February 2010 Featured Photographer of the Month
February 2010 Featured Photographer of the Month
1. What equipment you do you use?
I shoot with BOTH digital and film believe it or not. I use all Nikon cameras and lenses. My digital cameras are the Nikon D700, and Nikon Dxs. I’m planning on purchasing the D3. My film cameras are Nikon F100 (I have 3 of them). I have lots of lenses. My favorite standard portrait lens is my 105mm f 2.8. I think every portrait photographer should invest in this lens. I also have a few zoom lenses. I have an 28mm -105mm macro zoom f 4.5/5.6. This is my party lens. I use it for candids and tight spaces with lots of people mingling around because I can zoom in and out. My other zoom is my 80mm-210mm f 2.8. I use this when I’m at a distance and need to zoom in and blow out the background completely. It’s a heavy lens but its serves it’s purpose. Occasionally but not often I’ll shoot with my 50mm on my Dxs (which becomes a 70mm) when I am in a tight space but need the extra speed for the 1.8 lens. I also have a collection of antique film cameras with imperfect lenses I occasionally use for my vintage looking imagery.
My lighting system is suprisingly simple. Since I live in sunny, warm, southern California on the beach and near some magnificent location settings like the mountains, parks and some historic western towns and buildings not far there are endless outdoor locations I rarely shot in studio these days. I opt for using natural light whenever possible and simply modify it by using a reflector or flash fill. I use Nikon SB900 and 800 flashes with a light modifier mini soft box over the flash head for a very natural, diffused light. It’s awesome and simple. Sometimes when I’m indoors or low-light situations I’ll use multiple flashes in a wireless system slaved with one of my flashes acting as the main controller. This enables me to get a key backlight and front fill light when I have to improvise natural light. When I shoot interiors I LOVE using my Omni hot light kits. I have 4 heads. They’re compact, lightweight and all fit into a suitcase size that can easily be tossed onto a conveyor belt at the airport. The light is warm and beautiful and looks great for interiors and I can see the light and adjust it ever so slightly where and when I need to. The lights however are too hot for portraits. In this situation I’ll use either strobes, (profoto) and adjust the output for each head accordingly, or a bank of kinflows. These are cool, daylight balanced lights (non flash/strobe) but their output is not very powerful and the appearance is very different from strobes or hot lights. I use
apple computers with 2 cinema display screens and Epson printers.
2. How long have you been shooting?
I’ve been shooting professionally for 23 years since graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. I started my entrepreneurial career however shooting back in high school as a teenager. I took a photo darkroom class and then started shooting pics of my boyfriend’s band. I would make prints and then sell them at lunchtime to groupies for 25-50 cents.
3. Where are you located?
Marina del Rey, CA
4. What type of photography do you take?
I am a primarily a “people” photographer with an intimate, soulful style. This style lends itself to many applications. I shoot advertising, high-end weddings and events, high production and very unique engagement sessions, stock and fine art. I also shoot interiors which I really enjoy very much. It’s a great balance that keeps me on my toes. In the advertising world I am known as a lifestyle photographer – travel, leisure, hospitality and pharmaceutical. While I shoot a lot of different things my style remains consistent and this is very important. This is what the clients pay for. Like a chef in a fine restaurant, they want a photographer who can repeat a style and guarantee results, not someone how just gets lucky with a good shot here or there.
5. Price range of events?
* Weddings: $5500 - $30,000
* Party-events: $1500 - $3000
* Portrait sessions: $750-$1500
* Advertising & Editorial jobs: $3500-7500 day rate
* Interiors: $850-$1500 per day
6. When did you notice that you had passion for photography?
I was an artist from the day I could walk (accordingly to my parents). I didn’t play board games or have dolls. All I wanted to do was draw, paint, sculpt, design and create. I even won some local town contest for a drawing I did when I was in 2nd grade. In 1978 when I took my first high school photo class. I had a crush on my instructor and a boyfriend in a band so those two motivated me to continue. After highschool when I went to college I had to choose a major. Everyone knew I would be an artist so it wasn’t even a second thought. I chose photography because it seemed like it would be a career field I could make actually make a real living at.
7. Is there anything unique about what you do?
Business and creativity go hand in hand and I am constantly having to balance the 2. I teach my interns and workshops students that evolving and growing as an artist is a life long journey one should enjoy and not rush. However, focusing on business skills is imperative.
8. What’s the funniest thing that ever happened during a shoot?
I’ve had a few. One of them was shooting a press shoot of a Turkish celebrity for an editorial magazine. I asked her to ride a bicycle down the street. She wore glasses normally but decided to remove them because she felt it would make a more attractive photo. I didn’t know how blind she was and asked her to ride towards me for a better shot. She rode the bicycle straight into me and nearly knocked me over! I did get some great shots though!
9. Most awkward moment during a wedding?
I asked a bride to position herself for me in a place where I could get a better shot of her tossing the bouquet to the bridesmaids. I didn’t realize how high she would throw the bouquet and also didn’t consider the chandelier was above her head. When she threw the bouquet she threw it so high it hit the CANDLE chandelier and all the candles came crashing to the ground, (and her head!) wax and all! I learned my lesson from that one! Look around (all around) before positioning anyone anywhere!
10. What’s the scariest thing that ever happened during a shoot?
This was many years ago but my main camera got accidently set on the multiple exposure button,(don’t ask) and many of the shots got double exposed! I always carry multiple cameras so I did have some back up shots but after this happened we taped that button in place so it would never happen again!
11. What’s the best moment of your photography career?
I’ve had a few. Being your own boss, running a freelance photo business is not for everyone. Its hard and unpredictable but every now and then we’re reminded why we sacrifice a lot when something amazing happens:
I was en route to northern Norway for a combination work/pleasure trip. After living many years in Paris I had developed many European friends. One of my friends is Norwegian and lives on a remote island above the Arctic Circle. It was my first trip to Norway and certainly the farthest place north on the globe I had ever been. My objective was to shoot some stock, visit with her and her family and get some much need R&R. The airplane we took from the mainland to the island was a small 20-seater. The flight was full but because my friend worked for the airlines she had some clout. She explained to them I was American and a photographer so they proudly agreed to allow me to sit in the only available seat, the jump seat in the cockpit! (sometimes being a photographer has its perks. Many people seemed fascinated by our profession!). For those of you who have never flown an actual airplane riding in the cockpit is an incredible experience. It’s very different then flying in the rest of the cabin. This is like being on the wings of a bird! Despite it was mid summer this day like many others in the arctic was cloudy and drizzling rain. As the plane flew low over the ocean and the numerous tiny islands the pilots eagerly allowed me to shoot my cameras and even moved their heads from shooting range so I could get a better shot. I was speechless at the majestic beauty of this strange and ominous landscape. I envisioned why the Vikings kept rowing further and further north. Just before we were about to land the sun burst through a cloud and a magnificent, enormous rainbow stretched between the tiny adjacent island to the miniscule landing strip of the island we were just about to land on! It was absolutely spectacular! I just kept shooting and shooting! It was one of those moments in life that I realized how blessed I was to be a photographer. It was a truly a remarkable experience!
12. How many shoots do you photograph each year?
It varies from year to year because I also teach workshops, do guest speaking appearances, do private consulting and write for my book projects. When I’m not shooting commissioned jobs I’m working on my personal fine art projects and am preparing for some gallery shows. I’m also a member of Kodak’s advisory board and have recently been asked to direct my first short film! I’m ecstatic about because I have always felt I should be directing. It’s just an organic transition.
Last year I did the following:
- 6 advertising jobs
- 20 portrait shoots, (these include families, individual, pregnancy, kids, seniors)
- 12 weddings
- 9 engagement sessions
- 5 stock shoots
- 6 personal project shoots
13. Have you had to changed anything to adjust in current economic times?
In the past I did very little advertising or promoting of my services for jobs. Jobs simply just came to me by word of mouth. Now I’m marketing a bit more and revamping my websites (thanks to phtobiz, to offer my clients a more user-friendly method of viewing my images. I’m also offering them mini websites (another great Photobiz feature!). Instead of reducing my rates substantially I’m increasing my product value giving my clients more for the same price. Photobiz has really helped!
14. Describe your shooting style?
I’m known as authentic “people person.” Establishing a safe, trusting relationship fast is something I’m good at. I’m a natural nurturer and I’m sympathetic to the uneasy feeling many people have around photographers, be it a person behind the lens (even a professional model) or a property owner who is spending thousands to document their interiors. I am very intuitive and read people easily. I can usually find something we have in common to relate to and that instantly helps them relax. I’m very confident in what I do and I think they sense and feel this so that helps too.
Check out Elizabeth’s PhotoBiz Website
Past Featured Photographers:
2009
February : March : April : May : June : July : August : September : October : November : December
2010
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