um, wow...

The Leica S2: a 35mm-sized digital SLR with medium format resolution!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/newsLetter/LeicaS2.jsp

Hurry up and Wait!

Hi everyone. Sorry for the lapse in blogs - I seem to have been caught in some time-space non continuum sustained by 3-hour naps and loads of caffeine. It's a lot of hurry up and wait around these parts - and if you're a freelance photographer or assistant, I know you know that he and she know what I mean....

Thanks to all who responded to my request for bio info on emerging photographers! Due to the overwhelming response, and starting some new work, it's taking a while to wade through my interview notes and start posting. Have no fear, I am still planning on profiling all who responded. Thanks again for your patience.

So a quick update (and more later):

It's official: I've been published for the first time in San Francisco Magazine (Oct 2008 in the Click section up front)!! I went to the Borders yesterday and saw the new issue had come out, then flipped to the Click area and found my image. I just smiled dumbly at it for a while before buying 5 copies...er and gift wrapping them. For my mom. And dad. I swear!

*****************************************************

For anyone who wants to break into editorial work and is in SoCal, check out the lecture being held at Art Center in Pasadena next week. I've posted aPhotoEditor's post today below:

"A new Post "Shooting Editorial- Art Center Lecture Next Tuesday" was written on the September 26, 2008 at 5:20 pm on "A Photo Editor".
I've been invited by Everard Williams of Art Center College of Design to join Heidi Volpe, former Art Director at the LA Times Magazine for a lecture in LA next Tuesday evening called Shooting Editorial.

We're going to talk about shooting for magazines and spend the first part discussing what goes on inside a magazine, how stories are assigned, the dynamics between the different departments and in particular how Art Directors and Photo Editors work together...
including the ways in which I try and trick AD's into picking my photographer or my opener choice.

For the second part of the lecture we're going to talk about a photographers style and how we use it to make assignments and really try and show as many examples of portfolio images that convinced us to hire a photographer and then the published results from the assignment.
The event is free and open to the public and should be informative but also entertaining since Heidi and I aren't afraid to give each other a little shit. We will also try and tackle a few topics that have been in the news lately.
Shooting Editorial- Tuesday, September 30, 7:30pm-9:00pm in the Ahmanson Theater on Art Centers North campus. The address is 1700 Lida St. Pasadena, CA 91103.
http://aphotoeditor.com/2008/09/26/shooting-editorial-art-center-lecture-next-tuesday/

"

Getting Published (almost) and the 3 Ps

(click on thumbnails for to view images larger)

I recently read a post on www.naopa.org about a new magazine focusing on "refined living in the Peninsula" area of SF (or the area better known as "what's between SF and San Jose"). I was leery of the post since it mentioned "work for hire" as one of the stipulations for being the staff photographer. I was curious about the job and trying to break into editorial work, so forwarded a link to my portfolio.

About a day later, I got both an email and a phone call from the publisher. He gave me a very brief rundown on what he needed: shots for advertising and articles of local high-end eateries and bars, resorts, hotels and portraits of bartenders and people in the business or basically, a little bit of everything. We made an appointment to meet the next day for dinner. I met the publisher at a restaurant in my 'hood to investigate.

It turns out he's been in the promotion/publishing business for over 20 years with several other custom publications under his belt. Originally from San Francisco, he moved to the Peninsula several years ago after his kids grew up. While living there, he realized the need for a publication geared toward fine dining and nightlife. In SF, the equivalent would be something akin to San Francisco or 7x7, but focusing on the "Eat & Drink" and "Shop"aspects of those magazines.

After a lot of blood, sweat and tears, we're going to press with the second issue of the magazine. Check out the articles I shot on my website at
http://www.catherinenguyen.com/ in the Editorial section!
(If you happen to live in the Peninsula and would like to receive a free copy of the magazine when it comes out, please drop in at our under construction website, www.hillsandlagoons.com.) Re: the "work for hire" terms of our agreement, the publisher said, "while the pay for editorial shooting isn't high," he can offer exposure. The magazine retains the images shot for them in the archive for future publishing (with photo credit), but I am able to retain the copyright and resell my images after first publication. In addition, I am gaining contacts who may develop into future clients. Not a bad deal.

The blood and sweat has also paid off in an unexpected way: I've been named the magazine's new Creative Director.

The moral of the story is (does there always have to be a moral?) investigate; keep an open mind. You never know what opportunities may arise. It's hard to get a break and if some one's interested in your work and they can offer you one of the 3 P's (as Will Mosgrove, one of my photo instructors liked to say): Profit, Promotion or Portfolio it very well may be worth your while. In this case, as I've built my relationship with the publisher early on, I have creative freedom during my shoots. Of course, I always keep in mind who I am shooting for, but I have had carte blanche. The resulting images I've shot will definitely help with 2 of the 3 P's which I hope will lead to the third P in the near future.

National Geographic World in Focus Contest

From Natinal Geographic:

Final deadline Sept 8th
The deadline is drawing near and we don't want you to miss the chance to enter. The AMATEUR GRAND PRIZE is a 15-day trip for two to Antarctica aboard the National Geographic Endeavour. The PROFFESSIONAL GRAND PRIZE is free tuition for a 6-day professional photography workshop for one in Santa Fe, New Mexico and one Nikon D-80 Digital SLR (body only) or equivalent. The PROFFESSIONAL GRAND PRIZE also inclues: one Expedition Carbon Fiber Tripod NGET2, one Expedition Hydrostatic Head NGEH1, a PDN PhotoServe porfolio and a $500 B&H Gift Card.
Here are some of the World in Focus contest recent amateur and professional entries:http://www.worldinfocuscontest.com/amentries.shtmlhttp://www.worldinfocuscontest.com/proentries.shtml
Take advantage of this opportunity before the Sept 8th deadline!$12 per entry for amateurs$35 per entry for professionalsExtended deadline fees: $22 per entry for amateurs$45 per entry for professionals.
For more info and to enter online www.worldinfocuscontest.com

Victor 2, 2008 (Hasselblad Magazine)

A new issue of the magazine Victor by Hasselblad is out but if you're not a subscriber you can register for free and read archived issues at http://online.victorbyhasselblad.com/en/magazine-/22008.aspx .

Also of interest - the last page of the online magazine (page 72) shows that they are calling for submissions: "Send us five images that show us who you are. Inspire us and we'll offer you a unique platform to reach out to the world." http://www.victorbyhasselblad.com/en/portfolioverifyemail.aspx

Page 54 has an interesting interview with Christian Norgard, Hasselblad's new Photographer Relations Manager who is in part responsible for Hasselblad's "Masters" Contest. The contest now accepts all medium and large format images for submission - to truly determine the "Master" (rather than only accepting submissions shot on Hasselblad equipment). www.hasselblad.com/masters for the Master 2009 Awards contest (deadline December 31, 2008).

The Masters 2008 book includes a category for "Upcoming" awarded to August Bradley http://www.hasselblad.com/masters-2008/upcoming----august-bradley-.aspx (http://www.augustbradley.com/) . He has only been shooting since 2004 when he left a corporate job to become a photographer. This is of particular interest to me since I left the corporate world the same year to start studies in photography here in SF. I am going to see if I can't wrangle an interview with him for an upcoming post! Check out his images. He has definitely defined a "look" for himself - very illustrative photos that walk a fine line between photography and illustration. It's sort of like looking through a 3D graphic novel. Punchy colors, futuristic/bizarre locations with perfect/beautiful people. Definitely worth a look-see.

The Contract Rollercoaster: Not for the Faint of Heart

So let's say you're an emerging photographer. For argument's sake, let's also say you have been following the career of Jerry Rice (SF 49ers) since you were a kid. Imagine you get a mysterious message on your voice mail from a magazine you've never heard of (and thus have never marketed your services to) about the opportunity to shoot the cover story featuring, you guessed it, Jerry Rice. Uh, holy crap?

This is exactly what happened to Bay Area photographer, Sonya Yruel about two weeks ago. She had been left a voice mail from someone at The Green magazine (and no, it's not about being eco-conscious - it's about, well golf and "the green" you play on) originally asking if she'd be interested in shooting an event for the magazine. As an event photographer in the area she called to investigate. Imagine her surprise when she was asked, "Do you know Jerry Rice? Well we need you to shoot him for a cover story." "Know Jerry Rice!?" she excitedly told me, "I watched him play football with Joe Montana during the 49ers' golden years!!" So whether or not she wanted to shoot Jerry Rice was a no brainer. Then her conversation with the editor got a little strange, "Are you a student?" he asked. "No, I'm a professional photographer," she replied. Which led her to also ask, "How did you hear about me/my work?" The editor didn't seem to know other than to respond, "Oh, our intern found you. What's your website?"

Hmm. Something smells fishy. You are supposedly a major magazine, and you want a pro photographer to shoot a major sports star the coming week, but you haven't looked at the photographer's website yet?

Nonetheless, it sounded like an exciting opportunity. Sonya would be scheduled to shoot Jerry on "the green" in San Ramon with the CEO of the magazine the upcoming week. In addition, she'd be getting the feature story which would be up to 11 pages. Wow! A cover feature story with Jerry Rice!!! (Ok, so I have to confess I personally had no idea who Jerry Rice is, but I get it. If someone called me up and asked if I'd like to shoot a cover story on Bono, I'd probably pass out from the excitement.) Additionally, the magazine wanted her to cover the event with Jerry Rice after the shoot. Two gigs for the price of one phone call. I had spoken to Sonya the previous week about interviewing her on a recent gig she scored with Heeb magazine (but we'll save that for another post) but this opportunity - wow, the excitement was catching.

The highest of highs. So high you can almost touch it. This is where the saying, "the higher they are, the harder the fall" (words to that effect) comes in handy. I got off the phone with Sonya, excited for her and crossing my fingers that all would work out. She was slated to speak with the magazine again the following day once their contracts division sent over the paperwork. She had been asked to send over a production estimate for the shoot. She quickly pulled together how much an assistant, lighting, insurance and gear would run and sent it back to the magazine.

I got what sounded like a disappointed voice message the next day saying, "Call me back if you want to hear about the saga with the magazine." As it turns out, while the magazine didn't balk at the expense estimate (around $700) they were asking Sonya to be a "Contributor" to the magazine. As a new photographer, Sonya wasn't sure what the standard "Contributor" is asked to provide. Apparently, the magazine had sent her a contract approving the expenses for the cover shoot but also putting in that the magazine would own copyright of all the images from the shoot. They were willing to pay her a fee for the event photography and cover expenses, but wanted her to literally "contribute" her photos for the cover shoot of Jerry. Flummoxed, she called the magazine back and asked to speak to someone about her contract. She was passed around a bit since their Contracts negotiator was out of town until the next week, but eventually spoke to someone who assured her that while they understood her situation (that she couldn't approve handing over copyright of her images without a creative fee), "all of the photographers we've worked with have been ok with this agreement."

Crash landing.

I'm sorry. What? You'd like me to produce and shoot a cover story for you and not pay me at all? And I'm supposed to be happy about this? When I spoke to Sonya, she said she'd thought hard about it: the promotion she'd get from having shot Jerry Rice would be really great and the experience would probably be pretty exhilarating, but she couldn't dismiss the voices in her head that told her, "You can't sell yourself or the industry short." After reviewing the contract, she had told the magazine her terms: Either they would have to let her keep the copyright OR they would have to pay a creative fee to keep the images. The creative fee she quoted them to sell her images was more than reasonable.

For any of you who have ever taken a class or spoken to a professional about work for hire or copyright issues, you know that everybody, and I mean every body advises AGAINST it. As a photographer, all you have is the right to your images. I have heard of rare situations (usually in advertising) where photographers have opted to give up the rights to their images - but they are bought out. For a lot of money.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised: everyone wants whatever they can get away with or as much as they can get for as little as they can get it for. But this is supposed to be a legitimate magazine. They are not a startup. They were willing to pay for equipment and event photography - but not the cover shoot. I get that Jerry Rice is famous. I get that it would be a boon to one's career to have him in your portfolio. But even Jerry Rice had to start somewhere and I'm sure he was paid.

Kudos to Sonya for being the consummate professional in a really difficult position. I'm sure it was tempting to want to do the shoot of someone she's idolized even for free. But at the end of the day, she stuck to her guns. And we should all applaud her. After all, if she had accepted this shoot for free, would they continue to expect her to shoot for free in perpetuity? And what kind of a precedent would this have set for the rest of us trying to get paid for our work?

Shame on The Green for trying to exploit young photographers. How do you get away with this? Does anyone expect you to work for free?

I am currently shooting for a startup magazine - and while I don't get paid a lot - I am still getting paid. AND I get to keep the copyright to my images. It's the honorable/right way to do business.

So to wrap it up, in a 24-hour period, you can experience the highest highs and the lowest lows. All for love of the job.

Check out Sonya's work at sonyafoto.com . Sonya is an emerging photographer in the Bay Area. She has been shooting events for the past four years and is currently building her editorial portfolio. A new project she shot for Heeb is due out soon (look for more on that in an upcoming post!)
http://www.sonyafoto.com

Check out PDNedu's blog

As this blog is new, a lot of my time is spent doing research. Poking around revealed a nice blog being compiled by PDNedu - they are calling themselves: "The blogspot for emerging photographers and photo educators." I've added a link to their blog on my site.

From what I can tell, there may be some cross over: they have information on contests and are looking to expand content on equipment/gadgets. I notice that a lot of their information is NYC-centric. That's ok - I hope people from NYC are reading this blog!

There is an upcoming portfolio review: En Foco's event at Calumet Photographic located at 22 West 22nd St., New York, NY on Saturday, September 13, 2008 for those who are interested. There is a $100 registration fee (non-members $145).

Also of note, they are looking for interns for their blog this fall. If you're in NYC and still in school, it might be an interesting opportunity for you.

And of particular note is their post on a new online gallery where you an sell your work (below is their original post so you don't have to cruise around the internet too much):

http://pdnedu.blogs.com/pdnedu/2008/08/sell-yourselfth.html

Sell Yourself--The Moral and Ethical Way
Have you ever thought about showing your artwork at a gallery, hoping that one of your original pieces would sell? I know I certainly have—countless times! Well let it be known that on July 24th, On Campus Creations, an internet-based company, officially launched their website, http://pdnedu.blogs.com/pdnedu/www.oncampuscreations.com. This online gallery or "e-gallery," allows student artists to post their work for sale. The site, as described in the company’s press release, "offers an innovative, user-friendly way for art enthusiasts, collectors, alumni and designers to discover and purchase original works of art online." On Campus Creations promotes the advancement of art and art education by allowing student artists to post their work, name their own asking price and receive an offer from potential buyers. Joe Wiesner, founder and president of On Campus Creations, states, "It is our goal to establish a robust link between the artists, school alumni, gallery owners, art collectors and enthusiasts, friends of the artists and their schools. We believe that OnCampusCreations.com is the tool to do this." The company donates 27 percent of its commission to the artist's school in support of its art program and does not charge students a shipping or packaging fee.Penn State University art student, Anna Handy sold off two of her paintings with a $1,300 to $1,700 price range. Anna received an offer for her full asking price and as a result, On Campus Creations donated $325 to Penn State University for her sale. Handy sold five 4 by 6-foot oil paintings. When interviewed for the press release, Anna stated, "My pieces are very large. I thought this would be a deterrent to selling them. But it wasn't."
If you're interested in selling your artwork, log on to http://pdnedu.blogs.com/pdnedu/www.oncampuscreations.com for more details and information. Good luck!

You might be interested: Photo Contests with upcoming deadlines

(all information below is from the publisher websites)

Contest: Editor and Publisher Nielsen Contest
Deadline: September 15, 2008

http://www.editorandpublisher.nielsencontests.com/

Submit your best photos published in your paper or on your Web site since Oct. 1, 2007, and you could be featured in our November issue and online gallery. (Photos selected as E&P's Photo of the Week or Photo of the Month between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 11, 2008, are automatically entered.)

Enter now for a chance to win the grand prize of $1,000 and a professional digital camera!

Categories
News (Spot/General)
Features
Sports
Multiple Images/Photo Essay
(Entries are broken down into 4 circulation groups. See categories detail at entry Web site.)

*******************************************************
Contest: Image International 2008 (Photo Life)
Deadline: September 30, 2008

http://www.photolife.com/imageInternational.php

Photo Life invites photographers worldwide to participate in its annual photo contest, Image International, by submitting their best shots in the following categories:

PEOPLE
Who they are
What they do
How they do it

NATURE
Landscape, urban or natural
Wildlife, domestic or feral
Environment, old or new

TRAVEL
Here, at home
There, beyond
Everywhere, without borders

You could win some of today's hottest photo equipment and a VIA Rail travel credit! Plus, you could see your image(s) published in Canada's #1 photo magazine.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
By mail: You can participate either by regular mail using the Official Participation Form found within the pages of Photo Life magazine or by downloading, printing, and using a PDF file of the Official Participation Form provided here.
On-line: You can also participate using the on-line facility (high-speed Internet connection highly recommended), for more information, click here.

Shooting from the Hip: Guerrilla Photo Training

I've always had a fondness and respect for wedding photography. Where else can you see all of the perfect and not so perfect moments when doe-eyed young couples cement their union forever, well forever? Although I enjoy seeing these little moments captured perfectly, I've generally felt that shooting weddings is like having children: it's better when someone else does it and you get to appreciate it all from afar.

That said, being a recent graduate from photography school, if an opportunity comes my way where I actually get to shoot and pay some bills, I am most definitely excited. I have had the good fortune of being referred through a friend to an established wedding photographer as an assistant/third shooter. Yes. I said third. At first I thought, even for Celine Dion, isn't three a bit excessive for a wedding? That is, until I actually helped shoot the first gig about a month ago. Unless your photographer has the fantastic ability to travel at the speed of light, I'm not sure how wedding photographers do it. By it, I mean, how are they everywhere at once? How can you focus on the bride and groom while still capturing the candid moments of your guests? How do you do this when the bride and groom are supposed to be shot at one location across town from where cocktails are beginning simultaneously for the guests? And voila. Second and third shooters. It's brilliant. I don't know how people did it before. My many hats off (and I have quite a collection) to wedding photographers the world over.

Aside from logistics, the wedding market is changing. All of the weddings I'd been to from the 90s until recently have been covered by generally, one photographer and his or her assistant. In the past year or so, I've noticed that many photographers are offering second shooters as part of their wedding packages. On the one hand, you wonder how if you're going through all of the trouble to select one photographer based on his/her style, you can then just trust the person they select to be a second shooter. Can you really trust a person you probably have never met with your big day? The day? Once I started shooting these weddings, I realized, you have to trust your photographer. The lead photographer has a vision and will most likely take charge of how the images (portraits of the couple and bridal party being shot by the lead photographer) taken by his or her team should be shot. A creative directive, if you will.

Let me reiterate, I never, ever thought wedding photography was easy, but I had no idea how really difficult it is/can be until more recently. I came home after my first shoot dead on my feet. Or more accurately on my bum in the car. During the wedding, I felt fine. On the 45 minute drive home, the wear and tear of the shoot set in and by the time I pulled into my garage, I could barely open the door. I just sat there for a bit wondering, "how do they do it??" As in, how do you do it three days a week every week during high season? Aside from the physical exhaustion, it's the constant light and color temperature changes. And if you're lucky, you get to do it at not just 2 but 3-4 locations throughout the day of the shoot. You start in the home or hotel room....hotel lobby, ceremony, reception, indoor, outdoor, daytime, evening, tungsten, mixed....pft. It's mentally exhausting as well.

In theory, I understood what it took to shoot a wedding. I thought it had something to do with the sentimentality of wanting to capture "special" "romantic" moments. And I am not saying these words with irony. But I realized it takes so much more to stay in the business and not only be competent, but do it really well. How do you continue to shoot and keep it fresh? But that's another post completely. What I wanted to say is that if you have the opportunity to assist at weddings; especially if you have the opportunity to shoot weddings as an emerging photographer: take it. It is guerrilla photo training. You have to be quick and you have to be really good at thinking on your feet/shooting from the hip. If you can handle shooting weddings and do it well, moving into shoots where you can better control the circumstances is a breath of fresh air. Then again, maybe part of being a wedding photographer is taking joy in the unexpected. Maybe, after you've done it long enough, walking in and out of different uncontrollable situations becomes as second nature as focusing a lens. You just become a well-oiled machine.

Welcome to UpStartUp

I've been thinking about starting a blog for some time. So here it is. Welcome.

What is it about? I've been thinking about the trials and tribu/trivializations of an emerging photographer. It's difficult to navigate the journey from student or amateur to professional. As it stands, I'm still on that journey. Technically, I've graduated to "professional" photographer since my full time job is now devoted to making images. Whether or not I actually spend all of my time taking pictures is another story entirely - one that I'm sure others of you are living as well.

There is a serious divide between what you learn in school, what you know you should be doing, and what actually happens once you decide to become a photographer. How do you balance looking for work with paying the bills? How do you decide what equipment to invest in now vs. what you should lease until you can better afford your own rent? Which jobs should you take and which ones are quicksand for your time, energy and effort? I don't claim to know all of the answers, but I'd like to let you know how my decisions in these areas are panning out. More importantly, I'd love to hear how others in the same position make the leap from photographer in name only to your name on the photographs.