Category Archives: In Their Own Words

Sharing the thoughts and inspirations from the photographer regarding a specific image or project

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Hunter Freeman makes complicated seem effortless. Here are 4 tips for a successful photo shoot.

© Hunter Freeman - http://www.hunterfreeman.com

I have been representing Hunter Freeman for almost 15 years now and I am still constantly learning from him. He has a professionalism and approach to business and life that I model as best that I can in my own business and life.  He is respectful, thoughtful and truly a genuine person.  He makes everything he does seem effortless.  And, for those of us who strive for this, we know how hard effortless can be.  It is no wonder then that the photo shoots he orchestrates are well oiled machines where the clients walk away happy.

Hunter recently produced and shot a complicated campaign for Executive Creative Director Sunny Teo and Senior Designer Gigi Lam of  DAE and Wells Fargo.  It was complicated because not only was there a variety of talent and ethnically specific wardrobe to manage but there were multiple locations and many shots in one day.

The first scenario was a series  in a Chinese “Saturday school” classroom, which included multiple repositioning and relighting options.   Following that scenario, in a different area of the location, was a scene shot in an Indian Kathak dance studio, which had a group of Kathak dancers in the background.

The day had a schedule and Hunter depended on the crew to help make it run smoothly.   As a team they  had to load in gear, props and wardrobe, light and prop the sets, direct talent into wardrobe and makeup, postion them on the set, shoot them (minor detail, right?), and then wrap out of the location within the scheduled ten hours.

When it went off without a hitch, I asked him to share with me what made it work.  Of course the list is straight forward and all about common sense.  But then again, so is Hunter.

Here is what he had to say about his experience:

1)  It was very organized. My producer, Sue Pinkerton, put in more than enough time on the front end (as did the prop stylist and location scout), and it paid off when I shot.  The timing during the whole day, the arrival/departure of talent, prep areas, lunch break area, really everything, had been considered and squared away ahead of time.  There was no room for error and every scenario and every need was well thought out.

2)  We were flexible.  When the client had specific needs that changed, we were able to move quickly to adapt our talent, props, wardrobe, etc., to those needs.  On any shoot, anything can change, and the fact that everyone was aware that things could change, and was prepared to handle it, proved invaluable.  No time wasted scrambling for an unexpected change of wardrobe, or an added prop.

3)  The whole crew was thoroughly professional. I am so grateful to work with people who are so patient and SMART. I try to always hire people who are smarter than I am, and they’re intelligent enough to think, plan, and act in advance of the day’s events.   No egos, no problems.

4)  We didn’t lose the forest for the trees. Focused:  Everyone was keeping an eye on all parts of the shoot, so that no details went wrong or, worse missing.  The stylists were extremely organized and laid out everything we would need.  The hair and makeup stylists more than kept up with the shoot, and were there on set when needed.   Photo assistants  were always right there to move a light, change a flag, raise/lower the tripod – you name it, they did it.

“The bottom line is that everyone acted as part of the team – always keeping an eye on the goal.  I know that the ideas are obvious but I remind myself all the time that it is the obvious details that can make or break a shoot.  If I get the easy ones right there is plenty of time to spend on the more complicated ones.”  – Hunter Freeman

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In his own words, Kevin Twomey wonders about full body scanners, firewalls and bomb detectors.

© Kevin Twomey - http://www.kevintwomey.com

I sympathize with photographers when they say they never feel like they have enough time to shoot for themselves.  There are always tests to plan, website updates to make, direct mail cards to print and calls to place.  Knowing that,  I am always extra impressed when a photographer shares with me something unexpected for them.  It tells me they pushed aside their to do lists and found the time to shoot something just for themselves.  Often times, that is worth so much more than another item crossed off of the list.  Here is a recent share from Kevin Twomey when he spent the day in the Marin Headlands.

“Just on the the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, opposite San Francisco, lay the Marin Headlands.  It is a place where you can get to an elevation above the bridge towers to take in the beautiful panoramic views of San Francisco Bay.
Blended into the scenery, bunkers and batteries dot the landscape, revealing its military history of protecting the Pacific coast from attack.

While photographing one of the batteries recently, I could not help but think about the words “Homeland Security” and how, 70 years ago, it was represented by these massive concrete structures that housed guns that fired 25 miles out into the Pacific Ocean.  A far cry from today’s full-body scanners, firewalls and bomb detectors.”

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Meanwhile, upon returning from Tralfamadore…

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Hunter Freeman has been photographing astronauts in unexpected locations for years now.  Recently, he resurrected the project and added to the series.  Well, thanks to the web, they are showing up on so many unique sites.  It is fun to be recognized in worlds other than advertising.

Here is what Hunter had to say about it.

“Go figure, right?  There’s been a blast of interest in the Astronaut series, and I’ve received emails from such otherworldly places as Indiana and Connecticut, as well as the more down-to-earth locales of Sweden, France, Germany and Brazil.  Right now, I’ve launched replies to re-posting requests to a half dozen sites, and, just this morning, crossed orbits with a lady from the Channel in Canada, who was interested in using the images on one of their shows, as well as on their website.  I have to say that I really never thought about how many people might have the same humorous inclinations about these shots.  They make me laugh, but then I’m easily amused.  And now I’ve connected with them, which has been a boatload of fun.  (Am I allowed to have this much fun?)

So, now I know…They are out there…waiting for the astronauts.  They could be someone you know…Maybe even your next door neighbor.  I’ll warn you now:  Watch the skies!  Ok, well, maybe watch your mini-mart, or the gas station.  Skies are nice, too, though.

Live long and prosper.”

Here are some recent links:  Universe Today, ZME Science, Unstage, Piccsy, Portal to the Universe, Wine and Bowties, and The Fox is Black to name a few.

To see the complete series, please link to Hunter’s website. And, if you would like to feature his images on your own site, please email us.

And, for those of you who do not know what Tralfamadore is, link here.

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Life Support Japan -a cause that has tremendous meaning for Kevin Twomey.

Kevin Twomey recently went to Japan to visit his in-laws.  He returned with a varied collection of striking new work that was very different than what I was used to seeing him shoot.  I thought the images were incredible and wondered about the story behind them.  I asked Kevin to write a blog entry about it.  He did and it was ready to go when the earthquake and tsunami hit on March 11.

He immediately asked to re-write his original post.  Here is what he had to say.

“My love for Japan started 16 years ago when I was visiting my college roommate’s family in Tokyo.

I remember that my first impression of Tokyo was overwhelming.  The language, the constant flow of people, the new smells, the neon lights.  It was all very unfamiliar to me.  I would wander around the city with no apparent plan while I tried to make sense of it all.  Invariably I would find myself drawn to the trains.  They felt familiar.

Japan is a train-spotter’s paradise. The Japanese take great pride in these bullets  of efficiency, and with good reason: they run fast,  surprisingly smooth and on-time.  I grew up riding regular trains and knew that even though these Bullet trains were technologically superior and more sophisticated, they had the same power and determination of the trains I grew up riding.

With my map in hand and a confused look on my face, I hopped on and let the train decide where we were to explore next.  I was immediately comforted  by how determined the train was as it snaked from one stop to the next, never deterring from its plan; much like the commuters who shared the train with me.

There is a word in Japanese, “Shoganai” which in its simplest translation means “such is life.” I find that it goes deeper in the Japanese culture and that the people embrace this word wholeheartedly.  I started to understand this while riding on that train.  As I looked around at everyone packed in like sardines I compared it to my experience on the NYC subways.  Yet here, there were no complaints, no fighting for personal space.  There was an acceptance of the situation.

As we traveled further away from the city, all of a sudden I wasn’t overwhelmed by the strangeness of the land.  From inside the train I began to appreciate the varied landscapes of the country and notice the kindness on the faces of the people.  I wanted to know more about this magical place.

And so began my love affair with Japan.

I have been back many times and each time my experiences are varied and each time I learn so much more.  I am fortunate to have married a woman whose family still lives in Japan so now when I go back to visit I get a stronger sense of the culture.  They have shared with me their deep sense of tradition and for that I am so grateful.

On my most recent trip this past February, with my camera in hand, I found myself once again drawn to the trains.  I stood at a railroad crossing and waited for the express train that runs between Tokyo and Narita airport to feel the excitement of the trains as they passed.   I watched the flow of people in the stations as they moved on to their next destination and was drawn to the swiftness of how they went about their business.   Eventually, I of course hopped aboard.

I was enamored with the energy of the day and took photos from the platform, the side of the tracks and inside the speeding train.   I captured those elusive elements that turn an ordinary commute into something dynamic;  the  passing landscape, reflections moving across windows and the kinetic energy  of the oncoming train on an adjacent track.

How could I have known that in just a few short weeks the lives of those travelers would be forever changed by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami?  How could I have known that the places I visited would be completely devastated?  What I saw on the news conflicted with the memories of our trip that were still fresh in our minds. I felt helpless.

I immediately wanted to reach out and repay some of the kindness that the people of Japan showed to me.  A friend let me know about Life Support Japan and I knew this was a very relevant and immediate way that I could help.  It was obvious to me which images I would donate.

I am grateful that my wife’s family has survived and that we are able to communicate with them.  I am heartbroken by the stories we hear from them and the ones we see on the news.  I wonder what is next for the people of Japan.

I find comfort in knowing that just as the trains were determined and steadfast in their purpose, so are the Japanese people.  I am confident that the energy I felt when I photographed them will never leave and the people of Japan will survive.  I am looking forward to a time when I can return and witness this for myself.

Please do link to Life Support Japan and find a meaningful photograph to purchase (or even donate).  Your generosity will go a long way to supporting a country very much in need of our help.”

 

 

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Giving Back. How a few beers, some good friends and a handful of blues legends made a difference.

Andy Anderson has a deep connection to the south, its people and its music.  He can never remember a time when the music of his childhood did not influence him.  When I asked him to write about it and let us know how deep the the connection went, here is what he had to say.

“I grew up in the south during the 60s and 70s when funk music and the blues were all you listened to.   I loved the honesty of it and how its roots were from gospel music.One of my fondest memories was when I was in Moon Lake, Mississippi.  I was on a shoot in the middle of a cotton field.  I heard music coming from a very small church and was drawn to it.  I walked in and sat down in the very back.  The church was packed.  Picture this:  No instruments.    Men sitting on one side and woman on the other side. One side would sing and the other would sing a response.

I was transported.  From that day on, the music never left me. I was inspired back then by the great blues legends and knew that  I would always find a way to celebrate not only the music but the musicians as well.

Well, I got my first opportunity to do so when I was a staff photographer for Men’s Journal. I pitched and was assigned a story about Clarksdale, Mississippi where I spent 3 weeks traveling around the area photographing the people and places of this wonderful place.

One of the most memorable places I shot was at Junior Kimbrough’s place called “Juniors.”  The particular Sunday night I was there was called,   “White folks night.  ” I’m not joking!!!  It was a blast and added to my love and appreciation for the music.  It was on this shoot that I was able to make long lasting connections to some of incredible blues legends such as Junior Kimbrough, RL Burnside, and T-Model Ford to name a few.

Fast forward to 2007 and I was back home in Idaho having just returned from shooting some personal work in the Vicksburg, Mississippi area where I was once again inspired by the music and the people.   I was with some buddies drinking beer and we started to talk about my trip.  Many beers later we hatched the idea of putting on a Blues festival in our small town of Mountain Home, Idaho.

Anybody that knows me, understands once I have made my mind up well its……….on.

We named the festival The Great Basin Blues Festival. The purpose of our festival was to showcase north Missippi blues music at a local venue and HAVE FUN.  More importantly though, we decided that the proceeds of the festival would go to providing art scholarships to local high school kids.

So we went to work. We formed a non-profit group. We made calls.  We called in favors.   I called Robert Belfour, Cedric Burnside(grandson of RL Burnside), T-Model Ford, Malcolm Lightning, and Cadillac John and invited them to play.  They were in!

We now needed posters to promote our event.  I called on some my friends that I have know for years at The Richards Group.  Jimmy Bonner, Kellyn McGarity and Rob Baker came to the rescue and produced some amazing posters for us.  They were so powerful that they  were short listed at Cannes in 2010.

Well  you can see where is going. This year is our 4th year and it has been an amazing success.   The community totally supports our event. Even The Idaho Statesman named our festival “THE BEST NEW FESTIVAL of 2007”

We have sent 7 talented artists to school with art scholarships and this week we will announce 2011 recipients of theGBBF  scholarship awards.

I just LOVE this kind of stuff.

It is incredible to think back and realize that our shared passion for the people and music blossomed into something we never would have expected.  Just a couple of guys having beers and talking blues.

I am proud in my involvement in this venture and I hope to inspire photographers to get involved in their communities or causes. We all know we are blessed to be able to how what we are passionate about, so now let’s spread the wealth.  Giving back will enrich your life and most importantly it will enrich someone else’s even more . Whether it be bike races, fun runs, food drives, poetry reading, etc it doesn’t matter.

Just do SOMETHING.”

 

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Jim Smithson was obsessed with the weather and Amtrak benefited. See how it turned out.

Jim Smithson has been fortunate enough to work with Arnold Worldwide and Amtrak on some wonderful projects.  As you can see from his post, shooting for Amtrak is so much more than taking beautiful photographs.  Here is what Jim had to say about it.

“Nature can prove to be a formidable foe, especially when you’re taking a picture. But how about before you take a picture?” Check out what had to happen before we even took out our cameras…..

This was the second of three campaigns we shot for Amtrak and Arnold Worldwide.  We had to capture 5 unique snow covered landscape images throughout Amtrak’s North East Regional line, and forces of nature took us to task in a variety of ways.  Due to strict federal safety rules and the inherent danger of working around 150 mph projectiles, our entire crew had to fulfill safety training before we could set foot on the rails.
Because we had no idea when the snow would fly, this meant having to train 2 teams of crew in the event a crew member got booked on another gig.  Once trained, everyone was on standby ready to fly at a moments notice, and I became a Weather Channel Junkie.
Our first glimmer of hope came in late December 2009. A cold arctic flow was traveling down from Canada colliding with moisture moving north from the Gulf of Mexico.
The God’s were smiling, or so I thought. After a generous dumping across the North Eastern Seaboard, I was pumped and ready to pull the trigger.
My elation quickly turned to despair when I was informed that Amtrak didn’t think it was a good idea to mobilize us during the holidays.
COUNT TO 10 JIM.
The month of January would prove to be one of the biggest months of accumulated snowfall on record back east. But the God’s were taunting me.  All the storms tracked either north or south of our 100 mile stretch of approved locations.  Oh no!
We were then approaching mid-February and still no love from the Gods. What did I have to do? Go to the crossroads and make a deal with the devil?
Then, a glimmer of hope. A storm system originating from the midwest was tracking east heading in the vicinity of Connecticut. 2 days seemed like 2 years as the southern part of the storm finally gave us a generous dusting.
GO TIME!
The call went out. My LA crew was on a plane the following day and for the next 8 days we braved some very cold temps and trying conditions. We ended up having just enough snow and just barely enough time to pull it off.
Kudos to my super crew Tomás Arceo, Jeff Vogeding and Sady Callaghan for braving the elements and taking more than one for the team. A big shout also to creative director Bill Cutter for his vision and continued support and art buyer Andrea Ricker for her flawless attention to every last detail.
To read more about Amtrak, be sure to link here:  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Amtrak.  I am sure they would love to hear from you.
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In his own words, Kevin Twomey talks vacuums, helmets and star dust

©Kevin Twomey

Kevin Twomey was recently inspired by something we all have in our homes but probably don’t use as much as we should!   Here is what he had to say about it.

“Sometimes design does transcend actual function of a product.   Or at least enough for me rationalize to procrastinating!    Recently, in the design of my Dirt  Devil© vacuum I saw a face, a mask, and a helmet– which brought to mind the Naval Air Squadron in CA with the nickname “Dust Devils”.

And I thought, what better way to tie into both the pilot’s helmet and the vacuum than to create a background of dust?  So in a bit of counterintuitive inspiration that rendered my weekly cleaning chores ineffective, I dumped out everything that was inside the vacuum onto my table.

Looking at the dusty cloud drifting up from this pile, I remembered some trivia I’d read about the major component of house dust being our own dead skin cells…

I was thinking that Joni Mitchell’s line in her song, Woodstock, has some relevance here.

“We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden”

What do you think?

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In his own words, Hunter Freeman shares his new love for something very small.

 

BMW Isetta

In his search for something new, different, inspirational or just silly, Hunter Freeman met a woman who owned a Isetta.   He spent the day photographing and shooting video of her and her car.  He was all smiles when he told us about what he learned.

“BMW actually made the first smart car, the Isetta.  Ok, it’s perhaps not the first small car made for city driving, but it is certainly the coolest one.  I mean, what other car like this has so much personality?  You get in from the front??  What were those clowns at BMW thinking?  Well, they were thinking genius thoughts, I’d say.  Genius!!  What a completely fun car to drive, and be seen driving in, right?  Yep, it kinda is a clown car.  Even back in the day, I’m sure they were turning heads.  Today, this wonderful machine, a completely restored, mint condition 1956 BMW Isetta continues to make people smile:  it spreads joy wherever it goes.  Now, that’s a smart idea for car design.”

To see the car in action, link to Hunter’s blog.  To learn more about how Hunter views the world, link to his website or email us to see his portfolio.

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In his own words, Kevin Twomey talks about motion sickness and becoming a still life photographer.

When asked to share some thoughts about a recent shot Kevin Twomey took at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Kevin sent this along to us:

“People who know me were surprised to see this new image that I recently shot at the Santa Cruz boardwalk.  I loved the colors and the blur and the freedom that comes with being able to actually take a ride.    The irony is that for most people,  this image evokes childhood memories of fun-filled,  summer days on innocent amusement park rides.
Well, not for me.

Instead, the vivid colors of the bright  blue sky and machinery that sets the chairs in motion don’t bring me back to those carefree days.   Instead, the only motion I can think of is motion sickness.

…oh that motion….sickness…..

On a scale from 1 to 10, I rate my tolerance a ZERO  for any motion other than slow, smooth, steady and straight.

In addition to the sea swing ride on Santa Cruze’s Boardwalk, here are a few other situations that have put me beyond my threshold, seeking stable ground as well as a bathroom, a bucket or those little white bags found in the pockets of airplane seats:

-whale watching boat cruises off of the end of Long Island
-treading water in the middle of the San Francisco Bay during the swim from Alcatraz to SF
-long bus rides along curvy roads in the mountains of Jamaica
-airplane flights where the captain has had to abort his landing of the aircraft not once, not twice, but THREE times
-the taxi ride immediately after the triple landing attempt
-carpooling with a driver who loves to show off the handling of his BMW 6 series automobile
-sitting opposite my brother in the back fold-up seats of a 70’s era chevy wagon during a long, hot, traffic jammed ride down the NJ turnpike
-standing in a #15 uptown bus, densely packed with human beings and a driver who loves to pump his breaks during the evening rush hour commute

It is no wonder I am a still life photographer!”

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In his own words. Kevin Twomey discovers an oasis.

“On one side of the fence across the street stands a neglected Sherwin Williams paint facility, where a large-scale cleanup project to remove the toxins from the property will begin in early 2011.

On the other side of the fence, the grass is truly greener, where the eye is drawn to a freshly-mown patch of inspiration.  Transformed from a 50 x 8-foot dirt lot at the beginning of this year, it now serves as a putting green and community garden, complete with putter and golf balls, a bench
and doggie doo-doo basket.

This all has been the work of one man, Joel Devin, who can be found late each afternoon tending to this much-appreciated oasis, his reminder to us all just how much a community reaps from one man’s freely-given effort.”  Kevin Twomey