my skill sets

(a partial list)

• solving problems
  
• listening
  
• hearing
  
• solving complicated problems
  
• deciphering what is visually most important
  
• solving really hairy problems with less money
  
• calming the clients nerves
  
• genuine enthusiasm
  
• being on the same page with the creatives
  
• collaborating w/o an inflated ego
  
• mixing business with pleasure (because why else would we be in this business ??)
  

oh ya, and making photographs

different strokes

I don’t care that everybody that looks at my book (web site) picks a different shot as their favorite. I am just glad that people that view my work, DO have a favorite.

the party joke (part 1 & 2)

“What do you do?”
“I am a photographer.”

“Oh, what kind of photographer”
“Good!”

[crickets]

“What do you shoot?”
“I shoot people.”

SAWville is 12

My design firm SAWville is celebrating our 12th year in business. woo hoo!

goals

Well, one of them is to make pictures that do not look like stock. Done.

My other goal (that I have have been using for over a decade) is to always take the photograph that is different (Re: better) than the other photographer in the same situation would take. This has been one of the best methodologies in my career.

I guarantee you that when I am on set, I see unique nuances and photograph them to our mutual advantage.

the future

It is hard to think where my (our) industry will be in 5 years. It is easier to reminisce about where our industry was 5 years ago. Alright, enough sniffling.

pixel farm

I counted 52 harddrives under my work stations the other day. It is like we are raising drives round here.

baby sitting

I have talked before about how much we’ve used out archival inkjet printers. Just one of them printed over 14 miles! Well here is a little behind the scenes of a stubborn nozzle clog.

Oddly enough the pattern (after 90 minutes !) looked kinda cool. see:

gear head

An art producer / photogarpher asked me the other day what I shoot with. In all honesty I have shot with it all. Hasselblad, Leaf, Phase, Canon, Nikon. I pick the camera system that best suites the project. Not only that, I pick the digital back that best suite they type of lighting I am creating (for example shooting night lit interior lifestyle vs. shooting high key day lit interior lifestyle.)

I learned this approach from my background working on movie sets. You select your lens, camera, rig, lighting base on the look you want to achieve and the shot you want to make.

The other thing that sometimes surprises people it that I will have more than one camera up and running on my still shoots manned with an operator. For example this was the perfect setup when I shot on a roller coaster. I also used this approach shooting on location at a busy hair salon. And it even works well for capturing video on our still shoot. Yep, I do that too.