Taking pictures on an offshore oil rig is serious business

This is fascinating. I’m sure there are lots of photography jobs with very strict requirements like this one. Would be fun to do a column on all the weird photo jobs out there. If anyone has one they want to write about let me know.

For starters, due to the risk of flammable gas coming up the oil well, normal electronics are banned outside the living quarters. Smartphones are strictly forbidden and regular cameras require “hot work permits” be opened prior to use.

The idea behind the permit system is that all potentially-hazardous activities must be centrally coordinated by a responsible/accountable person, to ensure that risks are managed appropriately and ongoing operations do not interfere with each other. The permit must be signed by the rig’s on-board management and posted in a central location. The permit then expires when the approver’s shift ends. Even once the permit is approved, you still need to carry a gas detection device when taking pictures, to provide a warning if flammable gas is present. It’s kind of a pain.

So to avoid that hassle, we use explosion-proof cameras. It sounds cooler than it is.

The first time I ever heard the term “explosion-proof,” it was at a job interview for an environmental toxicity testing facility. We were doing a tour and I saw the words “EXPLOSION-PROOF” in big red lettering on the side of a refrigerator! My mind immediately went to putting bombs inside it for safety, but all it really meant was that the fridge would not act as an ignition source if flammable materials (solvents, etc) were placed inside. Kind of disappointing.

Flash forward about six years, and working with explosion-proof equipment is now a part of my job responsibilities. We use airtight seals, gas purges, current-limiting devices, and all sorts of other methods to ensure nothing ever starts a fire if there is a gas release. This is a highly regulated area of engineering with very strict design requirements. Level sensors inside gasoline tanks, blower fans for grain silos, and coal mine excavators all must be designed according to tight standards such as ATEX.

These standards are intended for heavy industrial equipment, and can result in some absurd designs when applied to consumer electronics like cameras. Here’s a picture of our $5,000 explosion-proof camera:

Big, right? For $5,000 and the size of a brick, you would expect a high quality camera, but no. My flip phone in 2002 took better pictures. You have to hold it rock-steady for 5 seconds to get a decent picture, and the auto-exposure adjustment gives you all-white or all-black pictures about 10% of the time. The rechargeable battery (that metal thing bolted to the front) dies in about 30 minutes. Zoom lens? Hah! Macro shots? Hah! It’s a terrible, god-awful camera — and it’s one of the best available. As a result of using this beast, I have gigs worth of blurry, grainy pictures from the rig. They’re good enough to put in a daily work report, but mostly not fit for publication on the internet.

Read the whole piece here: http://oilgas.quora.com/Taking-Pictures-Seriously

Is it insulting to be replaced by iPhones?

A camera is just a tool. A carpenter using a hammer and me using a hammer are going to get different results. I can use a hammer but I don’t know how to make a table. For me it’s not about the camera, it’s about the skill and the storytelling ability.

I heard from a reporter yesterday who shot two features with her phone and she marveled at how much time it took to shoot the photos, choose the ones she wanted, edit the photos, upload the photos—she just had no idea how much time it took. The product of the reporting and the photography is going to suffer.

via The Daily Dot – A talk with Rob Hart, the photographer behind “Laid Off From the Sun-Times”.

Art Producers Speak: Mark Tucker

We emailed Art Buyers and Art Producers around the world asking them to submit names of established photographers who were keeping it fresh and up-and-comers who they are keeping their eye on. If you are an Art Buyer/Producer or an Art Director at an agency and want to submit a photographer anonymously for this column email: Suzanne.sease@verizon.net

Anonymous Art Producer: I nominate Mark Tucker. Mark is quite simply a master story-teller. In a single frame he is able to capture the essence of his subject. His portraits are timeless and evocative. Mark’s keen eye always finds that one-in-a-million face and light it perfectly. The result is always an image comprised equally of candor, soul and emotion.

A recent wet-plate portrait diptych from a workshop in Pittsburgh. We did the event in old lodge, with great light and architectural details.
Ad campaign for Amtrak, highlighting the leisurely pace and nice views outside the trains. Photographed in Florida and southern California. (AD: Bill Cutter; AB: Andrea Ricker; Arnold/Boston).
This was our first commercial project with wet-plate collodion -- a CD package for the band The Mavericks. Here are two of the 8x10” plates from the individual portraits of the band. We shot the five band members over the span of two days, and then a group shot at the end of the second day. Each plate takes about fifteen minutes, start to finish, so we had to allow for this pace, and hope the band would be patient. (CD: Sandi Spika, Big Machine Records).
The tiny town of Leipers Fork is about twenty miles from Nashville. They host a Redneck Christmas Parade each December -- everyone brings their jacked-up car, or outhouse, and they drive it down Main Street. Like Mayberry RFD gone bad, but in a fun way. I was there shooting, and Floyd, a local resident, rode up behind me on his horse, with his permanently-mounted cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He lives with his brother, outside of town, with no electricity or running water, (by choice).
Since moving to New York City, I'm out on the streets, looking for portrait opportunities. This is very recent, from an Israeli parade on Fifth Avenue. This is a newspaper publisher that was involved in the parade. In front of MoMA, on 53rd Street.
I was at PhotoNOLA a few years ago, and went into a diner for a burger. This eccentric couple was sitting in the booth across from mine. I patiently waited for them to pay their tab and leave, and then asked if I could shoot a quick portrait on the sidewalk outside. The whole scene feels like 1969 Haight-Ashbury to me.
We’ve worked on a summer project for Jack Daniels Distillery for a number of years. This is actually our client, Randall Fanning, from the distillery. We drafted him into being a rural weather man, along with his dog. They called this image “Checking the Weather”. This image was a national finalists in the Addy Awards. (CD: Nelson Eddy; AD: Jan Mattix; Dye Van Mol Lawrence).
This diptych was made early in the process of learning the wet-plate collodion process. Wet-plate has been very satisfying, in getting back to the tactile process of creating a physical piece of work, and working in the darkroom again. This was shot on an old Sinar 8x10, and double-exposed in the camera holder -- the model and the roses set up side by side.
I met this Vietnam vet newspaper salesman on the side of the freeway one day, on the way home from a job. Great face. I pulled over and asked him if I could shoot a portrait.
A book cover image for "Wicked Lovely", a novel by Melissa Marr, for Harper Collins Publishers. The first book in a series of three. Shot in NYC, and trying to hit focus -- wide open at f1.8. (CD: Alison Donalty, Harper Collins).

 

 

How many years have you been in business?
I started shooting on my own at age 23, in 1982, after assisting in NYC and LA. I renovated an old loft building in downtown Nashville; I lived downstairs and worked upstairs. My main clients in the beginning were department stores, magazines, and record companies.

Are you self-taught or photography school taught?
I went to college at Western Kentucky University, for photojournalism. After the first couple of years in school, it became apparent that I was headed more toward a commercial style –wanting to prop and light pictures, rather than go with the straight PJ approach. I began to work with the one strobe pack that we had in the cabinet at school, and I’d shoot at night, and then process and print until the wee hours. It was an incredible period of learning and growth. My professor, Mike Morse, gave me constant encouragement even though he knew I was heading in a different direction from the newspaper photographers. I’ll always be thankful to him for that encouragement; I’d bring him a Fixer Tray at 7am, when he came in to start his day, and show him what I’d been printing all night.

Who was your greatest influence that inspired you to get into this business?
There were many influences: Norman Seeff in Los Angeles was doing great work in the music business. That’s where I wanted to go –toward Music and Editorial. I actually ended up leaving college early, moved to LA to assist, and knocked on his door. His B/W printer, Keith Williamson let me hang out there. That was about 1979. I also followed the fashion work of Guy Bourdin, the inventive work of Moshe Brakha, and the music work of Joel Bernstein. I loved Duane Michals’ work with multi-frame storytelling. Bert Stern and Art Kane were also big influences. But probably the biggest was the work that Annie Leibovitz was doing at Rolling Stone, and then Mark Seliger, later on. My goal was always environmental portraiture.

Do you find that some creatives love your work but the client holds you back?
Every commercial project has certain parameters. You just know that, going in. You push as much as you can. But in the end, it’s a team project. It also changed, once the business went from Marker Comps to PDF Stock Swipes; the rules got tighter; the boundaries more enforced.

What are you doing to get your vision out to the buying audience?
For years, we were successful with these 6×9 inch, 24-page direct mail booklets for agency work. If I went on a road trip to shoot personal work, I might also mail out a series of eight or ten post cards in an envelope, afterwards. We got away from the 6×9 direct mail for a while, in exchange for email blasts and directories, but my goal is to return to the direct mail format soon. In the end, you still hope it’s ink on paper, so I try to show the work that way.

What is your advice for those who are showing what they think the buyers want to see?
It’s tough to give advice to others. It’s a really subjective choice on how to market yourself. I do feel though, in the future, the people really staying in demand will be very narrow specialists, rather than generalists. I think the goal is for your images to have your firm individual thumbprint on them –find a style or technique and really milk that specific look and feel. The glut of photographers has really changed the business. You have to do something bold, or else you simply slip through the cracks. That’s just my own personal opinion.

Are you shooting for yourself and creating new work to keep your artistic talent true to you?
I try to be always working on a personal project, to keep the spark alive. For many years, I’d go on short international trips, just to get my mindset into a different culture. India; Cuba; Ecuador; Mexico; Germany; Czech Republic –I’d simply go with one body and two lenses, and try to sink into the place. The goal was to immerse myself into a different way of life. When I’d return, I’d prepare a Direct Mail piece that would go to agency art directors.

In addition, about a year ago, I did two workshops to learn the wet-plate collodion process. I was missing the craft of the darkroom and the tactile aspect of creating a physical print. It was probably a bit of a recoil against digital also. I began a series of portraits with a wooden 8×10 camera. It was very satisfying to slow down and really focus on the craft again. I thought it might even dovetail into some commercial projects, but the slow process is not that conducive to this new “six setups per day” mindset.

I also started a little side blog last year called MyDayWith.com, where I’d shoot stills and video of interesting people in my town. It was a good chance to shoot video, and to simply shoot for myself in a loose editorial style.

——–
Mark Tucker
http://www.marktucker.com
Represented by Tricia Scott at MergeLeft Reps
http://www.mergeleftreps.com
212-840-0321

Mark Tucker is a portrait and lifestyle photographer based in Nashville. He works with clients in the pharmaceutical, tourism, publishing, music, banking and health care industries. Clients include Amtrak, Jack Daniels, Eli Lilly, Novartis, PacifiCare, State Farm, Harper Collins, Penguin Books, Little Brown, General Brands, Regions Bank, Alabama Tourism, Colonial Williamsburg, and Vanderbilt Medical Center. He is represented by Tricia Scott at MergeLeft Reps in New York.

APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s, after founding the art buying department at The Martin Agency then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies. She has a new Twitter fed with helpful marketing information.  Follow her@SuzanneSease.

 

Put Out Solid Work, Stay Fresh And True To Your Ideas, And You Will Have A Successful Career

people think that it’s going to be this “new up and coming” person who is going to take over, and I don’t think that that is necessarily the rule. I think as long as you are putting out solid work, good work, staying fresh and true to your ideas, and evolving with time, then you can have an extremely successful career. And I like to see that versus “trend.”

via One Art Producers Point of View: Photography Portfolio Review Events. Part I | Heather Elder Represents Blog.

Photographs Push First Amendment Boundaries

I don’t know much about Richard Prince, but I like to think that he’s in the business of operating at the edges of what’s acceptable. Whether he’s pushing the boundaries or just working in the grey area I think it’s important for art to have trouble makers. I’m more comfortable thinking about blank canvasses and drawing on top of images as important for pushing boundaries that other work can be built upon than worrying about whether this is something that will be admired centuries from now. I believe the title of this piece Jonathan Blaustein wrote for me: “You Don’t Always Get Art, But We Still Need More Of It“.

So, what about the grey area when it comes to photography and privacy. This is certainly a contentious and topical issue when it comes to paparazzi chasing celebrities or people taking pictures of slaughterhouses. Recent attempts at legislation in those areas (here, here, here) suggest people would like to limit the first amendment right to photography in public places. An exhibition at the Julie Saul Gallery in Chelsea seems to be pushing the boundary of privacy and photography. Photographer Arne Svenson shot pictures of residents in a neighboring building with a telephoto lens from his own apartment across the street. In a story for the New York Times Magazine, Photography Director Kathy Ryan contemplates the artistry vs. privacy issue:

These particular pictures are problematic, even for those, like me, who overwhelmingly side with artists and journalists when it comes to questions of freedom of expression. I support the artist’s right to make and exhibit his art and feel Svenson has the right to exhibit these pictures. But if images surfaced in a gallery of my daughter in our home, shot by a photographer using a long lens without our knowledge, I wouldn’t be happy. So the question arises, is it art when it’s a photograph of someone else, but not when it’s you or your family?

(Read the rest here)

I think in the end Arne Svenson may run into “a reasonable expectation of privacy” which is what makes street photography and making pictures in public possible and taking pictures of people in their homes illegal (Note: consult a lawyer, this is just my opinion).

But, I agree with Kathy in her conclusion that “the freedoms enjoyed by artists and journalists are worth possible breaches of privacy.” Boundary pushing is good for art, we don’t always “get it”, but it allows other artists to build upon it.

It Doesn’t Get Any Easier With More Experience

Well I must say that it doesn’t get any easier because as you get more experienced and as you go further you’re trying to work with more complexity, and take more complexity and create more simplicity. Because you’re older and hopefully experienced you see things as a larger whole so your job then becomes more difficult because you’ve got to synthesise all these many different points into a single reality – a photograph. So the job doesn’t get any easier it gets more challenging. It’s very important that the job is challenging because if it isn’t you shouldn’t be taking the picture.

via Ten questions for photographer Roger Ballen – Phaidon.

Advice for Photo Assistants: Getting in with Production Companies

by Demetrius Fordham

In my first post on photo assisting, one of my biggest pieces of advice for photo assistants was to get in with production companies. And though I touched briefly on why, I got a lot of emails and comments asking for more details on how to better get on the radar of production companies, and what producers expect from photo assistants in terms of knowledge and prior experience. Being a photo assistant myself, I can only speak pretty generally to these questions, so I sat down with my longtime friend Josh Marianelli, a producer and studio director at the California-based Corey Rich Productions to get the lowdown on how to get hired at a major production company and what producers are looking for.

First things first. How can a photo assistant get on the radar of a production company, and ultimately, get hired?

Word of mouth works well – being recommended by another assistant or producer goes a long way, so try to make as many connections as you can on any job you work on. (Obviously, while also being respectful of the existing relationships on the job, and not selling yourself too hard). Use social media channels to stay connected with producers and always be ready to share your work history or up-to-date portfolio with any production company looking to hire. Getting hired is also about being the right match for the production company. For example, at Corey Rich Productions we do a ton of physically intense outdoor shoots. So, depending on the job we’re tasked to shoot, we’re looking for assistants who have the right capabilities beyond camera and lighting knowledge – assistants who can climb mountains, cross glaciers, have the strength to be on the road for multiple weeks, confidently travel through Pakistan and hike into the Karakoram. It always helps, in my experience, to have a unique skill set that might be advantageous to the types of productions you’ll be working on.

Also, once you’re hired by a production company, do your job well. We don’t turn and burn assistants – once we find a qualified assistant, someone with the right attitude, who works hard and plays hard, we’ll work with them over and over again.

What kind of general knowledge do producers expect from photo assistants, aside from equipment mastery and lighting/tech skills?

Beyond camera, lighting and tech skills, our expectations have more to do with attitude than with added knowledge. We want our assistants to be engaged, completely aware of their surroundings, and to be independent-minded and self-sustaining. This means thinking on his or her own about what needs to happen throughout the day, project and set. We also expect assistants to respect the work environment and be aware that they’re part of a bigger team that includes everyone involved within the project, at any level or any capacity. We expect them to be respectful of the client, especially if there is one on set. Leave your ego at the door, show up and be passionate about what we’re doing – and enjoy yourself while working with us!

Does a photo assistant’s professional background or experience ever factor into your decision to hire them on a job?

Most definitely. I mentioned this earlier, but most of the time we don’t just hire for photography or technical skills, we’re also looking at personal skill sets and backgrounds and unique knowledge dependent on any particular assignment, whether it’s operating certain machines and equipment, to knowing how to navigate a certain city or corner of the globe, or having certain language skills and organizational skills. We are looking for assistants who can basically add to the abilities of our team.

Anything assistants shouldn’t do when trying to get a job with a production company?

Absolutely don’t embellish or fabricate any of your abilities or experience. When it comes down to it, those capabilities you sold us on will be tested, particularly with the types of shoots we do. We expect you to confidently show up and perform at the level that you sold us on – not just when it comes to cameras or lights. For example, if you can tell us you can ski, you’d better be able to ski! No matter how large or small the task seems, we rely on our team’s ability to hold their own and contribute to the end goal of successfully and safely wrapping a production. Of course, you can never completely avoid an accident – that’s part of production – but if you approach every job with an honest assessment of your experience, you can help to eliminate costly mistakes and safely contribute to completing the job. For instance, if you’ve never worked with lighting equipment around water, and don’t know how to safely use or connect a ground-fault circuit interrupter or safely set up and secure lights of any size, don’t tell us you have – the risk is too high.

Any additional tips for photo assistants trying to get in with production companies, or just succeed at their profession in general?

The industry and environment that we work in has changed dramatically over the past decade, and we’re no longer just shooting still photos. Moving picture and audio work make up at least 50% of the jobs we do today. Increased knowledge, specifically related to operating and working with video and audio equipment, technology and software, will increase an assistants’ chances of securing more jobs. Whether it’s in a corporate office environment or a far-off remote location, an assistant who can confidently handle and operate all the gear associated with still and video productions, including audio, will be able to sell themselves to a larger number projects. Having an assistant who can smoothly transition from still to video to audio and switch back and forth between all equipment on any set, is a huge asset to any size production but particularly small crews that share multiple responsibilities and wear many hats. When it all comes down to it though, make sure you enjoy what you do! At Corey Rich Productions, we want our crew to have fun and not take themselves too seriously – and hope anyone we work with can do the same.

If you have any more tips or questions on getting hired or working with production companies (or getting hired as a photo assistant in general) feel free to comment below or get discussion flowing on the Photo Assistants’ Association Facebook page.

War Through a Woman’s Eyes

There’s a great story in American Photo on female conflict photographers.

But being a woman can also prove an advantage. “I can slip behind lines where males can’t necessarily,” says Levine. During one long-term stint in a conflict zone, she recalls, “I would often just dress like the women. Male colleagues didn’t even recognize me. I would try to blend when possible.” She also gets a perspective on events that men seldom see. “I don’t want to say that women photograph differently, but sometimes our access draws us in differently,” she says. “If I’m in a room full of women mourning, especially Muslim women, I can stay with them longer. Being a woman allows me to embrace some of the intimate moments. I’m a female and I can enter the bedroom of a woman, whereas my male colleagues wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Being perceived as less intrusive or intimidating can also make it easier for women to move unobtrusively through the range of scenes in the theater of war. “You have to know how to weave in between all worlds,” Levine says. “You have to know how to behave, not only sitting on someone’s floor in a war zone or in a morgue, but meeting with high officials, moving in a motorcade, or riding on the back of a pickup truck with Libyan rebels on the front line.”

As for motherhood, Levine says it brings insight to her work. “Maybe I approach some of the situations I’m in differently because I am a mother, or I connect with women more easily in the field because I’m a mother as well,” she says. “I can imagine being in their shoes, God forbid, if I was on the other side of the camera. It’s a big part of me.” Having children also drives her to contribute to the effort to understand and resolve conflicts. “It draws me in closer and fuels my passion to do what I do,” she says, “because as much as I cover conflict, I hate conflict and war.”

Read the whole story here:War Through a Woman’s Eyes | American Photo.

Something we haven’t seen before is exciting

That’s one of the reasons why rarity matters to us, is because we can provide an experience that people haven’t had elsewhere. You know, as great as The Moonrise Over Hernandez is, for those of us who have been looking at photography for a long time, it’s hard to see that in a fresh way. Something we haven’t seen before is exciting.

via Malcolm Daniel – PhotoWings.

This Week In Photography Books – Antonio M. Xoubanova

by Jonathan Blaustein

The flavor molecules remain on my tongue. Even now, as I swirl the red muscle around my mouth, I can taste the delicious bitterness. The coffee is a fresh memory, but I can feel the nascent flow of caffeine through my body. The battle, uphill all the way, is still to be fought. Can. It. Will. Me. To. Productivity?

Not that it matters much, but I gave up coffee for six months. “Addiction,” I said, “be gone.” I was cocky about it, too. After making it through a trip to Europe, (with the attendant jet lag,) having still not succumbed to the power of Joe, I was sure I’d conquered the beast. “My willpower is legendary,” I shouted. “They will write Epic poems about me, and the time I slew the liquid, brown dragon. Hear my tale and sing my praises.”

How did it happen? How did my weakness slowly emerge from hiding, and end up slitting the throat of my discipline? What was the impetus? A fair maiden, of course. She seduced me. “A few sips can’t hurt,” she said. “It will help you lift your tired bones out of bed.” (It did.) “What’s the harm in a few sips,” she asked?

I was re-hooked immediately. Now, with a hand-me-down espresso maker sitting on the kitchen counter, I feel like a rat in a lab. Touch the button, little rat, and you can have yourself a treat. Ignore the little shock of pain, though. It’s only temporary.

Yes, my addiction never left. It was merely biding its time, lounging in a cave somewhere, deep in my psyche. Thank goodness it only has a taste for coffee, and not heroin. (That would be bad.) No, it merely lingered, sure that its dark prowess would prevail, eventually.

My little monster is kind-of-like the fictional phantasms at the heart of “Casa de Campo,” a new book by Antonio M. Xoubanova, recently released by MACK. (Seriously, though, does the M. really make a difference here? Are there other Antonio Xoubanovas out there we need to know about? Just curious.)

I won’t lie to you. I tore through nine books this morning before I settled on this one. My brain is mush, (hence the double-double espresso before 7am,) and I didn’t feel much like reading. All the books I grabbed had massive essays or reading commitments, and I wasn’t up for it. (These are photo books, for goodness sake. Just give me one where I can look at some pictures. OK?)

I would probably have reviewed this one eventually anyway, as MACK often makes books worth discussing. But “Casa de Campo” jumped the queue, thanks to its decided lack of text. There is a short, excellent piece to read at the end, but it only contextualizes the experience after-the-fact.

And what would that experience be? A long set of pictures, in which circular images are mixed with traditional rectangles. What of? The photos appear to be made in some sort of urban park. Portraits are interwoven with mysterious sculptural suggestions, like a hole dug beneath a bench, or a circle made of dots of spray paint, or a memorial affixed to a tree.

There are rabbits and birds, a dude peeing against a tree, a Christmas tree that may as well be an art installation, and an Earth mound that looks suspiciously like a grave. I’m not sure what you’ll think, but I kept turning the pages for more. (Always the sign of a good book.) Hippies frolic, Tai Chi ensues, and what’s with the guy in the bathrobe?

The story at the back tells of mysterious, translucent inhabitants of the park, which used to be hunting grounds for the Spanish Royal family. Are we talking about ghosts? Or, as the story suggests, are they dark parts of Madrileño souls, which have detached from their hosts to hide out behind trees or under rocks? Is this literal? Does it matter?

We all have hidden parts of our psyches. It’s straight out of Jung, but I’ll spare you the psychobabble. Whether or not my coffee addiction took corporeal form, at some point, deep in the recesses of my mind, I’m sure it would have been comfortable in the Casa de Campo. Should I beat it back again, there is a hole in the dirt out there somewhere. It will make itself at home, and wait until it can ascend again, above ground.

Bottom line: Mysterious, interesting pictures, fantastic backstory

To Purchase “Casa de Campo” Visit Photo-Eye

Full Disclosure: Books are provided by Photo-Eye in exchange for links back for purchase.

Books are found in the bookstore and submissions are not accepted.

Art Producers Speak: Paul Costello

We emailed Art Buyers and Art Producers around the world asking them to submit names of established photographers who were keeping it fresh and up-and-comers who they are keeping their eye on. If you are an Art Buyer/Producer or an Art Director at an agency and want to submit a photographer anonymously for this column email: Suzanne.sease@verizon.net

Anonymous Art Producer: I nominate Paul Costello.

 

How many years have you been in business?
20

Are you self-taught or photography school taught?
I have a BFA in photography from NYU.  Aside from a great foundation in art history, I learned nearly everything assisting and shooting.  After college I assisted for Ellen Von Unworth and was amazed by her process and work ethic.  I only was with her a short time but that stayed with me.  She worked a picture… tried out lots of ideas… and really collaborated with who she was shooting.  From a process stand point, I do the same thing.

Who was your greatest influence that inspired you to get into this business?
My father was a prolific photographer when I was little.  I don’t know if he inspired me to think of shooting as a business, but I’m sure I got my love of picture taking from him and I still aspire to make pictures that feel like those snap shots of my childhood.

How do you find your inspiration to be so fresh, push the envelope, stay true to yourself so that creative folks are noticing you and hiring you?
I probably worry way too little about people noticing me… but I’m inspired all the time.  There really is an infinite amount of inspiration around us all the time.  Seeing someone with great style crossing the street can be the jumping off point for a whole new project.  Or my daughter might put on one of my ties and then have me following her with a camera for an hour.

Do you find that some creatives love your work but the client holds you back?
That was true for a time.  When the economy tanked in 2008 there was a palpable fear that I think had a real effect on creativity… I don’t feel that at all anymore.  I’m a real collaborator.  There’s nothing more rewarding than a great team feeding off each others talent.

What are you doing to get your vision out to the buying audience?
I take full advantage of social media.  Tumblr especially.  http://hot-shoe-in.tumblr.com.  I made a decision a while back to make it very personal.  I very rarely post work there that will be available elsewhere… It really gave a platform to a part of what I do that clients wouldn’t have had the chance to see otherwise.

What is your advice for those who are showing what they think the buyers want to see?
As long as it feel true to your vision, I think it’s ok to cater to your audience.  For me that happens in the edit.  I like to shoot for many possible edits, and if you know a buyer is looking for apples… why show her oranges?

Are you shooting for yourself and creating new work to keep your artistic talent true to you?
Oh yeah.  At some point it just becomes a part of who you are.

How often are you shooting new work?
All the time!

costellopaul@me.com

http://paulcostello.net/html/about.html

Rep:  www.sarahlaird.com

Henry LEE
Henry LEE's profile photo
henry@sarahlaird.com

APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s, after founding the art buying department at The Martin Agency then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies. She has a new Twitter fed with helpful marketing information.  Follow her@SuzanneSease.

The Process Of Making Pictures Is Connected To Failure

“The whole process of making pictures is so deeply connected to failure. You have an expectation you have a dream of what your picture is going to be and then something always necessarily goes wrong.”

Gregory Crewdson, Brief Encounters
(Streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime)

Sam Jones Launches offCamera

Sam Jones is a go-to photographer for many magazines, studios and ad agencies when it comes to shooting actors. In over 20 years of shooting he’s noticed an unfortunate trend working for magazines. Less time; less control over wardrobe, location, heck even what side of the face you get to shoot; less choice in what to shoot with; which in his mind equals less exciting pictures. No unguarded moments or glimpses into their real lives. So, he decided to do something about it and created his own vehicle for “more” called offCamera.

Sam cracked open his formidable rolodex and started calling in favors to have actors, musicians, athletes and artists come into his studio for a simple daylight portrait shoot and one on one video interview with five unmanned cameras rolling. He then turns that into a magazine, a website, a video interview, and even a podcast. His theory, that there are others like him who want to experience long form stories and documentaries, who want simple portraits, who want the photographer, director and writer to be in control again.

I believe this is one more in a trend I see where people decide it’s time to take the power back and do what they want. If the audience and client come with you great, if not you still got to make something your way again. I am actually quite confident, based on evidence of other photographers creating their own publication, that Sam will find his audience and clients who agree with him on this. They will phone up and say “can you do that offCamera thing for us”? As I mentioned to Sam when he first told me about this project, your own publication if anything is an excellent excuse to call someone up and interview them. Inevitably that leads somewhere, either through the connection you just made or the people who are watching what you are doing.

From the editor letter in the first issue:

I started Off Camera to have my own magazine, my own radio station, and my own television studio. I wanted the opportunity to have a non-agenda conversation with anyone that captivated me. I wanted the chance to photograph anyone that peaked my interest, without having an art director or a publicist looking over my shoulder.

I have a strong reaction to over-produced, over-hyped, over-stimulating pieces of short content that leave me feeling like I am learning nothing. It has taken me a lifetime to develop my attention span, and I want to use it. I like a long book. I like a long documentary. I like a 15000 word magazine profile. I created Off Camera for those of us that salivate at the prospect of a good book, a stiff drink, and an afternoon with no plans.

Maybe Photography Isn’t An Art Any More, Maybe It Never Was

Alec Soth: A few years ago Robert Frank said, “There are too many images, too many cameras now. We’re all being watched. It gets sillier and sillier. As if all action is meaningful. Nothing is really all that special. It’s just life. If all moments are recorded, then nothing is beautiful and maybe photography isn’t an art any more. Maybe it never was.” What do you think about this?

William Eggleston: I don’t disagree with any part of that statement.

via LBM Tumblr.

The next content creation machine to be sold/bought for an obscene amount ? Pinterest

Big internet companies ( Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple) are now in a frenzy purchase of content. The reason is that content attracts traffic and traffic is what they sell. The more content, the better. And since making content is expensive, they rely on the crowd to create the content. However, one of the internet’s dirty secret is that what the crowd sources is mostly content made by others and repurposes illegally.

Take Tumblr for example. The majority of the Tumblr blogs are made of user curated content taken from other sites. They repost what they like and Tumblr makes it very easy to do so. But in the process, they steal content unlawfully. Photographs, mainly. Created by pros.

via $1 billion worth of stolen content | Thoughts of a Bohemian.