Each creative person goes to different places for inspiration, and I was impressed with Evan Sklar’s “source” for keeping things fresh: his iPhone. It’s interesting to see what this New York photographer, who’s shot for GQ, Martha Stewart Living, Target, Macy’s, etc., comes up with on his cell phone:
"Lamb"
Evan took these first three images with nothing but his iPhone and a tape measure. I asked him to tell me how/why he uses his phone to take pictures:
Iphone = iFun. It’s a tiny portable camera and lab in one. I make way too many pictures with my phone. I make pictures with it every day. Videos also. I have 1,739 pictures on it. I’ve had it for a year. There’s a kind of nice thing about using it which says that I know that this is just a kind of fun and silly one-off picture, not “serious” or “significant” enough to break out the “real” camera so using the phone is a way of having your cake and eating it too.
"Pigeon"
"Gull"
I certainly understand the “guilt” (obsession?) of not having a camera when you’re out doing groceries and see some unusual person/color scheme/quality of light that probably should be photographed. In essence, a camera phone can be almost be a therapeutic alternative to beating yourself up for not having brought your real camera.
"Mr. Sushi"
Sklar says that he’s also used his iPhone as a “sketch pad” for an idea, and has even returned to shoot something again with his “real” camera. The examples below are the original iPhone shot at left, then the professional version at right. Ironically, especially with the ice cream trucks, both takes look pretty good to me! Evan even uses the Photoshop app (I had no idea that existed) on his iPhone to make the occasional tweak.
And just to give you an idea of his commissioned work (not shot with his iPhone):
I guess this gives new meaning to the term, “phoning it in.”
Well, that we visited them last Thursday to show our photographers’ portfolios (and even a “beardfolio” — see towards the end of the post). Sean (our photo editor) and Amanda (producer) popped up to New York to share books, and this is what they had to say about the trip:
Our visit was a perfect microcosm of spring because it started out foggy, then brought warm sunshine at lunch, followed by an afternoon shower, and a big rainbow after the storm cleared.
The Deutsch agency (IKEA, VW, Unilever, etc.,etc.) might have one of the best skyline views in all of Manhattan (so stunning that we forgot to take a picture). From a comfortable conference room high up in Chelsea, we greeted creatives with morning staples: portfolios, coffee, and pastries. One of the art buyers was headed off to Prague the next day, so Sean shared some insider tips from when he lived there a few years ago.
Speaking of the travel bug, a number of people responded to New York photographer Evan Sklar’s eye for beautiful interiors and travel shots. Here’s a Youtube facsimile of his book:
One Deutsch creative director stood in the doorway and said, “I only have time to see four books; which ones should I look at?” After we shared some of our top choices, he ended up sticking around and looking through everything we’d brought. He shared his thoughts on a number of books, and mentioned how, on a recent campaign, a client was looking for a very realistic (ie. less fashion-lifestyle) take on Kids photography. They had a hard time finding the right photographer because many Kids photographers had too slick a look. He felt the Kids photo market could use a little more diversity in style.
We also showed Greg Vore‘s portfolio. He’s a fantastic Still Life shooter, handling product shots for Kate Spade and others, but he decided to showcase his Travel work this time instead. It was a treat to look through his portfolio from India, which showcases rickshaw drivers and their vehicles. It was especially interesting to see how his photographic style can translate among such different subject matter. Here’s Greg’s book:
[Note: though these first two portfolios happen to be from our New York photographers, we always show books from a range of locations/specialties from our photographers.]
After a quick lunch in midtown, we headed into the Condé Nast building to meet with a couple of The New Yorker’s picture editors. We shared a couple of photojournalistic, portraiture, and conceptual books, since the magazine covers such a variety of stories and is always looking for engaging work from passionate photographers. They explained how they’re very involved in the editing process, and prefer to meet with photographers personally to get to know their style and approach before committing to projects. Their hard work was just rewarded with a National Magazine Award for Best Photo Portfolio.
We showed Matt Rainwaters‘ book, too. He’s out of Austin and has some incredible images from his recent travels to Haiti, and an incredibly revealing series about inmates of the Texas Department of Justice, published in Esquire UK and Texas Monthly. And that’s on his “normal” portfolio. But the one we’d like to share here is his humorous “Beardfolio,” shot in Alaska last may during the world beard and mustache championships:
Another favorite was Andy Reynolds (based in Seattle), who has an eye for the odd, albeit with a technical and conceptual flair. His portfolio really drives home his offbeat aesthetic (we enjoy his shot of a woman whose hair is being sucked into a vacuum):
And that’s all we wrote, after a long day in the big city. We’ll have more trips to talk about soon, so stay posted.
New York native. Had a stint as a teacher, slaved in a few photo galleries, and did film work early
in his career. Received his M.F.A in photography from Yale. Lives in Brooklyn w/ his wife and two
kids. Blogs about life and his surroundings: like his daughter getting to meet an actual princess.
Grew up in Colorado. Each Wednesday at school was a half day because everyone went skiing.
Has lived on a Navajo Reservation. Visited the Republic of Moldova five times in the last five years.
Has recently shot Howard Stern regulars Danny Bonaduce and Doug Stanhope.
Graduate of Parsons School of Design. Has studios in Cincinnati and NYC. A lifelong Yankee fan
(with frequent bouts of disappointment regarding this) and an Ohio State fan by marriage. Has a
fear of heights, but wants to face it through a shoot that requires him to parachute from an airplane.
Aussie-born photographer living in Southeast Asia. Traveled to over 35 countries over the course
of his career, including shooting for clients in the most remote areas of the Antarctic. He’s even
been a "polar guide", which you can ask him to explain. Also loves to shoot industrial locations.
