Interview with Michael Teo: Portrait, Fashion and Fine Art Photographer

ABOUT MICHAEL

I focus on people photography. i do portraits, families, newborns, maternity and weddings. my main interest lies in conceptual fine art photography and fashion for advertising. i think that the distinctive features of my work are my unique approach and my emphasis on emotional content and connection.

What advice would you give a photographer starting out in the industry? 

Stay in touch with your passion, be persistent and patient. There are bound to be failures and rejections, but use these as motivation to develop and refine your craft. Also, learn business skills, marketing, accounting, business management, legal (contracts, copyright etc). This is probably more important that the standard of your photography.

What was the most challenging assignment you have ever had either physical or emotionally?

I can’t say that any of them have been especially challenging physically or emotionally. Often the greatest challenge is getting the right expression/emotion out of the subject. i recently did a tribute to Herb Ritts’ famous 5 supermodels shot. None of the girls were professional models. Before we started i did individual portraits of each girl. One of the girls was very nervous and i was struggling to get a good image. i needed to get at least one good shot of her to build trust and rapport. i asked everyone to leave the room (4 other models and 3 HMUAs). i tried for a few more shots, but was getting a tense nervous face. Eventually i turned her side on, posed her and asked her to look down. i got a nice shot and she was happy with it. The rest of the shoot went wonderfully.

What is the most unique project you have worked on and why?

I sometimes design and make outfits for the purpose of photographing them. i’ve made outfits from newspaper, cling wrap, freezer bags and i am currently working on a paper one.

What inspired you to start taking photos?

my father was a keen amateur photographer, he subscribed to a couple of photography magazines and i loved looking through them, so i always had an interest in photography

How did you become a photographer? What was your big break into the industry?

My first career was a musician and two of my music students are award winning photographers, Mercury Megaloudis and Bill Gekas, both of which are incredible photographers who’s work i admire. It was Mercury who inspired and encouraged me to pursue photography more seriously and he still continues to mentor me. i don’t know that there is a “big break”, but a gradual build.

What interests you most about photography? What do you find most rewarding about photography?

I love photographing people. Photography gives me a means to make people feel good about themselves and invites them to fully love and and accept themselves for who they are. i gives them a look at the beauty that others see in them.

Who is your favourite photographer and why?

I don’t have a favourite photographer. There are so many excellent photographers with such varying styles. i like to see how different people see the world and create images through their vision. i appreciate many different styles of photography.

Where do you see the photographic industry in ten years time?

This is a very interesting question. i will answer it from my perspective as a photographer of people. i believe that photography is becoming democratised. Almost every one has a camera on them all the time in smart phones. DSLRs are becoming very common and there are so many good instructional sources. There is also quite sophisticated post processing software that is making retouching easier and more available to the average person. So overall, the standard of photography is rising. As the standard of images increases, professional photography is going to be less about creating images and more about creating moments. i believe that a photographers job is to make their subject comfortable and give them the space to express themselves freely. The photographer’s role will be more of a personal facilitator and less of a technician. Of course technical proficiency will be a prerequisite, but the role will become more personal.

What type of cameras and equipment do you use?

Canon 60D

24-105mm f4

50mm f1.4

2x 400w Bowens Studio strobes

Cactus V5 flash triggers

Light modifiers: shoot through umbrellas, reflective umbrellas, soft box, octabox, beauty dish, grids & snoots

2x poly boards

3x YN560II speed lights

2x 5in1 reflectors

Sekonic L-308S light meter

Colorchecker Passport

15”Macbook Pro

Wacom Bamboo tablet

Lightroom, Photoshop

If you could photograph anyone or anything from any time period who or what would it be and why?

I love photographing who i am with. When someone is in front of my lens, they are the most beautiful person in the world, there is nothing or no one i would rather photograph.

Interview with Mark Strachan: Portrait & Comercial Photographer

What advice would you give a photographer starting out in the industry?

Be passionate about learning. Learning drives sucess.

What was the most challenging assignment you have ever had either physical or emotionally?
 Working in Uganda for the Cotton On Foundation. I lived in a poor village for a week and produced a coffee table book about daily life in that area.

What is the most unique project you have worked on and why? 

As above. Emotionally and Physically challenging. I learned a lot about myself.

What inspired you to start taking photos? 

I love art but cannot draw. Photography was perfect for me.

How did you become a photographer? What was your big break into the industry? 

I left school in Year 11 (not recommended!) and worked for the Geelong News and Geelong Advertiser as a photographer. Afert learing lost (especially time management and getting results under conditions) I left to persue my solo carrer in 1983

What interests you most about photography? What do you find most rewarding about photography?

I learn something on EVERY assignment & making a good living from what I love and meeting interesting people

Why is your favourite photographer/s and why? 

Julia Margaret-Cameron – 1860’s female photographer. Research her. She was at the time an underappreciated photographer as she liked to “do it her way” – including deliberately making her portraits out of focus as she liked the soft look better. Photography as a profession was dominated by men in those early days and she was looked down upon because she was a woman in a man’s world” 

Lewis Caroll, who authored “Alice in Wonderland” is also a photographer from the 18oo’s whom I admire a lot. 

Annie Leibovitz is another favourite as is Richard Avedon. I own photographs by all these photographers except Julia Margaret Cameron – A single piece of her work can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Where do you see the photographic industry in ten years time? 

I think the industry will be flooded with amateur photographers, however the photographer offering something unique and high quality will continue to prosper.

What type of cameras and equipment do you use?

Leica, Nikon & Canon

If you could photograph anyone or anything from any time period who or what would it be and why? 

I would have loved to photograph Abraham Lincoln, US President, Fascinating and Determined man who changed the course of history.

Low Light Photography

Low Light Photography is probbaly one of my favourite types of photos to look at. But it is also one of the hardest and most fustrating to sucessfully capture. As part of my Semester One portfolio I have had to include at least one Low Light Shot. Here's what I have managed to capture...

Here are the specs...

f/: 36.0

ISO: 100

Shutter Speed: 139.0

-XOXOXOX-

Jessica Cook

New Born Photography

Long time, no post. I'm sorry. I's been so much busier that I thought I would be. Anyways, last month my nephew was born and I have to say being an Aunt is one of the best experiences I have had in my life.The photographer in me naturally wanted to photograph little Levi ASAP. Here are a few of his newborn photos. It was defiantly a lot harder than to shoot him I thought it would be.

-XOXOXOX-
Jessica Cook

ANZAC Day 2014

April 25, 2014 marks 100 since the start of WW1 and 99 years to the day since our men landed on the shores of Gallipoli.

Every year we attend our local ANZAC Day march and ceremony. This year I decided to bring along my camera to capture the spirit that is so alive on ANZAC Day.

    

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. Least We Forget. Happy ANZAC Day to all the Australian and NZ service men and women both past and present who play such an integral roll in the protection of country and freedom. To those who have the greatest sacrifice, thank you. It is because of your sacrifice that Australia and NZ are the countries they are today.

-XOXOXOX-

Jessica Cook

Interview with Iain Sim: Portrait Photographer

About IAIN

Iain Sim Photography is actually a partnership, although the name doesn't suggest it. I take pictures and my wife Jo does basically everything else, but somehow I get my name on the website. We also have two beautiful kids. We've been running a photography studio for about eight years now, and have been lucky to keep finding clients that we connect with, which I think makes a big difference to the final images. I also photograph products, headshots and personal projects, and these can sometimes be found on the blog or our facebook page.

We love working together and creating pictures that will be a part of our clients' lives for many, many years to come.

What advice would you give a photographer starting out in the industry? 

Along with learning the craft of photography (i.e., the technical skills required to capture a well seen/lit/composed/exposed image), it’s really important to also develop skills in turning those images into saleable products (i.e., file management, printing). In wedding or portraiture photography, most successful photographers run their own businesses these days, and so skills in marketing, sales and management are also incredibly valuable. The best thing I ever did for my business and career was to join the AIPP’s mentoring program.

What was the most challenging assignment you have ever had either physical or emotionally? 

My first paid job was a Serbian wedding with over 400 guests, most of whom spoke no English at all. Luckily not all of them were at the ceremony! There were people waving massive flags and a guy playing an accordion at an incredible volume while I tried to wrangle a few hundred guests into a group photo, and at that moment one of my CF cards decided to die! I lost four images, quickly re-shot them and vowed to have a better backup system in future! I now shoot with two cameras in the ceremony, both of which have two cards recording simultaneously for backup. 

What is the most unique project you have worked on and why? 

Probably this: http://blog.iainsim.net/2012/03/21/a-family-tree-sort-of/. That link will take you to a blog post which will explain the whole story.

What inspired you to start taking photos? 

I actually needed two doses of inspiration. I had a great photography teacher at High School who was passionate about photography and it probably rubbed off. I then did work experience as a photographer at a newspaper and decided I’d do something else for a living, because to be honest I found the things I was photographing for the newspaper pretty uninteresting. Then years later I went travelling and realized that I still loved photography and that the problem had just been that I hadn’t been photographing people, which is really what I’m interested in. 

How did you become a photographer? What was your big break into the industry? 

The family in the blog post I linked to earlier above were actually my “big break”. When they got engaged they asked me to photograph the wedding. I think I spent more time planning my role than they did planning to be bride and groom, so when their bridesmaid called to say she’d just recommended me to her friend (the bride with 400 guests), I was reasonably ready. I’ve had to learn and re-learn a lot since then, but those two weddings formed the basis of the business that I now run full-time.

What interests you most about photography? What do you find most rewarding about photography? 

Without any doubt, it’s the stories of the people in front of my lens, and the idea that I can capture images that will be used to tell those stories to future generations. For me, it’s not really about pixels or even about art actually.

Who is your favourite photographer and why? 
I don’t really have one favourite. Here’s three that jump to mind though: I love Annie Leibovitz’s ability to tell or even create a story in a single frame, Jose Villa for his colours and the perfect simplicity of his colours, composition and lighting, and Peter Brew-Bevan because of his incredible creativity – if you do a google image-search on his name you’ll see hundreds of images and each one is completely unique, even though many of them are shot quickly and in similar circumstances.

Where do you see the photographic industry in ten years time?
I’d like to think that as technology keeps improving it will just become less about the technical skills (because everybody will be able to take a well-exposed image or if not, very easily fix it) and more about each photographers ability to communicate ideas or tell stories visually. Digital SLRs have dramatically increased the number of “professional” photographers in the industry and have also dramatically decreased the proportion of life events such as weddings and births which get photographed by a full-time photographer, so we’re already seeing that it’s harder to make a living than it used to be and that only the best photographers and the best businesses are succeeding.That may sound pessimistic, but I actually feel great about the industry, knowing that it will be hard work but there’s a great life and career still to be had. 

What type of cameras and equipment do you use?
All Nikon, but all of the major manufacturers are making amazing cameras these days.

If you could photograph anyone or anything from any time period who or what would it be and why?
I’d love to take some of today’s gear back a few hundred years and photograph people who had absolutely no idea what I was doing! These days one of the hardest things about photographing people is getting them to put aside their ‘photo face’ that they’ve practiced in the mirror and just be themselves.

Nature

One of the things that I love the most about Australia is the nature we have. We are so lucky to have such a diverse Flora selection. Here a just a few photos of some Flora that I shot last week

-XOXOXOX-

Jessica Cook