Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Interviews | Posted on Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Devo released its first album in 20 years on June 15^th, Something for Everybody.  Our friend and producer Dawn Silverstein of NYDK Productions Inc. was the head of photography production for the album cover and advertising.  We are pleased to have the opportunity to share her experience and some of the challenges during the production of creating the incredible images.

Dawn Silverstein/ Producer NYDK Productions Inc.

In January the photographer, Josh Dalsimer contacted me to be the producer for the project.  After speaking with him I created an estimate for the entire job to propose to Mother, New York agency for the new Devo album.  The job was awarded to us in February, which gave us about a month to get ready for the shoot.  I was very excited because I knew it was going to be a challenge but an extremely fun, interesting project.

The project ended up being on a tighter budget than our original planned advertising budget. This meant our original 3 day shoot was cut giving us only 2 days to set up, strike, light and shoot 8 main shots with talent plus multiple shots needed of the band.  The budget affected everyone but they were greatly accepting and even cut some of their fees.  We were all just so excited to be involved in a Devo project it didn’t seem to matter.  During the time I created the estimate I did a lot of my research for location, crew, casting and prop production so I was prepared before it even began. The agency had a very specific idea of what and how they wanted to shoot and in the end our final images looked very close the original swipe.

Casting for the different characters was pretty strange and a little difficult but extremely fun (and funny).  We knew from the mock-ups what we were looking for so all the people had to act as if they were in the scene during the casting. For example the “sexy woman” had to crawl around on the ground so we could see what she would look like once she was inside the dome where all we saw were their butts and legs in the air. Or the old woman we were casting to hold and lick a large Jell-O mold.  During the casting it was extremely funny to see these old women sticking their tongues out in the air.

Many people ask; how did you make the mold of the Devo energy dome?  Actually, there were 4 different size models made of the dome.  They ranged in size from 1 ½ inch to 4 ½ feet all of which had to be made to scale of the original hat. Our 4 ½ foot form was made out of Styrofoam and had to be sturdy enough to hold a climbing baby as well as having a large hole cut in the bottom for the woman to climb into. It was later retouched to look translucent as if it were made from Jell-O.  The tiny 1 ½ inch form was made from a hard plastic. It needed look like a piece of candy so this was the best solution.  The other forms were made from a Vac-U-Form and then painted blue.

Josh’s expertise in lighting, direction and retouching was key to the success of the shoot.  He would lay images over each other to mock up the final shots as he was creating them, making sure the hat forms were all shot in the same perspective.  This was important in making sure the post work looked realistic.  With his experience he knew exactly the best way to approach shooting and was extremely successful in making it happen.  He was very hands-on during the entire process, which was great and completely necessary on a shoot like this.

I would like to thank and give credit to:

Joshua Dalsimer, Photographer, www.dalsimerphoto.com
Paul Malmstrom , Creative Director
Bill Moulton, Art Director
Amita Sehgal, Art Producer
Impossible Casting, Casting Production
Clockwork Apple, Model Maker
Signe Yberg, Wardrobe Stylist
Stephania Parent, Makeup Stylist
Christy McCabe, 2^nd Makeup Stylist
Nina Sheffy, Prop Stylist

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Interviews | Posted on Saturday, August 14th, 2010

We are excited to share this Foto Care interview published by David Harry Stewart  at http://blog1.dhstewart.com. We hope you enjoy hearing about Jeff’s experience in the photography industry.

Jeff Hirsch owns and runs Fotocare in NYC. Since 1968 they have been taking care of professional photographers. The word “care” is what runs through the organization. They not only rent gear, or sell cameras, they take care of their customers. I could relate a dozen stories of them going to bat for me with the camera manufacturers, over-nighting a piece of gear, or going the last mile to research some obscure question I may have.

As someone who has for decades been supplying photographers, and now film makers, with the gear they need, Jeff has a great vantage point.

1. You wrote some fascinating comments last week about the DSLR video craze. Could you go into that a bit more?

Ten years ago, the transition to digital from analog had been in full swing. Within two years there was no turning back. Now, we are in the midst of another transition that requires new skills and investment. This is another fresh chance to be seen and recognized. Our business is growing again and I trust so are our customers. With the drive to produce video content we will experience greater bottlenecks in speed, throughput and connectivity. We’ll get frustrated and there will be the threat’s to return to the days past of analog capture. A lot of video content may have no where to go because it’s being made without a buyer or viewer or the producer has not figured out how to get their message to buyers.
You might say that you had better get out of the way because the freight train is coming down the track but the change the train is bringing offers opportunity for those that want to be photographers or videographers.

2. Over the years, you have also been in a unique position to see the careers of photographers come and go. What do you think are the characteristics of the people who make it, and then manage to stay on top for decades?

Be best at what you do with and develop an inquisitive eye. Look for interest in the mundane and show your clients and friends the world that they overlook. Make people smile not just in your images but in the way you relate to them. Every day presents new opportunities that unlike before.

3. Foto Care now has a web site, a blog, a Facebook page, Twitter. How do you see Foto Care in that universe?

We look for the chance each day to make a difference by helping photographers solve problems big or small. Our use of social marketing now lets us reach a wider user group than in-print media permitted given the associated costs. We’ve undergone tremendous physical changes related to moving and opening two new facilities during an economic downturn. The initial downturn gave us a breather to take stock and re-organize. Our incorporation of social media helped us inform and publicize an active series of seminars that continues to grow

4. What is your background? How is it that you came to run Foto Care?
I grew up in a small town and learned about customer service from my Family who owned and operated a small chain of retail clothing stores. I discovered the magic of photography early. I found my Mom’s box camera and Kodak book that described the Darkroom. That was nearly 40 years ago. College experience gave me a greater desire to be a Professional Photographer. I assisted Photographers from LIFE . I shot professionally until I discovered I enjoyed serving customers more than Art Directors. In 1990, Foto Care found me rather than the other way around. Foto Care had been purchased by a group of investors who needed someone to take over the store. They found me and offered me the ability to manage and buy out their investment. That was exactly twenty years ago. For the past twenty years I’ve had the chance to be part of something much bigger and better than me. I have the greatest respect for our customers who so sacrifice everything to photograph. With so little business acumen, our customers start a business, have kids and put them through College all the while keeping alive their wide-eyed enthusiasm for image-making. I hear too often that we make so little any more in the US. One think that we never stopped making is creativity and entrepreneurs. Our business is built on thousands of them, all home grown.

5. Do you take pictures yourself?

Not as much as I would like. I still find myself wishing I had more resolution when I like an image I made.

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Interviews | Posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Foto Care is pleased to present an exclusive interview with photographer Odessy Barbu.  He has been commissioned to shoot some of the most sought after celebrities including Jessica Alba, Marilyn Manson, Vanessa Hudgens and Dita Von Teese, and has shot advertising campaigns for Levi’s, Chinese Laundry, Topless, French Kitty and ABS.  Join us for a “photographic odessy” with the talented, passionate and creative Odessy Barbu.

Fill me in on your childhood. Where did you grow up? I was raised in Venice California and loved it! As a kid I grew up surfing and skating on the boardwalk. With so many different arts and culture I believe it helped form my passion for photography and eventually brought me to capture the images I enjoy taking with high color and textures in them.

When did you decide to become a photographer and what inspired that decision?
I decided to become a photographer in France. I moved there after high school in hopes of learning to become a master chef as were my parents. After a few years of cooking in restaurants in Paris and St. Tropez I became fond of taking photos of my girlfriend at the time whom was a bikini beach model on the beach’s of Tahiti and Voile Rouge. Between being an aspiring photographer by day and sous chef by night I had an amazing tour in France for 4 years.

Given your culinary skills, are you known for outstanding studio lunches? If only I had enough time during the shoot to be able to prep lunches for everyone… I think I would be considered Superman if I could pull of that feat.

Are there any artists or photographers that inspired your along the way?
I’ve always really enjoyed the work of David La Chapel and Steven Meisel. If I could merge their out of the box ideas with amazing subjects and high fashion it would be total bliss for me.

What has been your favorite assignment to date? My favorite assignment to date was traveling to back to Paris after I got my career going and shooting there and Milan. I love the old word  feel in my images and having international models and wardrobes that makes every international shoot amazing and so creative.

Currently what equipment are you using to produce your work?
I work with mainly Profoto equipment, D4’s for studio and 7B’s on location. I just depends on the job and how big of a set or crew I need to light. I could use anywhere from 1 flash head to 15 depending on the mood and feel I want to produce.

What equipment would you most like to own but don’t yet have?
I pretty much have everything at my finger tips at the moment, the only thing I’d like to buy these days is an underwater casing for my camera and some underwater strobes; that would be fun to experiment with.

Where are you drawing your inspiration from these days?
Locations inspire me at the moment, as I drive around California for work and play I try to log in as many cool venues I run into. When I see something along the road or a building, empty lot or run down church or house;  I make it a point to scout. Then ideas come to me and I get excited about shooting them.

Where is your work heading next? Where do you see yourself in the future?
I have plans to travel back to Europe this winter and I’m putting together locations and story’s for each local I plan to shoot in. I’m thinking of visiting different countries for a month at a time to keep my scenes keen. So hopping over to Paris for a month, come back to LA for a check in and off to Sydney for another month and so on.. That’s the plan for the future at the moment.

Now that video is working its way into our market, do you see yourself stepping into the Hybrid Video market in the near future?
Yes, this past year Ive noticed that more and more, the future of still photography will possibly be less in demand .  The option of an all video format, where your files are so big, you can just pull a still frame from your reel.  Lighting is a factor though, controlling such a big environment for motion picture can be very tedious.

What advice would you give to anyone that wants to become a professional photographer today?
Go to school, learn the fundamentals and start assisting a few photographers you like. Merge all the skills you’ve learned into your own. Make sure to capture good original images for your portfolio, work with the best crew and subjects possible. You want utter beauty for your book, people will pass up C or B grade models photos in your book so persist to shooting the best when possible. Be social– there’s to much competition out there and if you cant talk the talk your clients will not believe you can walk the walk.  Give 110% in everything you do. Don’t turn down any photo assignment that comes your way. Everything come from taking chances and shooting anything will open doors down the line.  Trust. The rest you have to learn as you go. Be patient and if you really want it, it shall be yours.

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Interviews | Posted on Sunday, June 13th, 2010

Posted by Foto Care Editor | Posted in Foto Care Interviews | Posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

An exclusive Foto Care Interview with Photographer Rinze Van Brug by Robert French.

One of the most diverse young photographers of our time, Rinze Van Brug, the Dutch born Graffiti artist, turned art director, turned photographer fills us in on his personal and professional life, and what he’s been up to.  Rinze, a Foto Care customer for 9 years, has had his work featured in Aventura, Elle Décor, and LX Magazine. And that’s just recently. Prior to this, Rinze held the position of Creative Director at Ogilvy, a leading advertising agency in Amsterdam. This afternoon Rinze and I sit down with his new iPad to look at some of his work.

Fill me in on your childhood. How did you grow up?

I grew up in Holland, on a farm about 2 or so hours outside of Amsterdam. My father was a window display artist, and my mother ran an orphanage where our family, along with 20 or so kids lived. Our home was provided by the government so it was quite big. It had to be really, to fit all those people. It was fun though; you never really got bored especially since our town was a very orthodox based region–primarily very religious farmers. To express myself I started doing Graffiti as much as I could when I was about 10 years old, . Wherever you could think of Graffiti being it was there because of me, wherever you could not think of graffiti being, it was there because of me.  The Arts were so commonplace over in Holland, you would find design in everything. (Rinze points to his iPad) In Holland everything is made like this, design was everywhere.

Where’s this? I point to an image of an unusual office building that looks more like a space ship then a building

ING headquarters in Amsterdam, I’ve been doing a lot of architecture these days. I’ve been doing advertising for them for a long time, I’ve been an art director my whole life. I did work for them, American Express, IBM, MTV. Coming up with commercials and stuff. Then I came here, I couldn’t get a job. That’s when I started doing photography.

When did you come to the New York?

The week before September 11th, I was creative director for Ogilvy in Amsterdam.  I was hired here, then the whole market crashed and I didn’t have a job. So I just bought a little 10D for fun. That’s how I made a living for a while.

So was it more street photography that you started off doing?

Yeah, I was just goofing around, at the same time I started a web design company so I was doing that to make money as well.

How did you break into shooting professionally?

A friend of mine was doing fashion week and asked me to come along. While there, some people stopped me and asked me why I was dressed so bold for a paparazzi. I explained I wasn’t a paparazzi and showed them some of my work. They then put me in touch with a woman who was creative director for 944 Magazine in LA. Its funny, I can relate 70 percent of my work to referrals stemming from a friendship I made while waiting in line at the Dutch Embassy after I had lost my Passport.

How has your work changed in the last year?

Now, it’s simpler and more personal.  Where before I always did coloration and shallow depth of field, now its more straight out of the camera. It just got old.

Where are you drawing your inspiration from these days?

I’m a big movie buff; I watch a ton of them. Beat Street, was a huge one for me. Its funny, I live my whole life in the two dimensional world and by the time I get home I don’t want to read.

Where is your work heading next? Where do you see yourself in the future?

I want to mix architectural photography with fashion.  Video will probably be mixed in here in some way. It’s just really hard to convince the clients to go that route. Like right now, I have this location picked out in Holland, it’s actually the town I grew up in. I have all the locations picked out, I have the models picked out, and I’m just waiting on the client at this point.

Now that video is working its way into our market, do you see yourself stepping into the Hybrid Video market in the near future?

Its just that so many people ask me for it. I get it, I understand why people want it, I mean I get work out of it. I just think its something I have to do. I find it very interesting but in order for me to feel I’m doing this right i’m going to have to get a bit more equipment.  I recently purchased an adapted RedRockMicro Rig from you for a commercial for the Moroccan government based off another job i’m going over there for. The Commercials are in a way jump-starting the idea I have with mixing fashion with Architecture. Basically we’re doing a tourism video with fashion models in the foreground.

How did you hear about Foto Care?

I wanted some lights so I went to B&H. They said what’s your budget? I told them, and, judging by there expression, I just left. A friend of mine, Adam Den Haene told me to go to you guys and you hooked me up with these beautiful lights. You are just so much more relaxed than the others. I do all my business with Foto Care.

Currently what equipment are you using to produce your work?

I try to use my Leica M9 as much as possible but lately my Nikon D3S is used much of the time.  I try to pack small. My whole idea is to not have to carry a big load. If I can carry everything in one trip, I get less looks and people tend to be more relaxed. In terms of cameras, in the past I had the Canon 1DS, 1DSII, 1DSIII, but by that point I was already looking more towards Nikon.

Lastly, what equipment would you most like to own but don’t yet have?

Well the latest set up I’m looking at is an ALPA with a 23mm.  I want to use it for my architecture work. It’ll give me a bit more movement then what my other cameras have. Plus it’s so well made, nothing can beat it.