A Case for Think Tank Photo

How many camera bags does one person need?

The answer for me has always been one per camera kit. I bought a camera bag when I bought my first Contax 35mm camera big enough for the camera and 4 lenses and various accessories. I bought another when I got my Contax 645 camera. Both of them were Lowepro soft cases, which fit inside a Pelican-like hard case. I also had a Tamrac Expedition backpack large enough for both cameras for a trip to Kauai.

When I bought my Canon 20D, I bought a relatively small Lowepro shoulder bag because I … Read the rest

Photographing Food

I decided to take a three-day weekend to do a food test shoot to go through some lighting ideas and test out a few different lenses. The first thing to do was figure out a menu of what I wanted to photograph. As much as I’d like to say I chose the menu items based on what would photograph well, the decision was mostly made by my stomach, or more accurately, my taste buds. There was definitely more seafood on the menu than anything else.

After the menu was set, it was time to think about styling and set decoration. … Read the rest

Finding My Focus

So you want to be a photographer. Great. What do you want to photograph?

Most photographers whom I’ve talked to that have gone to portfolio reviews with art directors and buyers hear that their portfolio lacks focus. You can argue that the days of specialization are over and today’s photographer needs to have a broader range in order to make a living. I agree with that argument but, if you’re concentrating on architecture and fashion, you’d better have two portfolios and two distinct sections on your website because the architects don’t care about your fashion work and vise versa.

From … Read the rest

Does Your Gear Dictate Your Style?

Everyone needs a look and style to their photography. Hopefully one that helps express their vision. The thing we need to ask ourselves is how much of what we think of as our style is defined by our vision and how much by the tools we use. In other words, does my vision dictate the tools, or does my gear define my vision?

When I was first starting out, I was lucky to connect with a very experienced model who liked modeling for me. She had modeled for a myriad of photographers for various magazines and I felt fortunate that … Read the rest

Digital Tech Training

My move to LA has certainly come with some unexpected twists and turns. That’s ok; I’m a huge fan of serendipity. I alluded to one of those twists in my post about my unintentional but valuable introduction to assisting. I’m talking about becoming a digital tech.

When I first learned what a digital tech was while watching a Chase Jarvis video on workflow, I thought, “Seriously? They hire a guy whose sole job is to copy files from the card to the computer? That’s ridiculous.” Well, now I am that guy. Only, it’s much more complicated than I imagined. I … Read the rest

Heart Gallery Recovery

So much for my plan to post at least once a week. I do have a pretty good excuse, though. I’ve been injured. I hurt my upper back, which pinched a nerve in my arm. Besides being extremely painful, I lost all dexterity in my right hand. Not a pleasant feeling for someone who pretty much makes a living based on the dexterity of his right hand (insert hand job/masturbation joke here). So, a few weeks later, I’m at about 80% and looking to get productive again.

Just before I was knocked out of commission I had some great inspirations … Read the rest

AWOLNATION Live Shoot

I didn’t have plans for the Super Bowl this year, which meant I probably wasn’t going to watch it since I don’t have cable (or an antenna). I heard on the local rock radio station, KROQ, about their Super Bowl party at the Hard Rock Café at Universal CityWalk with a post-game concert featuring AWOLNATION. I realized I knew the head of marketing for Red Bull Records which, is the label for AWOLNATION, so I let him know I was “available” to shoot them live hoping I might at least get an invitation to watch the game. Friday night … Read the rest