Caroline & Martin

I tend not to interfere during these couples shoots— I let them know in the beginning what I'm looking for. I like for there to be a push & pull, a realness without being posed, and I tell them to ignore (as much as possible) my presence. I also like consensual violence, which I think makes for more dynamic images. That request does not seem to ever pose much of an issue with the people I've been working with lately...

Di

Wax on, Wax off...

Ajaye

"One feels like getting down and crawling on all fours after reading your work."  ~Voltaire

Ether

Pro versus amateur has always been a comparison that made me cringe. By definition, I have always been and always will be both. But it has always felt like one description was empowering and the other degrading. That's nonsense, of course— there can be terrible professionals and sublime amateurs, with anything in-between. It's just that the words themselves seem so black & white at face value. It feels awkward to call yourself an amateur if you're doing accomplished work. I recently browsed an encyclopedia of photographic terms that broke photographic amateurs into three camps: Serious Amateurs, Art Amateurs, and Mass Amateurs. All three descriptors date back to the 1890s. The advent of the Brownie camera (the first snapshot camera) brought forth the Mass amateurs in that anyone could take a photograph, whether great or terrible. That tradition continues right up until now with the camera phone. If you are a 100% amateur, shooting might be as simple as your photos existing to make yourself happy. Or to preserve memories of your friends, family, and experiences. For a pro it might be as simple as earning a paycheck, whatever way that you can, and nothing more. While I've met a few that are one or the other, the real world tends to have more shades of gray. Most photographers fall somewhere in-between. I think that I've always been right in the middle— in fact, most people might have a hard time telling the difference among images that I've been paid for or not. The truth is that I've often been paid for work that looks very personal or even indulgent. I never really cared, because I (mostly) have not needed to— clients tend to come to me with trust to do what I do because that's what they want. I definitely have always appreciated that...

Lee Loo La & Heff

"I don't like white paper backgrounds. A woman does not live in front of white paper. She lives on the street, in a motor car, in a hotel room." ~Helmut Newton

Little One

Everyone should tend to be careful not to assume that the camera plays a primary role in the quality of the pictures. Do pro photographers prefer expensive cameras with lots of fancy features? Sure. But here’s the thing: any good photographer can create beautiful pictures with just about any camera. I started off thirty years ago with just OK cameras, yet some of my favorite images (and prints) were made back then. I've taught classes where I was at least a little jealous of images taken by kids just starting out and using whatever they could afford... their youthful outlook is what helped them, and they would most likely have been at a loss with what to do with a more complicated camera at that time. That's exactly what helps snapshooters take better pictures with an iPhone— it's easy-peasy for anyone to take a shot with it, and the added bonus of computational photography helps them even more. So, it's the best thing for the situation. Which reminds me of the old adage— the best camera is the one that you have with you...

PXE

Tell your kids to get into photography as a hobby— it will ensure that they will never have enough money to get into a drug habit...