Ask Maven is a new column created to answer your questions about anything related to advertising photography. Questions about self-promotion, production, estimates…you name it and Maven can help. Maven has fifteen plus years of experience in the advertising world and for the last six years has been an art buyer at a highly esteemed international ad agency.

Email your questions to: maven (at) thefstopmag (dot) com. If picked, your question and Maven’s answer will be published on this blog along with a link to your work!

We haven’t had many new questions since Maven’s last post so she’s whipped up an inspirational piece for us:

Once in a while, you get thrown a curve ball of a project that makes you remember why the bloody hell you got into this here photo game in the first place.

Case in point- a few weeks ago, I was in Brooklyn shooting a fashion story with some friends for a magazine till the wee hours. It was beyond fun- the crew was up for anything, the hair was over the top, and the models were beautiful. Not to mention a huge wink to the 80s and Michael Jackson, which was just awesome. And not a single person complained as the clock ticked away the hours of a very long way. We all dug in, ate pizza, and made something beautiful. We were not worried about obsessive clients, the placement of a product, or if middle America would understand or relate to what we were trying to do.

© Achim Lippoth

Sometimes when we do what we love for “work”, the passion gets diluted by bureaucracy, monotony, and insanity. We forget what we love about the process, whatever that may be. I have always loved photography and adore the
camaraderie that takes place on a set when people love what they do. We shot the most insane fashion story and nobody made a dime- from the incredible photographer to the models to the insanely talented wardrobe stylist. Everybody was there for the love of it.

Where am I going with all of this you may ask? I’m saying the following: do something for free once in a while- an editorial, a cutting edge pro bono ad, or simply a cool piece your portfolio is aching for. You are fortunate enough to be working in a field that indulges your passion, so go something for free and have some FUN for crying out loud. When you are doing something for the love of it, the rules change. It’s incredibly liberating. And even if you are a commercial photographer but would secretly like to be a trapeze artist, go do that once in a while. It’s very important to reach out to what makes you tick or else you kinda stop ticking. As children we love to play, and as adults we need to play too. I’m not suggesting you quit your career and work for free, I’m saying just play once in a while. It’ll make you breathe again. And we all need to breathe, right?

If anything, you will come away from the experience re-energized and remembering what it is you love about this business, at its core. Let’s not forget to play once in a while.

The Maven

This series provides answers to questions that every photographer has about marketing themselves and their work to ad agencies. Each part in the series is an interview with a different art buyer or art producer about how they find photographers and what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing and self-promotion. Their answers are completely candid and oftentimes surprising.

If you read the whole series you’ll find tons of useful nuggets plus some interesting differences in opinion on what many (myself included) may have assumed to have been clear cut issues. Read part one here and part two here.

Part three of this series is my conversation with Wini Alcorn, an art producer who’s worked at McCann Erickson for ten years . Our interview took place in her New York office back in April. Since the interview she’s changed positions within McCann Erickson and will be working in their broadcast department.

Photograph by Patrick Demarchelier. Art produced by Wini Alcorn.

Seckler: What’s your typical process like for finding a photographer?

Alcorn: Typically I just get on my computer and start going through my bookmarks. Hopefully when I see a layout a photographer comes to mind. And then if none of those people fit what I’m looking for, then I really just go through my bookmarked websites. I definitely start off on the Internet and I also use my coworkers as a resource. Especially if I’m not coming up with anything that fits. If my own website searching and [coworkers] doesn’t really come to anything, then I usually will look at At-Edge. I also look at Le Book [and] Wookbook.com.

Seckler: Are Le Book, Workbook and At-Edge the three sourcebooks you go to?

Alcorn: For photography those pretty much are the ones I go to. Sometimes I’ll look at Altpick and I know I’ve also done the APA [website] recently.

Sometimes it’s easy if you’re shooting in New York or L.A., but if you need to shoot in Ohio or in Kansas, [the websitses] have a nice feature where you can type in locale. I also did do a search recently for aerial photographers, which I know nothing about, and typed in ‘aerial photography’ and it gave me a whole list of photographers.

Seckler: So, it’s good for the specialized and non-primary market based searches.

Alcorn: Right.

Seckler: When you are using sourcebooks do you tend to look at the print editions or do you look at them online?

Alcorn: Now I look online. If I have the print edition, I don’t even know. You see, I have a bookcase there, full of books and rarely do I get up and go look at them (Laughs).

Because online I feel like it’s more current. I think if there’s a change in an artist’s rep, it’s going to be online. [When] you’re looking in a [printed] sourcebook it’s already outdated.

Seckler: What about photographers who do one or two page ads in Archive or Communication Arts…does that have an impact on you?

Alcorn: I don’t look through those books as much. It’s not my thought to look there when I’m looking for photographers. If I’m looking at those books it’s because someone was like, ‘you should read this article about this photographer’ or ‘look at this cool ad.’ And then I get the book and I look at it but it’s not something that I think of as a resource. They don’t have to buy a $10,000 page in a sourcebook. They can just send me an e-mail and I’ll probably see it and then I’ll bookmark it.

Seckler: Are you open to working with emerging talent?

Alcorn: We want to work with the best photographer out there. But I do think there’s always some nerves in terms of production. Because I do think when you work with someone more established, you know that they’ve had the experience working with the big agency, they’ve had the experience working with the client, or they have a team who knows how to handle all the drama that comes with the big agency and the big client. So I think there’s some security [in using established photographers] but I would say, certainly if it’s the right photographer for the job, it would just be one of those conversations like ‘this may be your first or second big job, but we think you’re right.’

But there’s always the clients ‘oh, can we work with Annie Leibovitz?’ So they have these big names in their head, and it’s like, ‘there’s more photographers than that and she’s not even the right photographer for your project!’ I think sometimes clients fall in love with the idea of working with a famous photographer. But I think in this day and age, budgets are so tight, there’s more of a chance for the younger photographers because the bigger photographers may not be willing to bring their fees down.

Seckler: Has print work started to pick up a little bit recently?

Alcorn: I think it’s definitely busier here. Last year was not a great year. Everyone was very nervous. Seeing the closing of a lot of those magazines was scary. I think it’s picking back up. But I think it’s kind of this unknown. Where is this going? Where is media going? I think everyday I see more photographers sending an e-mail [with a link to] their website and they have video! I think really it’s all about digital and interactive. I think it’s all about knowing how to bring it all together. It seems to me like everyone is talking about behind-the-scenes video for the Internet. So we need to shoot the print, but we need to shoot some video, and wouldn’t it be great if the photographer knew how to do both.

Seckler: Have you or your colleagues hired photographers to do both stills and the motion?

Alcorn: I don’t know if we have here. I do know that I recently did something where there was a director that was hired. And there was discussion about having the director shoot the video, and then pulling the stills from the video. And then the more we talked about it, the more we felt that, perhaps we should also shoot some stills. The more we talked about it, we said maybe it would be better to shoot from a still camera. And the director actually shot the stills with the still camera.

Seckler: Right. So it happened, but instead of hiring a still photographer you hired a director…

Alcorn: A director, and he did both. I don’t know if we’ve hired a photographer yet and actually asked him to do video. Certainly I meet a lot of photographers who come in, and they show that. When they’re showing me their portfolio, they say ‘I shot this after we wrapped the shoot, I decided to do this for myself and the client really liked it, and they went and threw it up on their website.’ So I think that’s smart. I think that that’s the next thing, if you can learn to do it. It’s also kind of learning what’s good and what’s not good. For me it’s also a new aesthetic. I think it’s just a new language for all of us print people to look at.

Seckler: Circling back to the topic of promotion…does winning the major awards have an impact on if you’re considering a photographer for a job?

Alcorn: I would say no. If anything I like the PDN 30. Of the magazines that’s one I look at. And I use that magazine when I’m trying to read about new technology and photographers and what the trends are, and I think that’s a good source.

Seckler: What about the annual competitions like Communication Arts Photo Annual or the Lucie Awards?

Alcorn: I think, if anything, because they’ll do promotions for who won I’ll see it. It’s good in that sense, that if you’ve won, I’ll probably get an e-mail, and your name will be on it, and there’ll be a photo. And then I might go look at it, whereas before I might not have been drawn to you. But in terms of if I’m hiring for a job it’s still more about does it fit the concept? Is it in my budget? Does the art director feel like this photographer’s going to bring the right sensibility to the ad? Yeah, I don’t think the award trumps any of that. More, it might just be a way for them to get in front of me.

Seckler: Now, you mentioned using bookmarks a lot, about how many photographer bookmarks do you have?

Alcorn: I used to try to alphabetize them so here, let’s start at “A” and just keep going… (scrolling down for several seconds).

Seckler: That’s a lot (Laughs).

Alcorn: That’s a lot.

Seckler: How many photographers do you recommend to an art director once they’ve given you a layout?

Alcorn: I’ll look through my bookmarks for a couple hours. I usually try to narrow it down ten. And if that’s too much, five. Because I think art directors — it gets overwhelming.

Seckler: Do you like to see a very specialized look in photographers’ websites or does it throw you off if they have a few different categories?

Alcorn:: I think it’s good [to have variety], it doesn’t throw me off. I think it can throw clients off, and people who aren’t as creative. It’s confusing if you’re in a meeting and your portfolio has every other picture’s as a different style. Then people are going to be concerned about hiring you. But I think art directors like to see it because I think it gives a better impression of the artist’s vision. Either way, when I look at portfolios I think it’s nice to have two portfolios. ‘Here’s my landscape book and here’s my portrait book.’ I think it depends on your audience and how you’re trying to sell yourself.

Seckler: Do you like e-mail promos or do you find them overwhelming?

Alcorn: I find them a little overwhelming. I definitely get a lot. And honestly, it depends on how busy I am, and my mood…whether I’m going to look at them or not. I think the best e-mails have in the subject line something [specific] that makes sense. Not something vague and not something too clever. Just tell me what it is. I don’t have time to read [lots of text], if I’m interested, if I like what you send as a visual, I’ll go to your website. So you don’t need to give me all the backstory in the e-mail. Just send me a photo, and a link. But as I said, sometimes I’m busy, and I don’t open them. I’ll just delete them.

Seckler: Right.

Alcorn: Which I don’t like to admit to but occasionally I will if there’s a lot. I personally like mail promos. If I like them, I keep them. I hang them on my wall, I put them up. On my door I have magnets where I hang up the ones I like the most. Some people like e-mail blasts, some people don’t. You’re never going to find the answer. I think everyone likes something different. So I would just do what you feel is your best way to show your work.

Seckler: Any pearls of wisdom for photographers out there who are looking to get in touch with the right potential clients? Advice for maybe a unique promotional idea or something?

Alcorn: The fun promos are cool, but I don’t know if they really help you get the job. People who do the theme promos, where it’s a box and there’s stuff in it. Where they spend a lot of money. Maybe that leads to work, but I don’t know if I’ve ever hired someone where I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that cool promo!’

And if you’re going to call and set up an appointment do your homework. If you want to shoot food, go to the agency that handles the food account. Don’t go to that agency and try to sell fashion and beauty. If you’re smart and say, ‘I’m going to be in town, and I know you guys handle these accounts, and I work on this kind of stuff. Would you be willing to meet with me?’ I’ll think most people are willing to meet with people.

I would also say do your homework and be considerate. And don’t inundate people with e-mails. Lots of times I’ll get the e-mails like, ‘I’m just following up to see if you got my e-mail, dot-da-da-da-da-da.’ And it’s like, I’m sure I got it. But do I remember it? I don’t know. And then you get the phone call, like, ‘I’m just calling to see…’ and it’s like, oh my God! It’s just too much. (Laughs)

You got to have some faith that it reached me. And if not, do another one in three months. We probably get thirty e-mails a day and it’s a lot. Sometimes I only remember the ones that really are applicable to what I’m working on. So it’s not because your image sucked. It’s just not pertinent to what I’m doing.

Ask Maven is a new column created to answer your questions about anything related to advertising photography. Questions about self-promotion, production, estimates…you name it and Maven can help. Maven has fifteen plus years of experience in the advertising world and for the last six years has been an art buyer at a highly esteemed international ad agency.

Email Maven your questions: maven (at) thefstopmag (dot) com

I came across this amazing promo the other day from Shawn Michienzi, a photographer whose work I have always dug. He sent out a mini magazine of sorts called “Taken” (great name) with cool images, great simple design, and some captioning about each campaign or image he shot. In particular,   I am in love with these  Southern Comfort photos — particularly as I was recently looking for images of ass kicking Americana the past few days. That’s how it works, folks — for direct mail, anyway. I will toss everything in my path if it does not speak to something I am working on or think I may be working on in the future. So yes, it’s a bit like some version of postal Russian Roulette. There’s no real rhyme or reason to it — it’s more luck.  Of course there is the 3 times rule — don’t blow your savings on one promo because you generally need to send your stuff 3 times before there is some sort of recall or response.

But the bottom line is targeting your audience and sending them stuff that will hopefully spark a call to your iPhone and make your dang day. I do love to get things in the mail to look at, but I would say keep the size of them less than indulgent (not a fan of enormous promos, remember most art buyers and creatives don’t have enormous offices, so we have nowhere to put your Ten Commandment sized promotion). And I really love a handwritten note to accompany the piece that has my name and a little piece on why this image of sexy school girls in Paris is being sent my way. The personal touch should not be underestimated — even if you can hand write notes to ten of your most favorite and coveted agency folk, do it.

Another thought I had today was this: you are all extraordinarily lucky to be doing something you LOVE for a living. I would say the majority of you would not prefer office work or some other such drudgery. So take a deep breath, even in these changing and challenging times for our industry, and simply remember why you are here. You really love taking pictures, and you are super lucky to do what you love for a living. Remember that when racking your brain over promos, tough estimates, or crazy art directors. It’s all worth it. Oh, and send me your questions, please. Would love to hear from all of you.

The Maven

The NY Times is reporting that according to the 11th annual entertainment and media outlook report that was released today there is going to be a .5% drop in ad spending this year compared with 2009. This is actually an improvement from 2009 when ad spending dropped 15.2% compared with 2008. But according to the article there is more tough news to swallow:

“Although ad spending will increase in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the report forecasts, the total in 2014 will still be 9 percent less than it was in 2007.

By 2014, ad spending in categories like the Internet, television and radio is expected to exceed the spending levels of 2009, according to the report, while ad spending in categories like consumer magazines, trade magazines, newspapers and directories is projected to be lower than it was in 2009.

Newspaper ad spending is under pressure to the point, the report says, that the total amount of ad spending online will surpass the amount spent in newspapers this year.”

Winners of the Prix de la Photographie Paris competition or Px3 were announced today.

Howard Shatz won the Photographer of the Year title for his Boxers series and Stefano Orazzini won the title of Best New Talent for his Night Terraces series.

The first place winners of each category are:

Advertising – Szymon Brodziak for Noti Girls

Photojournalism – Howard Shatz for Boxers

Book – Eric Lusito for After the Wall

Fine Art – Euro Rotelli for The Body and the Soul

Nature – Mitch Dobrowner for Storms

Portraiture – Phillip Toledano for A New Kind of Beauty

There are dozens and dozens of other winners in the sub-categories…check out all the work here.

Ask Maven is a new column created to answer your questions about anything related to advertising photography. Questions about self-promotion, production, estimates…you name it and Maven can help. Maven has fifteen plus years of experience in the advertising world and for the last six years has been an art buyer at a highly esteemed international ad agency.

Email Maven your questions: maven (at) thefstopmag (dot) com

Now, onto our question:

Tim.O. asks:

Does shooting fine art photography make a photographer more or less attractive to the advertising industry? It seems like lots of ad shooters don’t do much fine art but the ad industry at it’s best likes to showcase artistic work. Why the disconnect Maven?

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your very good question. I think now more than ever fine art is pervasive in commercial work. The lines are pretty blurry in fact. Obviously it makes a heap of sense to show the commercial clients you have worked on, as well as your work in finished ads (a lot of photographers don’t like to show finished ads in their books, and I’ve never understood why, unless the finished ad is complete crap. But if you’ve shot for Microsoft and it was all over the subway station, show that and then show it again. It has real legs for commercial endeavors).

But back to the question at hand — many fine art photographers have transitioned into commercial work and vice versa. There are no real rules there except you have to tell a compelling story with your imagery – and that’s the most important thing. That’s what makes a photographer attractive to the commercial industry. And now with web based portfolios you can really show your range – I would encourage that, but will say I would hope your fine art is somehow connected to the commercial work you take on – if there is a huge disconnect, it may feel like a disjointed presentation. For instance, Gregory Crewdson’s commercial work is linked closely to his fine art work. That’s why he is able to market himself commercially – because clients and galleries are all buying into his incredible point of view. There’s a lot of equity there.

In terms of fine art though, it’s totally possible the Midwestern health care client doesn’t want to see pictures of naked chicks or your series of nude bodybuilders that are in your fine art work. It’s totally possible – and provocative work is not right for some clients. If you feel strongly as an artist that your fine art work tells the story you want to spread to the world, then display with pride. If it’s great work, it will take you where you want to go commercially. I think most art directors like an artful approach anyway. That seems to be the trend nowadays as opposed to a straight up commercial photographer. I’ll end this column by saying it seems the reps, not the ad agencies, are the ones most afraid of fine art work- they sometimes don’t get how that will translate to money and marketability, but I beg to differ. A great photograph is a great photograph – fine art or not.

All the best,
The Maven

Image © Gregory Crewdson. Untitled, Summer 2006. Available for purchase at Gagosian Gallery.

This series provides answers to questions that every photographer has about marketing themselves and their work to ad agencies. Each part in the series is an interview with a different art buyer or art producer about how they find photographers and what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing and self-promotion. Their answers are completely candid and oftentimes surprising.

If you read the whole series you’ll find tons of useful nuggets plus some interesting differences in opinion on what many (myself included) may have assumed to have been clear cut issues. Read part one here.

Part two of this series is my conversation with Sandy Boss Febbo, a fourteen year ad industry veteran who works as an Executive Art Producer at Carmichael Lynch.

Seckler: Please take met through your general process for finding a photographer once you receive a layout for a potential job.

Boss Febbo: I don’t think there is necessarily a general process. You know, I’m constantly on the prowl for talent. It’s a daily thing of looking at stuff that comes in via e-mail and promos to searching out some favorite sites and blogs and keeping a pulse on what’s going on out there. The hopeful intent in making it a daily task is that when we’re working with our creatives as they’re developing concepts they’re already starting to put artists against it – which is ideal. There are definitely some jobs where we’re retrofitting a concept, where something will hit our desk and we need to figure out who would be best suited to execute the idea. I think it’s a better collaboration if you can get ahead of it and commission artists that will have more of an opportunity to do what they do to elevate a campaign. The hopeful goal is that the work that somebody’s shooting will inspire part of that campaign.

Seckler: So tell me a bit more about how you find the talent that might shape a campaign.

Boss Febbo: What happens is I’ll fall in love with somebody’s work, and either by bookmarking them and going back to their site and seeing new work, or contacting an agent if they have one, or putting something that they’ve shot up on my wall, it kind of becomes a wish list. And then you’re hoping that a campaign’s going to come through where that work’s going to make a really good fit. And it happens at times, even in other genres that we produce within art production, if it’s typography or illustration or design. I’ll have someone on that list for a number of years before I find the right collaboration. And then when you do it’s kind of like ‘score!’ I finally get to call this person and work with them. You know, I just discovered in a couple other conversations I’ve had on a similar topic that it can be that this artist may not even know that I’m looking at their work. Because until I have the right project I may not be calling in a portfolios, because it’s kind of expensive to do that. I don’t really make that move until it’s a live project that they’re suited for.

Seckler: And you may not want to get their hopes up too much, if ultimately nothing does come through for them.

Boss Febbo: Yeah, exactly. That’s kind of the way I think about it, but I get mixed comments on that. That maybe it’s really rewarding and adds some hope to know that people like your work. To know I’m looking at it and trying to find a good project for you. But it can take a while, and maybe that’s discouraging.

Seckler: Do you ever use sourcebooks?

Boss Febbo: Not as much as I did earlier on in my career. I think sourcebooks aren’t always the best way to find talent. The talent in a certain sourcebook might not be of a consistent caliber or what I’m looking for. And honestly I’m just not satisfied having five known places that I go to look. I always want to know what else is out there, and take the path that might not be the clear one for commercial commissions.

Seckler: Are you interested in working with emerging artists?

Boss Febbo: I’m definitely interested. I won’t say I’m more interested, I’m just equally interested. It’s really rewarding…chasing down who’s shooting what, in different publications, just finding a really great editorial shooter and then seeing that they’ve got the right pieces for us. [But] I know I will need to have a conversation with them about production, because for a commercial job it’s often sadly kind of a dog and pony show. If I need to be a little bit more involved in the process to make sure the production value is what it needs to be, or make a recommendation for a line producer that the photographer could work with, to me that’s an easy part to resolve.

Seckler: Let’s talk about promos.

Boss Febbo: I get absolutely bombed with them, but I don’t mind. I would rather have an opportunity to see somebody’s work than have them hold back or not send it.

Seckler: Do you look at all of them?

Boss Febbo: I do look at all of them. I was just out on a production for a couple of weeks, and when out on the road they absolutely stack up. But I still look at all of them.

Seckler: And what percent of them do you find to be relevant to the accounts that you work on?

Boss Febbo: Relevant to the specific accounts that I’m working on, maybe 25%? But that’s okay by me. My primary account right now is Subaru, and then I’m also fairly dialed into what’s going on with Harley-Davidson. And we have a number of other clients that don’t produce the volume of those two. But I don’t want to receive promos from people who just think “I’m a car photographer” or “I’m great with bikes and lifestyle so I should contact CL.” I want to see all of them, because you never know what’s going to bubble up in a campaign or what creative need is going to come through.

Seckler: Do you prefer print or mail promos? Are they equally effective for you?

Boss Febbo: I think they’re equally effective. I don’t have a strong preference. If I have a strong preference for either one, it would be to see a single really solid image. You know, it’s about the image before anything else. And if it’s a really compelling image, I’m going to want to go to the website, or I’m going to want to hang onto that piece and watch for the next one to come through. You’d be amazed with the number of e-mails I get that just kind of announce like ‘Hey, I have this new thing, and you should go to my website to check it out.” And the e-mail doesn’t have an image. There should be a teaser, something that my eyes are going to go, ‘Oh, yeah!’

Seckler: What about award and competition annuals? Do you look at the major ones like Communication Arts and so on?

Boss Febbo: I do look at all of those.

Seckler: And does that make an impression on you? If you go to a photographer’s site and you see that somebody’s got a long list of big awards, versus if someone’s got good work but they don’t have any?

Boss Febbo: No.

Seckler: Doesn’t matter?

Boss Febbo: No, honestly it doesn’t. I think it’s a really great nod from the industry, to get an award and to be in that company. But if I’m looking at somebody’s work, and they don’t have any awards, but their work is amazing, it doesn’t matter to me that they haven’t won an award yet. Because I just figure that hopefully when we collaborate it might lead to something great.

Seckler: Does whether or not a photographer have representation matter to you?

Boss Febbo: It doesn’t. No, we’ve commissioned photographers over the years that don’t have reps. It might be their first project commercially or it might be that we’ve commissioned their first project in the States if they’re an overseas shooter and they don’t have U.S. representation. I think it’s a more telling thing to have a creative call to see if there’s a nice rapport in the conversation and if they could be potentially really cool to work with. You also learn a lot when you estimate a project. So much comes through when you figure out how they would approach it and what kind of thought they put into the process to deliver the image. That says volumes. I think reps can be really helpful, for sure. I know there are some that I’ve worked with that I have vast amounts of respect for, and I think that they’ve done a lot to further their artists’ careers, but it’s not a requirement.

Seckler: You mentioned hiring photographers where it may have been their first commercial job. Has it ever been difficult to convince the client to work with someone that hasn’t done a big commercial or high production job?

Boss Febbo: It hasn’t been difficult to sell it through. We’ve awarded full campaigns for large clients to shooters who’ve never done a commercial project before. And sometimes the point of selling that through is that the photographer might be so firmly tied to the work that they’re shooting and the lifestyle that they’re capturing that it gives credibility to the campaign. We would never do it just to do it, to say that we’re the first ones to shoot with somebody. But when it’s the right project, it’s right. And usually we’re successful in selling that through.

Seckler: Have you had occasions when you’ve had to find somebody who shoots stills and motion?

Boss Febbo: We have. We’ve done that a few times, some with more success than others. It depends on what needs to be captured. Like if we’re doing a still campaign and then adding an online video. An online video definitely carries less weight than doing a broadcast spot. Some things are really going to have a higher level of finish in the work. Last year we did a mix where we shot still work and then did product video on motorcycles. The intent was to do something that was much more rough in feel, so we had a mix of high-def video and super 8, just to give it the effect we were looking for. Which worked really well, and was already evident in this particular photographer’s portfolio. That kind of capture had already happened, and it wasn’t something that we were forcing. Personally, I think that still imagery and motion capture are two different mindsets, and to have someone who does both really well is kind of a rare instance. When it works, it’s really great. But we have, fortunately, an agency that’s nicely committed to making sure that we have the right talent for what the material’s needs are.

Seckler: Can you give specific examples of blogs, websites or editorial media where you find your photographers?

Boss Febbo: Here’s a very partial list of photography links I have bookmarked – can’t give up the whole story though!

http://www.featureshoot.com

http://wvs.topleftpixel.com

http://www.photoeye.com

http://www.eyecurious.com

http://lapuravidagallery.com/blog

http://www.worldpressphoto.org

http://www.whatsthejackanory.com

http://www.layflat.org

http://growing–up.blogspot.com

http://markings.tumblr.com

http://ypu.org

http://www.filemagazine.com

http://www.chambrenoire.com

Ask Maven is a new column created to answer your questions about anything related to advertising photography. Questions about self-promotion, production, estimates…you name it and Maven can help. Maven has fifteen plus years of experience in the advertising world and for the last six years has been an art buyer at a highly esteemed international ad agency.

Email Maven your questions: maven (at) thefstopmag (dot) com

Really having fun taking your questions – keep them coming. This week I thought I’d share my thoughts on what makes a photographer great- not in terms of imagery, but in terms of personality and collaborative spirit. In the commercial world, those of us in agency life are in a state of perpetual stress- never enough time, never enough money, and sometimes we have to deal with people that are sort of Type A gone wild-  so it’s important we work with folks that have not only gobs of photographic talent, but also a certain hubris to put up with us.

I have taught photography students about the art of problem solving when dealing with commercial types. I would say it’s top of mind for most of us in the business, especially when “print” continues to be redefined and reconfigured to meet the needs of a digital age. What I mean is we are looking for true collaborators and not just for a photographer to show up, set up some lights, and carry on. The people I call again and again to work with are those I know are going to offer me solutions to my sometimes impossible requests. For instance the “N” word (as in NO) is not really allowed. Of course you can say no, but you better be ready to offer up some other alternatives if what is asked of you feels impossible or completely devoid of reason. If we can’t shoot an elephant tromping through Sardinia, give us some options of where elephant tromping is embraced, allowed, and even regaled. That’s the name of the game, folks.

Also never underestimate that first call you do with creative types, otherwise known as the creative call. This is your time to wow us. And you’d better. If you’re yawning the whole time, stammering through the call, or interrupting the art director or design type, you ain’t gonna look good.  You have to really LISTEN.  And you have to understand what it takes for these guys to sell through a concept- between the hierarchy of approvals from creative directors and the client, we’re talking about a substantial amount of time spent fighting for good ideas to survive. Once they do, you need to help the team make them the best they can be- it’s a big leap of faith for the creatives to trust that as a producer I can find them the right person to collaborate and execute their vision, and you’ve got to instill confidence in us that you’re the man or woman for the job. How do you do that?

* Be Positive and Enthusiastic about the job

* Come up with a cool POV on how to shoot the image

* Be a miracle worker in terms of the budget you’re given, but also manage expectations when the idea exceeds the budget

* Hire an amazing producer. This one deserves it’s own paragraph…

The production of the job once you’ve got your purchase order in hand is beyond important. Ad folks know that everything is in the details, we are wired to think that way. If you have a production that is crap, we won’t hire you again. What makes a production great? A producer that is simply super on point- answers our calls, takes our requests, and LISTENS. For instance, if the art director mentions he can’t function without Mountain Dew, please have a stack of Mountain Dew on set at all times, cause you don’t want to know what will happen if ya don’t. And never underestimate the catering, folks. The way to our hearts is surely through our tummies. Nobody is talking about hiring Morimoto, but make sure the catering is of a high level. It’s important to realize you are creating not only imagery, but an EXPERIENCE. You are talking about those of us that are cooped up in offices most of the time- this is the part of our job we love- making shit. Make it a great experience all around. Order Pinkberry at 3 pm for everyone. Play great music.. And hire a killer crew that likes to have fun and keeps the onset chemistry bubbling over with love. We are all here to have fun, and the fun is what makes the stress worth it. This is the part we love more than anything- making the ideas come to life. It shouldn’t feel like root canal or a really bad date.

Basically, we’re super demanding about what we’re looking for and we know it. It’s not only important that you are a huge talent, but it’s almost equally important that your diplomacy skills rival those of Kissinger. Just know that it’s really challenging to get an idea approved- and we want you to take it and make it sing. But we also want you to be excited, engaged, enthused, passionate, and fun. After all, we’re not saving lives, but we are the lucky ones who get to work in a cool environment surrounded by gifted people coming up with cool ideas. If you are an effective and confident communicator and understand the art of the 3 pm yogurt or latte run, then you’re golden, my friend. It may seem trivial, but it’s all about point of difference- there are heaps of talented photographers, but the ones I remember are those that have a great personality and make us feel welcome and happy. That’s what it’s all about, kids. And please keep the questions coming. Would love to answer any you may have.

Love,
The Maven