Inspiration: Influencers Film by R+I Creative
INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.
INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.
The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.
Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today’s pop culture.
“Influencers” belongs to the new generation of short films, webdocs, which combine the documentary style and the online experience.
www.influencersfilm.com
www.facebook.com/influencersfilm
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Director’s Note: http://on.fb.me/bQ3kHj
Playlist: http://on.fb.me/cve0yF
What do you see in your images now, that you didn’t see in your images 5 years ago?
The first thing that comes to mind is authenticity. I’m always wanting to bring out the best and most natural version of my subjects when I shoot them. What I’m envisioning in my head is one thing, but getting someone to do it is a completely different task. I love that I don’t settle nowadays, and I think my clients appreciate it. I love knowing at the end of the day I did my best.
It’s pretty crazy to even say 5 years. I feel like every year, there’s been not only a natural progression, but also a rebellion against my work. I feel like it was one of the ways personally for myself to find out which images were truly reflective of the people I was shooting.
Take for example the idea of a kiss in the picture above. Every time I take a picture of anyone kissing, I would a say a million things are processing in my head. Images I’ve done in the past, something I saw in a book, a movie that I had recently watched, the light, etc.
After I process all that crazy imagery in my imagination, I think that is the main difference with my images after all this time. By the time I press that shutter, I feel like I have something authentic. For me, that is being original. It’s growth. It’s trust.
I am a productive mess, but at least this kind of clutter looks fun & colorful!
Justine & Chad: Making it Count
Hawaii is heaven. The sunrise & sunset is another kind of magic out there. My good friends out in Oahu got married this past August, and together we created some amazing imagery to celebrate their love and the paradise of the island. After figuring out that we had no time to go off to a remote location on the actual day of their wedding, I had decided it was best to shoot a few days beforehand to ensure we got the memories that I was envisioning. So that’s what we did. We got up at 5am to make it out to the South Shore of Hawaii Kai, and we caught one of the most beautiful sunrises ever created in the history of sunrises. Haha. It was pretty sweet though.
Shooting before the wedding? Letting him see you in your dress? Ja, are you nuts man?!?! I have nothing but the best intentions in mind, and in this case, I think it was okay to break the rules. The fact of the matter is that there is never enough time. Your wedding day will go by…..just like that. A blink of an eye, and what is left besides the click of every shutter of my camera. My goal is simply to get the most memories out of your WEDDING. So these are one of the things that I do in pre-shoots or post-shoots. It’s essentially MORE time for us to be creative and go nuts with it. Lets head out to an amazing cliffside or romantic field in the middle of nowhere. Why not?
If you look at magazines whether fashion or bridal fashion, there is a good chance that you see photographs that you love and want to incorporate into your own wedding story. If you are that person, I encourage you to step out of the box and go for it. I promise you’ll have no regrets in the end. You only live once.
Thank you to Pacific Weddings for featuring my photos and for giving me the cover! I’ll post the cover shot soon! Mahalo!
Catching Moments: Getting the Best Possible Shot
I was talking to a photographer friend of mine the other day, and she was asking me about position and placement, and my thought process behind it when it comes to the wedding arena.
I thought it was a really great question because sometimes we all make the mistake of going through the motions, and shooting in the same places we always shoot at. It goes the same way for the style in which we direct people. You have to ask yourself certain questions.
• Am I doing the same poses all the time?
• Am I thinking outside of the box?
• Does this pose reflect the couple?
• Am I setting a good energy for the shoot?
Tons of questions can go on in your head to enforce that you’re being as creative as you can be. Back to position and placement. Lets use this picture of one of my brides walking down the aisle as an example. As we all know, this moment is all about execution. So many emotions to capture! The movement, the expressions, the tears, his reaction, the back and forth looks, laughs, and of course… The Giveaway.
With all of this happy chaos taking place, you have to make sure you check a couple of things before those doors open.
Are you in the best possible spot at the venue to get an amazing memory? Every location is different and presents creative opportunities, as well as challenges. In the shot above, we got an amazing back shot of the bride as the door opened. Love it! Now the reality is that back shot isn’t always there for the next wedding. Lack of space or light may not allow me to get the artsy shot im envisioning.
If that’s the case, MOVE ON, and look for another shot that is worth capturing. What you don’t what happening as a photographer is to force the shot out of habit. What you end up with is a shot that you won’t even use, and lots of shoulda, coulda, wouldas.
I always encourage myself and others to LOOK and VISUALIZE the best possible shot for that particular moment. Sometimes you may have time to scout out a location, or you may have to make a split second decision to what will look best. You may be shooting solo, or have assistants to cover other angles. Whatever the case may be, get CREATIVE!
Recall as often as you wish;Libby Fudim
A happy memory never wears out.
Back to School with Nick Onken: ASMP Talk in Portland
A huge influencer in my life, Nick Onken, will be speaking in Oregon for the ASMP on January 11. If you have the time, I know it will be an amazing learning experience. The theme of his talk will be about Taking Better Pictures, and Showing More People.
Kill it Nick!
New things to come in 2011! Stay tuned!
To everyone who has supported me, thank you for all the love. I never would have made it this far without all of your faith in me and help throughout the way. This year has been the best ever, and I’m even more stoked to take it to the next level for 2011. Again, thank you for everything!
Advice: Do whatever it takes to become timeless. With that in mind, inform, educate, inspire, and most importantly initiate passion.Follower of the Old School
