There is a reasonable amount of debauchery often going on behind the scenes of my shoots.  I’ve began to collect a a pretty sizable collection of  goofing off takes.  We don’t get to nearly show off enough of it. So to get the ball rolling below is an outtake from a recent shoot for Money Magazine.  Pictured from the top going clockwise: myself, Photo Director Ryan Cadiz, Assistant Ward Price, Studio Manager Greg Krauss, Stylist Laurie Raab.

"Yvette" © Phillip Toledano

Phillip Toledano has been on the top my list of hero photographers since my days in college. While I’m often not so overwhelmed with a lot of commercial shooters’ personal work Toledano’s newest project “A New Kind of Beauty” is just plain stellar.  Photographed in the style of a classical painter the images truly draw you in.  A study of what is personally beautiful, Toledano photographs subjects that have enhanced their looks and created their own beauty through plastic surgery and modern technology. If your in New York you can see the project when it opens next week at the Klompching Gallery in Dumbo Brooklyn. The show is running from September 9th through October 29th with an opening reception 6-8 Wednesday September 8th.

The American Society of Magazine Editors just announced the nominations for the Best Covers the Year and I’m pleased to say one of mine is among them.  This cover was shot last year for Field & Stream magazine’s cheap thrills issue and is in the Sports & Fitness category.  The image was a collaboration between myself, Photo Director Amy Berkley, and former Creative Director Neil Jamieson.  I’m stoked to be among a great selection of top notch work. I only wish photo credits were listed so I could see who shot what, some seem obvious Greenberg, McGinley, Seliger, others not so much.  Anyhow you can see all the nominees at ASME.  Voting will again be done via Amazon starting Sept 1st.

Earlier this year I was approached by Addison Design to photograph annual report for Loews corporation.  This was the first year the client decided to invest in original photography and they were looking for graphic and iconic.  Claudia Kefalas was the lead designer on the project and she came up with the idea of using still life objects to represent the different themes of the report (listed under images in captions below).  While relatively straight forward keeping the lighting and look consistent over a variety of types and sizes of objects presented a challenge.  In order to have the most control possible we opted to shoot the objects on backgrounds that suited them best for their individual lighting needs then strip them onto a similar one in post.  For example the water glasses were all shot on a thin white shelf so we could control the light behind easier than if they were set on a sweep.  Otherwise lighting mostly consisted of a light through translucent plexi as well as a couple grids.  Styling was handled by Laurie Raab.

Sum of the Parts / Investing Principles

Cash Versus Debt

Share Buy Back

Strategic Vision / Fifty Year Performance

People launched its Ipad app yesterday.  The app is a great step forward in tow major ways.  First the design while still sharp and smart is simpler than many of the other magazine apps out there making for much easier and sensible navigation.  Unlike some of the other magazines, I don’t find my self clicking all over the place looking for interaction. Fancy and pretty is nice, but I’ve found most of the magazines attempts way too confusing to navigate.  people seems to have broken that trend by keeping is smart, simple, and effective.

The big news however is that subscribers of the print version of people will be able to get the ipad version free of charge.  Up until now Apple has forced a per issue pay model onto magazines as they get their money from those individual sales not ad revenue within the app. Word on the street has been that Apple forcing its price structure has been a deterrent on other magazines waiting in the wings.Hopefully this will mark the beginning of a integrated digital and print subscription model for the industry.

A couple months back Fast Co. hired me to shoot their wanted section.  The section normally consists of some very cool or unusual products they profile.  After discussing with Photo Director Meghan Hurley we decided to collaborate on a video that would compliment the stills running in the magazine that would go up on Fast Co.’s web site.  Since we started testing video earlier this year my biggest hurdle has been figuring out how to translate the style of my still work into video.  The way I process and treat the images is a big part of the photo process for me.  I wanted to achieve the same look in my video work.

The still:

And the video:

What I thought would be a few days break from blogging due to a busy schedule turned into a full blown two month hiatus. To say we’ve been busy at the studio would be an understatement.  The past eight weeks have been spent on 16 photo shoots, 4 videos, and 2 red camera shoots.  After a lull of a summer last year the industry seems reenergized.  So I’m going to attempt to dust this blog off and start updating at least somewhat regularly as the work schedule is showing no signs of letting up just yet.

And in an effort to not totally toot my own horn and offer something of value, I wanted to give a huge thumbs up and recommendation for anyone who hasn’t seen it to check out Dan Winter’s very awesome  short videos starring Will Ferrel in collaboration with Scott Dadich for Wired.  The photo were also incredibly stellar.  Another success for one of industry’s hottest collaborative teams. If you have an Ipad its definitely worth the price.  You can get a sneak peek here.

For the first time since it launched a couple months back I’ve found myself wanting an ipad.  Up to this point I’ve been vehemently against picking one up as it basically amounts to a larger version of my iphone.  That all changed the other day when I met with a photo editor to show my portfolio.  Showing the book was great.  Showing video was not so much.  I lugged up my 17 inch power book and fumbled through showing a few different projects in quick time.  It felt sloppy.  Two days prior my current intern showed me a few video projects of his on an ipad and I was impressed with the cleanliness and speed of the presentation.  So I’ve placed my order.  I don’t see these things replacing printed portfolios just yet.  I think there is still something to be said about a book branded and formatted specifically for your work.  The ipad is still to cooky cutter and showing stills on it doesn’t seem necessary.  Showing off video however is where it shines.  Its a fantastic supplement to bring along to a portfolio showing.

I still have many qualms regarding the device.  I hate the app interface.  I want to be able to tether through usb directly to my desktop and not through itunes.  I want to be able to lay thing out and keep folder structure like my laptop. I want to be able to see flash content on it.  It could be so much more than what it is.  But just as I’ve made forays into video as it becomes a medium more and more requested by clients its seems imperative that I keep current with the devices that the work will appear on.  It would be like shooting for a magazine having never picked one up before. I’m absolutely certain something much better will come along next year, unfortuantly I don’t think I can afford to hold out any more.

A pretty great interview was posted yesterday at The Loud Cloud Creative featuring the magazine industry’ star designer Scott Dadich. It’s a great and in depth discussion about Dadich’s experience and thoughts taking a magazine into the age of the tablet.  As we all gear up for this new world of video and moving images its fantastic to see these type of details.  Unfortunately as photographers we are often outsiders on the processes of the clients we produce content for.  So I was excited to get some in depth details of the thought process behind Wired’s new app.  The interview doesn’t go into much detail involving photography, though their was the juicy tid bit that we can expect Wired’s first video cover courtesy of Dadich’s creative partner in crime Dan Winters in the August issue.  Apparently Winters shot stills as well as three video shorts of a yet to be revealed actor.  You can read the interview conducted by Joshua Gorchov here.

One of the hardest things to hear as a photographer from the mouth of a client is that your style just doesn’t jive with what they are creating.  I’ll be the first to admit despite my successes it still has a way of making my heart sink and my stomach churn.  A few years back I would frantically flip through the work of other shooters in the publications I was rejected by trying to decipher the magic element my work was lacking.  Eventually I found a great stable of clients who’s creative vision was the right match for my stylistic approach.  Styles go in and out of vogue all the time and though its so important that you keep pushing yourself and evolve as an artist, the worst thing you can do is jump on the bandwagon in an attempt to become the flavor of the month.  In order to truly be successful you need to focus on finding your vision, be true to how you see.  Otherwise you end up with a watered down version of someone else’s approach.  It’s great to be they hot guy of the moment in a popular trend, but trends are just trends and they will cycle.  For every door that I haven’t been able to get through there’s always been another that would open wide.  I just try to remember that you can’t be liked by everyone all the time.