Photographer Spotlight: John Carey

John Carey is a 28-year old photographer living in North Carolina who also works as a live audio engineer for a local production company and loves both sides of his career.

He has been part of the online world for just over 10 years starting with his previous online project which had reached notoriety because of all the wonderful free desktop wallpapers he presented but the project was eventually retired to gain a fresh start with his current project, fiftyfootshadows.net.

There he shares his photographs, stories of travel and life, his love for music and more desktop wallpaper. Equally engaging, you can follow his updates on Twitter or Tumblr.

1. How would you define your photographic style?

I have been searching for my voice as a photographer for quite a few years now and this year I am starting to feel things fall into place. I feel I have two distinct approaches, one is the digital side of my shooting where sharpness, clarity, color, and creating a striking, moody version of the moment captured rules my mind.

I love shooting digital and the beautiful imagery I can get with it as well as the malleable nature of it with post processing which I try to do as little as possible because I like to push myself to get things right out of the camera instead because even with digital, good exposure and balance of light is a must.

The rules and compromises within photography still apply with digital photography. But as for style, with digital I tend to look for moments and scenes that I can capture in a way that I can make an ordinary moment feel larger or more grand than it may feel in reality.

Also, I think the photos I have taken to be used as desktop wallpaper imagery for fiftyfootshadows.net have influenced my approach in photography very much. Added a sense of simplicity to my approach photography that has definitely carried through most all of my photos, even the busy ones.

Then there is my film photography which I hold to a different light. I tend to romanticize shooting with film as it captures the light in that one singular place on the film, and in that physical form it feels to me like it is capturing the soul of the moment. I take maybe one film shot for every 30 or more digital photos taken.

When I click down the shutter release on my film cameras I cant help but feel more connected to what I am shooting and my style while shooting with film reflects that feeling. I usually try to capture things that make me feel something. Something that hides a narrative of some kind, even if it is subtle or understated. I guess you could say I am aiming for a more fine art approach to this side of my photography.

2. What does your camera equipment consist of?

Right now, in my camera bag (a simple Lowepro) I carry a Canon 5D with a 50mm f/1.2L Canon lens, a Voigtlander Bessa R3M rangefinder with a Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 SC lens, and, the newest member of the group, a Hasselblad 501CM with the standard 80mm f/2.8 on it.

Along with the cameras I have a Sekonic L-358 light meter, a couple of things for lens cleaning, three extra batteries for the 5D, a few gigs worth of memory that I rarely need and usually a couple extra rolls of film for the film cameras. I love Souldier camera straps and have two red seatbelt straps, one for the 5D and one for the Hassy. I also have a Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with a medium weight ball head but it lives in my car most of the time.

I have worked on finding a small group of cameras that fit a few different desires I have when shooting and I feel like these three have really been as close to that perfect balance as I can get for now. The big beautiful 120 negatives from the Hasselblad, the quiet operation and small size of the rangefinder, and the handiness and power of the 5D. I choose not to play the lens collecting game. I like to find a capable prime lens for each camera I carry capable of taking the kind of shots I like to take and I love the flexibility and speed of a nice fast prime.

I like to stay as simple as possible with what I have around to shoot with as I like to get to know a camera/lens combo well enough to use them to their full potential. The cameras are like friends to me that help me capture the light around me and each has their place and time where they work best.

The poor 5D is probably my least used camera these days, but it has seen a lot of action and is physically pretty beat up with a chunk missing from the metal body near the battery and some tape across the bottom to cover up a missing screw hole but it still is as reliable and wonderful as the day I bought it.

I have been through a number of other wonderful film cameras though most all of which I have given to other people to use rather than collect dust on my shelf. Notably an Olympus XA and XA2 which I really love. Small but versatile and get beautiful images. Also a Yashica 124 and my personal favorite, a Canon Canonet GL-III QL which I had two of, both broke and I would love to have another working one some day.

One last note, I suppose I should mention the relevance of my iPhone 3Gs camera, as silly and tiny as it is I have managed to get some really nice shots from it using simple post processing apps like TiltShift Generator.

On a recent trip to India I chose to shoot all film and the iPhone started out as a snapshot camera for memories and little moments but ended up being a pretty viable means to capture some things. There are some shots that a simple device like a phone can take where a larger camera may fail simply because of the discrete nature of shooting with a phone. The only downside is the usefulness of the images due to the small resolution of the final image.

3. What’s your post-production software of choice?

I have been using Photoshop since version 3 way back when and still use it (newer versions of course, heh) for really basic things like cropping, sharpening, and touching up scanned negatives. For digital photos I used Apple’s Aperture for a long time and really love the work flow of it but it does drag a bit on my macbook and I have been giving Lightroom a shot the past few months which I have gotten used to pretty quickly.

It’s hard to say which I prefer but at the moment I am surprised to say Lightroom has taken its spot as my main digital workplace and organization tool. Although if Apple would finally give us an Aperture update I may be convinced to move back.

4. Are you considering any equipment upgrades in the future?

I think I will probably be replacing my 50mm with a 35mm f/1.4L soon because I owned that lens before and miss it a lot recently. I prefer a little bit of a wider lens but will replace the 50 eventually I think with a different one. I hope to upgrade the 5D this year as well if I can manage. The low light capability of the MarkII is something I can not wait to get my hands on. Also, because I would like to start putting myself out there as a photographer for hire this year. I will most likely invest in another L lens or two when financially possible, not sure which yet though but maybe the 24-70mm f/2.8L and/or a tilt shift.

5. Share with us you proudest photograph?

Now there is a tricky question. As I mentioned, I tend to explore a lot of different approaches and subject matter when shooting so its hard to narrow down. Nearly impossible actually because of a few different reasons so I will go with one of my recent favorites.

This shot was from the first roll I shot on the Hasselblad late last year and it really got me excited about my future with this camera and because I am building a darkroom I am developing black and white film on my own now.

In that light this image represents something of a peak into a new beginning for myself and my photography this year. As for the image itself I think it seems very bold and contrasty at first but I love the way the subtle dark shadows start to come to light as you look closer into the figure.

2 years ago  /  7 notes

Photographer Spotlight: Mike Matas

Having recently declared his departure from Apple where he worked on the iPhone Human Interface Design Team for the past 4 years, icon and interface designer Mike Matas has equally proven that his artistic skill is not just limited to work accomplished on a computer. He’s also quite the accomplished photographer with an exquisite eye for seeing beyond the mundane and extracting the best out of any situation.

1. How would you define your photographic style?

I really don’t consider myself to have a photographic style. Not that most of my photos don’t have a style to them, they do, but that style really comes from whatever it is I’m taking a photo of, not me forcing a style on it.

I don’t approach taking photos by going “let me take a photo of this in my photographic style”. I try to really embrace and exaggerate whatever emotions I get out of what I’m taking a photo of and turn that into the style of the photo.

One style I try to be careful when using is the “vintage”. You know, black & white, screwed up white balance, the Polaroid look, stuff like that. It’s a really easy trick to take an ordinary photo, mess with the white balance, maybe give it a thick vignette and voila! it looks like a nice old photo.

I really try not to use that stuff unless it acts as a sort of character in the photo and helps tell its story, rather than just having it literally look old. Screwed up white balance, black & white, the Polaroid look, these did not used to be styles, they were just the way cameras took photos back in the day, whether you liked it or not. It’s only looking back threw the lens of nostalgia that it becomes a glorified style.

I think the same thing is gonna happen with grainy digital artifact filled cellphone photos of today, in 10 years once cameras have grown out of all that people will look back and get all nostalgic about the charm of the digital artifact filled cellphone photo and start using that too as a style.

So that’s just a long way of saying I try to take photos that look like they were taken today, using modern technology, so in 10 years, they will be nice old photos with all the faults and charm of todays modern technology.

2. What does your camera equipment consist of?

I currently use a Canon 5D Mark II with these lenses:

• Canon 16-35mm 1:2.8
• Canon 50mm 1:1.4 
• Macro Extension Tube
• Canon 70-200mm 1:2.8
• 2x Extender
• Canon 15mm 1:2.8
• Canon 28-135 1:3.5 - 5.6

I’d say 90% of the time I am either using my wide 16-35mm or standard 50mm.

I also have a couple Low Pro camera bags, my favorite is the Primus AW. I traveled for a month last summer all over Europe with nothing but this backpack. It’s got a great specialized camera compartment in the bottom half with a little door on the side so you can quickly grab your camera without taking the whole thing off your back. The top half of the backpack leaves room for what other non camera related stuff I need with me. The back of the bag has a exposed sleeve where I carry my 15” MacBook Pro and the bottom of the bag has is a built in hide away rain jacket.

3. What’s your post-production software of choice?

Currently I’m using iPhoto and Photoshop’s RAW editor. I think Photoshop is one of the most important and unacknowledged parts of photography these days. When I’m shooting I almost always just throw the camera into the automatic settings, not worrying about color, exact exposer, flash, or any of that. When I’m shooting I just focus on getting a good composition that’s in focus.

If I can get that then I can do the rest at home. It’s one of my favorite parts of doing photography, sitting there with a photo and tweaking the colors, the lighting, the contrast until it looks the way I saw it when I went to take the photo or until looks the way I wish it would have looked when I took the photo. It’s something cameras just can’t do on their own. Photoshop is where the serious art happens.

4. Are you considering any equipment upgrades in the future?

I’m really happy with the Canon 5D Mark II I got in January. I’m sticking with that for now.

5. Share with us you proudest photograph?

I would not call it my proudest photograph, but it’s one I really like personally. I was in the back of a giant prop propelled Chilean military Hercules C130 cargo plane over the Drake Passage on my way to Antarctica. I had got up to go the restroom, a propped up outhouse in the back of the plane.

Climbing over crates of supplies the plane was brining to Chilean scientist stationed on the content I passed by this officers who was drinking tea from a thermos and light from one side by this little window. He had this amazing look on his face that I read as “We are on our way to Antarctica, one of the coldest most isolated places on earth. I have a family back home, what am I doing here?”.

I didn’t have my camera on me but the whole things was so perfect and wrapped up for me so ended up going back and grabbing my camera and asking him if he minded if I took his photo. I love when photos just present themselves like that, where you don’t have to go looking for angles and stuff like that to try to make something out of nothing.

2 years ago  /  23 notes

Photographer Spotlight: Joshua Longbrake

Joshua Longbrake is 26, a photographer and a student at Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, WA. His writing and storytelling photographs can be found at thelongbrake.com but you can also find him participating in the Twitterverse.

1. How would you define your photographic style?

The detail in the everyday is always what catches my eye. There’s something beautiful about documenting one’s own simple experiences. Simple details more than anything draws me to photography. I think it helps me remember that I exist, that I feel and sense things.

I enjoy getting jobs and projects from clients, and I really love photo-journalism where I get to travel, but no matter where I am I still tend to take a photograph of my cup of coffee every morning. I think more than anything I want to be authentic and honest, to convey life as I see it with the hopes of connecting with other people. In some ways I’m saying This is my story. Do you see me? Is this your story too?

What does your camera equipment consist of?

I primarily shoot with a Hasselblad 500C/M, using Kodak 120 Portra NC film as well as Polaroid 660 film for my Polaroid back. My secondary camera is a Canon AE-1, and mostly I try to get expired film, but it’s not as easy to come by as I would like it to be.

I also shoot with a Canon 5D and sometimes a Polaroid SX-70, but not often. I have a few lenses for the Canon cameras (50mm, 135mm, 16-35mm). I have some basic lighting gear but I hate lugging it around, so I don’t use it very often. Also, I’m terrible at using lighting gear.

3. What’s your post-production software of choice?

Photoshop for the computer and a darkroom when I can manage. I plan to build my own darkroom if I ever buy a house. Right now I live with 5 other guys and I doubt they’d want their bathroom smelling like chemicals.

But here’s an idea that’s a bit off topic: What if someone made a perfume based on the smells of the darkroom…can you imagine walking down the street and passing by a girl who not only catches your eye but also smells of developer? I’d get on one knee then and there.

4. Are you considering any equipment upgrades in the future?

I want to get a 220 magazine for my Hasselblad, but I’m not really into gear all that much. I use what I have and try to get by as best as possible. All of my money goes towards film, printing and processing. I’d love to get a digital Hasselblad, but, you know, I don’t really have $20,000 in my dresser drawer. Wait let me check nope just old socks.

5. Share with us you proudest photograph?

I took this photograph outside of Uptown Espresso on Westlake in Seattle. There’s an emptiness to the photograph, but there’s also evidence of someone’s existence. Someone was there, sitting, working through things, smoking and drinking as time passed by. And what I love most about it is that it’s important to me, that I bring my own story to the image and draw meaning out of it for myself.

Maybe you see it differently, and I’m sure you do. We all bring our own experience to a piece of art when we interpret it, and everyone’s own experience has value. Maybe that’s why simple images draw me in so quickly; they leave so much room to draw out meaning and significance.

2 years ago  /  1 note

Photographer Spotlight: Brandon King

Born as James Brandon King but he would equally respond to being called BK is a photographer from Brooklyn, New York. When he’s not out capturing candid moments and friends he’s hard at work continuing to develop his own thing and shooting freelance. He also keeps things fresh with his photos over at wordbk.

1. How would you define your photographic style?

Well a little more than a year ago it would have been simply capture everything but I feel like I’ve pulled back on that greatly. I shoot now with a very focused purpose of telling a story. No matter if it is a single portrait, a series of 3 or 5 about the evening at a friends rooftop or with 20 photos from the photo booths I set up at house parties.

2. What does your camera equipment consist of?

My beloved Canon 5D. I remember when I upgraded from the 20D, it was the happiest subway trip back from Calumet

• iPhone
• Canon G9
• Mamiya C220. This is a square medium format. I love the way it feels in my hands. I don’t shoot with a lot but i keep rolls and rolls of black and white film just incase.
• Linhof Technica 4x5. I just recently started pulling this out for Polaroid 55s. It’s just to bad a pack cost as much as a small human baby.
• 24-70mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4 (my most used), 85mm 1.4, 16-35mm 2.8 L (i recently sold this but i realized it was a mistake and will get it again), 70 - 200 2.8 usm
• generic brand remote trigger
• two Elinchrom compact heads
• two White Lightening 1600ss
• a couple Pocket Wizards Pluses
• several light modifiers including my favorite, the Elinchrom Ocotobox
• Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod legs
• Manfrotto 468MGC2 ball head

3. What’s your post-production software of choice?

Lightroom. It is just the absolute best. I have a ton of developing presets that help me get work out super quick. I keep separate libraries for each year dating back to 05 and one for my huge archive of old film snap shots (scanmyphotos.com is an excellent choice to get all those old 4x6s into you computer). I also separate my paying jobs from my personal work.

4. Are you considering any equipment upgrades in the future?

Two. The 5DM2 and a new computer to handle the big files and video.

5. Share with us you proudest photograph?

I was still in school shooting and designing for a little local magazine. I went to shoot an Erykah Badu concert and afterwards a friend invited me back for a quick session with just me and her. I’ve never been so nervous! I shot one roll of black and white and one of color with my trusty Canon Rebel 2000, a kit lens and some cheap ttl flash. I love it because it just shows that no matter how much of a gear freak I can be or how badly I just need the latest and greatest, the only thing you really need is light, a subject and a way to record it.

2 years ago  /  Notes