Finish the Sentence...with Don Giannatti

[start the smoke machine and crank up the volume on the game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Don Giannatti.

Don, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is

I’ve learned the most from..
I’ve learned the most from studying the masters; Demarchelier, Watson, Penn, Avedon, Elgort for a few. Noting how they took the light, made it part of the scene or a distinctive element helps me design a shot in my head. Previsualizing is also being able to pull out some of the images in your head and manipulating the elements to make it your own.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Seville because I love the land. The whole Tuscany / Seville / Valencia area is so beautiful in the work of others. I would like an opportunity to shoot it my way. The landscape and the people... my way.

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
my own sets of small tweaks and adds. I am not much for big actions, but I do love Tom Kuyper's Luminosity Actions. They have been a secret of mine for a long time now. Hey, you wont print that will you? Ah, dang, now everyone will know about his great action set. ;-)

I love the fact that Photoshop
let's me reveal and create and combine and releive and push and pull and sharpend and soften and clear and muddle and... well, yeah.

I hate the fact that Photoshop
makes people get friggin' sloppy on their work. Shoot it and fix it would be an automatic no-go if I was hiring a shooter. And there is a difference between highly manipulated, illustrative work and Photoshophackery... telling the difference isn't really that hard.

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I would steer my ad agency away from the DotCom clients and the IPO madness that led to the bubble. And I would have not been partners with anyone.

In 10 years
I will be much older than today, hopefully a little wiser, and devilishly handsome. Ok... two outta three ain't bad.

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
to treat their photography as an extension of themselves. Don't become a syncophant of some certain style or method. Let the images flow from the brain/eye/camera instead of forcing the images to fit some arbitrary set of rules that don't really exist. Learning the craft and the history of this incredible medium facilitates that so well.

Your readers can find out more about me
at www.dongiannatti.com, www.lighting-essentials.com, and www.learntolight.com

Ladies & Gentlemen, let's hear it for Don Giannatti!!!
Don Giannatti has been a photographer for over 40 years. From local to national clients, Don brought a personal touch and unique style to the projects he shot. Still life to architecture, lifestyle to beauty. Equally at home on location or in the studio, he works to deliver what the client wants and strives to bring a little more to the finished project.
Photography took him to create studios in New York and Chicago, with a few brief stops in LA, but eventually the love of the desert brought him home to Phoenix.
In the mid 90s he started doing more graphic design for his clients and that eventually grew into Ocean Integrated Media Group, which was the third largest advertising agency in Phoenix in 2000. DotCom clientele and terrorism in New York combined to force the closing of the agency in mid 2002, but Don kept on with Steel ID.
In 2006 he started teaching small workshops in his Phoenix studio. Initially attracting local and national students to the small, intimate, hands on training, the workshops have grown to be something he enjoys immensely. Currently Don travels to venues sometimes overlooked by the name workshops and works with photographers from beginners to professional. His unique teaching style and total involvement in the workshop has made it one of the best around.
He also authors a site for photographers at Lighting Essentials: A Place for Photographers.

Finish the Sentence...with Carrie Sandoval

[no game show music this week - instead, gentle nursery rhymes]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Carrie Sandoval.

Carrie, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
5d underwater housing (I know, unrelated to my professional style, but my camera is extremely boring since I use all natural light).

I’ve learned the most from..
Practicing; myself.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Australia because the land is beautiful and the people are friendly!

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
Color: Lilyblue's Coral action.

I love the fact that Photoshop
Gives me 100% control.

I hate the fact that Photoshop
Made me gain 10 pounds.

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
Sigh. I would love to have nice pictures of my son (born 2000) and twins girls (born 2002) as newborn babies. If only I had been into (baby / newborn) photography then. But... it would have been difficult for me to do this profession while I struggled to build my family.

In 10 years
Hmm? I am totally content where I am right now. I can't decide if I would love photographing celebrity babies or not. I'd love to at least try!

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Beautiful tones start with great lighting, not great photoshop skills.

Your readers can find out more about me
www.capturedbycarrie.com/

Ladies & Gentlemen, children (...babies), let's hear it for Carrie Sandoval!!!

Carrie Sandoval is a children's photographer based in southern California. She has been recognized both locally and world wide for her inventive, conceptual photography work with newborn babies. She is constantly challenging herself by using newfangled poses and props. Each and every baby is a complete inspiration!

My take on Twitter

There's been a lot of discussion lately (around our offices anyways) about the pros and cons of Twitter. Personally, I've just recently "come back" to Twitter after giving up on it 6 months ago or so. Why did I give up on it, and why am I more convinced about it today?
When I first joined Twitter most of the posts seemed to be in the "what I had for breakfast" kind of category. Fascinating to some perhaps, but not me. That also meant that I felt like I didn't have a lot to say, mostly because I didn't really think it would be that interesting for someone to read about my dining habits. So I gave up on Twitter.

Then a few weeks ago I kept reading the "buzz" about Twitter and found myself wondering, "has it really changed, or is it still mostly updates that are of no interest to me?". So I started poking around, following some people, seeing what kind of things were being mentioned, and found that overall, there HAS been a change (for the most part) in the Twittersphere (or whatever the cool kids are calling it).

Now instead of worrying about always having something to say, I post when I come across something that I think my followers (what a weird thing that is to say: "my followers") would find useful. I've started posting a short photography quote of the day (PQOTD), and links to cool web sites, contests, etc. Yes, some of it is self-serving (such as my upcoming seminars etc) but much of it - at least I hope - is follower-serving.

I follow a lot of blogs and read lots of forum posts, and yet through Twitter I found out about some great photographers, contests, workshops and other goodies that I wouldn't have known about.

Here's my thoughts on Twitter:

1. I post updates only after I ask myself, is this interesting or useful?
2. I don't feel compelled to post every hour on the hour - nor should anyone else.
3. I don't RT (re-tweet or forward for those newbies like me) haphazardly. If it's interesting or useful, I will RT (see number 1)
4. I follow people who have interesting and useful things to say
5. I de-follow (?) people who post waaaay too much about their personal lives, or who post waaaaay too often
(important note about number 5: IMHO, no matter how interesting the posts might be, there's a limit to how many tmes I want to see the same person post in a one hour period. There is such a thing as overkill)

I think that Twitter is becoming an important business tool, where people/companies can quickly get the word out about new products, contests, specials, sales, as so on. Many photographers are taking advantage of Twitter to link to their latest images or to spread the word about an upcoming event. To that I say, awesome! Keep it up.

To the people who decide to continue to Tweet mostly about their meals, airport woes, change in hair color, etc - personally, I will de-follow you (I really do have to learn more about the Twitter lingo, so I can be one of the cool kids). Please don't take it personally, but that's just not interesting to me. (Imagine that Twitter posts were phone calls that you had to answer just to hear "Hey, just wanted to let you know where I had dinner..." Wouldn't that drive you crazy?)

So if you're one of those Twittering folks (or if you decide to try it), please do me the honor of following me. I can't promise that I'll follow you, but who knows ;)

My first newborn photo shoot

This past weekend I had the pleasure of doing a newborn photo shoot for friends of mine. Here are a few shots.....
(no Photoshop, just some minor exposure adjustments in Camera Raw)






Shot in their home with a pop-up black background and Wescott lights. I also brought a kid-sized beanbag chair and a black bath mat (it photographs like a nice rug, but it has a rubber backing, making it ideal for the accident that happened during the "naked baby" photos)

I learned a lot on this shoot - including that when baby says the shoot is over, it's over! Can't wait for the next one. Thanks Mike, Jenn and Baby Parker!

Finish the Sentence...with Jeff Schewe

[blast it-the all-to-familiar game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Jeff Schewe.

Jeff, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
On my recent photo trip to Antarctica I would have to say my favorite accessory I took was my LowePro SlingShot 300AW bag because it allowed me the ability to work out of the case without having to put my bag down in all the penguin guano (and there's always a ton of guano down there).

I’ve learned the most from..
School. I was fortunate enough to go to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and was forced to take a lot of courses I didn't realize would be important down the road; physics, optics, chemistry to name a few related to photography. But also other courses such as economics and accounting and business law that gave me a grounding on the business side of photography.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Australia or New Zealand because it's way on the other side of the world and very exotic but they still speak English (with funny accents). That and there are neat things to shoot there...

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
PhotoKit Sharpener for image sharpening (although I'm needing it less and less as I use Lightroom more and more).

I love the fact that Photoshop
Gives me absolute total control over my photographic images...

I hate the fact that Photoshop
Gives me absolute total control over my photographic images...

It's a trick answer...(was it a trick question?)
I love the fact that I have total control but that also comes with a responsibility to use it well. There really are no longer any valid excuses any more as to why an image doesn't work except perhaps you don't know how to do something in Photoshop.

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I would be 10 years younger (and 50 pounds lighter because I didn't use Photoshop all the time)

In 10 years
I have no idea what I'll be doing but I intend to be having fun (whatever or wherever I am)

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Don't do things to please other people, do things that please your own sense of artistic ambition. Be true to your own vision...

Your readers can find out more about me
http://www.schewephoto.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it for Jeff Schewe!!!

Jeff Schewe is the coauthor of "Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS4" and coauthor with Martin Evening on their new title: "Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers–The Ultimate Workshop". Jeff is a member of the NAPP Photoshop Hall of Fame. An award winning advertising photographer by trade, he is known as a digital pioneer and has been a long term alpha/beta tester for Photoshop, Camera Raw and Lightroom. Jeff is also a founding partner in PixelGenius, LLC makers of the PhotoKit™ line of plug-ins.

Finish the Sentence...with Jason Groupp

[pump up the volume on the game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Jason Groupp.

Jason, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
This kind of rotates and it really depends on how much crap I can lug. It's always a struggle between bringing the right gear you need and having so much that it keeps you from actually getting the shot. :) So it's kind of impossible (for me) to answer this in one succinct sentence. I'll just be a wise guy and say:
My trusty vivitar 285HV's - same ones for the last 15 years.


I’ve learned the most from..
My peers. I don't know what I'd do without my photo geek friends. Thanks guys!

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
I'm from NY, is there anywhere else to go? It's all here. :)


My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
Doug Boutwell's Totally Rad actions and Kubota's action sets. ALL of them. I'm an action junkie, but have a very specific "recipe" I use for almost everything. I've also just recently added Dave and Quin Cheung's Qui-keys to my workflow.

I love the fact that Photoshop
Makes me money.

I hate the fact that Photoshop
Makes my ass fat from all the hours I have to sit in front of the computer. (It's not the potato chips - really!)


If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I would have never stopped shooting film? :)

It's SO cliche, but, I wish I worked harder in my 20's - I like to play too much and I did a LOT of it in my 20's. I love my job, I always have, and it's all been a journey for me.

In 10 years
For the first time in my career I feel like I've finally hit some kind of "stride". It's taken 22 years, but I can honestly say I'm doing work I'm proud of for the first time. I hope to be in the same place 10 years from now. Well, maybe I'll be shooting film again. :)


If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Fail. If you don't fail, how can you succeed? Work hard.

My favorite quote for inspiration: WEEGEE
"So, keep your eyes open. If you see anything, take it. Remember – you’re as good as your last picture. One day you’re hero, the next day you’re a bum... "

Your readers can find out more about me
My blog: http://jasongroupp.com
For the ADD: http://twitter.com/jasongroupp
My videos: http://vimeo.com/user1057116

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it for Jason Groupp!!!
[wild applause drowns out the annoying game show music]
I shot my first gig at 18 years old. While my friends were flipping burgers for beer money, I was making a living doing what I love. I put myself through photography school (F.I.T) by shooting (weddings) on the weekends and soon after graduation, I hit the streets of NYC.

Over 22 years I've built an amazing studio in the heart of Chelsea. I get to work with awesome clients I'm proud of that love to refer me and push me to refine my style with every wedding I shoot. Keeping Manhattan brides and finicky magazine editors happy is a daunting task but I find it very rewarding. I have an awesome career shooting everything under the sun. Iʼve shot for
clients including J. Crew, Candies, Tiffanyʼs, BMW and Cusinart to name a few. I have been published in over a dozen magazines including the Sunday NY Times Magazine, Menʼs Health, Bicycling, Marie Claire and Vogue.

Finish the Sentence...with Jim DiVitale

[ramp up the mind-numbing game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Jim DiVitale.

Jim, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
the photomaster target. I use this on the begining of every photo shoot in or out of the studio and color and exposure are close to perfect right out of the camera.

I’ve learned the most from..
watching photographers that specialize in doing totally different types of work than I normally do every day.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Asia, because I have never been and I see so many beautiful images from there that are so different from other places I have been.

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
my Creative Suite of OnOne Software tools

I love the fact that Photoshop
Can do anything my mind can come up with and make it real...

I hate the fact that Photoshop
keeps me working late at night as it lets me make images perfect.

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I would have bought a commercial building and build my own studio instead of leasing a building.

In 10 years
I would like not to be working 7 days a week to keep up with everything.

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Repeat clients that come back again and again is what makes a success in the business of Digital Photography.

Your readers can find out more about me
on my Blog and websites. You can find everything at www.divitalephotography.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it for Jim DiVitale!!!

Jim DiVitale has been an Atlanta commercial advertising photographer and photography instructor for over 27 years, specializing in digital photography and computer photo illustration. He is a PPA Master Photographer, Master of Electronic Imaging, Photographic Craftsman, Fellow of the American Society of Photographers, NAPP Photoshop World instructor, and a Canon “Explorer of Light.” Jim writes the Digital Photography Workshop column for Photoshop User Magazine that is distributed to over 100 countries and serves as Director of Education of the Digital Imaging Institute for Science and Medicine.

Going completely digital capture in 1992, his award-winning digital photography has been featured in, among others, Graphis Photo, Communication Arts, Print, Archive Magazine, Create Magazine, Creativity, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, Digital Output Magazine, Digital Imaging, Photo District News, and After Capture Magazine. His clients include Mizuno USA, William Carter Co, Toshiba, TEC America, Kenneth Cole, Bellsouth, BP Amoco, COX Media, Genuine Parts Company, Solvay Advanced Polymers, Witness Systems, JP Morgan Financial, Coca-Cola USA, and Scientific Atlanta. View Jim’s commercial advertising portfolio and digital imaging Blog at: www.DiVitalePhotography.com, or explore his fine art images at www.JimDiVitale.com.