Its no secret that I’ve been photographing for a while. My Dad got me interested when I was a kid. My Parents didn’t have the money to afford professional shots of their children so my dad turned the kitchen into a darkroom and with some donated third hand equipment, took over shooting our family photos himself. Watching those prints come up in the developer was the hook and I've been at ever since. Thanks dad!
I’m still at it mainly because I love it. Sure, when Christmas rolls around, its nice to have some extra cash for the kids, but I’m really still doing this for the pleasure it gives me. The process of solving visual problems with photography is at the heart of my photography love affair, but right up there is that you can photograph almost anything, which means you need never be bored. Now there are many photography consultants who say the only way to succeed is to specialize. Develop a style which you can stay with so people come to you just for that. Perhaps it is the way to make the most money, but for me, it takes away a big part of the fun in doing this.
When I shoot in a coal mine, not only do I get to meet a miner or two, but I will also learn something that may help me in the studio. A portrait of a miner taken with a flash light might suggest a fashion approach on a later project. I take my studio knowledge and lights with me to the mine, or beach or underwater. For me, every thing, person or place that I photograph stimulates ideas ultimately relevant to all the others. That variety I love is my mentor and best friend in the photographing process.
I’ve embraced much of the digital technology, but need to know more. When I worked on the early Nike posters, we often shot athletes in one location to be married with photos of other locations. All the post in those days was done manually or with the help of a, then state of the art thing called a “Sytex Machine” and specially trained retouchers. I never saw the machine or the people who ran it, it was just magic. Now I’m excited to learn how to do it all myself on a laptop.
So, if something here strikes your interest and you would like to talk about your ideas, I’m open and approachable. Lets talk and see how we can do some great work and have fun, together.
p.s. Have up loaded our first video samples including my associate Joe Eisenberg's reel. These still cameras that shoot video are lots of fun. More to come soon.