So Who is this Guy Who
Loves Light
so Much?
A
former drummer for jazz bands? A composer whose compositions have
been played by international chamber orchestras? A dad who loves
his kids more than anything in the whole world? A photographer
who has kept studios in LA, Chicago and New York and shot for magazines,
editorial and advertising for nearly 40 years? A former Creative
Director for one of the largest ad agencies in the southwest?
Yep... that's me. Oh, and I am learning the Tenor Sax... but that doesn't have anything to do with lighting, does it?
Lighting is King! And paraddidles are tough!
I fell in love with photography when I was a kid and my dad gave me his cool Brownie. I was coveting his awesome Argus, but was happy to get the Brownie. I shot everything I could see. My dad and I would go into the darkroom and work with the prints under that cool red light. I fell in love with the still image.
And the drums. And I practiced both diligently. My mom and the neighbors loved it more when I was practicing photography, but this was the time of Ginger Baker and the Who and the Stones... I wanted to bang them drums loudly.
Got pretty good at it. Played rock and roll with some great garage bands. Then a friend of mine brought over some "really crappy stuff my uncle gave me..." We put it on as a lark to laugh. First cut I layed the needle on was Coltrane's "Naima." That, my friends, was a calling from God. I kept the records, kicked my friend out and stayed up for nearly 50 hours straight. Listening to the sounds of Trane, Miles, Ornette and Evans. I was hooked.
Sorta. See, the first time I went on the road it was cool. After a few dozen trips playing jazz in seedy clubs, fighting to get paid, losing a piano player in Texas... he didn't die, we actually lost him... well, the shine of the whole music thing was a little tarnished. I started taking pictures to keep from being bored while we did nothing all day waiting for the 9pm show. And there it was again... that thrill of making a still image.
I believe that lighting is the key. It is the basis for great photography.
I have shot for major publications, minor publications, advertising agencies, corporations, modeling agencies and even taught photography during a particularly interesting interlude of life. 35mm, 6x6, 6x7, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 cameras. Still have everything but the 6x6 (lookin' for a great deal on a Hassie...) I love film. I love digital. As I write this I am so excited because my Diana just came in from Amazon. I can't wait to take it out and shoot a few rolls. I have shot still-life, product, big studio sets, fashion and beauty. I love to photograph people now and mostly do what I love.
In 1995 I recognized that the web was a major tool to be harnessed. I started a little company with a guy who ended up being a back-stabbing-cheating-little-bastard... but I digress... ahem, and it grew like crazy to be one of the fastest growing tech/media companies in the region. As creative director, I was actually hiring photographers to do what I loved to do. Most were wonderful. Some sucked. And the ones who sucked couldn't light. Harsh light with silly shadows or boring light when it should have been interesting. After leaving to go it alone, I started shooting again and found that the young shooters coming up were very creative but hadn't learned to light with love and finesse.
So I started teaching a few at a time. This workshop is the culmination
of that work. I still shoot and design and shoot some more. I dabbled in
high end weddings, but they take too much time and these days I love teaching,
working on the Lighting Essentials site, mentoring younger shooters and
shooting for a wide range of clients. These are heady times for photographers.
So many choices in cameras, lenses and fun equipment. But in the end, a
photograph is of the light that was found or created. Lighting is the key
to it all.