Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Foto Care Interviews
Posted on March 14, 2011

Michael Lisnet is a New York City based DP (director of photography) and photographer.  Born in Montreal and raised in Connecticut Michael has always had an interest in photography.  He began with an interest in fashion photography which grew into an interest in video, since then he has began to merge the two. His work is an incredible array of creativity and imagination.

Timelapse © Michael Lisnet

Tell us about yourself and how you got into this field?

My interest in Photography started when my roommate in college showed me pictures that he had taken at night shots using long exposures and I thought that I was looking into a dream. I saw for myself what the power of experimenting with photography could produce. Up until that moment I had never touched a camera with any real intent. My main interest right now is how video and still photography relate to each other.  Separately and together they are a powerful form of expression and communication but I want to discover possibilities of them working together.

What was your break out job that helped launch your career?

When I first started, I assisted a runway photographer and my job was to hold and secure his place amongst the other 100 or so photographers who were all vying for a better spot. That got boring really fast so I would sneak backstage to all the really big shows and photograph the super models. Some of which include the major super models the time, Naomi Campbell, Lindas Evangelista, Chrisy Turlington. Tyra Banks, etc.  All of these images led to getting noticed by Vogue Magazine giving me editorial work that has lasted up until this day.

© Michael Lisnet

So, began your career in photography and now have moved further in the field to video.  Are their any video projects you are most proud or found most inspiring?

In 2006, my time spent in N.Y.C. was rewarded with the creation of a video art piece called “Siempre”. This art piece I did with my partner, Sophie Sindhal-Invernesse.  It is one of the pieces that I am most proud of. “Siempre” explores the the control religion and the media have over gender training. The piece is both intense and beautiful. It has laid the groundwork for our next art piece “Gender Adapter” which will deal with war in contemporary America.   Just this year, our work has been shown at Art bridge ArtFair Miami 2006, and The WCA International Video Shorts Festival curated by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. In November 2006 we had a solo exhibition of our video installation in the project room at Dillon Gallery which also represent us Video Artists and Photographers.

©Michael Lisnet & Sophie Sindhal-Invernesse

What equipment are you currently using to produce your work?  Do you find it easier renting equipment?

I use the Canon 5d mark II for the majority of my work but I also have the Panasonic HVX 200 that I use sometimes.  For post-production I use Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro.  I always try renting equipment before making a purchase.  Sometimes though, the camera or light I want hasn’t even been created. If it is out and Fred,  the Foto Care rental manager, doesn’t have it yet, I will usually try to find a way to get him to buy it for Foto Care. (Haha)

Now that Video is working its way into our market, what do you predict to be the next step in Hybrid Video?

I think uncompressed 4:4:4 videos in a small body, that has sound input (still waiting for this) is the final destination and maybe with a couple more steps along the way. The red camera has many of qualities of the future but it is too big for the type of work I do.

Prada Event © Michael Lisnet

Where are you drawing your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from the fact that we all now have the tools in front of us to do anything we imagine. The Internet and the computer have produced endless possibilities in terms of creativity. All you need is vision.

How has your work changed in the last few years and where is your work headed next?

I became interested in video 15 years ago. A friend, who owns a production company, began working with Def Jam records shooting music videos and I wanted in.  Video for me became an extremely powerful way to extend the dream from just a moment in time to a dreamscape.  I think the Canon revolution has upped the ante for me in terms of size and quality. I can now be anywhere unobtrusive and mobile while still shooting beautiful video.  In the future I think content is key. For me, it is about what I can create that is uniquely mine. The future is still unwritten so my plan as of now is to become a writer.

Tucge Opener © Michael Lisnet

How did you first hear about Foto Care?

A little elf from Alkit (remember them) told me about this hard ass, named Fred, that might actually be able to provide what most businesses don’t, customer service.

What is it about Foto Care that brings your back?

Hmmm, what brings me back…Dave Boogie’s Facebook postings, Brian’s knowledge of obscure bands, Jon’s taste in books, Fred’s unending wit, Nobi’s changed name, Jeff’s sarcasm, Rob’s medical condition and last but not least the happy service and respectful personnel!

To see more of Michael Lisnet visit his website, www.michaellisnet.com

Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Foto Care Interviews
Posted on February 22, 2011

Foto Care presents an exclusive interview with New York fashion and portrait photographer David Needleman.  Born and raised in New York City David began his life with an artistic mind.  His family opened him up to the arts which in turn opened his  eyes up to photography.  We are happy to share his work and ideas with you in the interview below.

All Images © David Needleman

Tell us about yourself and how you got into this field?

I always knew I’d inevitably work with art. Probably since the age of 5, I knew I where I was going. I had the support and encouragement of my family. They were always in the business of making art, whether it was writing music, singing, photography or advertising. Their support came with one condition: my art was not to be a hobby, but a life-dedicated career. So, following art school, I immediately started working for the fashion photographer, Steven Meisel. That turned into an eight-year apprenticeship, which turned out to be the most important education I could have ever asked for. And that is how I got into this field.

What equipment are you currently using to produce your work?

If I am lucky enough to work with film, I use a Nikon. But, in most cases it’s digital. So as a result, I became very comfortable with Canon. Regardless, as essential as the equipment is, it must not interfere with the actual process of taking pictures. I remind myself that it’s just a tool I need to get what I want. That’s the most important part of the equipment for me.

What was your break out job that helped launch your career?

That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure. I’ve been really fortunate to have worked with remarkable talent and exciting clients. But I think photographing Rodney Dangerfield for Abercrombie & Fitch taught me the most, and gave me the most insight into what I do. I’m not sure if that was a break out job or if it helped launch anything. But, personally, I learned the most from that experience.

Where are you drawing your inspiration?

I draw from the interactions in my life, mostly. But I try to watch as many television interviews as I possibly can. I find them very captivating; watching the way people speak, move and gesture constantly inspires me. I’m also fascinated by anything sci-fi and am drawn to the unknown. Years ago, when I was starting out, a great mentor of mine told me to listen and then speak. Therefore, I listen to as much as I can from my subjects to hear their perspectives – that inspires me the most.

How has your work changed in the last few years?

Well, without taking myself to seriously, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. If I take a step back and reflect over the past few years, I feel each picture I make means more to me, and has greater intent from these past few years. Actually, two and a half years ago I was diagnosed with colon cancer, and now I look at everything as before and after the cancer, including my pictures. If anything, I think my work is more about me than it’s ever been. The process of working, as well as the work itself has been evolving to a place that I’m very content with these days.

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

I hope my work will take me to places where I’m forced to learn and grow. I also, hope I always have that feeling of ridiculous anxiety before ever project. As for the future, I have no idea. I’m just taking every day as it comes. I’m grateful and appreciative of what I already have and have done.

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

I’m thinking about this. I admire and respect the medium, but am not sure just yet where I’d like to belong in it.

How did you first hear about Foto Care?

It was many years ago, one of my first few days working at Steven Meisel Studio. I asked his then-1st-assistant about renting a camera for a trip. His sincere and authoritative response was, “Call Fotocare. They can make anything happen for you.” He was right and I have been calling them for about 13 years now.

What is it about Foto Care that brings your back?

Before anything else, they are good people and it’s a complete pleasure to work with them all.

To see more of David’s work check out his website, www.davidneedleman.com

Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Photographers
Posted on February 12, 2011

Robert Clark is a freelance based photographer based in New York City who works with some of the world’s leading magazines and publications.  His long time relationship of fifteen years with National Geographic Magazine has earned him many magazine covers and even more stories.

In the February 2011 American Edition of National Geographic, Under Paris, Robert Clark is the feature photographer for the On Assignment series.  For the article “Evolution of Feathers”, Clark photographed a series of birds (and feathers) in his Brooklyn studio. Below you will see Clark in his studio photographing one of the birds using UV converted strobe light (more info below).

Click here to see the entire “Evolution of Feathers” series of photographs, by Robert Clark.

Posted by Foto Care | Posted in Photo Exhibits in NYC
Posted on February 5, 2011

Moment of Recognition, on view in the Rita K. Hillman Education Gallery of the School of the International Center of Photography, is an exploration of portraiture in the new millennium.

© Susann Nuernberger

Intrigued by what is revealed when a split-second in time is captured, curator Amy Arbus asked her former students and teaching assistants to submit images of subjects that were in motion, either physically or emotionally. Included in the hundred or so prints on view are images of reality TV star wannabes, male escorts, survivors of genocide, Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, self-portraits, and functional as well as dysfunctional families. This new generation of photographers combine various genres like reportage, fashion, lifestyle, and sports to reinvent portraiture and create pictures uniquely their own. Each of the portraits implies a narrative or inspires the viewer to create one. Arbus writes in her statement, “In curating this exhibition I chose photographs that were strangely familiar despite the fact that I had never seen them before. It was as though I was meeting an old friend for the first time.”

Photographer Amy Arbus has published four books. The New Yorker called her most recent, The Fourth Wall, her masterpiece. Her photographs have appeared in over one hundred periodicals around the world. She has taught at ICP for fourteen years as well as at workshops all across the globe. Arbus has exhibited worldwide and her photographs are a part of the collections of The New York Public Library and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Moment of Recognition
January 15, 2011 – March 20, 2011
Rita K. Hillman Education Gallery
School of ICP
1114 Avenue of Americas
New York, NY 10110

Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Photo Exhibits in NYC
Posted on January 27, 2011

The Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association presents Fauna : Land, Sea & Sky,  an exhibition of wildlife photography by Al Vinjamur.

Born in Bangalore, India, Al studied Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Between 1993 and 2004, he founded and ran a Statistical Arbitrage trading group at a well known wall street hedge fund. Since 2004, Al has been a private investor.  In addition to his passionate interest in photography, he also pursues his love of Finance, Economics, Car Racing, Astrophysics, and Scuba Diving.

Fauna: Land, Sea & Sky
February 4, 2011 – February 26, 2011
The Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association
321 East 73rd Street
New York, NY 10021
212.988.1733

Opening Reception
Friday, February 4, 2011
6:00PM

Posted by Foto Care | Posted in Photo Exhibits in NYC
Posted on January 21, 2011

The Sultans is a series of close-up photographic portraits that depicts “Turkish men of a certain age in all their patriarchal glory” created by photographer Dirk Anschutz.  The work was produced during a month-long road trip through Turkey.  The images were taken in Anatolia, the mountains near the Mediterranean Sea, and in small villages along the Aegean coast.

Anschütz’ heavy lighting style, and use of medium format depict the etched faces of men who have spent a lifetime living off of this land.  The photographs examine patriarchs in a still patriarchal society, and old men who proudly make no attempt to appear younger than they are.

© Dirk Anschutz

The Sultans
January 28, 2011 – February 25, 2011
Deutsches Haus at NYU
42 Washington Mews
New York, NY 10003
212.998.8660

Opening Reception
Friday January 28, 2011
6:00PM – 8:00PM

“Come to the NY opening of Dirk Anschütz’ new solo exhibition of his fabulous portrait series, The Sultans: Turkish men of a certain age in all their patriarchal glory.  Dirk is a most entertaining photographer and story-teller, as evidenced on his blog. You can read the back story on The Sultans at  TheHeavyLight.com” – Julie Grahame, aCurator.com.

Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Foto Care Interviews
Posted on December 16, 2010

We are happy to share this incredible experience from Fernando Souto, New York photographer.  His project is titled “End of the Trail” and below he describes himself, his family and his discoveries in Uruguay.

End of the Trail, by Fernando Souto

My parents emigrated from Uruguay to Australia when I was eighteen months old. With my extended family still in Uruguay, I never had the opportunity to really know my relatives – particularly my grandmother, who always seemed to be really old to me. In 2002, I went to Uruguay for her hundredth birthday. She had grown up in a rural community at the turn of the twentieth century and I was always fascinated by the stories of her childhood. She described the first time she saw a car and the difficulties of living without running water or electricity. She calmly told me how my great grandfather had killed a man for stealing his horse as she showed me his parole photograph. The stories of her life became the catalyst for this project.

After my grandmother’s birthday I stayed in Uruguay photographing on a few family-run ranches. With no neighbors in sight I found the solitude intense and I could see how it had defined their character. They were generous people with little to spare that appreciated my company. I had been raised in cities, but somehow I saw a mirror of my own upbringing and of the values that my parents had instilled in me. It was a threshold moment in my life and this trip would become a model for the entire series.

At the time I saw the photographs from the trip to Uruguay as an unfocused venture. My previous work had centered on commercial still-life. Ultimately, both the execution and the choice of materials came from a desire to simplify my approach to photography and my life. All the images are still shot on film and printed by me on silver gelatin paper.

During the fall of 2002 I looked over my contact sheets and thought about the possibility of expanding upon my images from Uruguay. That Christmas a friend gave me a book called “Trail Dust and Saddle Leather” by Joseph Mora (1946). Joseph Mora was born in Uruguay and had immigrated to the US in 1880. His illustrations depicted the lives of ranching people throughout the west and how they had adapted their working methods to suit the environment. The details in his illustrations gave a focus to the photographs I had taken in Uruguay and I clearly saw a path to a long-term photography project that I called, “The End of the Trail.” This series will eventually encompass seven countries where ranching has had a significant presence in the culture and traditional working techniques still exist. The four countries represented here are from Uruguay, United States, Australia and Brazil. Eventually, the series will expand to include Argentina, Spain and Mexico.

The inspiration for this project was sparked by the simplest approach – which was to look inside myself. I merged that vision with conventional working methods that reflected my straightforward approach. Having clear goals has helped me define a path for this story and drives me to push forward to the end.

Cecelia’s mother is the cook on the station and her father does menial jobs for the Patron (boss). Employment in rural Uruguay is scarce at best and the remote location of the station makes it impossible for Cecelia, 8, to attend regular classes. The pressure on her parents to move into town and abandon ranching mounts every year she is not in school. For the moment she helps Maneco test wool samples from the sheep. Dutra Station, near Tacuarembo, Uruguay, 2002.

Throughout the spring and summer approximately 3,200 calves will be branded, tagged, vaccinated and castrated. The young calves represent the ranch’s prot for the year, which are carefully counted and marked. Arapahoe Reservation, Wyoming, USA, 2005.

Chris, 37, works with his team of stockmen to walk 22,000 head of cattle through the thick dust and soaring temperatures across the Barkly Tablelands.The stockmen are always watchful to prevent any of the cattle from breaking away from the main herd, which would start a massive stampede. Brunchilly Station, Northern Territory, Australia, 2007.

Edinarte, 35, plays his Berrante. The bellowing sound resonates through the surrounding swampland and slowly the cattle emerge to follow the Pion (cowboys). The cattle are accustomed to the sound, which usually means something good like food. Transpantaneira, Pocone, Brazil, 2010.

We would like to thank Fernando for this wonderful series of images and experiences.  If you would like to contact Fernando with any questions or comments please email him at soutophoto@gmail.com 

Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Foto Care Interviews
Posted on December 9, 2010

Foto Care presents an exclusive interview with New York photographer and director Amber Gray.  Born in the Bay Area of Northern California, Amber moved to New York 1999 after she got a big break in her career shooting her first advertising job.  Since then Amber’s career has moved from being a green photographer to highly experienced and motivated photographer and director.  We are happy to share her growth and experiences in the photography industry with you.

Tell me about yourself and how you got into this field?

I had, since I was a really little kid, always wanted to make movies. I am from the Bay Area (Northern California) and let’s just say my view of the world was pretty skewed (and weird).  I used my babysitting money to buy one of those big boxy VHS video cameras when I was fourteen.  I used to force my sister and her friends (because, I had none of my own!) to act out my bizarre interpretations of the world.  I studied film briefly at college, and realized that my surrealist-sexy-gay-nightmare-movies would cost more than I could ever amass on my $10/hour camera store job that I worked at after school. So, photography (film’s less attractive sister) became a more realistic way for me to unleash my imagination on the world at large.

What was your break out job that helped launch your career?

When I was 22 and still living in San Francisco, I made one promo card.  It was a real doozy.  It featured my friend who was of ambiguous gender and sporting a Kimono. Anyway, I sent a few hundred out to ad agencies in LA and NY. A few weeks later I got a call from an art-buyer in NYC asking if I would be available for an ad job.  I had never shot anything for money before, not even an editorial, so I was really beyond green. Somehow, I got the freaking job and I used the money (which was more than I made in a year at my photo store job) to pack up my stuff and my boyfriend, and move to NYC.  I’ve been here for eleven years now.

What do you draw from for your creative inspiration?

I get most inspired by music. I love to just listen to music and daydream.  Movies too sometimes…but 90% is based on music.  Right now: The Dolly Rocker Movement, Legendary Pink Dots, Cocteau Twins (forever!), and Roxy Music.

What was your favorite shoot (video or still) you have ever done and why? Can you describe the experience?

My favorite shoot to date would have to be the short film I directed for the launch of Vogue.tv.  We decided to go all out and shoot it on 35mm.  Basically had our male actor interacting with the projected image of our female actress.  It was pretty complicated and we only had a few takes of each scene (because shooting 35 is really expensive).  It was the most exciting thing though, to hear that gigantic camera speeding up and getting to yell “action”.  I felt like hot shit for a brief moment in time.

How has your work changed in the last few years?

I think my work has always had elements of humor in it, but the last few years I have felt more comfortable with the fact that I am not some “serious fashion” photographer.  I don’t necessarily mean “ha ha!” humor, but I guess elements of whimsy or camp or little dirty jokes hidden in there. I have always gone through phases where I am trying to get a certain feel, and then once I feel like I have gotten it, I want to move forward and do something different. Certain themes are always recurring though.

What equipment are you currently using to produce your work?

I am totally not one of those photographers who gets all in-love with equipment…gadgets hold no magic for me. I think when you have a vision how you get there is near irrelevant…BUT…I have an old Hasselblad and a Canon 5D that get used frequently.  I also use Broncolor lights because they have amazing modifiers and are really precise (Hi Colin!). I would love to own my own the Broncolor Scoro packs and a Para.

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

I am currently in pre-production on a short film that I wrote and will direct.  Filmmaking has been my goal all along, so I want to continue on that path and see what happens. I have been working on my reel for years now, socking away money then spending it on one 60″ clip at a time.

How did you first hear about Foto Care?

I think some really awesome person like Brad Pitt or Ronnie James Dio told me about them. Oh, no. Sorry, that was something else entirely. Uhh, my boyfriend, Julian used to work in the rental department when we first moved to NYC from California.

What is it about Foto Care that brings you back?

I have always felt like Fotocare cares. Seriously though, sometimes you are on a shoot and something is just not working, if you call Fotocare they are very knowledgeable and can either help troubleshoot, or just quickly expedite another piece of equipment.  That kind of service is invaluable when you are on a job where every minute is costing hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars.

We would like to thank Amber for her time.  If you would like to see more of Amber’s photography work or her videos visit her at www.ambergrayphotography.com