Myerson Photo Blog

On the recommendation of virtually everyone I know in the photography community, I recently picked up Joe McNally’s new book “The Moment It Clicks”. This book is really something special, folks, and if you’re looking for a new book to put on your Amazon wishlist, this would be a great option.

Formatted like a coffee table book, it reads like a series of private conversations with McNally. He takes us through the processes of creating the images in the book. He gives us insight into how the shots came to be, what thought processes led to the final result, and in some cases we even get technical set up information. Technical terms are conveniently defined in footnotes, making the book very accessible to novices and pros alike.

Joe’s career has included assignment and staff jobs for Life magazine, Sports Illustrated, Time, NatGeo, and many other commercial and editorial jobs. He’s exactly the kind of photographer you’d like to be able to sit with for an hour or three, chatting about images. Fortunately, that’s precisely what he gives you - and then some - in this book.

Each photo and discussion encompasses just a two-page spread, so it’s very easy to digest bite size portions in the 10 minutes before bed or the 20 minutes before a client comes into the studio.

The best thing about the book is that it’s not all technique, nor is it all philosophy, nor all theory. It’s a little of each, with a little opinion and life lesson thrown in for good measure.

This week, we turn the “6 Questions” spotlight out West to Utah. AJ Rich (RichVintage) is a photographer with a knack for capturing slices of American life. His images are always iconic, and infused with a real sense of emotion and nostalgia. Rich was born and raised in the desert and red rocks of Utah. A mission to Denmark instilled a love of all things Danish. He has a graphic design degree from Brigham Young University and has been an award-winning designer and art-director for more than 7 years. He loves collecting vintage wood type along with electronic type.

I’ve had the pleasure of shooting with AJ throughout the southwest (well, in Utah and Texas, anyway… we’ll get him to Arizona someday).

Myerson Photo: So many of your best images have a real vintage flair. Without giving away any trade secrets, what can you tell us about your workflow that leads to this nostalgic appeal?

A.J.: Well, I enjoy taking portraits of any nature as they tell many stories. I grew up in a smaller town and have lived around rural areas and this culture is one aspect of America that is slowly dying out. I have kind of taken it upon myself to make each portrait as timeless as possible and try to capture this culture. I am not a cowboy (far from it, I have only been on a horse once) but it is a fantastic subject matter. I also lived in Texas for a while, and the people are so nice, I just fell in love with the culture. And yes, I have even thought about buying a Stetson.

I do add some of my own style to the photography after I take it, but the vintage/nostalgic effects are mostly accomplished with different lenses, lighting, and wardrobe. Lighting is the main key.

MP: I’ve noticed a lot of images of children in your portfolio. Working with children is notoriously… challenging. Do you have any tips for working with the younger set?

AJ: Yes, take some anxiety pills before the shoot. Well, if you don’t have any, try to clear your mind and plan beforehand. Some children will do well over and over for you, while others take lots of patience. My best advice would be to plan on not going according to plan. Just be spontaneous. The younger the children, the more spontaneity needed. Bring treats and fun props. Most of the time, just let them act.

MP: The people in your portfolio all show the trifecta of commercial portraiture: attractive, natural, and displaying genuine emotion. What are your secrets to finding, selecting, and directing models to get this awesome combination?

AJ: Thanks, I try my best. I have an education in graphic design/art direction to fall back on and this helps to get things right with my photography. I am always thinking, writing down ideas, looking of what has been done. My mind never stops (refer back to the anxiety medication). By the time I get to the actual taking of the photo, I have put all that thought into the photo. If it doesn’t look right, I know it right off. I am extremely picky, and only the best make it through the cut. Sometimes the emotion is happenstance, but this thinking and planning will translate into art direction—and that is where the magic happens. And sometimes you are just plain lucky. But you have to be in the right spot at the right time, and only preparation can get you there.

MP: Before you ever became an award-winning photographer, you were an award-winning graphic designer. Were there any lessons or experiences from graphic design that inform your photography?

AJ: I have been a designer for a while, and the thing I have learned is to never hold anything back. I just finished a book cover project for a first-time client, and I went a whole new direction from what they have done in the past. I was a little nervous to show the concept to them, but they loved it. It may just be one of my best pieces design-wise. First in my design career, I may have been a little timid to try something like this and I would have played it safe, and not grown, not challenged myself. The client may not like all my ideas, but they will know I am going to try that electric fence. Design has taught me to never hold anything back and that translates into my photography.

MP: How’s the graphic design going? Are you shooting full time, or do you still spend time with design?

AJ: Design is great. I work full-time mostly doing editorial design. I will never give up design at this point because I love it so much. I only spend about 15 hours a week on photography, but it is an essential outlet for me. I am in my office chair 40+ hours a week, and I need to get out and photograph! I just have that drive to take pictures. I may try to publish some of my own photography with my own design one of these days. (Come on Social Security).

MP: You’re handed a check for $100,000 and told to create your dream image set up. Spend it on models, equipment, locations, whatever. How do you spend the dough?

Oooh. Good question. I would build a time machine to travel back to the time of the French master Cartier-Bresson. I would beg him, plead—to travel with him and be his comrade in his world photographing journeys. He was a master of capturing portraits and emotion and I would love to have the opportunity to see what he saw through that viewfinder. With my extra change, I would then buy a viewcamera, and an airplane.

We’re kicking off a new series here on the MyersonPhoto blog. In the “6 Questions” interview series, you’re going to find out why I’m a photographer, and not a journalist. In my photographic and design career, I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and work alongside some fantastic photographers. In my “6 Questions” series, I’ll do my best to bring some of these people to you.

First up, out of central Pennsylvania, is Ed Hidden. Ed is a commercial photographer, a fellow image inspector with iStockphoto.com, and one half of the podcasting duo that brings “the Lightsource Podcast” to these friendly tubes known as the Internet.

MyersonPhoto: You’ve got a ton of hot-selling images in your stock photography portfolio? Which is your favorite? Why?
Ed Hidden: That would be hard to pick one. Probably my highest selling image. [shown below]

It’s hard not to love a “hard worker”. Probably the other big reason was that it was such a surprise that it would sell so well. I had actually held off on uploading this image for a while because I wasn’t sure what I thought of it. It probably taught me to trust your gut and upload images you think will do well and not debate on it too much.

MP: This year saw you set up a studio in a rental space. What can you tell us about the studio? Now that you’re a few months into that studio space, is there anything you’d have done differently?
EH: I’d be in it more often! With inspection and other responsibilities, it’s difficult scheduling time to be in it. I hope to rectify that this winter when it’s not quite as nice to be outside.

MP: You’re something of a lighting guru. Do you have any stories about a particularly challenging lighting setup, and how you tackled it?
EH: The toughest challenges for me are usually the ones where I have the least time for, or conversely, the ones that I have the most time for and over think them.

A recent successful shoot was this one. Everything seemed to gel really well. The model was fantastic and we pretty much had to remind ourselves we were working. We did a few different locations, kept the lighting very basic and got wonderful shots.

In the big shot, I wanted to keep the lighting bright and pleasing for a strong commercial look. So I took two Alien Bee AB800s and bounced them into the corner of a ceiling and let it fall around like natural light. I was pleased because it looked very natural but it was totally artificial. The green elevator shot in the comp card was done with a large modifier that allowed for an easy setup and helped give the “Mens Health” style cover shot I was going for. And the image on the left of the comp card was a quick concept. We were done with the shoot and wanted to do a shot of “calling it a day”. I took the big modifier again and positioned it to camera left for some hard light even though I was using a very large modifier (4ft octobox). I removed the light that was bouncing around the room to fill it and that brought down the lights for the “closing time” effect and positioned it just over the cubicle wall with a grid to allow it to just hit the back of his neck to give him some separation from the background. This is the biggest thing I’ve been playing with lately is separating the subject from the background to give them more importance.

MP: Your podcast remains one of the few I’ll make time for in my listening week. Aside from the big bucks and fame that podcasting brings, what spurs you two on to bring us such great content?
EH: Bill (goCrawford on istock) will physically beat me if I don’t. Don’t let that nice guy persona fool you.

Actually, it’s the joy of getting to speak with all these guys first hand and get to know them. That’s the biggest thing I value in photography, getting to know your subject. I think the podcast is an extension of that for me. Another thing, helping educate people is an excellent way to focus on techniques you might not be conscious of that you are doing. It’s a way for me to further what I know as well.I’m just glad that someone actually listens to them. [MP: Don’t let his modesty fool you. They have a huge listening audience.]

MP: The Lightsource podcast has had an impressive array of interview subjects and guests. Any memorable stories or favorite interviews?
EH: There are so many great guests we’ve had. Clay Enos will always be one of my favorites for a few reasons. He’s such an easy going guy. He called us from a tattoo magazine premiere party to give us a few minutes of his time. One time I was in NYC and sent him and email about meeting up to say hello and he was doing a shoot for Full Throttle energy drinks and invited me to the studio to hang out for the afternoon. That was a lot of fun.

Christopher Grey will be a favorite of mine for the simple fact that he wrote the book on lighting that I studied for so long. He was such a nice guy and another guest I got to meet in person.

Mark Robert Halper is another favorite. He always shares so much when he comes on and is very easy to talk to. We have a great rapport with him and know when he says he wants to be on that we are going to get lots of ideas and techniques to play with.

Surprisingly, some of the interviews that Bill and I have said, “oh, that just didn’t go very well” and thought it was out weakest shows… have been some of the more heavily praised and commented on. So. What do we know, right?

MP: We did a lighting workshop at a recent Tucson Photography meetup. Do you have any advice or resources for people who are looking to make the plunge into artificial lighting?
EH: Start with one light. Focus on what that one light can do. Learn about the quality of the light and how to make that single light soft or hard, where to place it…etc. Always watch your nose shadows, they will make or break an image. If your nose shadows crosses the cheek line, it will look odd and less attractive. Watch your eyes so you don’t get too much shadow on them.

Use a modeling light. It’s for more then to help focus by, it help close the subjects pupil as well so you can get as much color in the eye.

And lastly.. practice, practice, practice, study, study, study. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Many thanks go out to Ed, for being the first to suffer through “6 Questions”. Ed’s website can be found at http://www.edhidden.com. His iStockphoto portfolio is available here.

Philadelphia photographer Andrea Gingerich has a very cool offer going on right now. In support of Blog Action Day, she is giving away an 11×14 mounted and matted print of one of her nature photos. Andrea is a magnificent photographer, and this is a heck of a cool prize. To enter the random drawing, you need to do nothing more than sign up for her email newsletter. And, I suppose, not be totally opposed to the aims of Blog Action Day, which is to raise awareness of issues related to the environment.

Find out more about Andrea’s cool random giveaway, please check out her blog post on the topic. Read more about Blog Action Day here.