a ton of great teaching videos. Some of my favorite videos come from HYPERLINK “http://vimeo.com/snapfactory” Snap Factory. They are very informative, professional, and easy to understand.

CODY JENSEN: I do make money being an amateur photographer. My first job was an hourly position where I was paid to take photos, create ads and flyers for a local water park. Aside from that, I started out taking Senior pictures for friends at a low cost. This was a great jump start to having a portfolio and getting the word out about my services.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?

CODY JENSEN: Find the right camera for you. Look for a nice DSLR that you feel confident with. I’ve found when I have a camera that I feel good carrying, I take better pictures. Something that I have purchased recently is a nice reflector which I would recommend every photographer have on location. Lighting is what sets apart a good photograph from a great one and there is a very noticeable difference in the pictures I took before I had the reflector and after.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

CODY JENSEN: Love. I am in love with photography. Knowing that I am getting better and better with every photo I take keeps me motivated to keep shooting.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

CODY JENSEN: I’m glad you asked this question because I really don’t know how to answer it. This is something I need to continue to ask myself so I can set myself apart and find that niche for me. I would encourage every photographer to ask themselves this question.

CODY JENSEN: I have converted my spare bedroom into a small home studio. The biggest benefit of having a in-home studio is learning. I get to play and experiment with lighting and how to shoot in a studio environment without the overhead cost of an actual studio space. Another benefit of this is variety. When I take senior pictures I can take a few studio portraits before we cruise around town for on-location shots.

Equipment:
Nikon D90
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm
2 Promaster SystemPro 10” Reflectors
2 ProMaster SystemPro LS-1 Economy Light Stands
1 Universal Umbrella Holder
1 30” White Umbrella
HYPERLINK “http://www.promaster.com/products/products.asp?page=PROD&CatID=240&SubCatID=3&CatName=Studio%2520Lighting&SubCatName=Reflectors&sm=sm2_2403&product=5250″ 1 32” Promaster ReflectaDisk – 5 in 1 Kit

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What photography resources do you consistently refer to date ? Can you name at least 5 websites you refer to religiously for your photography? Who are your inspirations in the photography world?

CODY JENSEN: I use HYPERLINK “http://twitter.com/cody_jensen” Twitter a lot to find awesome resources. I follow a lot of photographers who are constantly posting links to awesome blog posts, product reviews, and lots of other interesting things. HYPERLINK “http://flickr.com/codyjensen” Flickr is another great site that I use everyday. I join interesting groups, find photographers that I think I can learn from and make them my contact. Since Flickr has so many members the content is always changing. Some photographer’s blogs that I like to read are HYPERLINK “http://candiphoto.blogspot.com/” Candi Coffman, HYPERLINK “http://www.joeyl.com/” Joey L, HYPERLINK “http://tecpetaja.com/” Tec Petaja, and of course Lawrence Atienza.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

CODY JENSEN: I don’t have any projects planned out at this moment. Most of the time my photography is spur of the moment.

FUTURE

CODY JENSEN: My immediate goal is to get myself established as a photographer in Tulsa. I am relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma and have to reestablish myself in a new town. I don’t have any plans of releasing any books. I don’t see myself as a writer at all. The advice I would give to others looking to write would be to start a blog. A blog is a free and safe way to get your writing established and to see if people like it. If your blog blows up and it’s a big success, try to get advertisers. Advertisements will bring in immediate income to help finance writing your book. Knowing that you already have a successful blog will in-turn guarantee a successful book release.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

CODY JENSEN: I have thought about teaching workshops at local trade schools in the evenings. I haven’t really seen a need for beginner photography classes, but I have noticed there isn’t anyone teaching advanced Photoshop technique classes, at least in my area. The biggest upside about looking into local trade schools is they already have the facility and computers ready to use. The downside is, you have to share your profits.

CODY JENSEN: I am a lover of both videography and photography therefore I use the Nikon D90. The D90 brings both photography and video together, and does it well. If you are on the Canon side, look into the HYPERLINK “http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=18385″ Canon Rebel T1i. I think this evolution will be to my advantage in the fact that I already have a videography background and I continue to do both on a weekly basis. I feel I will be ready when the merge becomes the standard.

CODY JENSEN: Well, as I mentioned earlier I am moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma. A city with 500,000 more people than where I used to live. So even though Tulsa is a photographer saturated city, I’m hoping there will still be a market for myself. As far as going pro… I would say yes, I would like to go pro. I would like to leave which area in photography open to wherever I end up. I may think I want to be in one area but over time it may become evident that my strong point is somewhere else. So whichever I end up doing the best and most is the area that I’ll be in. I love all photography, no point in limiting myself.

CODY JENSEN: Have fun! Remind yourself everyday that you love what you do. It’s so easy to let it just be your job. This is when you get mediocre and stagnate. Also, don’t fall in the trap of thinking you’re not good enough. It’s easy to do. When Lawrence asked me to do this interview I checked out some of the past interviews and asked myself, “Why in the world did he ask to interview me? I’m nowhere near as good as these people!” When you look at other people’s photography, look at them as a learning experience, not a comparison to your work.

Thank you for reading! Now go out and shoot something…. with your camera.

WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Dana Lane

Lawrence — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:56:39 +0000

“A lot of my portrait work is done at very shallow depth of field, f1.4 to f2.8.”

PAST

DANA LANE: For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been an avid picture taker. When I was a kid, I had polaroids, Kodak instamatics and whatever else I could find and happily snapped away. Then in my teens, I stopped taking pictures. I wouldn’t say I lost interest, because photography as an art for was still very appealing, but I just stopped doing it myself. Then in the post college years I rediscovered photography and started down the road again. I bought my first SLR (Minolta Maxxum) and was forever hooked again. I’d have to say I didn’t really progress as a photographer until I found the right subject, and for me that subject is people. Once I discovered the joys of photographing people, I was able to focus my attention and learn so much more.

As for a progression, I started with available light and, shudder, on camera flash. From there I progressed to off camera flash or just natural light with or without reflectors. From there is went to basic studio lighting, then to advanced studio lighting and then back outdoors to balance lights and natural light and then finally back to the basics of natural light. I find its important to continue to challenge yourself to do things you’ve never done before and learn from the mistakes and failures.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

DANA LANE: I have a couple old albums from when I was a kid packed away somewhere, but most of my early photography doesn’t exist anymore, that I know of. I do have a very large collection of prints, and later slides, from when I returned to photography. I’ve kept everything since then. None of my earlier work is online, and no one would want to see it anyway. I didn’t start an online presence until fairly recently actually, only within the last 2 years. But I think looking at my work from even 2 years ago to the work I’m doing now shows a noticeable difference in both style and technical content.

DANA LANE: The first books I read were really just collections of memorable photographs from my favorite photographers, like Annie Liebovitz, Herb Ritts, John Shaw. Once I started trying to emulate images I’d see that spoke to me, I started with a couple books by John Hedgecoe (New Introductory Photography Course) and Bryan Peterson (Understanding Exposure) and more recently books by Scott Kelby and Matt Klokowski on photoshop and camera RAW. Now I get most of my information from various online sites.

For portrait processing, the one book I’d have to say is a must have is the book “Skin” by Lee Varis. I’ve learned more techniques I use every day from that one book than from any other single resource.

DANA LANE: The first time I made any money from photography was my first wedding. A friend referred me based on my portrait portfolio and that landed me my first gig. Now, all of the money I’ve earned via photography is from model portfolios, weddings and family portraits. To date, I’ve not sold any fine art or stock photography, but I’m considering what I need to do to venture into those venues as well.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?

DANA LANE: Tool number one is your brain. Take some time and think about what you want to achieve with a photograph, try and visualize the final product and that will direct you. Another great tool is the internet, there is more knowledge available at the click of a mouse button that you could ever go through. And don’t forget your camera’s owner’s manual. Seriously, you should know every single feature on your camera both backward and forward and be able to change settings on the fly. I’ve been able to salvage a fair number of shots by being able to adapt to changes in light, location and environment quickly and before the moment has passed.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

DANA LANE: For me the motivation is entirely selfish, I just love doing it. The joy I get out of producing an image that someone else gets something from is the best reward. I work a day job in the high tech field, and most of my day is spent in a much more objective environment and photography gives me a creative release and a chance to use my brain in a more subjective manner. Even the most stressful situation, like photographing a wedding, can be a relief after a hard day or week.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

DANA LANE: A lot of my portrait work is done at very shallow depth of field, f1.4 to f2.8. While this results in a lot of my images “breaking the rules of portraiture”, I find that done right, it can lead to some stunning images.

DANA LANE: I just recently, like in the last 4 months, built a small studio in my home. I have a space that’s about 10×20 that gets some great natural light that is now dedicated to my photographic pursuits. I find having a studio space lets me be more experimental with lighting and allows me more time when I can set something up and not have to break it back down again as soon as I’m finished. It allows me to come back to something the next day, or the next week, whenever best fits my schedule.

The contents of my camera bag can change from shoot to shoot, but what I pretty much always have with me is 2 camera bodies, 3 lenses (24-70 f2.8, 135 f2.8 and my 50 f1.4), a set of extension tubes, 3 pocket wizards, 2 small flashes (Vivitar 285s) and the cords needed to sync them, a circular polarizer filter, a set of snoots and light modifiers for my flashes, lens cleaning supplies (lens pen, wipes), ball bungee cords and a white balance card. I may add or remove items as required for special purposes, but for the most part that travels with me everywhere I go. I’d say I use the 24-70 more often than any of my other lenses, though I think the look I get with my 50 is my favorite.

DANA LANE: I follow way too many photography blogs to mention, but if I had to pick 5 websites and only 5 it’d have to be the following, in no particular order.
HYPERLINK “http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/” http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ – Probably the single best resource on lighting with small flashes.
HYPERLINK “http://www.flickr.com” http://www.flickr.com – If you ever want inspiration, search flickr. There are thousands of amazing photographers that you’d never have access to any other way
HYPERLINK “http://www.photoattorney.com/” http://www.photoattorney.com/ – Carolyn Wright offers up probably the best collection of legal advice for photographers on the web
HYPERLINK “http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/” http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/ – John Harrington offers up some great free business advice.
HYPERLINK “http://photography.alltop.com/” http://photography.alltop.com/ – The best collection of photography links on the web, that I’ve found at least.

In terms of inspiration, I’m a huge fan of Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, Yousef Karsh for classics, and there are quite a few up and coming photographers that I follow the work of closely.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

DANA LANE: I’m currently working on a 365 project (one image every day for a full year, HYPERLINK “http://danalanephoto365.blogspot.com” http://danalanephoto365.blogspot.com). Having a self assigned project has kept me motivated even when I’m tired after a long day in high tech.

FUTURE

DANA LANE: Actually, my immediate goals are more business related than photography related. I’m trying to build up my portrait/wedding business and I’m trying to figure out marketing and sales for a part time business. The long term goal would be to retired from high tech and devote my time fully to photography. I have been toying with the idea of doing a coffee table type book as well, but feel I need to focus on the business for a bit.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

DANA LANE: I share my knowledge whenever possible. I critique images in online forums and I work with members of the various clubs and organizations I’m a member of. The area I live in, (about an hour outside of Boston) appears to be pretty short of workshops, and I’ve been considering how I could work with the photographic community in the area.

DANA LANE: I’m not entirely convinced that there will be a morph of still and video. I know some of the newer DSLRs are including video capability, but I believe that they are very different mediums. I feel that a good still image provokes not only an emotion in the viewer, but imagination. Since there is no action or movement, the viewer has to apply his or her own action. I liken it to the difference between the written word and a movie and they haven’t merged yet.

DANA LANE: I plan to continue to grow my budding portrait/wedding/commercial photography business to the point where I can support my family and not rely on a day job. I don’t have a set timeframe, but that’s what I’m working towards. Ultimately, I’ve love to be doing magazine/fashion work and I’m trying to build my portfolio along those lines.

DANA LANE: You’re welcome, its been a pleasure answering your questions and if I can in any way give back to the community, I’m all for it. Don’t be discouraged by your mistakes. Every failed attempt at something is nothing more than a learning experience that provides you with more information for the next attempt. The other big thing I’d say is to connect with your local photographic community. Join a club, attend a meetup, spend time with other photographers. You’ll be amazed at home much you can learn, as well as offer.

WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Scott Wyden

Lawrence — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:22:22 +0000

“I made money from bands paying me to photograph their press shots.”

PAST
LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: In high school, were you involved in the yearbook ? What sparked your interest for photography? Do you recommend all the weekend photographers out there to initially stick with the subjects they know and build from there? Do you have any suggestions on how to build that progression? How did you progress to where you are today?

SCOTT WYDEN: In high school, I actually was asked to join the yearbook committee based on my love for photography. Our task was to work on the layout of the yearbook. The yearbook crew didn’t go out and photograph everyone, as we were a very small high school and it would be difficult to get all the pictures we would need to create the book. We gathered photographs the students and parents supplied, scanned them and returned them to the students. It may have been more work but for some reason that’s how it had been done in the previous years, so we continued the tradition as requested by the school.

Growing up, my main focus was with music. I then began photograph bands on stage that definitely peaked my interest into wanting to do more with my skills. I think all photographers should start out photographing what they comfortable with. Build yourself as an artist; see how comfortable you are with the equipment at hand. Photograph everything in sight in order to know what you like and how your imagination can run with the scenery in front of you. This will help to find out what you want to do with your photography.

As a musician, I would go to various concerts around the area. In advance, I would contact the band and ask if they would allow me to take some photographs of their performance(s). I would go see a band or watch a concert with my camera over my shoulder and film stuffed in my back pocket. If there is music playing, I can get into a “zone” where it becomes just me and the band, which will enable me to really show my artistic side. My photographs became an extension of their music and my artistic ability to think outside of the box. After a while of photographing live bands, I started photographing their press shots for albums, CD covers, posters, etc… This is where my passion for portrait photography really grew. Start with something you know and build upon. Always think outside of the box using whatever creativity you may come up with.

From music bands, I progressed to models, children, and scenery. That is what I focus on today, with an occasional family function or lifetime event.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

SCOTT WYDEN: I don’t have everything from back in the day unfortunately. I wish I did but my family moved 4 times when I was growing up and I lost a lot of photos. My subjects from my early years ranged from bands, beginner models, families & landscapes. I have some older photos in my blog archives under the topic ‘Photo Found’ which are photographs I took years ago which I have recently found on the internet.

SCOTT WYDEN: Because I was originally going to school for music I didn’t read much about photography, but when I decided to change my life and start focusing on photography I picked up Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander & Glen E. Friedman books, etc.. I was really into the black & white photography at the time and their photographs are perfect examples. Robert Franks “The Americans” ($30) is still one of my favorite photography books to date. As my passion of photography grew I started picking up Annie Leibowitz and Ansel Adams books. When you look at photographs taken by a photographer who really knows what that box is in their hands, it inspires you to learn more and grow more. It helps boost your creativity in such a way that words can’t describe. In fact, during college I had to pick a photographer from our book to replicate in our own fashion so mine was based on Lee Friedlander’s collection of self portrait shadows.

SCOTT WYDEN: I made money from bands paying me to photograph their press shots. This was before considering my career change. My first print sale was so random. I received an email from someone saying they wanted a print of a NYC photograph I shot using a Sepia filter. It is one of my favorite photographs I’ve taken and I actually have it mounted on an easel in my dining room. After my initial sale, word must have spread, as I would get print requests and photo gigs all of the time. That has continued through today.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?

SCOTT WYDEN: I was pretty lucky that I was given a film camera with a pretty decent meter. My first camera (some Fujica 35mm SLR) which was my biological fathers before he died and then given to me by my grandfather. But I did say decent meter, as I actually had to calculate the difference in proper exposure because the meter was always one stop off. With that said the most important tool for anyone starting out would be a good meter. If a photo is not exposed properly then aesthetically, it may do more harm then good.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

SCOTT WYDEN: Growth. Although I love my photographs I will never be where I want to as a photographer. It doesn’t matter if I sell any photos, because I am shooting for myself more than anything. If I see a mistake, I want to correct it for the future. Growing as a photographer is my motivation to keep on trucking.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

SCOTT WYDEN: I’m sure I’m not alone by saying this but I don’t try to set myself apart. Like I said previously I am shooting for myself. I didn’t make photography my full time job because I knew that if I did it every day and each one had a new client bossing me around I would very unhappy. I will continue shooting for myself and if people like my work great, otherwise it is quite alright.

With that said, I do try to be different. I always look at a potential photograph as how it will enlighten my day, put a smile on someone’s face, or light up a room. When I walk around the block, or through a park, I see beauty in things that others just take for granted. These are the types of photographs that I enjoy taking. I use the natural light as much as possible and use my tools at hand to get the look that I am trying to achieve.

SCOTT WYDEN: I don’t have a studio. I own a condo which enables me to move furniture as needed and set up shop in any room. I am more of a location guy. I’d rather photograph someone in their element, or in a location that fits their look.

Currently in my bag is one of my Nikon D700 bodies with the extra battery grip, the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 lens, extra batteries and memory cards. I was doing a Central Park Zoo photowalk with some friends this weekend so I brought minimal gear.

For photographers just starting out I’d say to save your pennies and learn with the equipment you have on hand. Master it! Have your current camera as an extra body part. Never let it leave your side. When you know your gear you can then better yourself as a photographer. If you keep switching gear you will never be comfortable enough to learn. Most of the time when I shoot portraits I have both of my camera bodies, a 50MM f/1.4 lens, the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. If I can tell starting photographers anything it is to be prepared. Think about what and where you will be shooting and prepare for the worst. You do not want to leave anything out but you don’t want to carry too much with you on location.

SCOTT WYDEN: I really like this question! Besides from consistently checking out their new photographs I read most of these blogs. There is Nikon master Joe McNally ( HYPERLINK “http://www.joemcnally.com” http://www.joemcnally.com), the incredible Chase Jarvis ( HYPERLINK “http://www.chasejarvis.com” http://www.chasejarvis.com), the all knowing Scott Kelby ( HYPERLINK “http://www.scottkelby.com” http://www.scottkelby.com), the talented and very useful knowledge base of David Hobby’s Strobist ( HYPERLINK “http://www.strobist.com” http://www.strobist.com), the incredible works of David Tejada ( HYPERLINK “http://www.tejadaphoto.com” http://www.tejadaphoto.com), the amazing and beautiful Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir (http://www.rebekkagudleifs.com), and the HDR master Trey Ratcliff ( HYPERLINK “http://www.stuckincustoms.com” http://www.stuckincustoms.com). However, I can’t leave out John Milleker (http://www.johnmilleker.com). I met him through Twitter and I’m so glad I did because his work truly inspires me.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

SCOTT WYDEN: I had a project I was going to do where I would photograph a devil duck toy in odd situations. I created a website devilduck.net and started working on the project. I received numerous emails, tweets, facebook & flickr messages, etc, stating that other people were working on the same exact thing. That ruined it for me and I decided to sell DevilDuck.net and try something else. So as far as a shooting project goes I do not have a specific one, just shooting in general. However, a few months back I launched Photowalklist.com and IShootInRAW.com which are pretty intense. Photowalklist.com takes up some time where as IShootInRAW.com pretty much runs itself.

FUTURE

SCOTT WYDEN: My goals are to keep shooting. In fact since January 1, 2009 I said I was going to take a least one photograph a day even if it is a silly shot that means nothing. This gets the camera in my hand and my eye through the viewfinder. I don’t have plans for a how-to book but once I get my ‘Object’ project underway I will be working on a photo book. I have even been considering putting a book together of my favorite “Naturescape” shots. I can’t really give any tips on creating a book since it’s my first time doing it as well. However, I can say that doing mock layouts in iPhoto, Aperture and other book designing applications really helps.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

SCOTT WYDEN: I actually teach photography at a local Public Library every few months and have been for about three years. I also have been giving private lessons for even longer and try to share my knowledge with friends, family and anyone who needs help.

SCOTT WYDEN: I’ve tried video myself and I’ve never really gotten much into it. I could see myself using a video feature here and there just because, but not professionally. I do think it will be a great step for the industry. Wedding photographers will be able to offer video without outsourcing or having extra expenses. Less gear but with high quality and done easily. Why not?

SCOTT WYDEN: In my future I just want to travel and see the world. I want to capture everything I can and share it with the people. Ideally I’d love for a magazine like National Geographic to approach me and say ‘Hey, we’ll pay you to travel and photograph everything’ but we all know how unrealistic that is, but one never knows. I honestly don’t have a place that I can say I will definitely be at some a future point in time but I can tell you that as long as I keep shooting for myself I will be happy.

The word professional gets thrown around a lot. In my opinion you don’t have to be a full time photographer to be a professional. In my opinion you have to know your job, know your equipment, understand what has to be done and then make it happen.

At this point in time I am very happy with my job at Mack Camera & Video Service. It’s a full time position in the photo and electronics industry, but also gives me the ability to be creative. At Mack I work in the repair department but am also in the design aspect of the company. I’m laying out ads, posters, brochures, and banners. I’m working on the website, shooting product, etc. Although I don’t photograph full time, I consider myself a professional. Others might not see it that way, but that is quite alright.

SCOTT WYDEN: Lately, I find myself shooting more nature type landscapes (what I call “Naturescapes”) more than portraits. I don’t know where it came from or why but it is there and I’m trying to pursue it. If there is anything I can say that will help photographers it would be to follow your heart. Don’t photograph something just because it can make you rich. Photograph something because you love it. Most important is to never stop trying to learn more about your passion because you got into photography for a reason.

WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Chris Barrett

Lawrence — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:42:28 +0000

“I walk the small streets of Chicago, the less appealing areas and make friends along the way.”

PAST

CHRIS BARRETT: Funny thing. No yearbook, not a ton of photography either. Began shooting young at 7-8 years old with Mom’s Kodak Brownie. After some seriously rough times I picked it up again. When I started I took a lot of self portraits, photos of my cat with a hat on, where I lived, and the hiking trip to Colorado when I was 13.Where you live/ grow up truly does shape you. The neighborhood I grew up in was surrounded by cornfields and had a creek winding around the whole thing. We played outside for 8-10 hours a day and played football, etc in the snow even. Something about really enjoying the outdoors is what shaped my “eye” early on.
In terms of progression, I would look at my photos a few years later say when I was 17 or 18 and thought, “Wow, am I this into ME?” too many shots of just me, but then again I didn’t know how or felt I did not know how to ask others to pose, or not. Maybe that’s what pushed me to make photo of landscapes and barns, etc. Very solitary, but that’s what I needed then, and still do a bit today.
Suggestions for progression from me are influenced now by people I have sought out to MAKE myself better. I sought out people like Howard Bingham and Sandro Miller and a photographer from Hedrich Blessing (same name oddly enough) Christopher Barrett. So my suggestions are this: Always , always, always do what YOU love. Never mind the family that thinks because you’re the “camera guy” or photographer of the family you should take everyone’s picture at all family functions. That’s BS and that’s not fair to your creativity. Now I am sure some people see it as opportunity, and it can be. IF you control the situation not someone else. If you allow others to dictate what you shoot, you’re screwing yourself. Do NOT sacrifice you creativity for snapshots, that MUST be posed, etc.
So progression of thoughts, self-worth and knowing what you love or is truly important to you is a good place to start. Beyond that, experiment continuously while still refining strong aspects of your image making. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result each time, right? So don’t. Try writing down in small pad, 3 variances of same shot. ISO 100,160,400. Note the differences and determine what looks best to you.

Where I am today is the result of many years of internal struggle that continues today. I wanted to make images that push me back against the wall and demand that I really look into them. I was always disappointed with what I would get back from the film processing store. 1 shot out of 100 was good. That’s bad, but also good. 1 shot was good, really good so I remembered that shot and tried to replicate its success in transcending it to other subjects. 99 bad shots is what I had to go through to get 1 good one. So be it.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

CHRIS BARRETT: I do! I tried to keep at least some. I have a few from my hiking trip over 2 weeks in the mountains in Colorado. I do have a few from my self portrait craze too. Wow, what a ham! So the subjects of the mountains and waterfalls with me in the summertime out on my back patio are the “early” years. Are they online? Man, that’s an awesome question because now you have me itching to scan them all in! So I guess I will have them online soon!

CHRIS BARRETT: Public Library is my friend. I check out an average of 4 books a week or every 2 weeks. And 50-75% of the books are photography-related. Paul Strand,Walker Evans,Alfred Steiglitz,Ansel Adams,Howard Bingham,Irving Penn and others are books I would study. I take massive amount of notes and file them away. Since I have a slight attention thing and learning “differentability” I would pickup photo collection book and scan them one after the other, then I was exhausted from spending hours doing it. So I do not have particular titles I have read, just the names I have sought out or styles. I also love early photography to see where things might be going down the road.

Going to the Art Institute in Chicago influenced me greatly as well. I would go when the doors open at 10:30am and spend 5-6 hours taking notes or things I like. Most things were paintings of the grand masters and some Impressionists. Allowing you to be influenced by many great art forms, to me, makes a well-rounded photographer/artist.
One other resource that helped a great deal was feedback from others (photographers). Understanding that some photographers were genuine and others just wanted to trash you, allowed me to take that criticism well. Seek it out and they will tell.

CHRIS BARRETT: Some so far. I had a “solo” exhibition at Humboldt Pie Café in Chicago a few years back. The café is gone now but I managed to sell 4 framed prints at $50 a pop in 1 week. So I was thrilled. There was not twitter or craigslist being used heavily then so it was email and phone calls as well as flyers at train/ bus stops to get word out.
I have not sold another photo since then partly because I want to gather some of my best thus far and land a show first. That might not be the best way, oh well. This summer I need to sell photos. I might do it at Humboldt Park Fair in the summer. Cheap booth price and good crowd.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?

CHRIS BARRETT: Optimism. Even when I was living by myself in a 300 square foot studio eating rice and potatoes as main sources of food, if I did not believe that I had a gift to develop I never would have sold those 4 photos. Knowing what you are capable of helps. I know my words sound simple, but for me it took a lot of failure in nearly every aspect my life to appreciate what I do have. That translates into my work I believe. Another tool is letting loved ones know a bit of what you want to do, not that you seek permission but their support is greatly appreciated. My mother still asks how’s the photography going, because she knows that’s important.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

CHRIS BARRETT: Life History Truth, and love. Way too much lying and stealing and hate out there. I am so excited about the coming years, in part because we are expecting our second child this summer and I think about the life I want my kids to have.
History is being wiped from our national landscape. I took a series of photographs of barns in Illinois in the last few years and noticed how many are falling down next to the metal sheds famers have put up instead. The character of Chicago is being transformed by the greed of progress and not the respect of yesterday.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

CHRIS BARRETT: I walk the small streets of Chicago, the less appealing areas and make friends along the way. They tell me stories about how life used to be before the condos went up. Before they closed the school that their whole family went to. These things I listen to, and that is something I believe more photographer need to do. They need to listen to those most people won’t listen to.

CHRIS BARRETT:I do not have a studio. I tend to be outside more.
In my bag is a deep red filter,Canon 30D with 28-135 zoom lens,brush,extra battery and paper for notes. I have taken in the past tinfoil for reflecting natural light. I can easily fold it up and for what I was experimenting with, it did the trick.

CHRIS BARRETT: I don’t look at photography websites as much as I should, but photo.fr is france’s photo mag of choice. I like this Polish Photographer HYPERLINK “http://andrzejdragan.com/” http://andrzejdragan.com/ really inspires me to shoot more portraits. Also, I use stumbleupon to randomly look at other photography sites that I might normally view. It is a great inspiration tool. I just set my preference for photography for the time being and voila. That’s how I found Andrzej site.
And as far as inspirations: photography right now is James Nachtwey and still Ansel Adams. James is in line with my love for Eddie Adams work in war photography and how it affects more than just a few, but since he is currently working I tend to view his stuff more. Ansel Adams did such great work, but people must know his true expertise was in the darkroom. He was one of the best in turning out a great print, and so I have sharpened my Photoshop skills with him in mind.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

CHRIS BARRETT: Not right now. I have attempted to gather others for grand projects, to fall flat. No worries, something always comes around when weather gets good.

FUTURE

CHRIS BARRETT:I must gain absolute control over my image. I do not have the time to not have it. I can do so much more once I really master the exposure and subtleties that seem to elude me. I also wish to use something like lulu.com or the like to self publish and just test waters for my work. I hope to create a project of skin tones, with recent news that the current pigment in my skin was black 8,000 years ago is really astounding. So portraits ranging from darkest to lightest and making everyone’s beauty stand out would be an awesome goal.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

CHRIS BARRETT: Not sure if my skill set is quite there to share my knowledge. I might be able to inspire others by telling them the stupid mistakes I have made. I also twitter a lot so I keep in contact with people that way. I have a website but it really does not make sense to keep that going to share my thoughts as there are so many other avenues to get word out.

CHRIS BARRETT: Well it took over 140 years for film photography to give way to digital, even as some say it has not so video and photography are 2 different ways to express or convey and idea, emotion. In video, subtleties can be glossed over. In photography (still) you have all day and years to look at a static image to compare works and see nuances in the lighting that you don’t in video. So as forward thinking as I am, I do not see it happening as a total morphing of the 2. Just as film is still an artist’s medium, so will photography be separate and video separate. What will happen is a new medium not a morph. Time will tell how it works, but because we are on verge of an explosion of computer processing power and and the means to do it for much less than 30 years ago I tend to believe the current state of photography will change 2-3 times before the midcentury point.

CHRIS BARRETT:If it is in the stars, I want to travel and be paid to do it. Simple and sweet. I want to photograph places and people and places but bring it back to all the schools in Chicago, and help foster a gigantic generation of photographers that know all the basics of photography before they enter college. I also would love to photograph people on a consistent basis. The portraits I have done (3) have turned out so well that 2 people have gone on to be models. So I need to get back into that.

CHRIS BARRETT: Eyes open. Make your eyes see everything. Develop your eye for what you like, but if you live in a city, especially inner-city, ask yourself, who needs a voice? Be that voice.

WEEKEND PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Bradley Laurent

Lawrence — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:51:42 +0000

“Art, creativity and imagination. I have a lot of wacky pictures rolling around in my head and I need to let them out.”

BRADLEY LAURENT: I was not involved in the yearbook, my interest in photography came later, after I was married. Although I’ve always had an interest in photography, I really started taking pictures “regularly” after my son was born, almost eight years ago. Having a child made me more open to sharing my emotions and that made me want to take more pictures. I don’t think weekend photographers necessarily need to stick with the subjects they know, I think they should shoot things that they are passionate about or things that they find compelling. For me, people are compelling and I’ve focused on improving the skills required for photographing people. I read a lot about lighting and composition. There are some terrific books and websites that focus on fashion and portraiture and I would really recommend reading and digesting as much as you can.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your work today?

BRADLEY LAURENT: I do have pictures from my early period online, but you need to be listed as a “Friend” on Flickr.com to view them.
My first subjects were friends, family and believe it or not, wildfires. I take pictures of the wildfires that chase my family out of our home every year. I’ve gotten more publicity from the wildfire pictures than from my portrait and alternative model work. I’ve had fire pictures on CNN television, Reuters, Yahoo and a few others. That’s what I get for living in Southern California.

BRADLEY LAURENT: The 3 books I read and re-read constantly are Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, Photographing People by Steve Luck and Portrait Photography by Mark Cleghorn.

A photographer friend of mine; John Mulligan was my “go to” resource when I got my first DSLR. John taught me the basics about exposure, white balance, lighting, etc. as well as camera basics. His advice was and still is invaluable.

And remember, Google and YouTube are your friends.

BRADLEY LAURENT: Yes, I’ve been paid for promotional and headshots which is funny, because I don’t particularly enjoy headshot photography and try to avoid it if possible. I’ve turned down more offers for paid headshots gigs than I’ve accepted. My first paid job was a basic headshot. I do plan on selling more work, but as part of my larger art projects that are addressed later in this interview.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?
BRADLEY LAURENT: I assume you mean other than a camera.
First on my must have list are the books listed earlier in this interview. Second would be photo editing software whether or not it’s Photoshop or some other less robust program. Third (for my style of work) is lighting and light modifiers. For the weekend photographer, I highly recommend Alien Bees from Paul C, Buff.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What is your present motivation to continue with your photography?

BRADLEY LAURENT: Art, creativity and imagination. I have a lot of wacky pictures rolling around in my head and I need to let them out. People seem to like my more creative work. and their positive feedback provides a lot of motivation.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are you doing now to set yourself apart from other photographers? What is your niche?

BRADLEY LAURENT: My work is colorful, creative (I hope) and sometimes strange. I’ll steal this next bit from my website, GladPlanet.com, “I am currently focused on capturing the creative Hollywood subculture, in unique and different ways. I love working with creative, artistic, alternative; models, musicians & Actors and prefer shooting them outside of their normal “space”.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have a studio? If so, why? What are the benefits of having a studio as a weekend photographer?

BRADLEY LAURENT: Yes, I have a studio that I rent for part of each month. It’s owned by two other really nice photographers. I don’t think all weekend photographers need a studio, but most of my projects require controlled lighting, props, seamless backdrops, etc. I work primarily with models, and usually have a makeup artist and hairstylist working with me. Having a studio makes it a lot easier for them to work their magic.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What photography resources do you consistently refer to date ? Can you name at least 5 websites you refer to religiously for your photography?

BRADLEY LAURENT: As I mentioned earlier, the 3 books I read and re-read constantly are Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, Photographing People by Steve Luck and Portrait Photography by Mark Cleghorn.
The only photography website I refer to “religiously” is ModelMayhem.com. I aslo visit the Strobist (strobist.blogspot.com) regularly. Other than that, I view alot of photography videos on YouTube.com, but that’s about it.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you have any photography projects? If so, what is it and why? If not, why not?

BRADLEY LAURENT: I have a lot of photography projects in the works. I make a lot of outfits for my photoshoots. I’ve made dresses out of Popsicle sticks, sheet metal and paper just to name a few. I’m putting the finishing touches on a gown made out of drinking straws. Some of the outfits are part of a larger theme/project, other times they are the primary focus of the image.

BRADLEY LAURENT: My immediate goal is to have Gallery show, and to continue experimenting with different paper and substrates when I print. Also, as I mentioned, I make wardrobe for some of my shoots. I’m currently growing a dress, it’s made out of burlap and seeds. It should be fully grown in two weeks. I need to shoot that dress before it grows out of control, so I guess shooting it is my most immediate goal.

No, I’m not planning on writing any how to books. Anyone can self publish these days, so if someone wanted to publish a photography book I would recommend focusing on distribution and marketing.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Would you ever consider doing a workshop and share your knowledge on the weekends? If not, how do you plan to contribute to the photography community?

BRADLEY LAURENT: Yes, I would consider doing a workshop, but I’m not at the point in my career where anyone would want to listen to me talk about photography….yet.

BRADLEY LAURENT: Good question. I don’t think the two mediums need to merge, some people will naturally mix the two and others will want to keep them separate. I didn’t give it much thought until I saw Video Installation Performance Artist, Tiffany Trenda at the Photo L.A.exhibit in January. She really got me thinking about video. I don’t know what I’ll do with video, but I’m sure it will be fun.

You can check out Tiffany here: www.tiffanytrenda.com

BRADLEY LAURENT: I want to continue to grow creatively, I love it when people look at my work and say “Wow, where did you get that idea?”. I don’t aspire to go pro, but I do want to exhibit my work. I’ll continue to work on my creative art projects, making wardrobe and sets, the more creative, the better.

BRADLEY LAURENT: Shoot as often as you can, and when you do, shoot the things that inspire you. Ask for advice when you need it, and except constructive criticism graciously.