for those of you who don’t know i belong to photography listserv called “a photo a day” started by melissa lyttle. it’s a great little group (well not so little anymore) for photojournalists to discuss all things photography and to show off some of our work. just the other day i posted a few recent portraits that i had taken which sparked some really great questions from fellow member thomas robinson. he got me thinking about how i work and what i can do to improve my game while helping others. kinda weird how while teaching a friend you end up learning at the same time. his questions were so good i thought i would share them here.
here is an example of one of the images he was asking about.
Josh’s website is a great example, illustrating the points you mentioned, and how images are used in magazines. This leads me to wanting to ask more questions for you and Josh, so I can get a better understanding of how this whole world works. If you do not have time, no worries, just curious.
My first question, which I know is one of the age old questions, how do get work from magazines? I read APAD articles and follow the discussions on all angles, but still quite perplexing to me? Do you just call the editors, or send them your link, or put together promotional pieces and send them out? Or a combination of these things?
My second question is more for Josh, your lighting is intense and quite bold and, or dramatic, is this what magazines want? Is this your aesthetic for personal projects as well or more for your commercial work? How long does it take you to set all this up? And once you are set up then you tell the person being photographed that you are ready? How did you learn to light like this–classes? assisting?
If you are willing to indulge me just one last question, which might seem basic, where do get the electricity to power all these lights, if you are outdoors? Do they run on batteries and then you recharge them?
I have recently been inspired by Shelby Lee Adams lighting set up for his work in the Appalachian mountains, sometimes setting up six lights, I just don’t understand how his subjects have the patients to wait around before he is set up, and how he is able to power six lights out in the middle of no where?
If you time to answer my questions, I would appreciate it, if not no worries.
I will be spending more time looking through your work Josh, your website–design and content–is pretty amazing work.
Thanks for that,
Thomas
and my response
hey thomas,
let me see what i can do to answer your questions.
My first question, which I know is one of the age old questions, how do get work from magazines? I read APAD articles and follow the discussions on all angles, but still quite perplexing to me? Do you just call the editors, or send them your link, or put together promotional pieces and send them out? Or a combination of these things?
getting work as a freelancer is about letting the people who will pay for your work know your out there. the best way is face time with editors/art directors. that usually means trips to nyc to have a meeting in person. in order to get those meetings i do all of what you mentioned. i send out email promos that have links to recent work as well as promo cards, personal emails, and phone calls. most editors will not respond so you just have to stay in their mind with out being pushy. some times it can take 6 months, a year, 2 years for your efforts to pay off.
My second question is more for Josh, your lighting is intense and quite bold and, or dramatic, is this what magazines want?
every editor/magazine wants something different. take a look at time, then take a look at bicycling magazine, then take a look at business week. they all cover very different subjects, but more importantly they have a very different style when compare to one another. it is key to try and show certain magazines work that they can use. for instance don’t go into time and show them portraits of lebron james, and don’t go to business week and show them a documentary story about a burn victim.
Is this your aesthetic for personal projects as well or more for your commercial work?
as far as personal style goes my lighting is a bit trendy right now (as far as i can tell), but i like to be able to handle anything that the clients wants. recently i am being hired to be me and i am asked to just go out there and shoot the way i shoot. that is not always the case so i do need to be proficient at shoot more even lighting, but it is important to be true to yourself as well.
How long does it take you to set all this up?
the setup for the last two images i sent to the list took me about 15-20 minutes before i started shooting test shots. i have used this setup so many times i can do it in my sleep.
And once you are set up then you tell the person being photographed that you are ready?
typically i arrive about an hour to an hour and half early to the shoot. that way i have time to scout out a spot for the shoot, setup and shoot some test shots. once i am done i wait for the subject to arrive, or tell them i am ready. it is really rare that the subject is standing around waiting/watching me set up.
How did you learn to light like this–classes? assisting?
i would say my lighting is a combination of things i have learned from others and being self taught. i have assisted photographers like eric larson and his wife jen sens and bob croslin. watching them and the way they work has been invaluable and helped me immensely. however, i think the single biggest thing i have done is to look at photos taken by other shooters and try to copy them. that has been huge in teaching me how to control the light and how light reacts in certain situations. i would just sit on the computer and look at images and then see if i could create a similar effect with the gear i have.
where do get the electricity to power all these lights, if you are outdoors? Do they run on batteries and then you recharge them?
yes all of my lights are battery operated. the profoto 7b kit i have is 1200 ws and runs off of what looks like a car battery, and then the sb 800′s run on aa batteries. if you ever decide to get lights i can not speak highly enough of profoto. they always work with little to no color shifts. they are rugged enough to take my abuse. plus they make everything under the sun that you could ever want for light modification. buy them you won’t be sorry.
thanks for all the kind words thomas. i hope this helps.
josh
