Can you give us a little peek in on the person behind the camera?

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was born in 1972. I’m a single man with two teenage children, who now live with their mother in Austin, Texas. I like to consider myself a semi-simple person. I’m lucky enough to get to travel the world doing what I love to do, and get to meet some amazing people and experience amazing cultures and places. I love my life.

Where did you grow up?

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.

What influenced you into getting into photography?

In 2002, I borrowed my brothers SLR (film) camera and shot images of my children to give to family as presents for Christmas. We styled them out and had fun. The pictures turned out great, and the bug was planted.

Did you go to school for photography?

No schooling. I am not a patient person when it comes to learning. I’m much better at picking up a camera, fiddling around and learning at my own pace. The same applies to photoshop. I still only know some of the basic tools of photoshop because I haven’t focused long enough to learn about channels and some of these confusing things technical functions…haha. I believe by learning on my own, I was able to find my own style and recognizable look and feel.

What does your usual work-flow consist of?

- Pre-production is key – Finding the right locations, models, etc, is extremely important for a successful shoot. I rely on help from assistants, clients/ art directors , stylists, to help me find the best pieces for the desired shot.

- Time of shoot. I like to keep things as simple as possible. My stylists are a big key to success. They are always amazing at what they do, and great at relaxing the models. I try to make the lighting as dramatic as possible, to fit the desired image, but I tend to just go with the flow and not over-think the process. Being flexible and being able to adapt to situations on the fly is a big key success. Listening to the clients need and executing is something I pride myself in.

- Post production – Post work is my favorite thing. I get to relax, put my headphones on and do what I love to do. Photoshop! What I do in photoshop is kind of like sculpting. I work a photo til it’s just right. I zoom in and out, go where my eye takes me. There is no simple process, it’s just a feel for me. I clean things up, adjust by dodging and burning, contrast, etc, and then do it again and again until the photo explodes with power. I truly get a natural high from editing photos!

What type of equipment are must haves for you at any shoot?

Good camera – I shoot Canon 5D mark ii’s with a few fantastic lenses – Canon 28-75, Canon 28-105, Canon 70-200, and a Canon Fisheye. Lighting – I try to use as little lighting as possilbe to keep it simple and dramatic. But I have around 8 lights. Profoto and Elinchrome monolights.

Name 3 types of equipment you can’t live without besides your camera and why?

Mac Computers… for obvious reasons. iPhone, so that I can show people my work anywhere I’m at… when asked. And my lights – Lighting is key.

I started in film, but I’ve been digitial only for 7 years. As much as I respect the art of film shooting, I simply like to photoshop my photos.

What are the main components you try to achieve when composing a shot?

I like to compose my shots as simple as possible, with no distractions, balance and a sense of movement or emotion to add the drama. Balance is key when composing a shot – The ability to see this at the time of the shot is absolutely necessary for any successful photographer. Minimizing distractions at the time of the shoot is something that I’ve become better at over time, with experience.

What are your top 5 sources of inspiration?

My source of inspiration simply comes from other photographers work, which I see in print ads, television, movies, etc. I also find inspiration in life itself. I’m always looking and observing, and I see shots all of the time. I wish I’d stop, get out of my car more often, and shoot these things that I see, but they are always in my mind for future shoots.

If you could photograph anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I’ve shot in Kenya in the past, and would love to go back and explore more parts of Kenya, and other areas of Africa. The African people are the most amazing people to shoot and to be around. I plan on several trips back.

What has been your favorite location to shoot at so far?

Kenya

Do you shoot solo, or do you have an assistant?

I shoot solo about 50% of the time, and have an assistant on bigger shoots. I like help with setup and data transferring, but I really like to move my lights around myself, it’s my time to sculpt my lighting.

Post-Process and away from the lens

How have you gone about marketing yourself as a photographer and a business?

Marketing myself has been my week point. I’m not very agressive, and this shows with my marketing. I’ve been lucky enough to achieve success by simply having a website, social media, and word of mouth. I would never suggest following my path of marketing (minus having a nice, clean, website.)

My greatest challenges are always how to make a great shot with what you’re handed. In hind-site beautiful images make sense. But showing up on location, and being asked to make something great out of sometimes very little is a challenge. It’s not a cookie cutter process, and it takes a lot of creativity on the spot with others watching and expecting great things. It’s not easy, but I tend to relax in that situation and let “winging it” take over.

When you are not behind the camera, what do you do in your free time?

I’m a very social person. I like dinners and drinks. I also like to run, ski, boat (wake-surf), and watch baseball games.

Do you run any photography workshops?

I’ve never held a workshop, but I’ve considered it and am sure I will one day soon.

Mac or PC?

I switched to MAC about 4 years ago, and will never go back. PC’s seem clunky to me now and make me want to puke in my mouth a little.

What’s your usual post-process work-flow like?

Shot selection is first and foremost in my post production. Picking the right shot out of sometimes thousands of shots taken is half of the battle, and is an art-form in itself if you ask me. I do this in PS Bridge, it’s simple and to the point. Then as I mentioned above, it’s about working a photo in photoshop until it shines and pops.

Outside the box

Finish the sentence – “if I were not a photographer, I would be…”

…depressed and bored with life. Haha. If I wasn’t in a creative industry, I think I’d be a Psychologist. I’m a big fan of the human mind and cognitive therapy.

What would be the 1 piece of advice you would give to photographers just starting out?

Work hard to grow your style and skills and shoot as often as you can. Also, networking is just as important as the work itself. Make sure to utilize all forms of networking from physical networking to social networks such as Facebook.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a project for Sony Playstation Move. Images should be appearing in ads sometime in June. [Ed. Note: This interview was done prior to their release but you can see a great behind the scenes of the Playstation Move shoot on Justin's Blog.]

What are your goals 5 years from now?

My goals are simple – To continue sharpening my skills, and to grow as an person and an artist. The rest follows.

Editors Notes:

Justin Grant Photography can be found at :

Site: http://www.justingrantphotography.com/
Blog: http://justingrantphotography.com/blog/
Contact: http://www.justingrantphotography.com/#/contact/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/justingrantphotography

Sponsored by

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A Bit of Background

Give us a little peek in behind the camera?

I’m a total romantic that see’s the world with all of the hope and possibility that it posses. My husband Chris and I are a husband and wife lifestyle photography team.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Chicago, IL. My husband and business partner, Chris, grew up in Tulsa, OK and we now live in Seattle, WA

What influenced you into getting into photography?

When I was fourteen I lost my dad in a plane accident. In that moment the seed was planted in my heart to embrace the sentiment that life is short and there is no other way to live apart from doing something that you truly love. From that point forward I knew that life lived with purpose and passion made you feel weightless and invigorated. I knew that I had to find that. I stumbled into photography shortly thereafter when a mentor of mine bought me my first camera at 14 and taught me all about shutter speed and aperture. The rest is history. The moment the camera was in my hands it just felt right, there was a power in imagery and its ability to transcend time that totally fascinated me. It wasn’t until college that I really began to take photography seriously when I met Chris and he told me to run after this. Good think I trusted him. *If you want to read more on How I got into photography you can read here.

Did you go to school for photography?

No I did not, I went to school and got my BA in Journalism. In my opinion, some of the most successful photographers are not necessarily those who completed years or schooling or studied under the most prestigious educators; although I’m sure this is helpful, their art degrees are not the keys to their success. I believe the key to their success is that they have a calling, people who felt like if they did anything other than create imagery they would be doing themselves and the world a great dis-service. When you have THAT kind of passion behind you – sacrifice becomes bearable and hard work like eating an ice cream cone. Someone who has that kind of purpose will always forge their own path…. they will ALWAYS make a way even when it seems there is not one…. they will take initiative to learn, grow and stretch themselves because they have the conviction of knowing it is what they were put on this planet to do.

By going to school for something other than photography I was forced to pave my own way. I had no choice but to seek it out which I think really worked as a benefit to me.

The Photographers Process

What does your usual work-flow consist of?

It depends on the job, however; typically after a shoot we will come home. Use photo mechanic to view and select the images. Upload them into Capture One or Lightroom to do basic color correction and then for those that we want to do more advanced level edits on we will pull them into Photoshop.

What type of equipment are must haves for you at any shoot?

I’ve always said that it is not the camera that makes the photographer. It’s the photographer that knows how to leverage the camera to be strength for him or her. So I think the only “must have” to come to every shoot with is VISION and preferably a camera too.

What are your favorite types of equipment that you have owned or worked with?

We love our Leica M6 for film and I love my 35mm 1.4 lens when I’m shooting digital

Name 3 types of equipment you can’t live without besides your camera and why?

My Canon 35mm 1.4 lens because it has become cornerstone in my work as an artist. It is my “sweet spot” lens. My 5DMKII with my 35mm 1.4 on it are with me wherever I go.

Are you strictly digital or have you used film in your work? Which is your preference?

Both. Love them both for different reasons. Chris will always say he prefers film because he is shooting film 90% of the time. I’m shooting digital the majority of the time so my personal preference would be digital.

What are the main components you try to achieve when composing a shot?

Vision, Emotion, Connection

What are your top 5 sources of inspiration?

-Traveling is a huge source of inspiration for us and we try and take one major non-work related trip together every year

-We are slightly obsessed with mid century modern furniture so we are constantly checking out furniture stores that have that sort of thing and find a lot of inspiration through that style of design.

-Charles and Ray Eames have always been a huge source of inspiration for Chris and I. They paved their own way with their brilliant design and it’s still furniture that is seen in homes today

-We love good music

-Tim Walker is a great photography source of inspiration. The vision and production value that he puts into his shoots never cease to amaze me.

If you could photograph anywhere in the world, where would it be?

That’s a tough one… can I say everywhere? ;) We love to travel and just recently went to Thailand which was amazing. You can view some of those images from the trip here

What has been your favorite location to shoot at so far?

We loved shooting in Thailand and I truly fell in love with this craft while shooting the beautiful people of Togo, West Africa

Do you shoot solo, or do you have an assistant?

My husband, Chris, and I shoot together and sometimes bring along an assistant to help with bags/equipment and lighting

Post-Process and away from the lens

How have you gone about marketing yourself as a photographer and a business?

Our Blog has been a huge marketing tool for us over the years. We keep it current and updated with recent work so people can see what is going on in our lives.

What is, and/or has been, your greatest challenge as a photographer?

Getting out of my head and not letting fear get in the way of what it is I want to do. So many times our heads get in the way of our heart. Every time I have trusted my heart and my gut instincts I have never been lead astray but many times the head sends out fear signals and I’m learning to know when to just “get out of my head” and trust my heart.

When you are not behind the camera, what do you do in your free time?

Travel, Watch movies, hang out with my hubby, be with friends

Do you run any photography workshops?

We currently do two on one mentoring for photographers, which has been really popular. If you would like to be in the loop for those announcements and be the first to know you can e mail us your e mail address at news@sarahrhoads.com

Mac or PC?

Mac all the way

Outside the box

Finish the sentence – “if I were not a photographer, I would be…”

An explorer or a counselor

What would be the 1 piece of advice you would give to photographers just starting out?

Be yourself. Avoid getting caught up in the things you think you “should do.” Go with your gut and trust your heart. Only you know the depths of yourself and what you are capable of. Set high goals and don’t settle for mediocrity. Nothing beats this quote by Cecil Beaton:

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” -Cecil Beaton

What are you currently working on?

We are currently in the midst of a crazy busy work season with lots of international travel. We have a large editorial job coming up and will be logging lots of time behind the camera with our weddings and other shoots.

What are your goals 5 years from now?

To dream big, think big and do big. We have lots of broad ambitions but at the end of the day I want to experience life, love people and pursue my passion with everything in me

Editors Notes:

Sarah Rhoads Photography can be found at :

Site: http://www.sarahrhoads.com
Blog: http://www.sarahrhoads.com/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sarahrhoads
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarahrhoadsphotographers

Sarah & Chris put together a great intro (shown below) on their website about them as photographers. You can really pull the warmth that they must emanate in their shoots, they are a vibrant couple and thier photography shows that. They put character into their photography, but achieve the ‘magical’ ingredient in being able to show their clients in raw form, and who they truly are.

All images are copyright Sarah Rhoads Photography and may not be used without thier permission.

Sponsored by

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Fuel Brand Network 2010 cc (creative commons license)

Give us a little peek in behind the camera?

Amber Fife: I’m a right and left-brain mix. I got a double major in Mathematics and Visual Arts, and I am in love with my two boys and husband.
Dustin Fife: Graduate student in statistics by day, photographer by nights (and weekends)!

Where did you grow up?

AF: Upstate NY.
DF: Washington State.

What influenced you into getting into photography?

AF: I got to take two film classes through my art major, and I found the darkroom to be magical. There’s nothing like taking a blank paper and creating an image yourself. My favorite thing was going on photo walks– you really learn to see everything around you in a whole new way. It wasn’t until I was on a humanitarian trip in Africa that our photographer let me borrow his digital body that I fell in love with digital. And there’s such an honesty in expression taking images of children in Africa. I was hooked with the images I created.
DF: I met this beautiful woman named Amber who just happened to have a need of a photo caddy. Even when the camera was hiding safely in its bags, there always seemed to be this strange connection between it and me, much like John Locke and the island of the Lost. I couldn’t long resist it’s incessant beckoning before I finally powered’r on and began shooting in fully automatic settings (and I haven’t stopped since!…..well, not the automatic part, but the shooting part :) It helped I could learn on nice equipment and from a live-in tutor.

How did you get started in photography?

AF: My base came with shooting film ten years ago in photo classes as part of my art major. We shot slide film, and would have to keep a notebook of our exposures, then write them on the slides. If you forgot to write one, the whole list got messed up! While in Africa I was introduced to the power of professional digital equipment and fell in love. Literally. Already being a double major, it didn’t work to shoot for a Photography BFA, so I took the only other class I could: photojournalism. I spent all my spare time up there in the newsroom, and loved attending all kinds of events for the paper. It’s the best job ever for a single person. You get to go and see and do so much, and you get to tell that story to everyone through your images. I covered all kinds of things, from plane crashes to sports press conferences to musical performances. I loved every minute of it. You learn fast and you learn well to work quickly with your camera in all kinds of lighting situations and work with all kinds of people. And they often supply equipment for you to shoot their assignments. I recommend it to anyone starting out. I soon became became Photo Editor at the University, and enjoyed coordinating as well as continuing shooting. Upon graduation we got married and became an official business. Dustin got us a business license and website. He’s the brains of this operation. We did amazingly well for 2 years until we relocated for Dustin to get his PhD, and rebuilt the business again here in Oklahoma. Business is booming. We now teach photography classes, and mainly shoot weddings and high school seniors.
DF: Amber was shooting some candids for a magazine and invited me to shoot for the opportunity to get published (she was actually joking, but I missed the sarcastic tone on her voice). I then found the cutest toddler I could quickly find, and chased her around, hoping her cuteness would compensate for my lack of skills,  unfortunately it didn’t. Nothing got published, but 6 months later I was back at it with a few more tricks and lenses up my sleeves (and a lot more time to find cute toddlers) and finally got published!

Did you go to school for photography?

AF: Yes, but only skimming the surface. If I could do life all over again, I’d probably work a Photography BFA in to a double major instead of just a BA in Visual Arts. In the photo classes I learned about technical basics and elements of design, and about successful images. But there is something to say about truly understanding light in a dimension you can only get through serious study. I love my art foundation: I have understood elements of design and composition and light for so long they are part of me. Intensive study would only deepen that understanding. I am happy where I am now, and continue to learn and grow. You have to be learning and growing as a photographer. There is no way to survive today without it. There are many great resources out there, but most importantly you have to get out and shoot. Go and do it. Acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them. You must first learn to be technically great so that you don’t have to think about it. That’s when the magical images are created.
DF: Ironically I spend most of my photographing time teaching others to become photographers, when I myself have no formal education in photography. (But I also teach a mean statistics course!). Most of what I’ve learned and taught is from doing. The advantages of an education is that you don’t have to have nearly the amount of “uh oh…..I should really have done…”-moments. However, NOTHING can compensate for experience. A degree in photography without thousands of shooting hours under your belt is like wearing pants that are 6 sizes too big.

The Photographers Process

What does your usual work-flow consist of?

AF: We like to meet with clients in our office before the shoot or wedding to plan out the session, though that’s not always feasible. We do a lot of online booking with brides who haven’t met us yet. We can interact through email and phone, and they are in love with our images. Often by the time a bride comes in to meet with us they’ve already read our whole website and are ready to book. With seniors we chose spots or types of spots with them beforehand to match them and their style. After the session we have them back in to view and order images and products.
DF: That about covers it…..but Amber forgot to mention the awesomeness of our new intern. Thanks Katie for doing our post-production!

What type of equipment are must haves for you at any shoot?

AF: Canon all the way. Canon 5D (or our new 5DMk2 that just arrived!!!), Canon 24-70 2.8L. Calibration target. I can do almost anything with that combo. Occasionally I’ll pull out the Canon 70-200 2.8L. I always have our backup 40D and extra lenses on all shoots.
DF: My lenses of choice are the 70-200 (for compression reasons….LOVE lens compression) and the 85mm 1.8 (hey…..who needs the L?) for the fall-off.

What are your favorite types of equipment that you have owned or worked with?

AF: The Canon 24-70 2.8L covers me very well. I prefer shooting wider, and this is perfect. From the beginning shooting for the newspaper, I knew that someday I wanted to own a fisheye. Now  I do. Life is sweet. There are just a few key places you score to have a fisheye–capturing the ceremony room especially.
DF: Did I mention the 70-200 and 85?

Name 3 types of equipment you can’t live without besides your camera and why?

AF: My iMac. Things just look a whole lot better on iMac screens than Macbooks. With that said, gotta have the Macbook for on the go work.  Backup drives. We have four. Don’t risk losing your images. Our newest addition is a Western Digital passport that is one-tenth of the space and same capacity as one of our older drives. Crazy. Music. Photo work tastes sweeter with good music.
DF: My new Nikon flash….yep, I said Nikon. I’m a die hard Canon lens and body user, but when I comes to flashes, Nikon wins. Hands down! I love that I don’t have to come up with some strange mnemonic device to remember which way to turn the flash dial to power it up vs down (clockwise vs counterclockwise? I can never remember). With Nikon, there’s a plus and a minus. Even I can figure that out. I also LOVE that when it goes into standby mode, I can remotely wake it up via Pocketwizards. With Canon, I have to jog all the way across to room, manually power it off, then power it back on…..way to go on that one Nikon!

Are you strictly digital or have you used film in your work?

AF: I truly prefer the immediacy of digital. And amazing sharpness. There are some amazing film shooters, but digital is for me. I play around with my old film camera for fun every now and then, but the whole develop/scan process is too labor intense for me.
DF: All digital….I tried film recently and could not stop myself from looking at the back of my camera to see how well I composed the image…habits can be hard to break!

What are the main components you try to achieve when composing a shot?

AF: It’s different with each session, but I like variety- tight, medium and wide. Of course well-exposed and good composition.
DF: I think that’s the wrong question to ask about a shot, because every shot will emphasize something different. What I do instead is ask myself, “What story is this photo telling?” My secret to good photography is finding a story with every image.

What are your top 5 sources of inspiration?

AF: Jonathan Canlas–simplistic design of images, timelessness and pure quality, Michelle Moore–Yummy and vibrant Senior images, Captured by Carrie and Baby as Art– Stunning newborn images that catch my breath every time. Those two ladies work magic. Jasmine Star–stellar woman, strikingly honest and real, inspirational.
DF: One, my photo students. There’s nothing like having a bunch of bright-eyed padowans anxiously watching your blog for your newest shoot to see if they can nail you on some principal you failed to follow…maybe it’s not inspiration, but it certainly helps prevent lazy shooting! But even beyond that, so many of them have such raw talent for photography, it’s amazing seeing what they come up with. I think beyond that it’s really hard to pinpoint. I have so many fragments of images floating in my mind that I often piece together in my own creations…it makes it hard to identify where it came from.

If you could photograph anywhere in the world, where would it be?

AF: I’d love to try some neat cliff/ocean combo with a bride and groom. That would be sweet. And I’d like to go back to the Great Wall of China now that I know how to shoot.
DF: Can we assume that me and my equipment are at least temporarily immortal? I think it’d be sweet to shoot a bride and groom in space (without astronaut gear). I don’t know how effective reflectors will be…..but I’m sure my new Nikon flash can handle it! Now THAT would be a nice addition to my portfolio!

What has been your favorite location to shoot at so far?

AF: Honestly, within walking distance from our studio are so many amazing spots. We’ve got brick and graffiti in back alleys, and designed windows, geometric shapes, and colorful buildings. We’re downtown Norman, an adorable town. My next favorite was City Hall in San Fransisco. It was stunningly beautiful inside.
DF: We once shot at the VERY top of a mountain in park city. We had to climb the face of the mountain with a snow cat….there’s nothing freakier than falling backwards on a 45 degree incline in the dead of the winter. We made it to the top safely and coldly and had a great shoot!

Do you shoot solo, or do you have an assistant?

AF: I can do either, but we normally bring an assistant. Dustin does tricky light setups that require extra sets of hands. I’m more of a natural lighting girl, but it’s always nice to have someone there to help hold reflectors and gray cards. Since have so many people interested in assisting, they love the opportunity. We ALWAYS have an assistant for weddings. Back in the day we’d do all weddings together, and assist for each other. Now with 2 kiddos that really doesn’t work out.
DF: Always have an assistant. We have at least 100 photo students who are anxious and willing to help out.

Post-Process and Away From the Lens

How have you gone about marketing yourself as a photographer and a business?

AF: You have to get out and get shooting. People can’t like your work if you number one, don’t have work to show them and two, don’t have anyone to show it to. Be a technically solid shooter to begin with and people will be drawn to your images. Our best marketing besides having great images is being honest and genuine. Our brides love working with us just as much as they love their images from their weddings. We relocated almost 2 years ago, and business is just booming now; we’re having to raise our prices again. It wasn’t immediate of course, but we continued to do good work, and we were patient. There are all kinds of things you can do to market: we are involved with social media: Facebook, blogging, Twitter. We link these so you don’t have to update each one every time. Streamline the process. We have a presence online that keeps us in the thoughts of our clients and their friends. We have done mailers and online wedding vendors. Our secret weapon is our website– it’s the greatest draw and people find us most through organic searches on Google. Dustin designed our site himself and does his magic with it– that’s his realm. But it all comes back to your work and you: If your work isn’t stellar, that’s where you have to improve first.
DF: Ditto

What is, and/or has been, your greatest challenge as a photographer?

AF: The Comparison Bug. No matter how good you get, there will always be someone better (and someone worse). The times where I start to get overwhelmed or anxious about comparing my work or our business, I have to close my Google reader and go pick up my camera. I can look at other people’s images and appreciate them, but in the end it’s my vision and what I create that should be most important to me. When I am at harmony with myself and my talent, that’s when the magic happens.
DF: Getting burned out. I LOVE Zach Arias’ recent video about getting burned out about photography, not because it offered solutions (in fact it didn’t) but because I can relate.

When you are not behind the camera, what do you do in your free time?

AF: Dance to Christmas music in my PJs with my toddler, crawl on the floor to my baby, and snuggle with my sweetheart. I am a couponing queen, and i love folding warm towels.
DF: School…..and more school….

Do you run any photography workshops?

AF: We teach a number of classes here in Norman, OK. You can find our lessons site here: lessons.fifephotography.com. When I say “we” i mean “Dustin.” I am much too scatterbrained to be coherent for an hour. I do often teach our private lessons, though. These classes start from the basics. The coolest class we just opened up is our strobe class. Those students create some killer images. I foresee in the next year or two we’ll be offering full fledged workshops for more seasoned shooters.
DF: That covers it!

Mac or PC?

AF: Mac. No question.
DF: Ubuntu….gotta love GIMP! And for those of you who actually know what Ubuntu and GIMP are, kudos to you! (I actually don’t use either, but I thought I’d say it anyway).

What’s your usual post-process work-flow like?

AF: We work exclusively in RAW; even on our personal images. RAWs are processed in Lightroom. It took us years to switch to LR, and we’ll never go back. If you’re a student, it’s only $99. Can’t beat that. Our style is to shoot timeless images, and tend to stay away from trends like over-saturation, muddy-washed-out-vintage, and ultra-contrast. Our images are more true to life, with our own spice added. We develop our own presets from images we process ourselves, and save those to use in the future. And it makes life fun when you come up with fun names like “Acid Sunset.” Export to jpegs, blog and facebook. Burn LR catalogs, raws and high-res jpegs to DVDs and store them in our archives, as well as dumped on our terabyte drive. We basically keep our post-processing within Lightroom, rather than Photoshop. Almost everything can be done in LR, and it makes life simpler that way. Of course, preparing images for print and album designs are done exclusively in Photoshop. We have a fabulous intern who now processes our images and designs albums with our actions so we can focus what we’re good at doing. I am good at marketing and meeting with clients and brides and Dustin is our genius web man. He does all kinds of nerdy stats stuff that makes our website and photography classes do amazing things. His masters thesis uses data from our classes, and has some amazing analysis that we get to use. It’s pretty cool he can mix our business into his PhD. And of course we both shoot. We used to try to do everything ourselves, but we are now at a point where we are getting too busy to enjoy life, and we can be more successful focusing on the elements we do well and enjoy.
DF: Yup

Outside the Box

Finish the sentence – “If I were not a photographer, I would be…”

AF: Musical Dance Theater performer, If I could live life over again.
DF: Broke!

What would be the one piece of advice you would give to photographers just starting out?

AF: Don’t worry about starting a business in the beginning. Learn how to shoot well first. Wait until you really know what you’re doing before you call yourself a photographer. Don’t tell people, just show them with the work you create.
DF: Marry a photographer…..that’s what I did.

What are you currently working on?

AF: Getting back into my sketchbooks. I haven’t drawn routinely since we started our photog business. And digitally designing our own family albums. I find that very rewarding.
DF: This survey.

What are your goals 5 years from now?

AF: Dustin will be a full-fledged professor, and we will probably have relocated again for that. I’ll build up the business again, but more slowly since there won’t be a rush to earn money this time. People will get married wherever we go, and we’re really comfortable doing that wherever we are.
DF: Find some cool way to combine my two professions….a statistographer. I’ll take pictures of probability density plots and compute the mean and variance of shutter speeds.

Fife Photography can be found at : http://www.fifephotography.com or on Twitter: @fifephotography

All images are copyright Fife Photography and may not be used without thier permission.

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1. What made you decide to stay with film instead of crossing over to digital?
I have been film from the get go.  I’ve had a handful of digital cameras but was not impressed with the work and effort I had to put in to make my images look like my film work.  What I love about film is I can shoot, have it developed and scanned and then I’m done.  I don’t have to spend hours trying to make it look good.  It looks good straight out of camera.  I love the look and feel of film.  I have yet to see digital images that look like my film work.

2. What does your work flow consist of? Do you develop your own film or send it off? How often do you use Photoshop? How long does it take from the time you unload the film until you have your pictures ready for your client?
After a wedding/event is shot, I develop all of my own C-41 (color film) on my own Noritsu QSF-V30.  I also own 2 Fuji Frontier SP2500’s so everything is scanned in house as well.  For my true black and white film, I send it to Richard Photo Lab in LA.  They are seriously the best lab in the US, if not the world.  I use photoshop all the time but not for the reasons most people do.  Since things are scanned and the scanner does not have digital ice, I have to clean for dust and scratches on the negs.  Every once in a while I’ll mess with levels and curves but I’m not running actions on my images.  I love straight forward, honest photography.  I am not into actions and I feel they will be the new selective color very soon if they are not already.  I don’t want to really date my images so no actions for me.  Actions is a 4 letter word in my business.  As far as turn around, contractually, I tell my clients that I will have the images up online (at http://jonathan.instaproofs.com) 6 weeks after the event.  I do that to give myself some cushion time.  I usually deliver it within 4.

3. What equipment do you make sure you have at every big event?
I bring the same equipment to every wedding.  A Contax 645 with an 80mm f/2 lens.  9 loaded inserts (not backs) and lens bellows/hood.  I also have (2) Nikon F5’s with a Sigma 20mm 1.8, Zeiss 50mm 1.4, a regular 50mm 1.4D lens, and an 85mm 1.4 lens.  A Nikon SB-80 and an SB-800, 2 pocket wizards, a ziplock bag chocked full of film and my Sekonic L-508 light meter with some extra AA rechargeable batteries.

4. How does shooting in film define you as a photographer? What lessons about photography can someone learn by shooting in film as opposed to digital.
Film is completely responsible for my look and body of work.  I don’t think you can recreate my look digitally (CHALLENGE!).  The look of a Contax 645 is just out of this world.  F/2 on a medium format is like shooting f/1 on a 35mm.  It is just tack sharp and the color and contrast I can get out of Zeiss lenses is just phenomenal.  I know a lot of people do actions to make something look like it was shot on a Holga which I find funny.  It is not hard to shoot film on a Holga camera, so why go through all that effort when you could just shoot it on film?  I think shooting film also forces you/makes you a better photographer as you HAVE to know what you are doing.  There is no guessing or chimping allowed.  You have to know your exposures and also working with just 1 iso (400) over and over and over again, you really get to literally know your exposures.  To the point that if I showed up without a light meter of any kind, I could still shoot because I know what the exposure would be within 1/3 of a stop.  Having this knowledge really frees you up during your shoots.  You are never worrying about what your settings are and you are free to create and document.

5. What topics do you cover at your workshops?
Obviously, we talk about film.  The ins and outs of it, basically the who, what, when, where, why, and hows of it.  But that is just day 1.  The workshop is called Film is Not Dead but we only cover film on the first day.  Day 2 is dedicated to “loving family formals”.  A lot of wedding photographers HATE family formals and I walk them through my process of doing them quickly and making them profitable for their business. I also cover story telling through details and the “formula” I use to document weddings/events.  Day 3 we talk about getting published, the power of a blog, Instaproofs and how it can change how you do business, marketing and finally refining your vision.  Actually, refining your vision is the constant topic through out all 3 days.  The last thing I would want is someone to attend my workshop with the intention to be like me.  We all have our own “voice” in photography.  And I really strive to help each attendee find out EXACTLY what that is and run with it.  All the while hoping film has a place somewhere within that voice or can help them portray that voice.

6. You have a brilliant eye when it comes to composition. Every picture is truly a piece of art. What are the main components you try to achieve when composing a shot?
I am CONSTANTLY aware of what is in my frame.  If it is in my frame it is there for a reason.  Everything you see of my work is straight out of camera and is not cropped in post.  To me that is just one more step I would have to do which equates to more time in front of the computer and less time with my family.  So, I am always striving to get what I want in camera.  Basic elements of design, color theory (even though I am completely color blind – no joke), and rules of thirds.  I am really trying to document normal life around me but make it more than just normal.  I guess the whole ordinary/extraordinary approach to things, or taking ordinary things and make them extraordinary.  This goes with personal and professional work.  My job as a wedding photographer is to make every event look publishable regardless of venue, details (or lack there of), or the couple.  I truly feel every wedding is publishable.

7. Name your top 5 sources of inspiration.
1. Music – I could go on and on, but as of late, Matt & Kim, Passion Pit, The Album Leaf & Girl Talk
2. Richard Avedon, Chuck Close, and Steve McCurry are completely responsible for the inspiration I had to do the tight b/w head shots I do.
3. Alec Soth, Craig Cutler, Dan Winters, Aaron Ruell, and a handful of other photographers that DON’T shoot weddings but create work that is completely inspiring.
4. Traveling to places I never would go unless the client took me there.
5. My family – actually, this is number 1 to me.  I do everything I do for my family.

8. If you could shoot a wedding anywhere in the world, where would it be? What has been your favorite location thus far?
I would love to shoot more destination weddings on distant islands I’ve never heard of.  I shot a wedding last year in Curacao which I did not know even existed had the client not called me and had me come out to this island off the coast of Venezuela.  More Mexico weddings would be grand, but not the resort type, more down to earth, middle of nowhere, central MX where the whole town is invited to the wedding.  My favorite location thus far?  That is hard to say, I love CA both North and South but at the same time I really love weddings out in Potomac MD/DC area.  I really don’t have a favorite as it is constantly changing as I shoot weddings and travel to new places.

9. How important is it to bring along an assistant to your weddings?
Up until about 3 years ago, I did everything solo.  And mind you, 3 years ago I shot 72 weddings in one year by myself.  NOT FUN (the 72 weddings part, I can shoot by myself just fine).  My good friend Leo Patrone started assisting me at weddings and now I currently have 4 interns who take turns coming to weddings with me.  They don’t shoot, they just man the bag, make sure no one trips over the bag, and assist with second lighting at the receptions.  It is important, but if it came down to it, I could totally do it all by myself.  It is just convenient to have someone man the bag and handing me inserts for the Contax when a roll finishes etc.

10. Have you ever had to market your business, or do you rely solely on word of mouth?
When I first started out, I thought I had to do what everyone else locally was doing, advertise with websites that had nothing to do with me as a studio or my clients, bridal fairs, and local magazines.  But over time, I realized the best form of advertising is a happy client and word of mouth.  I don’t do any paid advertising right now.  I submit my weddings to publications and blogs and that does way more marketing across the world than I could ever do with paid advertising.  I don’t really think I am marketing to just brides in UT.  I think that was a mistake I made early in my career.  My clients are all over the US and beyond and getting my work out on the web or in print is way more effective than any local advertising I could do.

11. What is your biggest challenge as a wedding photographer?
I don’t know if I have a big challenge.  My constant struggle is to be constantly refining my vision through shooting personal work.  I never want to use a gig as practice to better myself as a photographer.  That is what personal work and projects are for.  So, the challenge is actually getting out and doing it, which I am pretty good at.  I am constantly shooting.  My blog is riddled with personal work, and it is because I am constantly trying to better myself as a photographer and refine my vision.

12. When you’re not taking pictures, what do you do in your free time?
Take pictures :).  No but really, I spend time with my family.  That is the most important thing to me in this world.  I love my wife and my 5 kids and my job provides me the privileged of spending a lot of time with them and I love it.

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Hi!  I’m from Seattle, am married to my best friend, and together we have a beautiful 5 1/2 year old Great Dane named Gracie. Photography has been my hobby for so many years I can’t remember what I did before then.   I have always had a passion for dogs and being able to combine those loves (photography + dogs) has been one of the most rewarding adventures ever.

What gave you the idea to specialize in dog photography?

I have always loved dogs.  The kind of dog lover that sees a dog on the side of the street and feels compelled to stop, pick up the dog, and spend days trying to find their home.  So when it came to photography, the decision was a natural one as to what I would specialize in.  For awhile, I was shooting families, weddings, seniors along with dogs but the time quickly came when I kept hoping for dog clients only.  So I scrapped everything else (that was making me good money) and focused 100% of my time on dogs.  The risk was absolutely worth it.

How does photographing dogs compare to photographing humans?

They are definitely different.  With humans you are able to ask them to stand a certain way or try to evoke some kind of feeling or emotion out of them.  With dogs, the only thing you can really do is follow them around and capture them as they are.  I love to work with dogs because they have this amazing zest for life.  They aren’t worried about their skin, weight, how their hair looks, or what anyone is thinking about them.  They just want to play, be loved, and have a great time.

How do you get the dogs to cooperate?

Each dog is an individual with a personality.  Just like humans, you have to take some time to figure out what that personality is.  With dogs, that personality usually dictates how I ask them to cooperate.  In general I would say dogs are either treat or toy motivated.  It is up to me to figure out which one it is.  When those 2 things fail, I use my secret talent for barking.  I can bark really well.  So well that most people think it is a dog down the street.

What type of equipment do you use?

I shoot with the Canon 5D MK II and my go to lens is the 24-70 f/2.8 or the 70-200 2.8 IS L.

What’s the average length of your photo shoots?

The majority of my shoots are 90 minutes.

Do you photograph any other pets besides dogs?

The occasional cat may wander in front of my camera, but I usually only accept dog clients.

Why do you think it’s important to get your dog’s pictures taken?

Just like me, my clients consider their dogs important members of the family.  They bring laughter, forgiveness, loyalty, adoration, and love into our lives.  So it only seems natural to me to create beautiful, photographic memories of them to enjoy for a lifetime.

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I am always framing a photo; driving down the road, mid conversation, mowing the grass, and that is all without a camera. I am framing pictures in my mind 95% of the time and may have a camera in my hand only 5% of the time. Its kind of like taunting a wild animal while its in a cage so when the door opens, it goes nuts. Photography is my passion but I always keep my finger on the big picture; I have committed to be just as good of a businessperson as a photographer. It’s the only way to make a living. I spend just as much time on the business side as I do on the creative side.

Where did you grow up?

I still am growing up! I was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia and went to school at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Now I live in Richmond, Virginia.

How did you get started?

I get asked this question all the time and it is very easy to answer in person. I start by telling the person that as I am talking to them, I have their head perfectly framed between two hanging photos and their eyes are 100% in line with the painted stripe on the wall. In short, I have always done this, its always been in my head, I just had to pick up a camera. Its freaky.

How did being selected for college photographer of the year affect you?

It was a dream come true. CPOY had always been won by students at the major photojournalism schools around the world, not by students like myself that didn’t even have a photojournalism program. I had actually flown myself out to watch the judging the year before at University of Missouri and at a dinner one night with a group of students, I said “you know, I’m going to win this thing one year,” and they laughed in my face. It was a magical moment when I saw them the following year at the award ceremony.

Did you go to school for photography?

Nope. I attended JMU’s Media Arts & Design program (www.smad.jmu.edu), this program had only one 8-week course in photography.

What’s it like shooting for National Geographic?

I’m not going to lie, it was the coolest thing to say, “Hi, my name is Casey and I’m a photographer for National Geographic Magazine.” The experience was certainly sink or swim. I worked on a project about pigeon racing  (http://www.caseytempleton.com/pigeons) and I had a blast. Take a look at the project and you’ll be able to see why.

Name 3 types of equipment you can’t live without besides your camera

1 – Aperture: Apple’s kick-ass photo editing program http://www.apple.com/aperture/

2 – Blinkbid – Estimating and invoicing program http://blinkbid.com/

3 – My 17″ Macbook Pro for on location shooting

Mac or PC?

Really!? MAC!

Favorite Photoshop tool?

I honestly don’t use Photoshop except for contact sheets and creating web gallery links. I use Aperture (http://www.apple.com/aperture/ ) for all my photo editing and archiving needs.

Do you have a particular style of shooting?

Very laid back, if the people I am photographing are not comfortable, it shows.

What has been your most memorable assignment and why?

Pigeon Culture for National Geographic Magazine. Just take a look and you’ll see why: http://www.caseytempleton.com/pigeons

Have you had your work published? If so, with who?

Commercial/Advertising Campaigns: clients such as Wal-Mart, Apple, Altria, Philip Morris, Dominion Resources, and various other companies.

Editorial publications: National Geographic Magazine, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, US News & World Report, Washington Times, The Sunday (London) Times and various other national publications.

How do you get fresh ideas?

I love cinematography, did I spell that right?

What inspires you?

My faith and family.

What type of challenges do you face as a photographer?

People that hate having their photo taken. Photographers undercutting the market just to get the job. Get with it.

Where is somewhere you haven’t yet been to on assignment but want to go?

I would love to go to China and I think that is going to happen in March!

Finish the sentence- “If I were not a photographer, I would be…”

I have never thought about this. Honestly.

If I were not a photographer, I would be miserable to be around.

What advice would you give to photographers just starting out?

Ask questions and don’t be afraid to take bad photos. Never accept the light you see as the best you can get.

What are you currently working on?

Keeping up with my growing business, it has doubled in the past year and working on a new website and re-branding of my entire business. Going to be hot.

Goals for 5 years from now?

To still be working with every client I currently have. I believe long term working relationships are key. I also want to add a few more national and international clients.

Stay tuned, its going to be fun!

Conference Highlight 

Worship Arts’s News

This session is geared toward photographers of all levels and will specialize in understanding and operating digital SLR cameras. Participants will explore the basics of operating the camera, camera settings, and how to create captivating images. There will be ample time to ask questions, shoot pictures in the community, and learn how to organize and edit digital photographs.

About the Author

Megan Mullins is a freelance photographer based out of Charleston West Virginia. You can connect with her on twitter. She is into all kinds of photography: portrait, landscape, fashion, you name it!

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