Indie Spotlight: Eric James

[ Editor's Note: Some items in this posting maybe considered NSFW ]

Each Monday, we’ll highlight one indie photographer whose body of work deserves special recognition. Please enjoy their photography here, and make it a point to enjoy the rest of their work on their website.

This week spotlight, Eric James Leffler, hails from Walnut Creek, CA. His style ranges between fine art, portrait, and wedding photography.

Despite the genre, Eric is never without his main camera – A Nikon D700. If the 700 should fail him for whatever reason, he carries a D90 as a backup.

Eric’s len’s choice is a Nikon 24-70/2.8, which he fondly refers to as his “workhorse.”   Wide enough to handle most of his city and landscape work, yet versatile and sharp in the studio.  It’s also a great lens for low light situations.   A self proclaimed “sucker” for compression and bokeh; Eric also carries a 70-300 lens, which also serves as a secondary.

Eric prefers working with natural light, on location, when circumstances permit.  When shooting landscape and city, he will occasionally use bracketing in the event he wants to tone map or some manual blending.

An off camera flash/strobist is always standing by for indoor portrait work, night shots, or a more dramatic effect during the day.  When it comes to ultimate preference, Eric refers to natural light as his “happy place.

Adobe Lightroom 3 is Eric’s go to software for file management and the majority of his editing process.  Photos requiring additional polishing find their way into Adobe Photoshop CS5 and onOne Photo Suite software.

Diversity is key when it comes to the shoot.  Boredom can set in quickly, so finding a new location, concept, or subject is what drives him.  He is also inspired by the city;  San Francisco to be more precise.   A Bay Area native, Eric still finds something new every time he heads out for a shoot.  Another inspiration is the water as it relates to his beauty and fashion photography.

Inspiration also comes in the form of other photographers, and Eric has his list.  He enjoys Jaime Ibarra for his fashion work, Chase Jarvis for his adventurous side, Hoffer Photography’s wedding work, and Thomas Hawk for his ability to see art in just about everything.

Turning to tips and techniques, Eric suggests focusing on post processing and file management, and Lightroom is the tool of choice.  Eric would also like to try underwater photography someday, and would love to get into pro sports as well.

Be sure to check out more of Eric’s work on Facebook, Google+, and his personal site.