Read this interesting story of photographer Alexi Tan’s entire photographic portfolio being lost… then found:
Photographing Soundgarden!!!
What more do I have to say?!? Growing up as a teenager during the 1980’s and early 90’s meant that I was the perfect age to appreciate all the angst and frustration that grunge music had to offer. And what bands best represented the grunge movement? Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden!
Why wouldn’t I get excited to shoot such an amazing band in concert for the Dallas Morning News? It was a blast, to say the least! I’ve photographed lead singer Chris Cornell a couple times before during his solo tours, and that was fun. However, nothing quite compares to seeing him perform with his grunge-era band mates.
Here’s a tear sheet with a couple of my pics printed in the paper. You should definitely go to the paper’s website and read Mario’s review, as I think he nailed the evening spot on…
Canon’s New Camera…
Start dreaming about this camera sitting in your hand one day. Enjoy…
www.pdnonline.com/pdn/gear/Hands-On-with-Canon
Now, go check out my photography at www.janikphoto.com
Completely Random Pics…
What do these photos have in common? Not much. Sure, they were all taken by me and they were all taken in Dallas. It gets much harder to connect them, after that. I was digging through my photo files, and I decided to share a few shoots with you… just random stuff that’s fun to look at.
The first three images were from a Mayor’s Back To School Fair that I was hired to shoot PR pictures for. It was a great event that helped the community by providing school supplies and health services to needy families.
I don’t know what possessed me to shoot this discarded television, but the image caught my eye and I had to snap it!
These last two images are from a concert here in Dallas. The performer is the one and only Mos Def, who puts on quite a fine show!
Shooting Catalog Images, Texas Style…
Product photography is fun! Really?!? Really!
There are a ton of catalogs, both in print and online that are shot in Dallas. If you think about it, the North Texas area is headquarters to two major department stores several national retailer chains, and countless small/niche companies. There is a LOT of product to shoot here!
I recently worked on one giant retailer’s catalog. I won’t name the company on my blog, but hopefully you spend a few dollars there to keep them (and me) in business! I took a few pics during the shoot days with my iphone to give you a basic idea of what a catalog shoot involves. While looking at the pics, be sure to drool over the pretty Profoto packs and lights that are helping to make the magic happen!
This is a rack of outfits waiting to be steamed and pressed by the stylist, so it can be worn by a model and shot by me.
You can see a model on set, getting her hair fixed up, as another model waits off set near the stylist and stylist’s assistant. There are a lot of people on the set, including me, a photo assistant, an art director and a make-up artist.
Another shot of hair being done… hair is a major issue and requires a specialist on set.
This image shows a set of pics waiting to be looked at on the computer in Capture One. The art director will comb through roughly 30-50 images of each outfit and pick his/her favorite to be sent off to the post-processing department. Then, a whole new team of professionals will take over. It’s quite a process!
Here are a couple screen shots of some new maternity outfits that were produced. This will give you an example of how the final product is displayed for the customer. You may wonder why such a big production goes into taking one photo, but it’s actually pretty important. The image needs to accurately represent the product, since the customer can’t hold it in their hand, try it on and make an in-person decision. Those photos give the customer details to make a good, informed decision.
One reason why I’ve been asked to shoot product photography is my ability to capture motion, emotion, energy and excitement in my images. It’s not all that often that an editorial shooter crosses over to shooting product photography, but the need for that style of imagery is becoming more in demand every day by all sorts of clients that used to prefer much more conservative styles of photography.
If you like these pictures, you should also check out my main website at www.janikphoto.com
Photographing a Cheesy CEO…
No, this CEO wasn’t cheesy. In fact, he was very nice, sincere and hospitable. It’s a pun of sorts… a play on words. I recently photographed Scott McCallum, the CEO of a Dallas-based company for DCEO Magazine. I use the word “cheesy” to indicate our common connection – Wisconsin, land of cheese! Have you ever seen the cheese head foam hats that fans wear to Green Bay Packer’s football games? Have you ever had a bite of honest-to-goodness Wisconsin cheese? Yup, it’s a cheesy state, and I was born there!
Scott was the Governor of the great state of Wisconsin, and he now runs a company that handles logistics for aid relief. While shooting him for the magazine, we talked a bit about our time in WI – mine was rather short as a citizen, since my family moved to the Dallas area when I was four years old. However, it was still nice to discuss something we had in common, as it breaks the ice and allows for much more natural photos.
DJ Rave Festival Pics…
I recently photographed a big DJ festival for the paper and wound up with way more fun photos than they’d ever have room to print, so I thought I’d share some of the extras with you!
If you like these concert photos, you should check out my other photography at www.janikphoto.com
Thanks for nothing Canon CPS…
From Canon, proving they’re customer service towards pro shooters is declining:
Effective October 1, 2011 CPS will no longer offer the 20% service discount currently being applied to CPS Silver Member repairs.
As a professional photographer, CPS understands that extended down time due to equipment repairs can be detrimental to good business. Therefore, we will continue to offer CPS Silver Members pro standard turn around times on repairs and access to the CPS Member Only 24/7 contact phone number and email, along with access to content on the CPS website including posted CPS supported Events, Shows and Workshops in your area.
Further, we encourage CPS Silver Members to explore the expanded support a CPS Gold Membership offers. CPS Gold Membership includes 3-day expedited repairs at a 30% discount along with many other benefits. Also, during the month of October we are offering a promotion when upgrading to a CPS Gold Membership that will include one (1) additional Free Clean & Check coupon. This coupon would be included along with the other items in your CPS Gold Membership Welcome Kit. Please visit the CPS website for a complete list of member benefits.
For more information:
Contact us at [email protected] or call our general CPS support line 1-888-CPS-4540.
Industrial Photography…
Recently, I’ve received several shoots from industrial and manufacturing clients. I think this is a good sign for the economy, since they wouldn’t be spending money on photography, if they weren’t selling anything.
I’ve found that my job is at the front of the economic wave. As the economy constricts, companies cut back or cancel their photography and advertising budgets. As the economy starts to pick up, companies allocate money to freshen up their image database.
Here’s a sample of a recent photo shoot I did for an extrusion company. They make all sorts of metal items… stuff that needs aluminum heatsinks or other special shapes. It was pretty neat getting to document the assembly process.
If you like these photos, you should check out www.janikphoto.com
Food Trucks Invade Dallas!!!
Dallas photographers and Dallas food lovers now have one more thing to make life fun… gourmet food trucks! Besides having tons of tasty treats for sale, these rolling restaurants are also a blast to photograph. I highly suggest you pick up a copy of today’s Dallas Morning News and check out my cover photo on the Guide. The story is definitely worth reading and I’ve got plenty more photos to see in print. Go buy a newspaper now!
If you liked these pics, you should also check out my website at www.janikphoto.com