APRIL 2012 THE MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS

FEATURESCOLUMNS

Martha Blanchfield

Tiana Kennell

Linda L. May

Lynne Eodice 2

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5

In this Issue of Rangefinder, we begin to look deep into the true gift of photography. Understanding how important it is, it’s very useful for you as the reader to understand how Rangefinder’s monthly subscriptions are so useful. For instance, February is the wedding issue, March focuses on black and white photography, April on Commercial and Lighting, June is travel, July is Portrait, August is children, families and seniors, October is fine art, November is editorial/composition and design and December is images of the year. For this months issue, a professional Photographer, Jeremy Cowart is featured. After reading his story along with the other features, you’ll have no choice but to get excited for photography! What is so very important to understand is that Jeremy, and other photographers featured started somewhere, knowing their aspirations in life. This month’s issue is merely about you, we want you to understand how you can further advance your career as a photographer. That’s very important to us! We are taking a different turn in design elements, showing also, how that one image in

the feature can and will immediately inspire someone to create. We believe by the different magazine design, that it not only shows off the images, but also it will contain more useful and beautiful design elements. I have lately understood that it’s not just about the photo; it’s about the photographer. You are capturing that special moment in time that will be a memory to last forever. It’s up to you as a photographer to take charge, learn, achieve, and inspire to be the best of the best, and of course having as much fun as you can through the process. Here at Rangefinder, we want to encourage our readers that it’s your taste and your personality that we love to see so much through your photos. Have you noticed how each photographer gears towards a different style of photography? There are so many different styles and directions to go. This is all about you, and to help you grow as a photographer. In this month’s issue of Rangefinder, you will notice a lot of differences, but ones that will be very useful and genuinely pleasing to look at. Happy Shooting!

6

ABy: Martha Blanchfield

Flways ashionableBy: Martha Blanchfield

The rising, young star counts two books, a string of successful workshops, educational DVDs, a

growing roster of clients and more to her list of achievements. As of September

2011, the date she hit her first full year of operation with a midtown studio,

Adler also added magazines such as Zink, Bullet, Fiasco, Chaos, Papercut,

Sublime and Faint as clients, along with a host of private customers.

But fashion photography did not find Adler; she found it. Noting that she tried several other types of photography at the start, she reveals, “I first experimented with nature and photojournalism, but found those genres beset by too many rules that stifled creativity.” She gave portraiture

a try, then wedding photography, where she found an ability to inject more

personal style and creative latitude. Her work soon began including more and

more high-style touches. “I loved fusing concepts that are usually employed for

pure fashion photography—such as defined styling, careful selection of backgrounds

and locations, specific lighting, props, etc., in an effort to make bold and eye-catching photos for

clients.” Adler soon found that aspects of fashion photography really spoke to her; that by bringing more fashion flair to her imagery she was able to go far beyond simply a basic headshot or portrait.

lways ashionable

ond LeapingDuring her high school years Adler

was already earning an income (and building a client base)

producing portraits of upperclassmen and shooting weddings.

By the time she graduated from Syracuse University after studying

political science, photography and entrepreneurship, she was nurturing a

vibrant business in an enviable niche that created fashionable imagery, first for

a burgeoning wedding and portrait clientele; expanding into editorial/commercial

client work in New York City. Despite her studio’s growing success, Adler took a

leap of faith upon graduation and headed overseas for eight months. “I had studied

abroad in Europe and felt invigorated by the history, culture and embrace of avant-

garde fashion. I felt that it would be a great place to begin to really perfect my creative

style,” she explains. Europe and London afforded ample opportunity to refine a signature.

Adler notes that the European fashion and publishing communities impose fewer restrictions

on an artist. For example, when hired to shoot for publications she often had only to adhere

to the overall editorial theme, thus being allowed to interpret the vision as she wished. She was

able to experiment, train and build a portfolio

rounded out with both private client work,

plus an increasing array of commercial

assignments from editions such Chic Today

and Sublime.

“While overseas I continued to refine a body

of work and grow comfortable with my style,”

she says. “London is a great place to become

a fashion photographer. While there I traveled

a great deal and experienced different cultures

which have influenced my experiences and

imagery.” But Adler knows New York City is

the number one fashion photography market

in the world. “That city is really the place I

knew I could grow and let my career take

flight.” In less than two years after returning

from Europe, Adler took the plunge and

decided to shift her studio from her hometown

of Binghamton, NY, to Manhattan.

But the move was not without careful planning.

To her credit she had a strong base of private

clients in her hometown, but all the while was

making strategic moves in preparation for

relocation. “Fortunately I had been teaming

with an influential stylist who helped pave the

way for a significant number of assignments

in the city.” The stylist, Lisa Smith Craig of

4 Season Style Management, was responsible

for building the images of professional

women athletes and asked Adler to produce

portraiture that presented the WNBA ladies

as athletes, professional businesspersons and

strong, influential women.

“We would plan several different stylized looks

to help express the varied aspects of each

woman. I treated them like models, styling

each in high-fashion clothing and brands,

then creating images that exuded power

and success.” In doing these sessions, Adler

learned that fashion photographers don’t

just make a living photographing clothing

or jewelry, but also by creating fashion-

influenced portraiture. “Glance through the

pages of Vogue and other fashion magazines

and notice how many editorials don’t even

contain models, but actors, performers and

other influential individuals.

“Had I not nurtured that initial relationship

with the stylist,” she continues, “things may

have not precipitated as rapidly in my career.”

To ensure success in the NYC photo industry,

Adler definitely recommends putting oneself

out there as much as possible, networking,

connecting and exploring. “I also cannot

stress enough the power of social media and

using the Internet. While there is no one right tactic

or set of tactics to help reach specific objectives,

I can definitely say that tools like Twitter and

LinkedIn have been boons to my business. Finding

and engaging with key targets via the Internet have

been made far easier with tools like these.”

Continued Learning/Practice/ Workshop

With a growing roster of accounts and project

assignments, this photographer knows that

creating new work is essential. “I try to

spend at least one day per week shooting

purely for myself, where I practice and

experiment. Your portfolio needs to grow.”

To stay inspired, she seeks out things that

influence, and she allows those references

to seep in. She enjoys looking over

other photographers’ imagery—both in

galleries and online, and permits even

the most incongruent things observed set

her creativity down a new path. From

a crystal with its multi-faceted edges

came a desire to create a set of multiple

images.

Aside from a camera, Adler asserts that software

is a strong creative mate. She feels that strong

post-processing skills are essential to bringing

her images to full potential. Photoshop is a

creative necessity, and she advises photographers

to truly learn the tool and understand its power.

In her upcoming WPPI workshop, “Creative

Portrait and Retouching Techniques,” Adler

promises to share numerous retouching tips

and techniques while walking through many

of her own images. She will demonstrate how

retouching is essential to her creative process

and how the software enhances one’s ability to

express an idea. In the workshops she will touch

on plug-ins, tools and techniques, including

how to fake lens flare, make porcelain skin, add

textures, utilize localized coloration and more.

Many of the items covered are touched upon

in her recent book, Fashion Flair for Portraiture

and Wedding Photography, recently named to

Amazon.com’s Top Ten Books of 2011 list in

the art photography category. “Mastering the

tools a photographer has at hand is imperative

for success, but keeping a strong focus on

marketing and networking help make a talented

photographer into a successful photographer,”

she says.

11

“I want to keep learning so I challenge myself to invent new techniques.”

12

An incessant marketer, Adler employs any and

all means at her disposal, including routine

postcard mailings, e-mail blasts, personal visits

and a serious dose of AdBase targeting and

outreach. She mixes and mingles at select

parties, gallery events and industry events. Every

month she updates with new work to show

growth and evolution. "Even if I'm refreshing

to show only images from personal experiment

sessions, this grows the portfolio and gives

potential clients the impression I remain active."

She also commits to blog posts—but reasonably

only once a week. "While my portfolio is home

to the best of my work, my blog is where I share

current personal and professional projects. I

can show outtakes from editorial, offer insight

into my creative process and further express

personality."

To illustrate the importance of marketing, Adler

calculated the amount of time spent pursuing

work versus the amount of time actually

spent producing work—either shooting or re-

touching. “I’d say on average 20 percent of my

time goes to actually photographing for revenue

(the actual clicking of the button and on shoot

days). An additional 10 percent of time is spent

retouching or archiving. Overall I estimate 30 to

40 per-cent of waking hours go to photo-related

activities that include the shoot and retouch,

gathering my creative team, researching,

seeking inspiration.” That leaves the balance

of time dedicated to some sort of business

marketing or business generating activities.

“Obviously that’s a large chunk of my time, but

I’m a workaholic and could spend 24 hours a

day in this profession. I love what I do.” While

she acknowledges the necessity to perform

rudimentary tasks such as portfolio update and

postcard mailing, she’s adamant in pointing out

a photographer’s demeanor can also contribute

to landing an assignment. “Personality is almost

as important as raw talent. I’ve found that being

upbeat naturally attracts others. A client wants

to hire someone whom they feel can get the

job done, so exuding complete confidence is

para-mount. How you make others feel about

your work and being around you also bring

huge bearing onto whether or not you may

land the account.” Adler spent 2011 focusing

on building her brand and creative style, and

worked on developing and refining her portfolio

in order to help distinguish herself. In 2012 she

plans to focus even more on the client. “Now

that I have work I am confident in, I can strive

even more to get it in front of clients. I will

shoot spec campaigns, organize meetings and

do my best to target bigger names. I am proud

to have grown (creatively and monetarily) so

much in just one year in Manhattan, but now I

am in ‘game mode’. I am ready to really make

my mark in the industry.” Last year she also

tried her hand at imagery in the motion realm,

having directed a few fashion film pieces for

various magazines and online publications.

In 2012 she plans to continue creating

“moving photographs,” commonly referred

to as cinemagraphs. As an image maker,

Adler anticipates great changes within the

marketplace as publications place more and

more content online and accessible via new

mobile devices such as the iPad®. She’s

accordingly positioning her work for still

and moving imagery, plus short films, to be

receptive to more business opportunities as

technologies and publications develop.

By:

Joh

n Ret

tie

DIGITALG

URU

It’s been almost 18 months since Sony

introduced the Alpha 55, which was the first

DSLR camera to use an electronic viewfinder

in place of a traditional optical viewfinder.

The camera featured a fixed translucent

mirror, which introduced several benefits to

photographers including continuous focusing

when shooting video.

Last fall, Sony introduced a new model—the

Alpha 77, or A77 as it is commonly called. It

has a 24.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor,

which is the highest resolution camera with

this size sensor on the market, at least when

we went to press.

However, it’s not the sensor that’s the key

upgrade in this model but the use of an

OLED viewfinder in place of the LCD

used in the A55. For those of you who don’t

know, OLED (organic light-emitting diodes)

displays are replacing small LCD (liquid

crystal display) screens because they are more

efficient and produce a much better looking

display. The major improvement in its use as

a viewfinder is the faster refresh rate.

When I review a camera I like to use it for a

real photo shoot as it reveals so much more

about a camera than just going out and

shooting for the sake of shooting. Not that

that’s not fun. It just so happened that the two

The rear of the dust and moisture resistant A77 body has nicely laid out buttons-except for the movie button which is slightly too far away unless you have a long thumb.

photo assignments I had during the

month I had the camera on loan were both indoor events, where I would, unfortunately, have no control over the

lighting.

The first time I tested the camera was while covering the Essen Motor Show in Germany. I photograph a lot of auto

shows and avoid using flash as much as possible. In the old days that meant using a tripod, which is fine when you

can photograph the cars in a hall without visitors but it’s a luxury that’s not often available. Thanks to the incredible

improvement in high ISO of today’s cameras shooting hand-held is perfectly doable.

It so happened that the only chance I had to shoot cars in Essen was on a Saturday when the show was very crowded.

I set the ISO at 1600 and fired away. I immediately discovered one of the major advantages, as well as a minor

disadvantage, of the OLED viewfinder—as soon as you put the camera up to your eye the OLED viewfinder turns

on and you can frame your shot. The advantage was that if I wanted to hold the camera up high to frame the shot

using the rear screen it was also immediately

available as the camera defaults to the rear

920,000-dot LCD screen when you move

it away from your eye. You do not need to

push a button and wait for the camera to

lock the mirror. Even better, when you push

the button the camera immediately fires the

shutter; it does not have to wait while the

mirror is dropped down for the lens to focus.

This is truly an advantage—you’ve got

continuous focusing and the ability to use

either screen for composition without any

setup or shutter lag.

The minor disadvantage? After I’ve taken a

shot at an auto show I like to immediately

check the captured image. No problem; I just

set the camera to provide a review. However,

I found myself then being confused when

I put the camera up to my eye for the next

shot as the previous image was still displayed

until I touched the shutter button. It was a

minor disadvantage in this situation shooting

static objects but a major annoyance shooting

action, as I found out the next day.

I went from shooting cars in an exhibition

hall to shooting race cars on a temporary race

track constructed in a giant football stadium

in Dusseldorf, where I was covering the

annual Race of Champions. To the human

eye the stadium was well lit so I was a little

horrified to discover that even at ISO 1600

there was only enough light to use a shutter

speed of 1/320 at f/4. The most frustrating

thing was that I only had the use of a 16-

50mm lens when I really needed a longer lens

to get good action shots.

Aside from the lack of light and the lack of a 15

Sony’s A77 is a second-generation DSLR with

translucent mirror. In kit form it includes a new 16-50mm

f/2.8 lens.

long enough telephoto lens I found the camera to my liking. The 10 fps frame rate is impressive, even when

shooting RAW and JPEG as I did most of the time. This time I turned off the automatic image review. Talk

about confusing your brain! Of course then I had to hit the review button if I wanted to see the shot. It would

be good if this image could be turned off automatically when you put the camera up to your eye instead of

having to touch the shutter button. Another optional setting would be for the shot you’ve just taken to only

show up on the rear screen while the eyepiece only displays the live view.

One annoying feature of Sony cameras is the non-standard hot shoe. I do not own a Sony flashgun, or any

lenses, so I had to rely on the pop-up flash on certain occasions. It worked fine and proved to me once again

that even professionals can benefit from a built-in flash. Granted, you’re not going to use it for all shots abut

for the occasional fill light it’s a godsend.

So how were my results? The car show images were fine. As I expected, the noise level is greater than you

would get from a camera with a larger sensor or fewer pixels. Honestly this was why I restricted myself to

shooting at no more than ISO 1600. Above that

the noise does become more apparent.

My biggest problem shooting the auto races was

the lack of a longer lens. However with 24.3

million pixels to play with I was able to crop

images giving me the same image I would have

got ten with a longer lens. Not an ideal situation

and certainly not a fault of the camera.

The other tremendous advantage of the A77

is the immediate ability to shoot video by just

pushing the video shutter button. However, the

video shutter button poorly placed as it is just out

of thumb’s reach and I kept on pushing the AEL

button instead. I had to take the camera away

from my eye to see where to put my finger to fire

the video shutter—not good.

The rear LCD screen is very flexible: it can be

rotated 180 degrees and also moved away from

the body and turned around for self-portraits or

putting yourself in a situation for video capture.

Again this is a feature every DSLR should have

for professional users.

I was impressed with the A55 when I tried it last

year. My only complaint then was the refresh rate

of the LCD eye-level viewfinder as well as its so-

so resolution. The OLED viewfinder in the A77

overcomes both these shortcomings and is just as

good as an optical viewfinder in well-lit scenes and

actually better in poorly lit situations.

Overall the camera offers so many advantages

over a traditional DSLR that I can highly

recommend it. I would seriously consider buying

one myself. My only problem, like that of so many

others, is that I cannot justify the cost of switching

since I would have to buy new lenses to replace

the current ones I use with camera bodies from

other manufacturers.

I know many photographers will disagree with

me but I believe the A77 foreshadows the future

of professional DSLRs from all manufacturers.

Eliminating the flipping mirror is a distinct

benefit as it allows for improvements in usability

in so many situations. I haven’t even begun to

discuss the other features such as the ability to

automatically make panoramic pictures and

the ability to shoot multi frames so quickly that

it delivers built-in HDR that is as good as the

ones you get from the iPhone 4. The Hand-

held Twilight setting is pretty impressive. The

camera takes six shots at different settings and

then combines them into one reducing noise and

blur at the same time. Amazingly it works very

effectively.

As the cost of an OLED display comes down

and the quality improves it will soon be less

expensive than a mirror mechanism. Ironically

that might mean camera makers such as Canon

and Nikon will introduce their versions of fixed-

mirror DSLRs in lower end, or at least mid-

range, bodies first.

if you want to gain the

benefits of future tech-

nology today I highly

recommend the Sony

A77. It is the most

versatile DSLR on the

market, capable of

producing some of the

highest quality images

across a broad range of

shooting situations.

16

LEGALLEN

S

By: Victor S. Perlman, Esq.

then compare those elements, experts are not always necessary, and they never replace the

non-expert opinions of judges and jury members as to whether the overall look and feel of

the two images are substantially similar.

Although “substantial similarity” consists of only two words, it actually represents three

requirements: There has to be a similarity, The similarity has to be substantial, The

substantial similarity has to be found between the allegedly infringing image and those

elements of the allegedly infringed work that are copyrightable. We know from last month

that some elements of photographs, such as ideas and concepts, are not copyrightable and

that sometimes the idea and any photographic expression of that idea are so intrinsically

connected that there must always be similarities between photographs expressing that

concept. To make all of this a bit more concrete, let’s look at a case that was decided a

number of years ago. New Orleans photographer Louis Sahuc made an iconic black-and-

white photograph of Jackson Square in the French Quarter shrouded in fog (http://www.

louissahuc.com/gallery/main.php). He displayed and sold both fine arts prints and posters

of it in his studio in the Quarter. Another photographer named Lee Tucker saw the photo,

bought one of the posters, and was apparently inspired by it. He created a color photograph

of Jackson Square heavily shrouded in fog. To my eyes, the photographs look very similar

(http://www.leetuckerart.com/catalog/product_info.php? cPath=1&products_id=27 The

court agreed with me, but only sort of: It ruled that, the similarities were in the concept,

not in the execution. That is, any substantial similarities arose because both images were

photographs of Jackson Square in the fog. That concept is not copyrightable. Those

elements that were original, and therefore copyrightable, were things like the framing and

focus, and the court found no substantial similarity in those elements. This problem of being

able to show substantial similarity, but only in uncopyrightable elements, is particularly

acute when dealing with scenes that already exist, like Jackson Square in the fog. These

difficulties are similar to proving infringement of books or articles written about facts, as

opposed to fiction. All copyrighted works that are alleged to be infringed, whether based in

fact or imagination, face the challenge of proving that the copy is of original elements, not

just the concept. However, photographs that document existing things and situations are

more likely to run into the problem of merger (i.e. that there are only very limited ways in

which the concept could be expressed) than photographs of staged scenes. For this reason,

the copyrights to works like factual or scientific articles are often referred to as “thin.” That

is shorthand for saying that the aspects of the work that are protectable by copyright are

very limited. By now, you may be scratching your head trying to figure out what all this

means. If so, you are in excellent company. Leading legal scholars have, for many years,

found this area of the Copyright Act to be extremely confusing and difficult to navigate. For

example, to keep this column as simple and close to comprehensible as possible, I haven’t

even mentioned the fact that there are actually two substantial similarity analyses that are

made at different stages of an infringement case or that those two analyses are somewhat

different from each other. As I said, this is tough stuff. The good news is that you only need

a cursory understanding of this. The hard part falls into the laps of the lawyers.

Last month, I wrote about one of the reasons why people can sometimes come close to duplicating another

photographer’s image without actually infringing that photographer’s copyright. The basis for that result was that not all

of the elements in an image are copyrightable and that nobody can have copyright protection for an idea or concept. At

the end of that article, I said that I would discuss the related subject of “substantial similarity” in a later column. Well, it

is now a month later, so here we go. To prove that one photograph is an infringement of another, one of the things that

the copyright owner needs to show is that the infringer actually copied the original photograph. In most cases, it is almost

impossible to establish that through direct proof, so courts presume that copying took place when the person accused of

infringing had access to the first photograph and the allegedly infringing photograph bears a substantial similarity to the

original. Before getting to substantial similarity, let’s dispose of the issue of access. Access is often inferred from various

facts, such as the fact that the image was published. Publication, after all, means that the work has been made available to

the public. Even unpublished images can be shown to have been subject to an alleged infringer’s access. For example, let’s

say that you sent your unpublished photo that you created and sent to an ad agency as part of a proposal, but you did not

get hired. Months later, another photographer produced a suspiciously similar image, probably for a lower fee, for the same

agency and client. Those facts would probably lead a court to find that the other photographer had access to your image.

Now, let’s get to substantial similarity. The test for determining substantial similarity is based on the “total concept and feel”

of the work. While expert testimony is often used to analyze images, break them down into their component elements and

17

DSLRVIDEO

Introducing camera

movement can be an excellent way

to improve the production values of your

video with HDSLRs. Having the camera moving

while shooting provides a visually dynamic alternative

to a camera being rooted in place on a tripod. Often

referred to as a “dolly movement” in the motion picture industry,

the motion of the camera has been traditionally achieved using a rail-

based dolly system, which consists of a dual track on which a tripod or cart

moves. It can be pushed to follow a moving subject or simply create a sense of

motion and energy in an otherwise static scene such as a landscape. However, such

units are usually prohibitively large and expensive for filmmakers using HDSLRs. Hence

manufacturers have designed and produced relatively compact slider systems ideally suited for

use with these smaller cameras. The design often revolves around a single or dual rail system on

which a platform rides up and down its length. The rail system can be secured to a tripod or even a light

stand via standard screw holes, a quick release plate or a custom machined piece. The sliding platform can often

accommodate a fluid tripod head (an optional accessory), which provides the means to pan and tilt the camera itself,

while the entire kit moves down the length of the rail during recording. Though there are some simple and inexpensive

units available that use skateboard-style wheels along a rail system, the smoothest and more precise movements are achieved

with a design that incorporates bearings. The smoothness of the movement is important because even the slightest jarring of the

camera can become significantly magnified on the recording. The bearing system also provides for a smooth and clean beginning and

ending of the motion, as the initiation and the termination of the camera movement is most often the time when you are facing the greatest

risk of camera shake. The lengths of these sliders can be as short as 3 feet, but don’t let such short distances fool you. Though there are sliders

available at lengths of 5 feet and longer, effective movements can be achieved even with short rail lengths. One of the ways to do this is by having a fixed

foreground element included in the frame along with your subject. Though your subject may remain relatively static within the composition, the position of

the foreground element will change dramatically as the slider and its mounted camera moves right to left or left to right. So, even if your subject is sitting at a table

or speaking on the phone, the motion of the camera create a fluid change of perspective. It can also be used in combination with wrack focusing to bring attention

to an important element in the scene such as a bouquet of flowers. Depending on the design of the slider, you may also be able to move the camera in a vertical direction

or even as an inexpensive camera rig. Each of the following models provide a good combination of value and quality as well as adaptability. The Glidetrack SD Hybrid Slider

($404.53) is designed around industrial grade rail made of anodized aluminum. It achieves a smooth movement through the use of Igus® Hybrid bearings and self-lubricating liners,

which is made up of both sliding and rolling bearings. The 3-meter slider weighs just 3.7 pounds. Shorter lengths of 0.75 and 0.50 meters are also available. (www.glidetrack.com) The

Cinevate Atlas 10 LTS DSLR Camera Slider ($629.98) uses a full ball-bearing linear tracking system. It is constructed using steel/aluminum construction with a black satin anodized finish. It

supports up to a maximum of 40 pounds and can be easily center-mounted using a tripod plate. It features micro adjustable non-marking feet allowing for secure placement on uneven terrain or

when positioned vertically against a wall. (www.cinevate.com) The Kessler Pocket Dolly ($649.95) is a versatile system, which features a crank, and belt mechanism, which provides the ability to produce

smooth camera

movement without

having to

manual

move the camera up

and down the rail. A

motorized accessory can

be used in combination with

the system to for even greater

precision. The optional Hercules

mounting head

provides an

alternative to the use of quick release

plates, which may produce unsteadiness

when moving the camera on the slider.

(www.kesslercrane.com) Keep in mind,

although there are some DIY models that are

available, investing in a professional grade slider

will provide greater versatility and precision.

Ibarionex Perello is a photographer, writer,

educator and the host of The Candid Frame,

an interview show which features conversation

with the world’s best established and emerging

photographers. He is also the author of Chasing

the Light: Improving Your Photography Using

Available Light.

By: Tiana Kennell

“I was always pretty hard on myself and never expected much,” says Jeremy Cowart in his signature southern drawl. “Things have always exceeded what I expected. I thought I wouldn’t be a freelancer until I was 40, but that happened by the age of 22.” Nashville native (and current Los Angeles resident) Jeremy Cowart, 34, has taken his penchant for country grammar to pretty much any place one can imagine. He has toured with international pop-stars, created national ad campaigns and provided relief for the less fortunate, all with his camera, driven spirit and big heart. And this February he will be convening in Las Vegas, with photographers from all over the world, to grace the stage at WPPI 2012 with his riveting tales and invaluable information on what it takes to use photography for philanthropy.

21

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s he n

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imag

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a wid

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as w

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with C

MT ca

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e. H

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red

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ths w

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ritne

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and

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shoo

ts

with co

untle

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her c

elebs

inclu

ding

Kris

tin C

heno

weth,

Ron A

rtest,

Stan

Lee

, and

,

of co

urse,

his

hom

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pal

Taylor

Swift

Cow

art h

as a

job

that

can

be q

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yet a

dmitt

edly

com

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ith it

s

perk

s. Flip

thro

ugh

Cowar

t’s

galle

ries o

n hi

s Web

site,

http

://j

erem

ycow

art.c

om/,

and

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nd im

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of yo

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,” sa

ys

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t. “I

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know

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hat i

s nex

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re

I’m go

ing t

o go n

ext o

r who

I’m going to meet next.

It’s always a surprise.”

The biggest perk of all

for Cowart is being able

to share his career with

his family. He says his

wife of 12 years, Shan-

non (who is also his pro-

ducer) and his children

Adler, 5, and Eisley, 4,

are his inspiration.

22

23

ot all of the jobs are filled with glitz and

glamour. Cowart stays grounded through his

personal work. In 2009, one of his personal

projects of “environmental portraits” led

to the establishment of the thriving non-

profit organization Help-Portrait, which

focuses on giving people something that

many have never had: a picture. “It’s a

one-day global event where photographers

give to people in need,” explains Cowart.

Set up in various locations in more than

50 countries, free services are provided to

anyone who comes in. Volunteers are made

up of photographers, makeup artists, hair

stylists and more who offer their services for

a day of pampering and beauty (inside and

out). The photos are taken, edited and later

delivered to the recipients. Cowart says the

idea came to him during a holiday season. “I

wanted to give to people in need and my gift

has always been my eye and my camera,” he

says. He planned the event and it received

outstanding feedback. “Once I saw other

photographers respond to that idea I knew

it could be a much bigger event,” says

Cowart. “I spent a whole year planning

and assembling a team to help me. By 2009

when we launched the idea it really took off

around the world.” The testimonials from

the participants are numerous and many

are heart wrenching, such as a woman from

Nashville that Cowart is likely to never

forget. The woman told the Help-Portrait

volunteers that the scars they saw were from

her abusive father pouring acid on her face

when she was a child.

24

“At the age of 30-something she came to our event and we were able to help with her hair and makeup enough where she was able to see what she would look like without the scars.” After her session, the woman left with a photograph and an experience she would always cherish.“It was a very, very powerful experience,” says Cowart. “Everybody was pretty much in tears. “At Help-Portrait we are just trying to en-courage people to use their gift to help the people around them,” he continues, “by showing them

says Cowart.

they are beautiful and giving them a sense of dignity and pride in themselves.” Another memorable shoot Cowart recalls was from one of his journeys to Africa. “I photographed a genocide survi-vor standing with the person who killed their family, someone who they had reconciled with,” he says. “It was a very intense and powerful project.” (The gallery is currently exhibited on CNN.com.) “I believe we are supposed to use our gifts to help people,” he says. “It’s just a part of what I do and it always will be.”

USE

GIFTS26

27

In such a short time he has had experiences that could never be recreated. Fortunately, WPPI conventioneers will hear the lessons and found wisdom directly from Cowart’s mouth. What people will also realize is that experience has humbled Jeremy Cowart. “I know that I’m not that great. There are hundreds and hundreds of people better than me,” he says. “I know who else is out there and how much further I have to go. To think I’m the best photographer in the world is a silly thing. “As long as I am personally growing and achieving my goals and providing for my family, then I am perfectly content.” He admits to not having a “secret key to success”, saying that it took “a lot of focus, a lot of drive and a lot of luck” to make it. However, he does believe he can offer lessons from which anyone from any photography background can learn. He attempts to heed his own advice by finding ways to evolve his art creatively, shooting actively and often, avoiding reading the same blogs, and being careful not to spend too much time distracted on social media sites. Cowart says he plans to speak at WPPI on his “experiences in Haiti and Rwanda, Help-Portrait and the benefits of thinking of people other than yourself.” Further

guidance on the details of how he perfects his craft is available in his four-hour instructional DVD called LifeFinder. Cowart describes

it as a collage of seven photo shoots and a look at his creative process. It also includes a 30-minute documentary on his time in Haiti after the devastating

earthquake in 2010. Also available for purchase are three books of photographs that were each done in collaboration with non-profit organizations. They include

photos from Cowart’s travels to more than 20 different countries. Despite the fact that he’s been to so many places all over the world already, Cowart says

he is excited about attending WPPI 2012 in Las Vegas. “I love going to the conference and learning from the different photographers,” he says.

“The learning and the friendships are the two things I’ve developed from WPPI.”

FIRSTEXPO

STU

RE

BY: ART P. SUWANSANGHow has multi-touch technology in devices like your cell phone

or tablet computer changed the way you interact with computers?

Unquestionably, most of us have experienced multi-touch technology

in some capacity since it’s taken over as the mainstream input method

for mobile devices. We may not have given it too much thought, but

it has greatly transformed the way we view and interact with our

images in the past few years. Suddenly, the use of a mouse and

keyboard to view, zoom and pan our images seems less intuitive

when compared to using our fingers to perform such tasks.

Soon, touch technology will change the way you edit and enhance

your images too. Companies such as Adobe have already devised

new design ideas in touch technology to extend the functionality

and creative environment of the desktop application. Adobe,

the front-runner in the digital revolution, continues to exert

its ingenuity in this cutting-edge realm with the new Adobe

Photoshop Touch Apps. And this is only the beginning.

The Touch Apps Suite incorporates three separate applications—

Adobe Nav ($1.99), Color Lava ($2.99) and Eazel ($4.99)—which

are designed to work interdependently with Adobe Photoshop on

your computer. Adobe Nav integrates with Photoshop, allowing

users to customize toolbars and switch active documents from the

touch device. Adobe Color Lava is a painter color palette that allows

for mixing and creating harmonious color schemes at the point

of inspiration. Adobe Eazel, a painter’s app, is used for sketching

ideas and recording inspiration on-the-go for later completion in

Photoshop.

ADOBE NAVNow that you have a brief overview of the apps, let’s look at them a

bit more in depth starting with Adobe Nav. This app was designed to

turn your touch tablet device into a Photoshop tool and navigation

companion. Nav allows you to select and arrange the tools you use

most in Photoshop (fig. 01A) and put them on a grid in the app,

enabling easy access to these tools without having to move your

cursor across the screen or remembering all of the shortcut keys. To

access any

of these tools, just tap its icon on the tablet screen and the

corresponding tool will

activate in Photoshop—it’s that

easy.

The app also allows you to swap the background and foreground

color, including a reset back to default; cycle through the various

screen modes; and zoom the active document toward actual pixels

with a simple tap on the tablet screen.

It also has a built-in document browser to view all open documents.

This feature makes switching active documents very easy because

you can see the document thumbnail on the tablet. A pinch zoom

gesture on the thumbnail enlarges it to fill the tablet screen, making

it easier to view a graphical representation of the document.

A double tap will flip the thumbnail from the image view to a

document info view that provides you with information such as

file size, pixel dimension, document size and resolution, to name

a few. In many instances, if you use this app along with a Wacom

tablet, you can pretty much set the keyboard and mouse aside for

the majority of the editing session.

ADOBE COLOR LAVAThe next app in this suite is Adobe Color Lava, a digitized color mixer

similar to a painter’s color palette. It enables you to use your fingers

to mix and blend color on an empty palette to create a wide variety

of shade, tint and hue combinations. This app treats your input in

a similar fashion to a brush, with many of its characteristics. Aside 29

from being able to lay down any color on the canvas, there’s also a

built-in water well that you can tap, to virtually wet the brush for color

blending or clean the brush from color contaminants. The app allows

you to create multiple swatch sets of five colors each. Then, when

you’re back at the computer, simply link the app to Photoshop, tap

the color you want and the corresponding color will show up as the

foreground color in the Photoshop toolbar swatch.

This app is very similar to Adobe Kuler (http://kuler.adobe.com),

an online color scheme creation Web site. Though similar in context,

Color Lava gives you the ability to create and mix exact color

schemes at the point of inception. This eliminates the need for you to

memorize colors for later usage, especially since often the color you

see and the one you remember are different. Best of all, the interplay

of colors as you blend with your fingers can result in an accidental

discovery of new colors, shades or tints that work to further enhance

your project. The final element that seals the deal is the ability to

create and store multiple color schemes for later use, so when new

inspiration comes, you are ready to review or mix a new set of colors.

ADOBE EAzELThe third app in the suite is Adobe Eazel, a blank slate for creative

infusion. Eazel was created based on the idea that your creative

inspiration comes to you in places other than the office or in front of

the computer. Here is simply a blank canvas waiting to tell an exciting

story with your vision. The brush tool within this app behaves very

similarly to a watercolor brush, where one brush

stroke can blend and bleed into another, resulting in a

fusion of colors. Users can control the color, size and

opacity of the brush with a simple slide of the finger,

up or down, on the corresponding control icons.

Since Eazel is more of a painting program, I consulted

with a friend of mine who is a traditional artist and

painter to better understand the application, and

collaboratively, we found some interesting facts

that will help you with mastery of technique. For

instance, the use of a stylus input device for painting

is highly advisable. The stylus enables greater control

when painting over tight areas and fine lines; since

our fingers can vary in size and shape, app response does as well.

Hovering fingers can cause accidental brush applications, which are

very difficult to correct. The app only allows the last brush application

to be undone—no history states here as in Photoshop, so monitor

your brush strokes constantly.

The use of a lower opacity brush offers watercolor painting effects.

At the same time, be careful, as low brush opacity has a tendency

to turn colors gray. Take caution when a new brush stroke overlaps

an existing one because the color can wash over the original stroke

beyond the area of expectation, causing uncontrollable color blends.

To get the best paint results from Eazel, using fingers only, we found

it best to use a stipple, or dot, technique to build areas of opacity and

texture in your work, creating a painting from multiple dots of color

instead of long brush strokes.

Eazel is not necessarily an app created directly for photography,

however, with some creativity it can augment photography and

transform it into a mixed-media art form. Use it to construct a new

background for an image, changing a pure photograph into an

illustration piece that can be used for advertising, on a Web page or

simply to satisfy a creative drive (opposite page, top). Best of all, Eazel

allows you to create, paint, sketch or illustrate wherever you are with

a simple touch, untethering you from the constraints of being in front

of the computer.

HERE WE GOThese apps are only just the beginning of the touch revolution. They

were created to extend the capability and function of their desktop

software counterpart. Touch apps represent a step in the right

direction, if not a bridge, to acclimate you to the idea of using touch

input for content creation. In all, these apps represent a new kind of

tactile interaction that we haven’t had with digital thus far. Surely as

apps mature, they will help return to us the personal touch of analog

photography from years past.

Art Suwansang is an award-winning international wedding photographer, educator and lecturer based in Southern California. He lectures for multiple pho-tographic organizations, consults for photographers and companies worldwide, and offers digital photography tutorials through his new Web site, Rule of 3Rds, www.Ro3Rds.com. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica College. Visit his Web Site at www.Wedding64.com.

30

FIRSTEXPO

STU

RE

BY: STAN SHOLIK

P h a s e

One has taken a lot of

negative criticism from

reviewers in the past for the

simple, four-button interface

with minimal controls on

its digital backs. I have been

in the minority of those

who supported the concept,

being more concerned with

the photographic process of

composing and capturing

images than the need to

navigate through menus

to select options that can

be adjusted in processing

software for medium- format

digital backs. I have also

been in the minority that

has criticized the Leaf touch

screens for their lack of

resolution, a sacrifice made to

provide touch screen controls.

So, when I was asked to

review the new Phase One

IQ180, with “improved menu

structure” and a touch screen,

I was pretty much prejudiced

against it before I even saw it.

Turns out I was completely

wrong.

The IQ180 is the highest resolution of the latest series of Phase

One digital backs. With 80 megapixels resolution, it is joined by the

60.5-megapixel IQ160 and the 40-megapixel IQ140. Those 80 megapixels

deliver a 10’328 x 7760-pixel image, which translates to a 34.4 x 25.9-inch

image at 300 dpi. We’re talking about the ability to create really huge images

with the IQ180.

But interestingly, while all this resolution is impressive, what makes the IQ180, and I

assume the other two IQ backs, so special are the “improved menu structure” and the touch

screen. The four “classic” buttons remain on the back, but they surround a 3.2-inch touch

screen with 1.15-megapixel resolution, a full inch larger screen than the P-series backs and with

five times as many pixels. This isn’t a Leaf touch screen for sure.

The IQ180 touch screen is a closer relative to an Apple touch screen than anything else. It only took a

few minutes for me to be converted from buttons to touch screen. Menu items scroll with a swipe of your

finger up or down. A single tap selects a menu option. A “house” icon immediately takes you back to the home

screen. Responsiveness is amazing.

What is even more amazing is how good the captured image looks on the screen. It is possible to set the arrangement

of the capture screen to your personal taste. I left the default, which is a display of the image to the left, with its

histogram, highlight/shadow warnings and focus areas displays stacked to the right. Double-tapping the image enlarges it

to 100% at the place where you double-tapped. Using a finger, you can drag the image around at 100%. Double tap again

and you return to the previous screen.

But you aren’t limited to just 6% “fit to screen” or 100% resolution. Touching the left edge of the screen brings up a slider bar that

allows you to adjust the image continuously from 4% to 100%. I found this far more useful and accurate than the “pinching out” control

to enlarge an image on my iPad. As good and as useful as the new screen is, it is still somewhat difficult to see in full sunlight, although it

is better than the P-series backs and far better than the Leaf backs.

The IQ180 is such a pleasure to use that I shot with it as much as possible in the studio and on location. The first thing I learned was that hand

holding it on a Phase One camera, even with a 55mm lens and a high shutter speed,

defeats the purpose of all that resolution. The system requires a solid tripod or studio

stand to deliver the sharpness of which it is capable.

What struck me most when shooting with it is the blazing speed with which everything moves. I’ve

mentioned the responsiveness of the menus, but more interesting is the speed that image data moves.

An 80-megapixel back that captures a full 16-bit RGB image creates an approximately 480 MB 16-bit

TIFF. Yet the image processing in the IQ180 back displays an image on the LCD, complete with histogram,

highlight/shadow warning thumbnail and focus area thumbnail, instantaneously.

Equally impressive is the speed that the RAW image appears in Capture One software. In my captures,

I created uncompressed RAW images that varied from about 70 MB to 90MB, yet they appeared

in the Capture One software faster than the RAW images from a Nikon D3x. A lot of this has

to do with the USB 2.0 interface in the D3x versus the FireWire interface in the IQ180, but

the result is impressive nonetheless. The IQ180 also incorporates a USB 3.0 interface that

should be even faster, but my back lacked the firmware upgrade to make the USB 3.0

interface functional. Equally impressive is the speed that the image transfers from

Capture One software to an iPad running the Capture Pilot app. This allowed my

model to “interact” during the photo session by watching the iPad, and would

also allow clients to follow the creation of an image without gathering around

my imaging computer.

Capture speed for photographers used to shooting with digital SLRs

isn’t impressive at one capture every 1.4 seconds. This improves

to one capture every 1.1 seconds using the reduced resolution

20-megapixel Sensor+ setting. But the IQ180 is a tool that

requires more of a view camera approach to imaging than

a D3s/EOS-1D Mark IV approach. Shooting still lifes

in the studio and landscapes on location, I found a

slight improvement in image quality by locking

the mirror up on the Phase One camera prior

to making the capture, and capture rate

becomes meaningless for those situations.

Even shooting a model in the studio

I didn’t feel slowed down by the

capture rate of the full resolution

image.

To be honest, there is 31

little to dislike about the IQ180. I personally would trade the Sensor+ feature, which limits the longest

exposure to 2 minutes, for an exposure time of 30+ minutes. And I would be certain to label the FireWire

cable so I would know which end should be “up” when I insert it into the back. But it’s nearly impossible

for me to find fault with the design or performance of the IQ180 that I tested. And the image quality

is truly spectacular. The unfortunate thing about the IQ180 is that, like an Aston Martin or Ferrari,

it will mainly be experienced by users with more money than ability to make use of its potential. Yes,

a few successful fine art photographers and top commercial photographers will be able to justify the

MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE PHASE ONE WEB SITE, WWW.PHASEONE.COM.

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Stan Sholik is a commercial/

advertising photographer in Santa

Ana, CA, specializing in still life

and macro photography. His fifth

book, Nik HDR Efex Pro, for Wiley

Publishing, is available now.

$44,000 cost of the IQ180 back. For the rest of

the photographic community, the Phase One

IQ180 stands as an embodiment of the current

state of the art in digital capture and a significant

step forward for Phase One in digital imaging.

32

&&&

&mrs

mr

VANESSA JOY AND ROB ADAMS By: Linda L. May

definition of “fusion,” according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, is the “melting together or blending of two different things or mediums.” That is just what Vanessa Joy and Rob Adams, owners of Vanessa Joy

Photography and Rob Adams Films, respectively, have done. Located in Freehold, NJ, she shoots still wedding photography and he is a filmmaker, specializing in weddings. They fused their photography crafts, skills

and talents together and came up with an innovative way to stand out from the crowd while increasing overall sales in the process. Now, they are teaching what they have learned, so other photographers may benefit

by trying something new. At WPPI 2012 in Las Vegas this coming February, Vanessa and Rob will be teaching a Platform Class titled, “Photo and Video Fusion,” showing photographers how to incorporate video into their still wedding coverage and create a new product. The 3- to 4-second video clips mixed in with the still images in a slide show were first created to show potential clients the benefits of hiring both Vanessa and Rob for their weddings. But now, every couple gets a fusion slide show with video clips, set to music. “Most photographers have a great video function in their digital cameras, that they rarely, if ever, use,” Rob explains. “My part of the program teaches photographers how to use the video function effectively. I walk them through some basic techniques and show them how to shoot high quality, polished video clips. These short video clips are meant to be incorporated into a slide show. Ours are a hit with our clients. Many photographers feel intimidated by video, so they don’t bother to try it. However, it’s much easier than they think.” Vanessa adds, “Photographers already possess the necessary information and skills from shooting still photography. They already know about exposure, composition, lighting techniques and what makes a great image, so all they have to do is apply that knowledge to video. Photographers often know a lot more about the art of cinema than many video shooters do; they just haven’t experimented with it yet. That’s what our class is all about.” For their fusion products, the pair relies heavily on Animoto (www.animoto.com), an online slideshow builder, which allows them to upload both the still images and the video clips. The program then mixes the two mediums

relies heavily on Animoto (www.animoto.com), an online slideshow builder, which allows them to upload both the still images and the video clips. The program then mixes the two mediums together according to the instructions given. The result is a 3- to 4-minute slide show set to music, with the photos and video clips playing together. The video clips are meant to enhance the images, not out shine them. Since they have fused their two mediums, providing the rare offering of stills and cinematography at the same location, Vanessa Joy and Rob Adams have seen an increase in revenues and at least 50 percent of their clients book them for both services. They offer a one-stop shopping experience, while maintaining a high-end, boutique studio. However, they each continue to shoot weddings alone for those clients who don’t want both services, or have already booked another vendor Neither photographer ever shoots totally alone, because they both work with a staff of assistants and second shooters. Rob’s regular crew includes Nino Gallego, who is his second shooter and Leah Peticolas, who acts as his assistant and also as a third shooter. Leah also is in charge of the audio and makes sure the appropriate people are mic’ed and that the sound is rich and clear. Kyleigh Dooley, is Vanessa’s regular assistant. Kyleigh carries bags, runs

36

Gor

or

f

37

errands and assists any way she can during the event and also posts images on Facebook. Kyleigh, uploads the images to the client’s online gallery and creates an Animoto slideshow from the favorite photos of the day. John DeFiora is Vanessa’s primary second shooter. Both photographers also hire part-time, freelancers when the jobs demand extra assistants and shooters. Canon cameras and lenses are their favorite. They own and use all prime lenses that Canon has to offer. Rob uses multiple Canon 5D Mark II cameras, while Vanessa uses the Canon 1D Mark IV. When possible, they both prefer natural light and only use extra strobes, video lights and reflectors at the reception and to fill in shadow areas. Vanessa comes from a long photographic background because her mother, Marjorie Scavone, was a professional wedding and portrait photographer. At age 4, her mother bought Vanessa her first starter camera to play with. By age 14, she had graduated to a Canon A-1 SLR, and was taking pictures of her friends and family; processing the film and printing the pictures herself. In high school, Vanessa took an elective photography

class, and her future photography career began, although she didn’t know it at that time. Her photography education continued through high school and afterwards she shot weddings for her former instructor, who also had a wedding photography business. Her education expanded when she was handed a Canon 10D camera in 2002, and made the switch from film to digital. Photography was always in her life will attending Brookdale Community College, where she earned four Associate degrees, in Music, Social Sciences, Modern Language and Photography. Later, she earned a BA degree in Spanish and Education from Monmouth University, so she has a well-rounded education, which helps her in her photography business. In 2008, Vanessa Joy opened her studio, specializing in wedding photography. Rob has been interested in visual arts since childhood. When he first entered college, he took art classes, but soon realized that was not for him. In the transition, he discovered radio and television broadcasting and filmmaking and ended up earning a BA degree in Radio/Television Communications. For a few

years, Rob worked as a TV producer, a production coordinator and was even an on-air radio talent for a while. However, his career in cinematography began quite by accident. “At the time, I was living on the cheap in Manhattan and needed to find a way to supplement my income. I went to a wedding with a DJ friend to check out that job. But, while I was there, I began watching the guy shooting the video for the event. It occurred to me that I could do that job and probably better than him. So, later in the evening, I started picking his brain about his profession and how much he made. When he told me he made $1200 per wedding, my interest was piqued. Back then, that was more than I earned in two weeks on my day job. So, I began shooting wedding videos part time. Soon, that part-time job ballooned into a full-time occupation, so I quit my day job and opened my own business in 2006,” Rob says. In 2005, before either of them opened their businesses, Vanessa and Rob became fast friends after meeting on an assignment. However, they did not start dating immediately because they felt their relationship should remain strictly professional.

38

They married and fused their lives and careers together along

with sharing a tiny Pekingese dog named Tico. The future for

these New Jersey image-makers looks upbeat and promising.

Since they have only just begun their photography careers, the

sky is the limit. They plan to continue building their businesses

and doing more destination weddings, because they both

love traveling. Teaching additional workshops and classes

around the nation is also on their agenda for the future.

Collectively, they have also solved one of the biggest fears

that photographers have about shooting video, the editing

process. By creating a special Photoshop script that can

be used to edit their video clips, they took the fear out

of video editing, making it simple and easy. For more

information on this product, PhVusion Effects, and

their upcoming workshops and appearances, visit

their Web site, www.PhVusion.com. “When you’re

shooting video with a DSLR, there’s nothing

automatic about it. You have to shoot on

manual and there’s no auto

focus feature

they did not start dating immediately

because they felt their relationship should

remain strictly professional. But by 2009, the romance

had blossomed and grown way past friendship. They married and

fused their lives and careers together along with sharing a tiny Pekingese

dog named Tico. The future for these New Jersey image-makers looks upbeat and

promising. Since they have only just begun their photography careers, the sky is the limit.

They plan to continue building their businesses and doing more destination weddings, because they

both love traveling. Teaching additional workshops and classes around the nation is also on their agenda for the

future. Collectively, they have also solved one of the biggest fears that photographers have about shooting video, the editing

process. By creating a special Photoshop script that can be used to edit their video clips, they took the fear out of video editing, making

it simple and easy. For more information on this product, PhVusion Effects, and their upcoming workshops and appearances, visit their Web

site, www.PhVusion.com.

They married and fused their lives and careers together along

with sharing a tiny Pekingese dog named Tico. The future for

these New Jersey image-makers looks upbeat and promising.

Since they have only just begun their photography careers, the

sky is the limit. They plan to continue building their businesses

and doing more destination weddings, because they both

love traveling. Teaching additional workshops and classes

around the nation is also on their agenda for the future.

Collectively, they have also solved one of the biggest fears

that photographers have about shooting video, the editing

process. By creating a special Photoshop script that can

be used to edit their video clips, they took the fear out

of video editing, making it simple and easy. For more

information on this product, PhVusion Effects, and

their upcoming workshops and appearances, visit

their Web site, www.PhVusion.com. “When you’re

shooting video with a DSLR, there’s nothing

automatic about it. You have to shoot on

manual and there’s no auto

focus feature

either. However, photographers already know how to make the

necessary compensations to shoot video, so crossing-over is much

easier than many think,” Rob says.“Don’t be afraid of your

digital camera’s video function. It’s there to learn and use because

in a few years you won’t have a choice. As the photo industry

progresses and technology improves, combining the two mediums

will become more commonplace. Photographers who don’t know

how to shoot video will be left behind. That’s why we teach Fusion,

to prepare photographers for the future,” Rob concludes.

40

none of my site information was lost.

SETTING UP yOUR WEB SITERaul Jarquin, President of FolioLink, is an avid fine art photographer who is seen most

days walking into work with a 6 x 6 Rollei or digital camera strung around his neck. He

enjoys nothing more than looking at his clients’ work. Raul says, “The FolioLink service was

designed to allow artists and photographers creative freedom. Virtually all Web portfolios

can be managed by our photographers/artists on a 24/7 basis. Free technical support is

available.”

A FolioLink Web portfolio is easy to use, with all the information you require to create your

new site, with little or no technical expertise. To begin, gather all your JPEG images (at the

specs specified by FolioLink), text/portfolio information and a browser. Implementation is

easy. You are also able to change to a new or different Web site portfolio design at any time–

FolioLink completely redesigns your Web site in seconds at no added cost! All photo and text

information is incorporated into a new Web portfolio design automatically. I like the flyaway

effect of images I use with my portfolios—you click on a portfolio image and on either side

FIRSTEXPO

STU

RE

Run a Google

search of “Web

designers” and you’ll

be inundated with a slew of

choices. There’s a lot of competition

in the marketplace to create an effective Web

site for your photo brand—from independent

contractors to template-based sites.

A few years ago I created my first Web

portfolio site with Adobe GoLive 4.0. It

wasn’t a badly designed site for a novice,

but I started noticing Web sites were getting

much more sophisticated, and companies

were allowing you to manage your site

24/7 for fairly reasonable fees. I started

researching these companies to see what they

had to offer. During my investigation I ran

across FolioLink, a company that has self-

managed Flash and HTML Web portfolio

designs. Their Flash designs also generate

an HTML Web site for viewers without

the Flash application and for search engine

visibility—the best of both worlds. I recently

changed my Web site portfolio to FolioLink’s

new Los Angeles Flash portfolio template.

The design scales images to fit any monitor

size, allowing you to showcase huge images;

making changes to the site in the XML code

is quite simple. Flash sites are available with

FolioLinks’s Premium and Pro accounts.

HTML designs are available to all account

levels. The only problem I have had with

FolioLink in over five years is that once their

service was down for a few days However

of this

image on

the monitor

are the before

and after images

in your portfolio–

more transparent

but recognizable. It has

been an excellent tool for

marketing my fine art prints and

stock photography.

IMAGE ARCHIVE AND

E-COMMERCEYou can complement your Web site portfolio with

an Image Archive. The service is designed to organize,

display and market your images. This searchable stock

photography site is available for thousands of images. It also

includes options to sell prints, offer online proofing, showcase

videos, deliver large files and create an online catalog of work.

VIDEOVideos up to 2MB can be displayed on the Web portfolios. Larger

video files can be displayed on the Pro Account. Your videos can

easily become a video archive with full permission management

capabilities. The iPad and iPhone companion sites will support MP4

videos.

SECURITy AND SEARCHFolioLink Photography Web sites are hosted in a state-of-the-art

secure server farm, with uninterruptible, AC and DC power, with a

Paul Slaughter Photography

41

Tier 1 IP

network and a world

-class t

ransport netw

ork

with fast p

eering to

inter

national n

etworks. T

he hostin

g

service

includes m

ultilayer

physical se

curity co

ntrol w

ith

video surve

illance.

Hardware

and softw

are inves

tments

are kept curre

nt providing reliable

accessib

ility and

speed.

All FolioLink Web sites are

easily indexed by sea

rch

engines, and th

e FolioLink se

rvice allows y

ou to add

keywords and m

etadata desc

riptio

ns to yo

ur Web sit

e. I

tested

this b

y search

ing for o

ne of m

y photographs and

my book and found th

em both lis

ted in

the fi

rst page

results

on Google!

Foliolink acco

unts run fro

m $400 to $700 th

e first

year

and a couple

hundred le

ss the y

ears there

after. T

hey

also offer

an EDU account, f

or educatio

nal faculty and

photography/art students,

for $99 per

year a

free 7

-day

trial is

offered fo

r all p

ortfolio desi

gns.

More information is available at

www.foliolink.com

Paul Slaughter is a world-traveled photographer and writer, residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He specializes in

location, stock, and fine art photography. An avid jazz lover, he has an extensive photo collection of the jazz greats.

His new book, Paul Slaughter/Jazz Photographs 1969-2010, is now available. Preview a copy at www.blurb.com.

You can also view portfolios of Paul’s work at www.slaughterphoto.com.

42

BY: SAL CINCOTTA

Not too long ago, I wrote a piece that discussed the pros and cons

of working out of your home vs. opening a brick and mortar

studio. There are, without a doubt, benefits to both. However,

that article generated a lot of great questions, mostly around the

premise of moving out of your home to get away from that mom

and pop feel and moving into a more professional space. The

main question I kept getting was, “Okay Sal, I have heard you

say over and over again that there is a way to run in-studio sales

without buying a huge studio space. How can I do it? Where do

I start?”

The first place to start is by understanding the pros and cons of

moving out of your home.

WORkING OUT OF THE HOMEFace it, we all love working out of our home; it’s just, well, easy.

No traffic, no waiting in line for coffee and, for me, I get to

actually work in my pajamas during my off months. Sorry if I

gave anyone a horrific visual on that one, but it’s a perk of the

job. Most of all, it means no hard cost for office space. That is

a huge part to our business model isn’t it? It’s what makes becoming a

“professional” photographer so easy for people. There really is no barrier

to entry.

This is fine when you are starting up, but as time goes by and you realize

this is a real business you are engaged in and that in order for you to make

a profit you need to sell your work, there are definitely some limitations to

working out of your home.

And remember, unless you have invested some significant coin into your

home studio, bringing a client there can offer up a myriad of issues. As

they walk into your home, they will judge your décor, style, taste, smell,

cleanliness, etc. And somehow that will all have an impact on the type of

photographer you are in their eyes. Superficial? Yes. Welcome to reality.

WORkING OUT OF THE STUDIOInvesting in a studio space is not without its own set of challenges. Once

you have a studio space, you incur all the risks and expenses of running a

brick and mortar business.

For the wedding and location photographer, there is a tremendous expense

attached to having a sales space. The reality is, for us, we don’t do a whole

lot of studio shooting. Most of my shoots are on location. And for

weddings, well, the truth is, we don’t shoot too many of those in

the studio either.

The justification of all these expenses just to have a glorified sales

room is very difficult. You have to pay your monthly rent, utilities,

décor, cleaning, Internet, create studio samples; the list goes on

and on. It’s a tough pill to swallow when we know the space goes

unutilized 90% of the time.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for owning your own space.

While we started our company out of our home, we own a studio

space today and love every square foot of it. Having your own

space, without a doubt, announces to the world, “This is more than

a hobby, we are a bonafide business.” For better or for worse this

is how it is perceived by the client and we all know perception is

reality. When we moved into our studio space, we had a grand-

opening party for clients and the feedback was huge for us. It was a

coming of age for our business.

Suddenly, it became easier to book business. Clients understood the

unspoken difference between meeting with that $500 photographer

BEHINDTHES

HUTT

ER

43

and walking into a professional space. It really made a huge difference

to our business. People talk about dressing for success but that extends

past our person and into our business as well. Think about it—dressing

up your walls with gorgeous sample canvas and large prints are sure

to create excitement for the client. It allows them to envision what a

product of that size and cost might look like in their own home, all things

not totally possible without the sales space.

THE HyBRID APPROACHOver the past year, a viable alternative has really been gaining some

momentum. The SBA (small business association, sba.gov) has come up

with the concept of a business incubator. Every city is different, but each

one typically has an SBA presence. The SBA will create a shared office

space offering full business services, a reception area, conference rooms,

common areas, etc. Best of all, the cost of these spaces can be rented

monthly and in some cases, hourly.

The benefit of working out of an environment like this is that it allows

you to enjoy the benefits of both scenarios. You have a professional space

to meet clients at a cost that is almost negligible and you have none

of the risk associated with owning your own building or the resources

needed to maintain it. It is truly a win-win scenario.

I have watched closely over the last two-years as experienced

studios have downsized to spaces like this to cut unnecessary costs

and new studios have blossomed via this mechanism. It’s a great

alternative and one I highly recommend at least exploring.

I checked three cities across the country to get a sense of what

the cost might be, along with some of the amenities offered. This

is obviously not a definitive guide, but instead a sample of what

spending 15 minutes on the Internet yielded me.

CHICAGO:CoWorkchicago, http://coworkchicago.com, is a creative

workspace available for rent by the day, week or month and

according to their slogan, “We are cheap, fun and gosh darnit

people like us.” Rates range from $20/day to $300/month. The

rates include access to high-speed Internet, a conference room for

client meetings and, of course, in-studio sales.

You tell me, is it worth $20 to you to bring a client into the studio

to show them their images and sample products live and generate a

$1,000-$2,000 sale? Sign me up any day of the week!! And that’s if

you just have one meeting. Book three client sales presentations and

a wedding consult in a single day and you are gold.

NEW yORk CITy: SoTechieSpaces, http://www.sotechiespaces.com, offers basic

membership for $100/month. This includes everything from a

shared space to free Internet connections and basic office services.

For additional monthly fees, you can upgrade to a dedicated

workspace and a host of other business related services. This is a

huge find in New York City if you ask me!

SAN FRANCISCO: CitizenSpace, http://citizenspace.us, is a very cool place to work.

Anywhere from $10/visit to $425/month, this space has it all.

Projectors, private meeting rooms, lounge, copy/fax services, and

various other office perks are part of their service offerings. They

are even pet friendly.

DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL

LOCATIONS Located in another part of the country or international? Check

out this link for more information about possible domestic and

international locations: http://wiki.coworking.info.

This should be exciting news for everyone. Again, this is a quick list

I threw together after a few minutes of research on Google. Check

out some of the links to make sure if they are a good fit for you

and your business. At the end of the day, there is no reason for you

to not have that big-business feel at a very economical price point.

Do the research and find a solution that works for you and your

situation. When its all said and done, it’s about taking your business

to the next level and whether you are a start-up or an established

studio, a shared space just might be the answer to some of your

business needs.

We know how challenging running a successful photography

business can be at times, which is why every little bit of coaching

can help. We plan to answer your business questions each month

in a new online column titled, “Mind Your Business with Sal

Cincotta.” We will apply the principals and concepts we use in

our own everyday business to help you thrive. Feel free to ask me

anything related to the topics presented here, or any other business

matter you have weighing on your mind. Send your questions to

sal@cincottaemail.com (put “Mind Your Business” in the subject

line).

Sal Cincotta will be giving three presentations at WPPI 2012. His

two-day PLUS class, “Shoot To Sell,” begins Thursday, February

16, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. His Platform class “Take Your

Business Up A Level,” will be held on Monday, February 20, from

3:00-5:00 p.m. Check wpponline.com for further details

Sal Cincotta is an award winning photographer, author, speaker and owner of

BehindtheShutter.com, a site dedicated to training professional photographers.

Follow Sal on Twitter | @salcincotta 44

45THE bestINVESTMENT

Taking a pretty picture is easy; the magic lies in capturing the essence of a person—words to live by for award-winning chil-dren’s portrait photographer Sarah Petty. Petty likes to capture her subjects’ personalities, in ad-dition to creating beautiful por-traits. “I don’t like to take a pic-ture only of what they look like,” she says. “I want more emotion, laughter, hair flying and move-ment. That’s what I want to see on my walls, so that’s what I cre-ate for my clients.” She points out that it’s important for pho-tographers to create a particular look and feel in their work. “You can’t be all things to all people.” Petty says that the mistake that many photographers make is to try to do too much. “What they

re-a l l y need is to do fewer things better. You want to thrill your clients!” Very much a marketing profes-sional, Petty encourages photographers to find their passion, and in doing so, hone in on a specialty around which they can build a business—something she’s done in her own studio, Sarah Petty Photography, and strives to help others with through her marketing business, The Joy of Mar-keting. The Joy of Market-ing helps small- to medium-sized businesses reach their full potential. Her clients include primarily photog-raphy studios, in addition to

other niche specialties. She says that she has great clientele, and loves inspiring people who are run-ning businesses. “I enjoy giving them real tools and strategies so that they can be photographers who make a living at what they love to do.” She emphati-cally encourages photographers to “Invest in your-self. Go to conferences, study with people and get mentors.” She says, “Make that investment because it’s a long path to making mistakes the hard way that everyone else has already learned. There’s a faster path to success.”When asked what her basic advice is to these business owners, she notes that there are three main foundations for success: Branding, pric-ing and selling. “Branding is very important because you can’t build a strong identity without it,” Petty says. “Many people aren’t priced for profit; they’re guessing at prices, or charging the same prices as their competitors.

46

And finally, there’s selling—many photographers are artists, and very creative. Sometimes they think they’re being pushy when they think about selling, but it’s important to learn how to do this!” Petty also teaches marketing and promotion. “Business owners need to learn how to attract the right clients and make the phone ring, but branding, pricing and selling are where businesses struggle the most.” She says that she believes that marketing is even more important than being a talented photographer. “Learning how to do business, building relationships with other business owners, networking, attracting the right clients and encouraging them to refer you are more important than being a great photographer,” she comments. “Photography skills are very important, but they don’t guarantee that you’re going to have a successful business.”To this end, Petty plans on teaching a marketing seminar at WPPI 2012, “My Best Marketing

Marketing Idea,” in which she will ex-plain how she has built her business and 10 different ways that she has achieved it. “When most people think of market-ing, they think of advertising,” she says. “But it’s not about that—it’s about the relationships you build. A lot of it is about building a database, and building relationships within that database.” She says that you don’t always need to find new customers but instead should focus on what you can do with your current ones. “Create new products and ser-vices for the people who already love you, as often as you’re out there look-ing for new clients.” She found a niche by building a strong client base with her boutique studio that specializes in children, families and high school seniors.” I photograph children of all ages,” Petty remarks. “I do families too, but mostly kids. Most of my clients are moms who value photography.” She says that her clients’ homes and deco-rating are also very important to them.

IDEA INVESTMENT

WEBSITE

REINVESTINGPROFITS

EQUIPMENT

MAKE

PROFITS

STRATEGY

BRANDING

BEAT

COMPETITORS

CUSTOMERSERVICE

ENJOYPROFITS

FINDVALUABLE

PARTNERS

48

Petty currently shoots with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and her favorite lenses are the Canon EF 70-200mm, 85mm and 100mm macro. Her studio lighting is Photogenics, and she uses Larson Enter-prises Soff Boxes.

“

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49

“

“become

A

In the early days, Petty recalls, “Photography was

something I did more as a hobby. I always had a cam-

era with me, and was always the one taking pictures.”

Back then she worked full-time at an advertising agen-

cy but found that she really enjoyed photographing

her then-boyfriend/now-husband’s nieces and neph-

ews. “I was having a blast doing this,” she says. “It was

more my passion than something I thought would be-

come a career.” Petty says that her real passion lies in

photographing children. “I’m sure that everyone ex-

periences this,” she laughs, “where people say, ‘I love

your work, would you photograph my horse?’ “How-

ever, taking pictures of animals and other subjects

wasn’t what she loved to do. “I always came back to

babies, kids and high school seniors,” she says. “I re-

ally love the chaos of the little ones, because you never

know what you’re going to get.” Becoming pregnant

with twins marked the turning point in Petty’s career.

“I decided I didn’t want to work so many hours any-

more,” she says. “I also wanted to start my own busi-

ness—the stars were aligned.” She spent the income

she made doing photography on the side to study

with professional photographers. “I learned from

people who had a style I liked, and who were where I

wanted to be.” Petty also attended conventions, where

she learned about the business of photography, pric-

ing, and sales. She opened her first studio in 2001. “I

didn’t think my business would grow the way it did. I

just wanted to have more time with my twins, to do

what I love, and to make a little extra money.”

50

etty says that she prefers shoot-ing in a studio environment. “I live in central Illinois where we have long winters,” she points out. “When I knew I wanted to do photography, I wondered how I could stay in this box, but I love the box!” Petty is currently work-ing on a new, exciting studio, one that will share a building with her husband’s architectural firm. For her, family comes first—both her own and her subjects’—so the idea is to keep both businesses closer to home. “We’d like to have the kids come over after school so we can be together more often.” She also wants to travel with the family, as she enjoys traveling to speak to audiences. However, she says, “I love my life, so I don’t see a lot of change.”

53% 47%

51

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. And YO

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ook up

and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there.” With

that case, of course,you'll head straight out of t own. OH! THE not-so-good street. And you may not find any you'll want t

o go d

own. I

n You'll join the high flierswho soar to high heights. You won't lag

PLAC

ES YOU'LL GO! you'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing grea

t sights

!

Congratulations! To d ay is your day. You're off to Great Places!

Congratulation s! Today is your da y. You'r

e off to Great Places! You're off and awa

y!

Co n gratula

tions! Today is your day. You're off to Great P

laces! Y

ou're off

and aw

ay! You

have brains in your head. You have

Congratulations

! Today is your day. You're off to

Congratu

lations! Today is your day. You're off to Great

Places! You're off and

Congratulations! Today is your day. Yo u're off to Great Places! You're off and away! Congr

atulations!

Today is your day. Y ou're off

to Great

Places! You're off a

nd

away! You have brains in yo ur head. You have feet in you

r shoes.You can steer yourself any d irection you

Cong

ratula

tions! T

oday is

your da

y. You're off to Great P

laces!

You're off and away! Y

ou have brains in your head.

Congr

atulatio

ns! Today i s

Co

ngratulations! Today is your d

ay. Yo

u're off to Great Pla ces! Y

ou're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your

Congrat

ulations! Today is your day. You're o ff to Great Places! Yo

u're off and away! You

Congratulations! Today is yo

ur day. You're off to Great

Places! You're off and away! You

Congratulations! Tod ay is your day.

You're off to

Congratula

tions!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your

Congratu

lations! T

oday

is your

day. You're off to

Great

Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You

Congratulatio ns

! Toda

y is you

r day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in

Congratula

tio

ns! Today is you

r day.

You

're

off to

Grea

t Plac

es

!

can ste

er your

self an

y direc

tion yo

u cho

ose.You

're on your own. And you know

Congratu

lations!

To

day is you r d

ay. You're

off to

Grea

t Places! You're off and away! You have

choose

to go the

re.” With yo

ur head full of brains and your shoe

s full of feet, you're too smart to go

out of to

wn. O

H! THE PLA

CES YO U'LL

down any not-so-good street. And you may not find any you'll want to go d own. In that case,

GO

! y

ou'll be

on your way up! You'll be

of cou

rse,you'll

head str

aight

About some you will say, "I don't

streets. Lo

ok 'em

o

ver with c

are.

what you know. And YOU are the guy who

' ll

brains in your hea

d. You

have fe

et in y

our sh

oes.Y

ou

decid

e wher

e to go. Y

ou'll look up and d

own

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to G

reat Places! You're off and a

way! Y

ou have

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and awa

y! You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great

Places! You're

off an

d away! Y

ou ha

ve brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer y

ou

rself any directio

n you c

hoose.You're on your Congratulations! Today is your day. You're o

ff to G

reat Congrat

ulations! Toda

y is yo

ur da

y. You're o

ff to G

reat Places!

Congratulations! Toda

y is yo

ur day. You'r

e off to

Grea

t Plac

es! You

're off and

away! You have brains in your hea

d. You ha ve fe et in y

our

sh

oes.Y

ou can

steer yourself any direc tion

you cho

ose.You're

on yo

ur o

wn. And

Con

gra

tulations! T

oday

is yo

ur day. You're off to Great Places! You're off

and a

w

ay! Yo

u h ave b

rains in y

our head. You have

feet in

your s

hoe

s.You can steer yourself any direction you

Congratula

tions! Today is yo

ur day. You'r

e off

to Great Plac

es! You'r

e off and away! You have brains

in your

head

. You h

ave feet in

your shoes.You

Congratulations!

Today is

your day. You're off to Great P

laces!

You're off and aw ay

! You

have

brains

in your

head. You have feet

in you

r shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. An

d you

know what you kno

w. A

nd

Congrat

ulation

s! Tod

ay is y

our da

y. You

're off

to G

rea

t Places! Yo

u're off and away! You have brains in yo ur

head

. Yo

u

Congratulations! Today is you

r da

y. You're off

to G

reat Places! You'r

e off and away! You have bra

ins in y

our he

ad. You

Congratulations! Today is your day. Y

ou're

off to

G

reat Places! You're off and away! You ha

ve bra

ins in your head. Yo

u hav

e fe

et in your shoes.You c a

n stee

r

Congratulations! Today is your d

ay. Yo

u're off

to G

reat P

lace s! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to

Great Places! Yo u 're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.Yo

u can

steer yo

urself a

ny di

rec

tion you

Congratulations! Tod

ay is

your da

y. You're off to Grea

t Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your

hea d . You have feet in your shoes.You c an ste

er your

self an

y direc

tion you

choose.You're on your own. And

Congratulations! Today is you

r day. You're off to Great Place

s! You're

off and away! You have brains in your head. You have

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have fee

t in y

our sh oes.You can steer yourself any direction you ch oose.Y

ou're on

your ow

n. And you know

what you know. And YOU are

the guy

who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and dow n stre

ets. Lo

ok

Congratulations! To day is you

r day. You're

off to Great Places! You're

off an

d aw

ay! You have brains in your head. You have fee

t in your shoes.You can steer yourself any directio n you c

hoose.You're on your own. And you know what yo

u

C

ongratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you ch oose.You're on your own. And you k

now w

hat yo

u know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where t

o go. Y

ou'll

Congratulations! Today is

your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!

Congratulations! Tod ay is your day. You're off to

Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your h

ead. Yo

u have

feet in

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off an

d away! Y

ou have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you k

now. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have br

ains in you

r head. You ha

ve feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down

streets. L

ook

Congratu

lations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can ste

er yourse

lf any dir

ection yo

u choos

e.You're

on y

our own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your sho

es.You can ste

er yourse

lf any dire

ction you c

hoose.You're on your own. And you know what you know. An d

Cong

ratulatio

ns! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You c

an steer

yourself

any dire

ction yo

u choos

e.You're

on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You h

ave bra

ins in your

head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're

on yo

ur ow

n.

And you know what y

ou know. And Y

OU are the guy who'll

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you know. And Y

OU are the g

uy who'll d

ecide where to go. You'll look up and down stre

ets. Lo

ok 'em

over with c

are. About

some you will say, "I

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! Yo

u're off

and a

way!

You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to G

reat P

laces!

You're

off

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! Y

ou're

off and

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off a

nd away! You have

Congr

atulations! T

oday is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your sho es.You can ste

er yoursel

f any direc

tion you ch

oose.You're

on your ow

n. And you know what you know. And

Congratu

lations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have fe

et in you

r shoes

.You c

an ste

er you

rself a

ny direc

tion you c

hoose.You're on your own. And you know what you know.

Congratulations

! Today is

your day. You're

off to Great Places! Y

ou're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any directio

n you cho

ose.You're

on your

own. And

you kn

ow wh

at you

know

. And

YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up

Congratulations!

Today is your d

ay. You're off to G

reat Places! Y

ou're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head.

You hav

e feet in yo

ur shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any directio

n you ch

oose.You're o

n your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch.And your gang will fly on.You’ll be left in a Lurch.

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to G

reat Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. A

nd you know what you know. And YO

U are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over

with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there.” W

ith your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street. A

nd you may not find any you'll want to go down. In that case, of course,you'll head straight out of town. OH

! THE PLAC

ES YOU

'LL GO

! you'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high flierswho soar to high heights. You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. W

herever you fly, you'll be best of the best. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. You can get all hung

up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch. You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly

they're darkened. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! D

o you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? H

ow much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right... or right-and-three-quarters? O

r, maybe, not quite? Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind. You can get so confused that you'll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. The W

aiting Place......for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to

go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or the waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting. O

h, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. A

nd the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too. G

ames you can't win 'cause you'll play against you. A

nd when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. You'll get mixed up, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a G

reat Balancing Act. Just never foget to be dexterous and deft. And never

mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! 98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on

your way!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to

Grea

t Plac

es! Y

ou're

off

and

away

! You

hav

e

BY: JIM CORNFIELD

Photographs that feature written words prominently in

the frame—a street sign, a bit of graffiti, posters, bumper

stickers, that kind of thing—walk a fine line between art and

laziness. At times they’re wildly inventive, but often, little

more than failures of imagination, as if the photographer

couldn’t articulate his or her message without including

a built-in explanatory caption. Oddly enough, even the

least subtle of these can be effective. One classic example:

Margaret Bourke-White’s famous Depression-Era image of

a bread line, 18 hapless people shuffling towards a shelter.

Above them, across the entire upper half of the shot, looms

a depressingly cheery billboard proclaiming, “There’s no

way like the American Way…World’s Highest Standard of

Living.”

Heavy-handed irony of this sort is a popular default theme

in the words-in-pictures genre, but it’s not the only theme.

Printed language is fair game as photographic subject

matter. It is, after all, a manmade feature of our physical

landscape, as ubiquitous as strip malls, lawnmowers,

and chain link fencing. Wherever word-imbedded

imagery falls on the subtlety gradient, in the hands of the

right photographer, it can be a provocative, frequently

entertaining tool for examining our world and rousing our

senses. One such shooter is Richard Nagler, creator of a

hard-wrought and tightly crafted softcover collection, Word

on the Street, published by the cultural outreach institute,

Heyday, in Berkeley, CA.

For 30 years, Nagler has stalked the streets and alleys of

cities like San Francisco, Paris, New York, Tel Aviv and

Miami, an urban guerilla with a self-assigned quarry—

the lone human subject intersecting with a space that’s

dominated by a single written word. “The only constraint

I put on myself,” Nagler explains in the book’s afterword,

“as the observer and chronicler, is: one person, one word—

each somehow accidentally echoing, explaining or reflecting

upon the other.”

PHOTOGRAPHIC PUzzLESThe genius of Nagler’s results—almost always painstakingly

acquired after hours of waiting in one location for the right

subject to appear—is the enigmatic back-story implicit in

every image. Each is a sort of puzzle, suggests art historian

Peter Selz, all of them “non-linear [with] mysterious

narratives open to many possible interpretations.” So we

have, on one spread, a lithe, bathing-suit clad teenager,

somehow juxtaposed with the notion of “Infinity,” (are her

arms spread in frustration, or celebration?); the silhouetted

figure of a young man “bracing” police-style against a wall

with the scrawled graffito “Independence” trailing down

toward the sidewalk; a young woman’s face, half concealed

by a kerchief her forehead framed by a nun-like hoodie,

the word “TORTURE” dominating the left side of the

frame; and a leather-jacketed cyclist, adjusting his road

bike beneath the glaring “SEX” logo on the wall of what

appears to be some kind of nightclub.

OBjECTS FOUNDThe appeal of riddles like these goes beyond the sheer 53

Con

gratula

tions! T

oday

is your day. You're off to

You're o

ff and

away!

You h

ave br

ains in

your

Grea

t Place

s!

shoes.Y

ou can

steer

yourse

lf any

your ow

n. And

you k

now w

hat yo

u kno

w. And

YOU are

the guy

and d

own s

treets

. Look

'em ove

r with care. Abo

ut som

e you

will s

ay, "I

don't

choose

to go

there

.” With

your

who'll

decid

e whe

re to

go. Y

ou'll lo

ok up

direction you cho

ose.Yo

u're on

head. You have feet

in y

our

head

full of brains a

nd you

r shoes fu

ll of feet,

may not fin

d any

you'll want

to go

you're

too sm

art to g

o dow

n any

not-so

-good

stree

t. And

you

down

. In tha

t case,

of cou

rse,you

'll hea

d stra

ight o

ut of t

own.

OH! THE

PLACES

great

sights

! You

'll join t

he hig

h fliersw

ho

YOU'

LL G

O! yo

u'll be

on yo

ur wa

y up!

You'll

be se

eing

soar to

high h

eights

. You

won't

lag b

ehind

, beca

use y

ou'll

have

the

speed

. You'll p

ass the

whole gan

g and

you'll so

on tak

e the le

ad. W

herev

er you

fly, you

'll be best

of the

best.

I'm so

rry to

say so

but, sa

dly, it's

true th

at Bang-ups an

d

Hang

-ups c

an ha

ppen

to you

. You

can g

et all

hung

up in

a prick

le-ly per

ch. A

nd yo

ur gang

will fly

on. You'll

be left in

a Lurc

h.

You will co

me to a p

lace wh

ere the

lighted

. But m

ostly th

ey're d

arken

ed. A place y

ou coul

d spra

in both your elbow and chin! Do

you da

re to

stay o

ut? Do

you da

re to

streets

are no

t mark

ed. So

me win

dows are

go in?

How

much can you lose

? How

much

can yo

u win?

And

IF

you go

in, sho

uld yo

u turn l

eft or r

ight... or

right-a

nd-thr

ee-qua

rters?

Or, maybe, not quite?

find, f

or a m

ind-maker-upper to m

ake up his mind. You

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will

can

get so

confus

ed tha

t you'll

start i

n to r

ace

down l

ong w

iggled

roads at a

break-

necki

ng pa

ce and grind on for miles

cross

weirdis

h wild sp

ace, headed,

I fear,

towar

d a

people

just wa

iting. W

aiting

for a t

rain to

go or

a bus t

o come, or

a plane

to go

or th

e mail

to co

me, or

the r

ain to go or the phone to

Yes or N

o or w

aiting

for th

eir ha

ir to grow. Everyone is

just

waiting. O

h, the places you'll go! There is fun

ring, or

the snow to snow or the waiting around for

a

most

useless

place. The Waiting Place......for

ball wi

ll make

you the

winning-es

t winner of all. Fame! You'll be as

to b

e done! T

here are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things

you c

an do

with t

hat

You're o

ff and

away!

You ha

ve brains

in your he

ad. You have feet in your shoes.You can

Congratulations! Today is y

our day. You're off to Great Places!

steer your

self any direction you choose.You're on your own.

And Y

OU

are the

guy w

ho'll

what

you

know.

And you know

decide where to g

o. You'll

look up a

n d do

wn st

reets.

Look

'em

over w

ith

care. A

bout som

e

choose

to go

there

.” With

your h

ead fu

ll of bra

ins a

nd your

you will say, "I don't

shoes f

ull of feet, you're

not-so-go

od stree

t. And

you m

ay n

ot

down

any

too sm

art t

o go

find a

ny you

'll wan

t to go

down

.

In that

case, o

f course

,you'll h

ead

straight out of

town. O

H! T

H

E

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great P

laces! Y

ou're off and

aw ay! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoe

s.You c an ste

er you

rself a

ny dire

ction you

Congratulations! Today is your day. You'r e off t

o Great

Places! Y

ou're off and away! You h

ave brains in your head. You have feet in your sh

oes.You c

an steer yourself

any direction

you c

hoose

.You're o

n you

r own

. And

you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look

'em ove

r with care.

About some yo u w

ill say, "I

don't c

hoose to go there.”

With your he

ad full of brains and your shoes full

of feet, yo

u're too sm

art to go down any not-so-good street. And you may not find any you'll want to go down.

have brains in your

head. You have feet in

your sh

oes.You

GO! you'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing gre

at sight

s! You'll join the high flierswho

can ste

er you

rself an

y direction you choose

.You're on your

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great

Places

! You're

off and away! You

THE PLACES YOU'LL In that case, of cou rse,you'll head straig

ht out of town. OH!

your head full of brains

and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any own. And you know what you know

. And YO

U are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll l

ook up

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feet in

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d away! Y

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ains in you

r head. You ha

ve feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

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streets. L

ook

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lf any dire

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uy who'll d

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u're off

and a

way!

You

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reat P

laces!

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off

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ou're

off and

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nd away! You have

Congr

atulations! T

oday is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your sho es.You can ste

er yoursel

f any direc

tion you ch

oose.You're

on your ow

n. And you know what you know. And

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lations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have fe

et in you

r shoes

.You c

an ste

er you

rself a

ny direc

tion you c

hoose.You're on your own. And you know what you know.

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! Today is

your day. You're

off to Great Places! Y

ou're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any directio

n you cho

ose.You're

on your

own. And

you kn

ow wh

at you

know

. And

YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up

Congratulations!

Today is your d

ay. You're off to G

reat Places! Y

ou're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head.

You hav

e feet in yo

ur shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any directio

n you ch

oose.You're o

n your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch.And your gang will fly on.You’ll be left in a Lurch.

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to G

reat Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. A

nd you know what you know. And YO

U are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over

with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there.” W

ith your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street. A

nd you may not find any you'll want to go down. In that case, of course,you'll head straight out of town. OH

! THE PLAC

ES YOU

'LL GO

! you'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high flierswho soar to high heights. You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. W

herever you fly, you'll be best of the best. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. You can get all hung

up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch. You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly

they're darkened. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! D

o you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? H

ow much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right... or right-and-three-quarters? O

r, maybe, not quite? Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind. You can get so confused that you'll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. The W

aiting Place......for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to

go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or the waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting. O

h, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. A

nd the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. I'm afraid that some times you'll play lonely games too. G

ames you can't win 'cause you'll play against you. A

nd when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. You'll get mixed up, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a G

reat Balancing Act. Just never foget to be dexterous and deft. And never

mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! 98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on

your way!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself any direction you choose.You're on your own. And you know what you

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to

Grea

t Plac

es! Y

ou're

off

and

away

! You

hav

e

BY: JIM CORNFIELD

entertainment of guessing at their meaning. They represent a minimalist theme in street photography that’s received impressive

attention. Nagler first intended Word on the Street as a collaboration with celebrated American poet Allen Ginsburg, who

died before the book was fully underway. Ginsburg, says Nagler “got the concept right away,” and was fully committed to

participating right up until his death in 1997. His role initially would have been to supply handwritten captions for each of

the images, but, as the poet himself must have known, those would probably have been gratuitous if not irrelevant. Ginsberg

had declared Nagler’s images, on their own, a form of “visual poetics.”

“Every one of these picture poems,” Ginsberg wrote, “brings to my mind a haiku.”

Other noted poets have enthused over this collection. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote,

“Richard Nagler finds ‘Words’ in the streets like objets trouvés, giving each an

inscrutable meaning.” Controversial Ishmael Reed was both appreciative and

alliterative: “Through his ‘Word’ photographs, Nagler is watching the world carefully

and seeing what we say about the world and the world says about us, one word at a

time.”

The use of words as objets trouvés in strictly pictorial media has sound and fairly

recent artistic credentials. At last two early cubist painters at the beginning of the

20th century—Picasso and Braque—began incorporating stenciled words and text

fragments into their canvasses. Duchamps and Magritte inscribed text on a few

early, unconventional pieces. And in 1924, the American Stuart Davis painted a

near-photographically realistic study of a toothpaste logo. This one work prefigured

the Pop Art movement of the 1960s when the eclectic likes of Andy Warhol and

Roy Lichtenstein would elevate typography in consumer packaging and comic book

frames to the status of graphic icons.

During this same era, photographers were also beginning to acknowledge the value

of words as found objects. In his studies of Paris during the 1920s and 30s, Brassaï

turned his camera on the graffiti of Parisian back streets. In the USA, Walker Evans

and Berenice Abbott were copiously examining this country’s mercantile bustle,

focusing on commercial signage and advertising, from formal urban billboards and

corporate façades to hand-lettered notices in the windows of corner barbershops and

small town storefronts. The virtuoso of the photographed word, maybe for all time, is

John Gutmann, a painter who emigrated to this country during the Great Depression.

He created stacks of documentary studies of urban America out of his personal

fixation with street signs, banners, commercial and political placards, graffiti and

posters. Peter Selz does a scholarly job of limning the history of this fascinating genre

in his foreword to Word on the Street, up through and including the work of late actor

Dennis Hopper. An accomplished amateur photographer, Hopper produced a series

of portraits in the 1960s that incorporated billboards featuring messages relevant to

each of his sitters. It was specifically this series, writes Selz, that sparked Nagler’s

“one person, one word” campaign and ultimately a book whose unique aesthetic

Selz values so highly. “This body of work, “he writes, “will always stand apart for its

imaginative synthesis of word and image.” If you have any ambitions or pretensions

as a street photographer, to say nothing of the infinite patience and ironclad ego this

specialty demands, Word on the Street belongs on your street and in your library.54