321

321? Yes, this image explains why 321 is so important. 

A client at Nestle called me and asked if I had an image that I had retouched for them over three years ago (Top, their original. Bottom, my version). Without even looking, the answer was yes! I knew I had it because all of my work is saved to three different places on two different kinds of media and one is kept off site. That's dpbestflo's advice and it helps me to keep my clients happy. In this digital age we need to take equal but different care to assure that our images are archival. 321 is the best way that I have found so far. Oh - for me 123 means 2 huge hard-drives and DVD's.

How else are you going to learn?

I left RIT with a 4 year degree in photography and headed down to NYC. My great friend (to this day) Mark K. told me that he would get me work when I got there and he did! I began working as a 3rd (4th?) assistant. College was not a great help in NYC studios and I began to get my true schooling at the hands of photographers like Joe Toto. That's Joe sitting in as model on one of his own Ragu shoots. See the beautiful Rembrandt lighting? That was Joe all the way. 

I currently teach studio photography at WPUNJ. One of the lighting styles that I teach is Joe Toto's Rembrandt portrait lighting. I also teach Jimmy Moore's beautiful Umbrella Beauty lighting (although I miss his Huge Ascor strobe and Sun Gun head). 

The fact is that even now in 2014, I still teach my students not to become photographers (though some do) but to become photo assistants. That's where the real learning comes from. 

It's all about the light

This image is from a shoot for Wolves VS Lions clothing company. You have to love a company like this because so much of their profit goes to charity. The owner is top left and the old man in the middle is the photographer, me. The client request was to have the black clothing almost disappear so I moved the models away from black seamless lit them with a beauty dish and hit them with a head from the back right to edge light the clothing and models to help cut them from the background. Everything worked out perfectly and the client was happy. That's the way you want to leave your clients each and every time.

It's a major award!

I try to tell my fellow photo professors and students that film is dead, digital photography is now 20 years old and the only reason to shoot film today is because you like to.

My good friend Bernard was a master welder before he had to leave that job and took over running the Power Art building where I teach. I tell him often that if he ever was fired I would quit teaching at my University. He knows most of my classes so well that when I am not there, I can trust him to help out the students. 

Bernard gave me this "put a nail in it" award (it's a major award ala Christmas Story) to celebrate my often spoken line "film is dead".

Thank you Bernard. The welds are beautiful, the design is thoughtful and the thought is oh so much appreciated.

Thanks!

Love what you do

Worldwide Photo Walk local winner 2013

Imagine a job where you look forward to going to work every day, a job where you wake up happy each morning as you head out to work. Photography has been this kind of job for me for the last 41 years. My first job was was to shoot a Caterpillar warehouse. My client was a friend and just about every job since has been done for clients who are friends.

Caterpillar Warehouse 1972

Maybe that's the key to loving a job: Go play with friends and get paid at the same time. My last job was for Nick at Distinctive Sweets. Another friend who gives me money to shoot. 

PeanutButter Lava Cake 2013

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius

I have personally found this quote to be true.

When you rent studios to shoot for big clients you need to bring everything to the location that you just might need. In this economy we rarely have assistants to run out and pick up forgotten items. This Big Red Nabisco Crate travels with me on the photo-gurney and has saved me many times. 

Here is all it holds:

Here it is sitting strapped to the gurney:

While some of the things in the the Big Red Crate are used on a regular basis, fill cards and mirrors come to mind, some have been a special savior for a special time. For instance; as I walked into a rental studio in New Jersey just after super storm Sandy, the power went out. Total darkness for over an hour. The LED flashlight was right there so I had light for my food stylist to unpack while we waited for the power repairs. Wire ties have been extra handy shooting outside on location to secure wires and weights against the wind. I was on location shooting fashion in a very expensive house. I put the light bank up high on a stand and when I took it down, the location scout was terrified to see black marks on the white ceiling! Magic Eraser to the rescue. A few wipes, a little scrubbing and the marks were gone and a pristine white ceiling remained. 

I guess the Big Red Crate is just filled with all the little crazy things I've come to realize I sometimes need when I shoot.

You can download the list here: PDF List Download

Hey, it's just this photographer's experience talking.

80 MP Hasselblad 500C

I've got to re-shoot the grocery cart image for Nestle.

They told me the last time that it was going to be a print on the wall so I shot it with my trusty D700. One week after the shoot they told me the print would be 6' high. They also changed the layout so that my original image would have to be severely cropped. There was just no way it would work. For the reshoot I rented a Leaf Aptus 80 MP digital back. I think it's cool that I am mounting it on my 42 year old Hasselblad 500 C. It's so old it's not even a CM and definitely not a 503. Both the 50mm lens (seen here) and the 80mm are super sharp with this back at f/16. The shoot is set for tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.