Canon AE-1 + FD 50mm f/1.8
photography
Sunday With Saul Leiter
I’ve become somewhat of a collector of photo books in recent years. My favorite has become Saul Leiter. He only released a few books while he was alive, and it’s my goal to get them all.
This Sunday I watched In No Great Hurry as well. It’s the perfect weekend documentary: quiet, relaxing, and yet entertaining.
I hope that, as the years go by, Saul’s estate releases more of his work in photo book form. Especially the newer stuff – he never stopped shooting. It’d be nice to see some of his modern, digital work, because (and they hint at it in the movie) his style never really changed. Saul Leiter was always Saul Leiter.
You can still get Early Color, though it isn’t the easiest to find. And Early Black and White is a double book that’s a look of fun to see.
Study the masters, gang. Find someone you like and study the hell out of them. Steal and copy. Make it your own. Maybe start with Saul.
Junk Sites
Because where is there anything on these junk sites that has anything to do with creating images. It’s all about the gear, the whole gear and nothing but the gear.
Review sites, Forums and the state of the Photographic Internet — Soundimageplus
Much of what passes for photography “reviews” these days is exactly this. Rubbish. As David says, there’s no such thing as a bad camera making bad images these days.
It’s fun to be “into” the gear. Just don’t fall for the gear lust that most of these review blogs and sites inspire.
Photographer Interview: Freddy Clark
Freddy Clark is a food, product, and beverage photographer, as well as a hobbyist of other kinds of photography.
I got to know Freddy’s work thanks to the Google+ On Taking Pictures podcast community (listen to it – it’s a great show), and I was excited to learn more about his work and his ambitions.
Where are you and what do you do?
I live in central New Jersey, outside of New York City. For my day job, I’m a Product Manager in Technology for an investment company. I’ve been a part time photographer, doing portraits, weddings, and events for about five years now. Recently I started a food/product photography business called Santé Photography. The goal is to have a focus on food and beverage photography for commercial work.
How did you get started in photography?
I had been doing family photos and videos since my daughter was born in 1998. Little by little I realized that the pictures meant a lot because of the subject, but I wanted to learn how to make them look more professional, so I started to read magazines and what ever I could find on line, over my crappy dial-up connection.
I taught myself how to edit digital video after I got my first video camera and then got a job at a local Photo/Video Studio. Officially I was doing the wedding video editing, but I took the opportunity to learn as much as I could about shooting video and stills. Over time I realized that I really enjoyed shooting stills more than video. I started second shooting weddings and things great from there.
What do you like about your photography?
Depends which day you ask me. Some days, there’s nothing I like about it.
You do a few different types of photography: products, portraits, still life. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
I try to keep my eyes open as I move through my day. I don’t really believe in inspiration. I think it can be a crutch for people. You want inspiration? Keep making pictures. Is everyone going to be brilliant? Nope. Ansel Adams said something like he felt it was a good year if you got a few good pictures from it. Look at the website of a photographer you really admire. You’re seeing their best, not their entire Lightroom catalog or hard drive like you do your own. You don’t see their crap, but you do see your own crap, so people think the good ones were inspired, but they are not. Just keep working.
Through the work, you will get better and maybe come up with a few that others can attribute to inspiration. The muses come to you when you are working. Not the other way around. I make pictures of things and people that interest me. If I like it first, then I’m on the right track.
What about food/beverage photography gets you excited?
The lighting. I’ve gotten the feeling that people look at product shots as less than artistic. Try doing a really good job lighting a few different reflective surfaces without having blown highlights or weird reflections. It’s hard to do. Not taking anything away from other photographers, but nailing the lighting on product shots will make you really know how to use your lights and make you better at portraits or even seeing light on the street. I find it to be a challenge.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
The above mentioned lighting. That and trying to connect with a person or place. Lately I’ve been bored with pretty pictures. I’m trying to find another level beyond the sunset, the guy in a red jacket walking down the street or the pretty landscape. I’m not there yet…I’ve thrown out a lot of pictures lately, but I feel like there’s something right around the corner. I can almost see it, but I just keep missing it. Finding another meaning, another level another element. If it has good light and interesting to look at, sometimes that is enough. I don’t know, sometimes it seems like pretentious art gallery bullshit. Nailing the lighting on a product shot makes me happy, lighting a good looking plate of food does too. The rest of my photography, I’m looking for something else and I haven’t quite yet found it.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
I’ve been experimenting with some liquid motion photographs. It’s still a work in progress, a messy work in progress. Nothing ready to be shared yet, but getting there.
You can follow Freddy and see his work on Twitter and his G+ profile.
Canon 5D’s Unique Look
Regardless of all the downsides, I am still happy to shoot with the 5D Mark I. The images have a unique “feel” that remind me of film.
Original Canon 5D Still Going Strong | Contrastly
The more I use my 5D, the more I love its unique look. Tough, great photo files – it’s my everyday shooter.
Affordable away to get into full-frame photography, too, and proof you don’t need the latest and greatest to be creative.
Photographer Interview: Jenna VanDusen
Wonder Woman, with Doug Jones
Toward the end of last summer, as I was wrapping up my Artists In Jackson project, I went to an art show here in town to discover other Jackson-area artists. I left with one piece of art: Jenna VanDusen’s “Jackson” light painting photographer (top), and it now hangs in my home.
Jenna is a local fine art and portrait/wedding photographer, and her work is great. She uses light painting in great locations to make her work, and she works on family and wedding portraits through her Dream Real Photo & Video studio.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Jenna! A mother of a little three year old sweetie, a freelance videographer, and operator of Dream Real Photo & Video, LLC.
How did you get started in photography?
My father is a photographer of many many years, so of course that’s where it began. With my interest in video, I took classes for photography as well. I thought it was important to know my camera in this way while using my DSLR for video.
What do you like about your photography?
Simplicity, natural beauty, imagination, try to be original!
Your work with light painting is a lot of fun. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
It is a lot of fun! Inspiration began when learning about long exposure! I was blown away seeing work from photographer Gjon Mili as he captured light paintings with figure skaters and Picasso! Those images are so magical to me, done around 1947. Patience is key, to do it over and over, fixing your mistakes. Planning and visualizing what you want and how you’re going to pull it off is key. Being at a certain location is where the inspiration starts and then what to draw, or vis versa.
For any photographer I think to reach out to or connect to someone is a goal, but to add the light is to add a feeling too, and adding color can easily change the feeling.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
Everything. My goal is to appreciate and do all types of photography. I feel like not only am I practicing about that way to shoot or technique but it’s an insight into … everything, which is what I enjoy most, the experience. Photography documents the beauty in life – which can be narrowed to two very broad categories: people and nature, together or apart, in many aspects!
Everyone is a dreamer. I’m all for realistically accomplishing your dreams. My hope is that my photography lets viewers to escape reality, but also brings inspiration for them in their lives.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
Projects are constant! Creatively I have a few ideas that i’ve been thinking about for as long as a year. Ideas just snowball and get bigger, which means more planning and taking steps for correct resources.
As much I appreciate and won’t stop doing light paintings free hand, I’m beginning a even more modern take on it, and incorporating light more into video and with clients, which is really exciting.
I’d like to work more with artists in Jackson with light painting [Wonder Woman with Doug Jones, above]. Everything I draw is very simple, which I love! But I think there is much to be done.
I’m also doing a personal 52 Week Photography project with Hayley Woodward, where we pick out a theme/subject/shooting technique and practice!
Find more of Jenna’s work on her Dream Real Photo & Video Facebook page and Instagram profile.
Photographer Interview: Mila, AKA We The People
“solar nimbus”
“Song of wind”
“green melancholy”
“the sun always comes back”
“Stone of tranquility”
I’m a sucker for golden hour photography, especially with portraits. That’s why I was so drawn to photographer Mila’s work on her Flickr gallery, We The People.
Especially that second shot, “song of wind.” So carefree and honest. That shot made me want to reach out and learn more.
Something I’ve noticed, seeing more and more photography, is all the great stuff coming out of Russia. Talent is world-wide, but there’s something about Russian photographers – they keep popping up in my Tumblr and Instagram feed.
Here’s my chat with Mila.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Mila, and I’m a photographer from Moscow, Russia.
How did you get started in photography?
As a child, I played with Dad’s film cameras. It was the starting point for my interest.
What do you like about your photography?
Photography by itself! 🙂 This is one of the main passions in my life. I’m just happy when I can shoot something.
You take great portraits, but you also explore other photographic subjects. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
I think creative people draw inspiration from everywhere. Depending on the moment, the mood of different things can cause the need for self-expression through photography.
To be more specific, I’m love nature and sunlight with all my heart. Any natural light, especially at sunrise or sunset, is so beautiful! It’s always inspiring. Photos in this light are always a little magical. Often I see the place first and instantly imagine what theme I want to shoot there.
You capture really great moments with your portraits. How do you get the photos you’re looking for when working with a model?
When I work with a model, the final result is the merit of both of us. With any model, you can always get a couple of good shots, but the work becomes really interesting when the model knows her job and understands what purpose and mood I am pursuing.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
I really love a free, natural style, with small ethnic and boho elements. I don’t always stick to this theme, but it’s really “mine.”
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
Unfortunately, now my town is in snowy winter, and I don’t like shooting in the studio. Therefore, I have many ideas, and and all of them are waiting for the arrival of spring and warmth.
Check out more of Mila’s work on her Flickr gallery. You can also check out her blog, We The People.
Photographer Interview: Kris Matheson
Kris Matheson is a Tokyo-based photographer whose urban and abstract work has been a lot of fun to watch. Kris and I both participate in the On Taking PIctures podcast G+ group, and he keeps an archive of the show’s Photographers of the Week and Weekly Assignments.
What I like about Kris’s work is his exploration of different photo subjects. You’ll see him venture down a certain road, project-wise, and then change gears and create totally different work. It’s a lot of fun to watch.
Where are you and what do you do?
I’m from a small town in Northern Ontario (Canada) but have been living and working in Tokyo for the past nine years. I currently work as a freelance English Language Instructor, and walk around a lot with my camera.
How did you get started in photography?
I got into photography to document my experiences in Japan for family and friends back home, this was way back in 2006. It wasn’t until 2012 that I shifted focus onto what I wanted to photograph to show how I see the world around me. So really, moving to Japan is what got me into photography.
What do you like about your photography?
If I am open and honest, I walk a fine line of having a love-hate relationship with my photography. It’s taken sometime to find what I am interested in rather than shooting to please other people. I like just being able to take my camera with me day after day to explore. I often revisit the same areas — when I have breaks at work I go out, so I’ve been walking some of the same streets for years now and still manage to find something that interests me.
Your photo work is varied and exploratory. Where do you get inspiration for your style/ideas?
Most of my inspiration comes from what I see on the street as I walk around. This past year I started using Instagram and have found it to be a great source of inspiration. I am also inspired by the work of Dennis Hopper, Saul Leiter, and Uta Barth.
What I love about your photo work is that you’re always giving yourself little projects, or themes to explore. Talk about why you feel the need to keep yourself “photo busy.”
Probably one of the best things I started doing in recent years to help keep myself busy is having an Idea Journal (full of terribly bad ideas). This helps me to keep track of places to revisit (and “why”), I also write down interesting things I listened to or read, and things I’ve seen, it’s also a place to write out ideas for images or a project I would like to explore. Some of these ideas get turned into mini-projects, most don’t get posted online since they die shortly after I start them (some live and die inside the pages of my journal). Having this journal is great because I can look back for old ideas and inspiration, and can re-explore when I want. I feel its important to constantly explore the world around me, and having small projects engages and pushes to always be out photographing or thinking about new things.
What kinds of themes do you explore with your work?
I explore a lot of urban scenes and more recently abstraction, often with the focus more on colour and geometry. As a side project I have also started exploring memory and destruction in photography, there’s a personal project I’ve been working on around that theme and hope to expand it in the coming year — the theme of destruction in art has really been interesting, creating something and then destroying it is fascinating to me, it’s a little more difficult in digital photography but still intriguing to explore.
Any upcoming projects or shoots you’re working on?
This year I will continue exploring abstraction in photography, and try to incorporate portraits into this theme. I am also working on some collaborations with other photographers and artists, hopefully see what that brings as the year progresses.
See more of Kris’s work on his personal site, and follow along at his Instagram profile.
CD Case Clean-Up
Spent some time the last few weeks going through my CD collection. I bought two of those big binders, and am working on putting all my physical music into those and recycling (if possible) the jewel cases.
Some of them are pretty hard to part with. Some come in lovely gatefold digipacks, and deluxe-edition album editions. But all that plastic is taking up a lot of space.
So now, instead of four slots in our IKEA Expedit shelf, all that music is taking up two – one for the two big binders, and one for the box sets that I just can’t part with (Pink Floyd, I’m looking at you).
I am keeping the booklets, so at least I’ll have lyrics and liner notes. Although I did think about dumping those because everything’s online these days. Part of me just can’t part with the album art.
You want to test your emotional discipline, start eliminating bits of the stuff you love the most.