jeff singer photography BLOG

I’m not exactly a celebrity photographer. Not that I wouldn’t want to photograph celebrities, but I just don’t seem to get many calls for celebrity shoots. They say if you want to shoot celebrities you need to already have celebrities in your portfolio. Quite the catch-22. However, the few times I have received a call to photograph a celebrity it seemed to be the same story: “we can’t pay much…. But hey, you’re going to get to photograph <insert b-list celebrity here> and you’ll get photo credit!”

I’m not sure why they think I would accept less money just because I’d be photographing a celebrity. I always want to ask, “would you do your job for 50% less pay just because Janeane Garofalo was in the cube next to you?” Probably not.

I’m always usually willing to work with clients to meet their budgets, but if it comes down to getting a good rate and photographing a nerd in Los Angeles (Seriously, I just did a shoot for Psychology Today… they called and told me they wanted me to photograph a nerd) or a low rate and photographing Brad Pitt, I’ll take the nerd every time.

This week Photoshelter began testing a new print service for limited edition prints. One of my photos was chosen to be in the trial run of the service which will be going on through October 1st.

I recently did a shoot with cyclist Liz Hatch for Bicycling Magazine. Liz was gracious enough to come to San Francisco’s Chinatown for the shoot even though she was in a pretty bad crash about a week before the shoot. She could barely lift her hand to shake mine when we met. And yet despite knowing she was in agony, I asked her to heave her bike onto her shoulder (yeah, the bad one). Without complaint she obliged, although I did feel bad as I watched her struggle to find a comfortable position for the bike…. hey, you’re supposed to suffer for your art, right? Oh wait, it’s me that’s supposed to suffer… right?

Needless to say Liz is a lot tougher than I am and could probably kick my ass even with her injuries.

So far I haven’t made any posts about the technical side of photography, topics like equipment for example. This is actually quite amazing given that I am such a tech/equipment dork. It had to happen eventually so here I am with my first equipment post. And in true tech dork fashion, its a complaint.

I’ve been shooting with the Phase One P25/P25+ for about a year now. Before that I was shooting with a Canon 1DS MkII, which I still have and use for certain shoots. I’ve been mostly happy with the Phase One back, with one major exception: backlit scenes. When shooting into the sun or an artificial light, image detail is lost on a “strip” of the image near the light source. Here is an example:

Here is Phase’s response to the issue:

“the light is hitting the ccd at such a strength that is goes way above and beyond the dynamic range capabilities of the sensor. The anolog electrical signal produced in the pixel is more than it can handle and it gets passed to the next photosite in progression, hence the straight line. A similar thing happens in silver hallide crystals of film with the exception that they pass energy in all directions.”

Not very helpful to someone who likes to shoot with heavy backlight.

The problem I have with the response is, I never experienced this with my Canon 1DSmkII. So, I’ve sent off an email to Leaf to see if their digital backs would exhibit the same problem. I fully expect an email touting how great the Leaf back is and that it will not have the problem. If that is the case I’ll blindly buy the Leaf back and live happily ever after… yeah, right. In reality, if I do get a response saying the Leaf back won’t exhibit the problem I’ll have a Leaf tech come to my studio and prove it does in fact work well in backlit scenes. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

If anyone reading uses a Phase, Leaf, or another MFDB and sees or doesn’t see this problem, let me know.

I’ve never really done nudes before. Once back in school they had us do a nude assignment. The school provided us with models to use for our shoots. My girlfriend at the time refused to let me photograph another woman naked. And yet, at the same time she refused to let me photograph her naked. Knowing that I had to complete the assignment she eventually caved. I guess the thought of me photographing another woman naked left a worse taste in her mouth than posing for the assignment herself.At a workshop I recently attended we were given a model to photograph. Everyone in the workshop proceeded to photograph her naked. Each photographer had a few minutes with the model and they did their thing. With 15 people in the workshop, the poor model was poked and prodded as if she was a piece of cattle on the way to slaughter. It was now my turn. I don’t really like to be watched by a lot of people when I take pictures (if I can help it, which often times, I can’t) so I went last. As I walked up to the model I said to her “Ok, I’m going to ask you to do something really weird.” The model had a horrified look on her face as if I was about to ask her to do something even Larry Flint would blush at. Instead, I set her mind at ease by asking “would you mind putting your clothes back on?” She laughed and obliged my not-so-deviant request. Everyone else in the room thought I was some sort of weirdo for having the naked woman put her clothes back on.So why nudes now? I’m not quite sure… My assistant Emily does nudes, so maybe rather than my style rubbing off on her as is often the case with photographers and their assistants, it is her that is rubbing off on me. Either way, I had been thinking about exploring nude photography for the last few months, so when given the opportunity I decided to give it a shot. And what better opportunity than when my friend, the lovely and beautiful Jennifer, despite her reservations (something about the pictures ending up on the internet… which I assured her would never happen), let me photograph her one chilly morning last week.Jennifer isn’t a model so having her photo taken isn’t exactly a routine event for her… let alone having her photo taken while undressed. Despite feeling a bit uneasy at first, she did a great job and quickly became relaxed in front of the camera.I do realize these aren’t technically nudes since Jen is covered up for the most part. I didn’t really do anything different than what I would do shooting a clothed woman. I guess thats a good place to start until I figure out what it is I want to do. Maybe next time I’ll try something outside my comfort zone. That’s what this personal work stuff is all about after all… trying something new and different.

It seems like talking about assisting on your blog is all the rage right now. It started over on “A Photo Editor’s” blog and now has continued over on “Whats the Jackanory.”I never really did much assisting. A few years ago I got a late start in photography after many years in the tech field. I was 32 at the time and I felt like I was too old to be assisting and didn’t really want to do it. Not because I thought it was beneath me, but rather, I felt the need to get to work on my own career having had such a late start. It surely wasn’t because I felt like I had all the knowledge and skills and was ready to be a professional photographer… quite the contrary. I mean, at the time I had literally only been using a camera for little more than a year. What the hell did I know?I assisted a few San Francisco advertising and editorial photographers on a few shoots but soon discovered that I was a.) really bad at assisting and b.) really didn’t like it. So, partly due to my own stubbornness and largely due to my own ignorance I stopped trying to get assisting work and decided to focus on my own photography. Another reason for my decision not to assisist (aside from nobody hiring me) came on one of my last attempts at working as an assistant. I emailed Timothy Archibald, another great blogger, to see if he needed an assistant. Thankfully, rather than hiring me, he gave me some encouraging words. I hope he doesn’t mind my quoting his response (which I can only imagine having been made while highly intoxicated):

I just got a chance to visit your site, your work is wonderfull. the portraits are very human and introspective, important qualities that are hard to find together in one shot.that said, i would discourage you from trying to find work from me. you clearly should be supporting yourself being a photographer! currently i am not in need of anyone as an assistant, but i will keep you in mind. tho i’m quite sure you will be on your way as a photographer by the time i’d ever get around to giving you a ring. ha.keep up the good work and do not sell yourself short.

Now, maybe this was his way of politely blowing off someone who would clearly be a horrible assistant, but the joke was on him because I took his comments seriously and it helped my push to do my own work.There are some aspects of the photography process that I feel I missed out on by not assisting. Andrew, over at “Whats The Jackanory” pinpointed exactly what it is I feel I missed. Here is what Andrew had to say:

I learnt so much [from assisting], but in the end I was more interested in the process then the technicalities, I enjoyed watching how people worked, their relationship with their subject whether it be alive or still didn’t matter. Everyone has a different approach and it always fascinated me especially my first time out with someone new, how did they tackle things differently from the others; were they calm, nervous, high energy, a talker, quiet, shy, did they like music, silence, were they a screamer, a shouter or were they in total control, was it all an act, a means to an end, or were they for real, what you saw was what you got, how did they interact with the client, the models etc etc.

Since I did little assisting I’ve never really worked with or watched other photographers at work. I always had this feeling in my mind that maybe I’m doing something wrong. Maybe the way I’m interacting with the subject isn’t right. “How would ’so and so’ do this?” Is everyone looking at me and thinking “this guy has no idea what is going on!!!!” Do I need to be more talkative, do I need to be more outgoing, do I need to shut up, do I need to be funnier, do I need to be more serious, and on and on and on.Over time this has passed, but I will admit to having the thoughts pop in my head every once in a while. I’m finally getting to the point where I realize that I just need to do what I do and go about my business. Its when you start trying to be like someone else or do things the way another shooter would, rather than the way you would do it that the results aren’t as good as they could be. If you were hired to do a shoot its because they liked YOUR work, so don’t try to be someone else, just do your thing and the results will be good.I’m still fascinated by how other photographers work, so any chance I get to hang out on a shoot and watch another photographer working I take it. But now I’m there as a peer rather than an assistant… which means, when they have me take in their dry cleaning after the shoot, I know no starch on the collars.

This is a shout out to my dear friend and assistant Emily Merrill. Emily entered the above picture into APA San Francisco’s Something Personal Exhibition and was notified that not only was she accepted, she has in fact won best image of the show! So suck on that all you big time San Francisco advertising photographers… my assistant can kick your assistant’s ass… and yours for that matter… and mine!Yeah, I had my entry accepted into the exhibition as well, but clearly the truly talented are the ones that get the recognition.Emily, I will be submitting my resume to you ASAP. I hope you will consider me for any assisting positions you may have open. It would be an honor and joy to work for you. And remember, all those times I mocked you in front of the clients and locked you in the car… I was totally kidding! (Why have you stopped returning my calls?)Congratulations Emily I am very proud of you. Can I tell people I discovered you?Here is a shot of Emily I took on a shoot last week. She often makes my life difficult because its next to impossible for the real subject to be as lovely and graceful as Emily is in the setup shots… you try sticking a grumpy business man in her place and comparing the results!

Its been a while since my last entry. I’m hoping I’m providing quality and not just quantity. (although I realize its likely neither) This weeks entry is in honor of Halloween.My friend Deirdre has what I consider to be one of the cutest dogs I’ve ever met. The dog’s name is Dingle (named for the port in Ireland, not the berry). Dingle is a small Hungarian Puli. As some (crazy) people like to do with their animals, Deirdre occasionally dresses Dingle up in strange costumes. Normally I find this practice annoying, but for some reason I enjoy seeing Dingle in her various outfits. Deirdre got the idea that Dingle should be dressed up as a Mexican in a sombrero and poncho for her Christmas cards last year (of course).I wanted a grimy border town feeling for the picture so we headed to a back alley in a not so savory section of The Mission. The alley had exactly the look I wanted, so we set up shop and begin taking pictures. During the shoot, I was approached by a “lady” (there is a reason for the quotes around the word lady). She walked up to me, looking around suspiciously, and asked me if I had any crack. She was asking in a way you would think is only done in movies, as if I or someone near by just might be an undercover cop. I had to let her down by telling her I in fact did not have any crack for her. Disappointed, she walked away. During our little shoot she returned quite a few more times to check back in, just in case my supply had changed. It hadn’t. I’ll give her this much, she was very persistent… or she just didn’t remember having already asked me… I’m not sure which.As we continued taking more pictures of the the siesta-esque Dingle we believe that the woman apparently found what she was after. Not thirty yards from where we were, we noticed her and some of her “colleagues” standing in a circle enjoying what we can only imagine to be what she previously was hoping to purchase from me. It was at this point we thought it would be a good idea to pack up the gear, grab Dingle and move on.Needless to say we were very happy to get out of there not only with what I think is a funny picture of Dingle, but also with our lives. And you’ll be happy to know that Deirdre won “best Christmas card” among her friends and family with the “Dirty Dingle” picture. Maybe I have a future in taking pictures for greeting cards… and with that thought, please excuse me while I go kill myself.I hope everyone has a happy Halloween.

I just got back from spending a few days in Montana visiting my Dad. I’ve lived in a big city of some type all my life, so visiting a place like Montana was a bit different for me. Nothing but space, space and more space between… well, everything. This is a shot of my dad on his “ranch.”

While exploring an area near near Quake Lake in Montana we came across a boat coming to shore with a few duck hunters. One of them was a young girl who apparently got a couple ducks. Being a city boy I’m not used to seeing blonde girls holding any type of carcass, so I thought it would be a good photo opportunity. The girl obliged and as her family looked on with bewilderment I took some pictures of the girl, her boat and her dog.

Miguel Migs is a San Francisco based DJ I photographed for Remix Magazine. This shot is actually an out-take from the shoot that the magazine didn’t use. The magazine wanted shots of Miguel in his studio, but I knew there was an opportunity to get some great shots of Miguel on the roof of the building where his studio is located.I immediately knew I wanted to get a shot with the sun going down behind the buildings in the distance with Miguel in the foreground. It was too early in the day to get that shot so we got all the indoor studio shots done while waiting for the sun to set. Of course, the indoor shots took a bit longer than expected and when I casually wandered outside to check on the sun I was surprised to see it was already beginning to set behind the buildings.I yelled to Miguel and my assistant Emily to get up to the roof NOW! Emily grabbed my gear and Miguel got up there just in time to get a few shots off before the sun went completely behind the building. Half blind from looking into the sun through my camera it was hard to tell if I got the shot, but I was pretty certain I captured what I was looking for.Any time I do a shoot I’m always looking for the best shot that the client is looking for. But, I’m also on the lookout for shots that I’m interested in. As it turned out, the magazine ran with the shot of Miguel in the studio but also ran some of the rooftop images as well.On a side note, I just read about a service that will stop junk mail… not SPAM, but actual physical junk mail coming to your home. Check it out and sign up. Its only $15 and they will even plant a tree in your honor. The website is GreenDimes.Here are some more pics from the Migs shoot:

I recently photographed a dancer at my studio. This was the first time I’ve photographed a dancer so wasn’t really sure how to go about doing it. I’ll admit I’m not the quickest at pushing the button, especially when shooting with larger formats. I generally like to work slow and methodical, so if something springs out of nowhere in front of my lens, chances are I’ll catch the tail end of it by the time I’m in focus and ready to push the button. If I were a sports photographer, I’d likely get “The Celebration” rather than “The Catch.”Having finished the shoot and gone through the images I already know what I’d do differently. I can see that I didn’t get enough movement in many of the earlier photos from the session. A lot of the images look like she is either posing or doing Yoga even though she was actively dancing. My favorite of the dancing shots is one above that showed movement. I like how the hair is covering her entire face and just one eye is focused right on the lens (although in the low res version it does look like her eye is closed). It shows movement and a connection to the viewer. I like a lot of the other images, but this would be my select for the dancing images.Let me know what you think of the images and if you have any tips for shooting dancers I’d love to hear them.Here are some more of the dancing images:Photo hair/makeup: Veronica Sjoen

Someday I may be as tough as Roz Savage , but I doubt it. You see, Roz Savage is a 40 year old woman who can’t be more than 5′2″ tall, and as of today she is in the process of rowing from the San Francisco Bay to Australia. She will be the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.Come to think of it I’m not all that impressed… she is after all stopping in Hawaii. But, I’ll cut her some slack. The trip to Hawaii alone is expected to take about 70 days. And, she is doing this all on her own with no “safety” boat staying close at hand. She will literally be in the middle of nowhere should anything go wrong.Strangely enough a couple days before I got the assignment to photograph Roz for 7×7 Magazine I went kayaking in the bay. I haven’t been kayaking in years. Isn’t it strange how things happen like that. Anyway, I didn’t feel the need to mention it to her. I doubted she would have been too impressed considering after about 45 minutes of fighting a light breeze in the bay I had just about all I could handle. Hey, I didn’t have the equipment she has. I’m sure I would have lasted at least an hour with her gear.On a side note, it seems like the issue of bottled water, which I wrote about last month is a popular topic these days. I was reading the New York Times this morning and read a new article about the backlash at people who drink bottled water. It was in the New York Times Style section, so I guess this means that if you don’t drink bottled water you’re stylish. They even mention that the cool new accessory is the reusable plastic Nalgene bottles. Hmm, I wonder if those fit in the Hummer cup holder?

Unfortunately I’m a fairly simple minded and easily persuaded person… I’m the type that reads and article or sees a dateline segment and thinks “yeah, that’s terrible, lets do something about it!” A friend of mine works for Current TV which is Al Gore’s TV network. So, of course my friend had the new issue of Fast Company with Al on the cover.One of the articles in the decidedly Green issue was about bottled water. Now, I know the last thing you came here for was to get the views of another idiot spouting information you either already know or don’t care all that much about, but hey, this is my blog so I’ll say what I want. I have no doubt bottled water has had a positive effect on society if only for the fact that there was a time it wasn’t available and people instead were likely drinking a bottle full of sugar in some form or another. But when you learn about the effects all these bottles of water have on the environment from creation, transportation to disposal it makes you wonder why the hell you’re drinking the bottled water. After all, we all (especially for those of us living in San Francisco) have equal quality water coming right out of our taps. Just about everywhere we buy our bottled water will also have perfectly good tap water for us.I’ll end my little diatribe and let you read the article and decide for yourself. So, how am I going to bring this around to photography? I’m not, directly anyway. Only to say that over the last few months I’ve done a couple of shoots for 7×7 Magazine that were on the green side. The picture above is Sarah Weiner of Slow Food USA which is an organization that wants to reach out to consumers and demonstrate to them that they have choices over fast food and supermarket homogenization and to create a movement that protects taste, culture and the environment as universal social values. You mean, I shouldn’t be eating this Big Mac right now? Well, at least I went with the tap water. On to the next cause.