Rolando Gomez

I’ve been working on a new site, ShotCritic.com, and today someone posted about how to distinguish the difference between editorial photography and other genres of photography, so I replied and liked it so much that I thought I’d share it here, though cleaned up from my original forum post.  

First, editorial photography normally has a photojournalistic feel to it as it tells a story, often used to illustrate a concept or idea designed around the contents of a specific publication.  Photojournalism is sometimes considered a form of editorial photography, though the distinction is that photojournalism often involves a news story. 

As an example, for magazine editorial photography for a publication like Zink, the photos would normally include models to illustrate their fashion, glamour and beauty theme while Better Homes and Garden would have images of someone working in their outdoor green house.  Both are technically telling a story editorially, but in their own proper context for an editorial feature piece.  

Often publications, like Zink, Nylon, and others have what’s called an Editorial Calendar that is divulged confidentially to their A-list photographers well in advance so these photographers can submit their editorial photos for that calendar topic to meet production deadlines, often three months in advance.  Then the editorial decision process begins. 

The photo editor/creative director chooses “the shoot” from all the editorial photographers who submitted and it’s that chosen photographer that get published, usually paid nothing but the glorification of a tearsheet.  The photographers are not chosen or rejected based on who the photographer is, more often on what the photographer shot and how well the photos match the editorial content requirement for that magazine, that month.  

These photographers, chosen or not, hope their editorial tearsheets will lead to commissioned (paid) assignments with magazines like Vogue, Baazar, Elle, W, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, etc., and often have thousands of dollars invested in their shoots, not to mention their time and any models, assistants, stylists, etc., that volunteered their work for the same tearsheets—it’s a gamble for future notoriety. 

This is how dues are paid as an editorial photographer, on the hopes to become someone like Bruce Weber shooting for Vanity Fair.  Vanity Fair is considered the launching pad for many editorial photographers including, Edward Steichen, Cecil Beaton, Bruce Weber, Helmut Newton, Mario  Testino, and Annie Leibovitz to name a few.

Remember, major magazines are putting together either their May or June issues right now, not their February issue (March and April are done and at the printer and/or pre-press) as most publications are three months out, working off their editorial calendar–that’s why swimwear fashion catalogs have photographers photographing models in South Beach and other areas of “warm” Florida during the winter months. Most publications are done months in advance.

One could argue that a Playmate layout in Playboy is editorial glamour photography, as another example, while just a sole image of a model at the beginning of a story (text) is just another glamour photo in the same magazine. 

Take this image directly below, it has commercial use, say to sell a skin product, stock use, to illustrate a story about self-esteem as an example, editorial use, to illustrate a story on, “Beauty in the 21st Century.”  Without the context of a publication, some would argue it’s glamour, some beauty, some nude, some will even say it’s a picture, not a photograph.  But it’s the photographer who was there (me in this case) that truly knows and the editor who utilizes the image in their publication that sometimes determines what category it will eventually fall under—for the record, this image, recently shot, is going to be published full-page in Sept., more on that when it happens.

Another example how editorial photography can shift is a series of images of a bride for Bride magazine illustrating her glorious wedding day to tell her story would be editorial, perhaps even mixed with fashion editorial if the story revolved around the bride’s dress and her bride’s maids’ dresses.  In the same magazine you could have a bridal shot, originally shot as that and not as an editorial shot by a wedding photographer, but then the photographer submits that image to Bride and it makes the cover, now it’s an editorial (cover-shot), not a bridal shot. 

Editorial photography is often considered a form of commercial photography, especially if the photo and accompanying story are trying to sell you something.  As an example, if the shoot was a model for a liquor ad, the shoot is considered commercial (to sell liquor), but if the same images from the shoot were used to illustrate the model and her tastes for top-shelf liquors plus to illustrate a specific story, say, “Best Bourbons,” then it’s editorial.  Take the same images and use them to illustrate the same model with a drinking problem, or young girls with drinking problems, then it’s a “features article” and the images are considered photojournalism in an editorial context.

Similarly, if a photographer photographs a romantic couple sitting on a park bench in love and places it in a stock portfolio for royalty-free stock, then it’s a stock shot.  If the stock agency sells it for the use of advertising to a condoms manufacturer to sell condoms, then it now becomes advertising photography.  If it was commissioned originally as a commercial request through an ad agency, it’s commercial.  Take that same stock image, sold to Newsweek to illustrate a story titled, “Love in America,” then it’s back to editorial (sold as commercial stock for an editorial and used in an editorial context).

There are fine-lines in photography genres, often crossed by the actual final use of the image itself.  The thing to ask when trying to determine the specific genre of an image is it for commercial value or editorial value, or perhaps both?  If the subject matter is say a fashion model shot for Victoria Secrets catalogue, then it’s commercial fashion, take the same series of photos for a story in W magazine, then it’s fashion editorial.

Don’t you love it?  It’s all up to the content, context, and usage that normally will distinguish the specific genre of an image.  Ultimately if a photographer shot it as an un-commissioned image, then it’s up to that photographer to determine if the photograph has any commercial value, or if it is stock or fits any other genre of photography.  Often images fit several genres, not just one.  

Now this blog post is so long, many would consider it an editorial in a newspaper.  God bless and thanks, rg sends!

I’ve been running around lately, conducting photography workshops, shooting commercial, glamour, editorial, sports and other photography and even lecturing at photo centers and photo schools and even working with models and others professionals involved in my shoots and I’m finding out there is one common thread—some type of “I” technology. 

From I-Phones, I-Pods, I-Touch and everything else imaginable Apple Computers has put the “I” back in TEAM somehow—it’s there, you might not physically see it, but it’s there as the synergy of the Apple creatives must be keeping Steve Jobs real happy with all their creations.  One only wonders what else is next in store for us, the I-Car perhaps? 

I’m not real sure, but for those creatives in my field, the I-Phone, I-Pod and the I-Touch are fast becoming the new “portable portfolios” for many as it’s so easy to add images into these devices and even group the images into specific folders (genres) for viewing along with multimedia functionality.  

I spent an entire week at FotoFusion often going to private dinners, lunches, and other functions watching famous photographers like Vincent Versace, Douglas Dubler and others sharing their work on their I-Folios as I like to call them—Dubler has his I-Touch and Versace his I-Phone and the presentations of their work on these smaller than printed portfolio screens were powerful. 

Think about it, as photographers when we “chimp” while shooting we’re looking at LCD screens smaller than most of the I-AppleamKingofTheMultimediaDevices  so it only makes sense that portfolios have down-sized from Brewer-Cantelmo leather photography portfolios to hand-held digital devices protected in leather cases.  I’ve seen models, make-up artists, art directors and others in the visual fields carry their resume of images attached to their belt, biceps or purse as the new standard and if you’re not sporting this new look, well you’re out of fashion (style) as they say in this world and I’d suggest you get hot on this ditch your beeper. 

While I-Technology is hot, make sure you do research and make informed, educated purchasing decisions as technology changes every Monday when the Board of Directors meet.  Thanks and God Bless, rg sends!

It’s been a busy 2008 so this blog article is a bit long to catch-up. January isn’t even over yet and when my one-day workshop in San Antonio ended the week before last, I jumped on a plane to West Palm Beach and from there I’d rent a car and drive down to the Palm Beach Photographic Center in Delray Beach, the host of FotoFusion 2008.  FotoFusion is an annual event where photographers give back by not charging for spreading the gospel of photography while sacrificing their stay away from home. 

I often feel as though I need a small tank of oxygen strapped to my waist so I can breathe at a normal pace with my high-paced schedule as this past week was no different than the prior FotoFusio.  I was able to meet, mingle and teach with my old photographer friends and colleagues including Robert Farber, Vincent Versace, Douglas Dubler, Jeff Dunas, Rick Sammon, Rick Friedman, Shelly Katz, John Reuter, Harrison Funk, Nancy Brown and many others to name a few.  We missed Colin Finley, Eli Reed and a few others, but I’m sure I’ll see them again as we all go back for quite sometime. 

FotoFusion is a weeklong event where photographers meet each January for a week, without compensation, to give back to the community with the craft that has made them who they are, photography.  Their main goal is to spread the gospel of photography, passionately, while networking and encouraging others to follow their steps through workshops and lectures as well as computer labs. 

The week at Delray Beach, Florida includes over a hundred workshops, photography portfolio reviews, many hands-on sessions, some even with live models, along with other events such as the auction of photographs donated by the photographer instructors in the name of charity.   There is even a night out on the town where they close the streets for their annual “Jazz Festival” along with the annual farewell bash on the last night for those that still are there.

My week for this FotoFusion was not too much different than last year, though less “after hours” partying was done—we missed you Colin Finley—but ultimately it was great as not only did I spend time with my mentor Robert Farber, but I enjoyed making new friends and having dinner practically every night with a private instruction client of mine along with his girlfriend and top beauty photographer Douglas Dubler of New York. 

Dubler is an amazing photographer and for the second year in a row I sat with him on a Beauty Photography discussion panel along with Nancy Brown and our moderator (add her name here) Both Dubler and Brown not only make the panel interesting, but always provide me with some great inspiration. Farber normally sits on this panel, but he had to leave early to get back to New York so we really missed his insight on this genre of photography though I joined him for his hands-on, “Beauty on the Beach” workshop and provided him with some of my California Sunbounce reflectors for his students. 

When FotoFusion finally wrapped up this past Sunday I headed back to San Antonio, arriving home sometime after 8 p.m., there, after spending a few minutes with my three kiddos that still seemed to know I was there Daddy, I unpacked my dirty laundry and threw it in the washer.  Then I unpacked my photography gear to let it dry out as some of it had gotten wet from my outdoor, hands-on workshop I had conducted at FotoFusion.  Still tired from conducting four events, a seminar, lecture, hands-on and panel discussion at FotoFusion, I knew I had no time to rest as my next flight was in less than ten hours.  I also knew I’d have to repack pack my photography gear as I was leaving to photograph a national ad campaign for a major liquor company with full-page tearsheets in upcoming issues of Playboy, Sports Illustrated and Maxim and other publications. 

Because of the tight schedule and early morning flight to the airport, I never went to sleep as by the time I was done answering emails after finishing the laundry and repacking clothes and gear, it was time to hit the shower at 3 a.m. with no time to spare.  The only good thing going on at that time was the email from Delta that my coach seat was upgraded to first-class—it pays to be a member of the frequent, live-out-of-my-suitcase flier program and at platinum status upgrades are more frequent than sleep.

 I arrived on location Monday around noon, ready to light the set, as the contract promised the set would be built, all I had to do was light it for the shoot.  Well the folks that hired me were a bit behind, so I pitched in and we spent the rest of the day building, lighting, un-building, lighting and rebuilding and lighting, using a wonderful stand-in model.  Finally finishing near 10 p.m., we had dinner then I hit the bed shortly thereafter only to wake-up up at 5:45 a.m. as the “call” was at seven for make-up and light checks.

This was an important shoot as knew I’d have to overcome the over-the-shoulder onlookers as soon the studio would be filled with the make-up artist, assistants, producer, creative director, art director, brand manager, the account executive and anyone that could peek in.  I just wanted to meet the model as we’d only spoken over the phone before though we’d never met and on an important shoot like this, with only one day to get it done, rapport needs to be established and accelerated to ensure the model will give you the look that the art director wants along with the poses needed to fit the story-boards and comps the client has approved. 

Upon arriving at the studio we found out our model, Playboy Playmate Monica Leigh arrived earlier in the morning, with barely any sleep, due to flight delays and we’d be at least 45-minutes behind.  Like all things, once you’re running late, it runs over so we started shooting closer to 11:00 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m., but Leigh was a real trooper and never showed signs of fatigue and we wrapped it up by 5:00 p.m. so she could make her flight back to Los Angeles—then Murphy hit again and Leigh’s flight was canceled. 

She found herself having to stay an extra night and when it was said and done, after getting up at 4:00 a.m. to run by the studio to pick up my lighting gear in freezing weather, the account manager and myself swung by the hotel to pick-up Leigh and her suitcases as we had similar flight times, 6:00 a.m., though I headed to Texas and her to California. 

As I write this tale, I’ll be arriving in San Antonio just before lunch, but I’ll have not time to take a break as I have a private shoot at 2:30 p.m. of a client that first started out as a private glamour shoot that transitioned into following her first pregnancy in a glamour fashion.  Hopefully I’ll be done and home by supper time as I still have to repack as my next flight is less than 24-hours away as I head to Los Angeles with a departure time from home at 4:15 a.m. to make it time for my early flight. 

Yep, it looks like I’ll be up all night unpacking, laundry, repacking, and answering emails again.  Some might think I’m crazy, but that’s the life of a photographer with clients, workshops and book deadlines—or what I like to call, someone who enjoys spreading the gospel of photography in his own way, mine is just sometimes crazier than others.  I think it’s time to refill that oxygen bottle and I thank my Lord for refilling that bottle just when I’m running on empty.   God Bless everyone, rg sends!

Canoeing down a river involves strength, intelligence and common sense, however, canoeing of the subject’s eyes in photography, though acceptable at times, usually involves poor posing and bad camera angle. Sometimes canoeing in photography is unavoidable, but often canoeing is caused by not paying attention to detail in an image—photographers sometimes forget the eyes are the storytellers of the image.

Most canoeing is caused when the camera angle is high in relation to the subject’s pose. This high angle also causes the subject to appear shorter and heavier when simply moving the camera angle down below the model will not only help in eliminating canoeing, but causes the model to look thinner and much lighter.

Sometimes it’s the model that makes the canoeing of her eyes unavoidable in her own images, as sometimes a model will project a pose she feels makes her look sexy, designed more to soothe her self-esteem, but often the pose will appear awkward to the camera itself and it’s up to you the photographer to take the model’s pose and refine it while not negatively affecting her self-esteem.

As an example, models often bury their heads too deep into their chest thinking the pose is sexy and powerful. While the pose of the face lowered with beaming eyes may feel sexy and independent, the photographer must step in and guide the model so her head is properly positioned, otherwise the white’s of the model’s eyes will naturally create canoes underneath the eye’s iris in addition to the possibility of a double chin. While some canoeing is acceptable, too much is normally nixed by editors.

This vast river of white underneath the iris of the eye created by canoeing causes the viewer’s eye to always goes to the whitest part of the image, or the model’s eyes verses the model and photo in its entirety, thus possibly losing the intended message of the image to the viewer. Sometimes, where editors will overlook this, is when the image is more “face” than body, thus the eyes are the true storytellers here and canoeing is acceptable.

Sometimes it’s a toss-up, as the irises, especially the blue, gray, green and silver colored ones are more powerful than white, concave stripes. It’s these type of critically edited images that reveal strong eyes with a subliminal message of confidence from the subject, after all, the eyes are the direct channel to the heart.

Ultimately, the eyes are the storytellers of the image and often your subject’s personality, just like the strongly-focused eyes of a rower down a swiftly moving river that show skillful steering of their canoe, the eyes will navigate your thoughts when viewing a great photograph. All the best, rg sends!

“Merry Christmas, Festive and creative Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah (just past), Pleasant Diwali, Happy Ramadan and Eid Ul Adha, May Buddhist Bodhi Day find You peaceful, Happy Dong Zhi to all Chinese and Happy Yule Ya’all and Happy Yalda to all Zoroastrian. Happy Saturnalia, Happy Boxing Day and Three Kings Day too and may you all find Peace and Happiness in this festive season,” is what a dear friend of mine wrote to me last night and I figured I’d pass it along since it is that time of year.

A time of year where the photo industry hopes to rack up on sales just like all the retail outlets too. And in this “commercialization” of the holiday spirits, we often forget what it’s all about—celebrating the joy of life itself.

When I wake-up every morning I thank my God I actually woke up then I do a self-examination to make sure it all works—who else can I thank? Well not the alarm clock, besides, my kids are more reliable than the alarm clock, they always wake me up way too early, especially after a long, hard night working on post-production.

Here lately I’ve been hammering away trying to meet my latest book deadline, ok, I won’t lie to you, it was extended a bit cause of the holidays and I was running late, but I’m almost done and that often means long-nights into the early morning.

Then there are times where you throw the towel and just say I’m too tired and I’m going to be lazy tonight—especially after a homemade margarita.

There are also days, sans margaritas, where you just don’t have the motivation—writing and illustrating a book is not like writing a 30-page college research paper, it’s worse and takes tons of self-discipline.Even though the U.S. Army taught me tons of self-discipline and my old boss, Gen. George A. Joulwan always defined discipline to his troops as, “Doing what you’re supposed to be doing when no one is watching,” sometimes after you get older and leave the military, especially when life’s pressures get harder, you just say screw-it.

Often when I reach that stage, I flash back to my Army days and say, “wait a minute” and I wake up out of my nonsense and think about our Armed Forces out there battle focused in Iraq and other hostile environments—they don’t have the luxury to say “screw-it,” much less a margarita, they rely on their tough discipline and training to keep them alive.

During the festive times of the year it’s even more difficult for our military veterans and even those that do it right on top of relying on their core values and METL (mission essential task list), just don’t make it–as their God says, “It’s time to come home.”

So while you sit in your warm home, opening presents with family and friends, stop and say a prayer, to your God, for our service members all over the world and their friends and families too, as many of them will never see another holiday season again and many of their friends and families will always cherish the song by Tim McGraw (click video play button above), If You’re Reading This. If you haven’t heard it, break out the tissue, as often when I hear this song my eyes water and sometimes the tears fall as I think of fallen and injured comrades, some, close friends of mine.

And in those thoughts I also thank my God I survived almost nine-years in the U.S. Army with missions in the Gulf War, Haiti, Rwanda, the Latin American Drug War and many other deployments. If you’re reading this, especially if you’re a Veteran, I know you thank your God everyday too.

Life is short, enjoy the holidays in whatever fashion you choose, that’s called freedom and please don’t forget those that fight and fought to give you that choice. My fellow Veterans, I salute you! God Bless and come home safe, rg sends! (Former Army Staff Sergeant, E-6 for your Air Force types)

 A long time ago a well-known photographer told me, “The Rolodex is powerful, so save all business cards, you’ll never know when you’ll need them.” Well I don’t own a Rolodex and probably should, as I’ve got thousands of business cards stashed in every nook and cranny and as I skim through these business cards, I find common, layout-design flaws that almost make me want to trash half of them. 

In today’s world of make-your-own business cards-on-line with companies like Vistaprint.com and others, people load up graphics, text, etc. and everyone now is a graphic designer making their own cards, letterhead, promo pieces, etc, when in fact, most people are better singers than graphic designers. Some business cards are so laughable that I can’t even remember who handed them to me, though I remember the faces to the ones that are simple and aesthetically-pleasing cards.

As an example, I’ve seen many business cards with multiple fonts on the front side of the card alone, the rule is never more than two-different fonts and if the font is named after a city, don’t use it. Not sure what I mean, then first learn the difference between serif and sanserif then study some graphic design books and that’s only if you know what a Rolodex is, as I’m sure it’s becoming a thing of the past too.

My other favorite (sarcastically speaking) business cards, especially from photographers, are cards with tiny, photo  thumbnails, like a dozen or so, on the back of the card. If you must use photos on your card, make it a strong one for the back and possibly the front—the rule is KIS, keep it simple. Also make sure that the font color on that side of the card comes from a color in the image itself, this is an old press trick when running headlines for a story, sample a color that pops from the image in the story and use that color for the text.

Another pet peeve of mine are business cards with photographers who give themselves titles besides photographer. I’ve seen President, CEO, Executive, Principal, Director, Producer, Manager and the list goes on. I only have one simple question, are you a photographer or not? We can all be a president of anything, who cares? Now if you are in fact the CEO/President of General Motors, then I can understand your title on your card, but seriously photographers, models and for that matter professional photographers aren’t impressed that you are the president of your own, one-employee photography studio. In fact, if anything, you are the Head Photographer and a sole proprietor, not the CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, etc.

On another note, all business cards should have your name, phone number, email address and physical business address. Obviously if you’re a model, no physical business address and if you place your phone number on your card, scrutinize any card you hand out to anyone.

I know many successful people, as I teach private photography instruction to many of them, so I’ve seen and collected cards from billionaires to truck drivers and it seems the more money people make, the more prominent, the more successful, the less they put on their business cards—most are beige in color with black text, no photos, their email address and a phone number or two, that’s it—plain Jane.

Well it is the digital age and I rely more on email and my cell phone than business cards, though I’ve never taken the time to load up addresses and phone numbers with email contacts—heck, I’m still trying to load them in my phone.

It sure would be cool if everyone had an electronic, plastic business card you carried in your wallet, and then you just swiped your phone over it and it stored all the information needed and you could add your notes at that time about the person then easily transfer it to your home computer. Similar to I-Tunes with your I-Phone and I-Pod, just sync your phone to your I-Dex, now that would be cool. In today’s digital world of technology, I’m sure it’s out there, I’ve just been too damn busy going through business cards in my office since I don’t own a Rolodex—and if I did own a Rolodex, it would make my business cards not only more organized, but it would be powerful.  All the best, rg sends!

Just when I thought I could pay more attention to my blog, my life has had me pulled in a hundred different directions.  So to sum it up, I’ve cooked a turkey, shot a couple of Spurs games, and drove up to Gadsden, Alabama then Atlanta from San Antonio and 15-hours later, I’m back home.

No, I didn’t do that in 15-hours, it was almost 15-hours that I drove from Atlanta to San Antonio yesterday and this morning.  Normally I fly to all my locations, but I had this itch, my Chevy Silverado (think, “Like a Rock”) is 3-years old and I barely had 19,000 miles since I fly so much—I remember the days I drove 25,000 miles on my truck in one year.  Actually, the real itch was to take some baby stuff to my daughter for my grandson—and as once heard in a movie, if anyone of you MF’s ever call me “grandpa” I’ll kill you!

That aside, I drove up to Gadsden and stayed at Playboy Playmate Holley Dorrough’s house—no, not in that way, she’s a dear friend and like a daughter.  Had dinner with her and her parents, it was great!  They are great people too!  Then on Friday Holley and I headed to the Atlanta airport—model-pick-up-time.  We then checked in to our hotel and got ready for the one-day workshop on Saturday.

We held the workshop at “Weezie’s” mansion in Atlanta.  Weezie, also known as Isabel Sanford is best known as Lousie Jefferson on the hit show, The Jeffersons.  Remember their song, Moving on up to the Eastside and for those that don’t remember since it was so long ago, The Jeffersons was a spin-off of All in the Family with Archie Bunker.

It was a great place to shoot and the possibility exists for another workshop their in 2008.  Speaking of workshops in 2008, we have a spot that opened up for the April 2008 Virgin Islands workshop and the May one too!  Two people had to move their slots.  In addition, we’re now taking deposits for Maui, yes, Maui is coming in April 2008 and I’m preparing to head out on a scouting mission for Maui this month.  We’ve got some great help and one helluva location that will be announced soon.

Back to my 15-hours on the road yesterday, heck, it was something I hope not to do again.  My back is now killing me and I’m trying to get out my third book this week to the publisher…busting butt!  More to come, thanks all, rg sends!

No, I haven’t abandoned my blog, my normal work schedule is seven days a week, 20-hours per day with no holidays in between. I’ve just been swamped with back-to-back, workshops followed with a private photography instruction client and of course this wonderful thing called life. Add to that, we’ve been working on Glamour1.com, updating software and the post-production of images for my next book while working on my house to sell it faster.

Over the past ten years I’ve bought and sold almost ten houses. Selling a home is a big task with all the inconveniences, both expected and unexpected, of moving from one location to another while still working to make a living. Add to that, the decision to sell the house this time was not based on my normal pattern of buying and selling but more on critical life issues—where is an angel when you need one?

This year takes the cake for exhaustion and exhilaration, one of the biggest years to test my life between business and family decisions. On my bad days I’ll often think how lucky I’ve been as a survivor of many military missions like the Drug War in Latin America (26-months), Haiti, Desert Storm, Rwanda (Zaire, Uganda & Kenya) and many others. I think about how lucky my children are when I recall the death in Rwanda and families eating out of garbage cans in Honduras and other poor countries, though I also have more pleasing thoughts about all the watery-eyes during the Fall of the Berlin Wall. I’ve witnessed more than the average human will ever see in their life and sometimes wonder, why me?

I’ve seen more than the average soldier will in their entire military career—eight years active-duty U.S. Army and almost 40 countries is not typical for any soldier, so sometimes I do feel lucky, other times I remember Hell-experiences I’ll never forget and wonder how I survived it all. However, what the guys and gals are going through in Iraq is worse than anything I’ve gone through and my prayers always go out to them, their families and their friends. I look at my time in the military as a cake-walk compared to what they go through.

Sometimes life is Hell and what we make of it determines whether we stay there or not. Our military members in Iraq however aren’t given that choice as their Hell has provided for 81,000 IED (improvised explosive device) attacks in Iraq since the IED’s were first named, according to the Washington Post, with 25,000 IED attacks this year alone. Now that is Hell.

The other day I heard the song, If You’re Going Through Hell (Rodney Atkins) and it reminded me about “gannas,” the Spanish word for “will” or the passion of your heart to want something. The song made me realize that I live for my passion in photography, my life-blood that started when I picked up my first camera at the age of nine.

When someone asks, “I need this or that?” Most don’t realize I’m already putting in 20-hour days, I suffer from chronic back pain, I have five kiddos who rarely see me (and I work out of a home-office in the same house where three live with me), I have corporate matters, I have workshop logistics, I have elder-unhealthy parents, etc., etc., more than most people have in a normal life—self-employment is not easy when you’re a one-man show—and yeah, sometimes I make a stiff drink and sit in my Jacuzzi tub, that’s called taking time off for at least thirty-minutes before I start my 20-hour day again.

Yes, my blog updates lately have been slow and I’ll use this holiday week to catch-up on them and other work as there are no holidays with self-employment—holidays are just another day to catch-up, though I will bake a turkey for my children as it’s their holiday and I should be a Dad for at least “Turkey Day.” God Bless everyone this holiday period and please don’t forget our military in your prayers, rg sends!

Style. Some photographers have it, others don’t, many people don’t even know what style is and in photography ask five professionals and chances are you’ll get five different definitions about the word style itself. Established style however is a key ingredient that will identify a professional photographer from their colleagues and subordinate beginners.

Personally I define photographic style as the following:

Photographic style is a consistent, identifiable quality in a visual body of work that portrays the artistic personality of the photographer and the life-influenced reflection of what the photographer saw and felt during that depiction of time.

Normally photographic style is associated with those that have made it as the leaders in specific genres of photography. When one sees Playboy style images, few know that Ken Marcus influenced that style, though today it’s more associated with the current number one contract photographer for Playboy, Arny Freytag, Marcus’ former assistant.

Another photographer, Bruce Weber, noted for his regular contributions to Vanity Fair used his style of photography to help propel ad campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch while taking fashion and editorial photography to a sexier level. Weber will always be associated for his “chiseled,” youthful, erotic and sexy styled images made famous by Calvin Klein campaigns of young, “white-men” clad in underwear—a style often coined as “homoeroticism” and easily identified through the consistent, memoir-feeling black and white photos.

Like all photographers who’ve built their name, Robert Farber is no different with his painterly style. While Farber is known more for his commercial and nude work, his style was still evident in his latest book, American Mood, yet the inanimate subject matter of the landscape of America was brought to life though Farber’s style.

Annie Leibovitz raised eyebrows when she posed nude for Vanity Fair, 8-months pregnant, à la Demi Moore, a photograph representing Leibovitz’s photographic style, yet she was the subject in that image. Her style is identifiable that seems to come from the close collaboration between her and her subjects.

What many photographers don’t realize is that Leibovitz’s style primarily evolved from her work as the top photographer at Rolling Stone during the infancy of the magazine. Leibovitz credits the development of her style through the close and romantic relationship she held with Susan Sontag, a noted writer and essayist, who mentored Leibovitz with constructive criticism. Sontag once told Leibovitz, “You’re good, but you could be better.”

Ultimately style is something most photographers strive for but don’t know how to achieve it and those that have it are sometimes stereotyped into one genre of photography. All photographers passionate about their craft should set a goal to achieve their own style. Consider it as the ultimate becoming of a professional, the manhood of photography.

When a photographer’s work is consistently identifiable and often emulated by others, then it’s said that photographer has fully developed their style. Until then, photographers follow a path searching for their style and it’s often found through emulation of others, workshops, experience and ultimately life’s influences—though once found, a photographer is no longer just a photographer, this is the step in actually becoming a professional. Thanks, rg sends!

Every man’s work is always a portrait of himself. 
Ansel Adams, Carmel, California, 1979

The greatest photographers in the world are those that understand the three “C’s” of being a professional photographer, comprehension, communication and creativity. While you’ll often hear the statement, “The difference between an amateur and a pro photographer is the pro never shows you his bad photos,” that’s more myth than fact, though practiced by some.

Let’s look at the first fact, comprehension. A photographer today not only needs to comprehend how his equipment works, i.e., the difference between an F/stop and a bus stop, but how his market, client and even audience functions.

While understanding your equipment is core to this first fact, especially knowing white-balance, lens choices, aperture and shutter-speed settings and all the gizmos cameras come with today like image stabilizers and matrix metering, comprehension has evolved to peripheral levels. Comprehending your market, its demographics including buying power and the intended audience is also important to you and your client. There are so many research tools available that there is no reason to fail in this category.

With Internet forums, support groups, web sites, manufacturer sites, search engines, etc., the information is always available, but also be careful, not everything on the Internet is correct. I once “Google’d” a client as we spoke on the phone, in that case the info was correct and I was able to cater easily to her needs and her publisher’s requirements.

The second fact of being a successful, professional photographer is communication. It’s often said communication, miscommunication or lack of communication is the root of all problems—this is something I truly believe in and have experienced first-hand. As a State of Texas Certified Mediator, I can tell you, communication is always the root of all civil disputes. Proper communication not only allows you direct a model into a proper pose, but to build rapport with her and to achieve her intended look in an image.

Ultimately the final image is a form of visual communication that will provide a story in an image to your subject’s intended audience. Just the lighting, dramatic verses flat, can change the mood of an image. The pose will do the same as posing is a form of body language.

Finally, the third fact of being a professional photographer, creativity is one that will always be argued, some are born with it, some are not, can it be taught? No one really knows the latter from a 100-percent standpoint, but I do believe fundamentals, principals and concepts of photography, art, graphic design and any artistic genre is teachable to those with passion. Those without the passion will learn less.

Creativity is strong in some and weak and others, but if the art/craft is continuously practiced, it will gain straight through reinforcement. Eventually the three C’s are obtainable if one strives passionately toward anchoring them in their photographic career and those that have achieved them as professional photographers, well let’s just say they rarely take bad pictures and always show you great photographs. Thanks, rg sends!