I am both a visual artist and teacher by nature and this section addresses inquiries that have been posed to me by many of my students, prospective and past clients, and visual art professionals I've had the joy of coming to know and work alongside. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly (andreareamphotography::AT::gmail.com) if you have questions that are not specifically addressed here and I'm happy to provide answers to you. Thanks so much!
What kind of equipment do you use?
What kind of equipment do you use?
I’m assuming you mean the brand and also what kind of lenses I use? Most of my gear is Canon (bodies and some lenses and dedicated flashes) and I also use some Tamron for Canon lenses. I most prefer full-frame camera bodies but I have no issues with crop-frame bodies since (honestly) the best camera to use will always be the one you have with you. I like prime lenses a lot – specifically a good 50mm – but zoom lenses are always nice because they can allow you to be a lot more stationary and discrete and under the radar at something like a wedding. I carry back-up equipment with me when I shoot and sometimes that includes film cameras as much as digital (because I really will always like film).
How long have you been a photographer? ::AND/OR:: Is it your passion?
I’ve been working as a professional photographer since 2001 when I was still in college. I had a lot of experience working with film cameras up until I started working professionally and I shot film exclusively until about 2004 when I finally invested the money in digital gear. My first cameras were SLR Pentax and Canon brands. But from the get-go, photography will never be my passion. Saying that discounts every other visual art media that I love as well. My TRUE passion is visual art of just about any kind. In photography I’m holding a camera, but I would just as well love to be holding a paintbrush and throwing paint on a canvas or be dirty up to my elbows with weird adhesives or red clay or shooting blowtorches and pouring plaster to make public artworks. I’m a visual artist by nature and that’s all there is to it.
What does your work experience include?
I started out doing just portraits and after enough people asked me to do weddings, I made the jump into the wedding world. Most of my wedding experience has actually been in Jewish Orthodox weddings – long story for another time how I got into that – and for a while those were the only types of weddings I was doing. I have experience in children, infant, and family photography, documentary-style photography, environmental portraiture, artist portraits, food photography, scenic photography, corporate freelance, special event photography, performance art photography, and music album photography.
In addition to photography I also have extensive experience in art education – studio and digital medias, experience working with kids of all ages and different abilities, visual branding and web design for both websites and blogs.
What editing software do you use for your images?
At this point (June 2011), almost too many to name! I use Photoshop like most everybody else but I also use software that is out of date by most people’s standards so much that if I named it you probably wouldn’t even know what it is. Why? Because my needs are pretty basic overall and most editing that I do is very specific. Before I even capture an image I will be sure to take it in a very exact way so then when I get to the photo editing stage, I won’t have to do too much with it to get it to the point that I was steering it towards to begin with. Photo editing can do a lot to a picture but all of what can be done isn’t always what should be done in the first place.
Tell me about your pricing.
I’m assuming you want to know how I determine my pricing structure and/or provide quotes for special assignments that people come to me about. Here’s the deal, I’ve been doing professional photography work for over a decade at this point. I like to photograph things and I want to photograph things. Other people charge a lot more than me and also a lot less than me (and in both cases I believe “other people” are unfair and sometimes outright wrong for the numbers they pick but that’s another conversation) but I charge what I do because I believe it’s fair and warranted for my years of experience, desire to work as much as I get to, and unique visual perspective (read: time and talent) that which you are specifically calling upon me for when you agree to hire me. I have a standardized pricing structure that makes it easy for you but what it comes down to is that each shoot I do will always be unique and so I’m always open to discussions about providing clients with exactly what they ask for – whether or not it seems to fit into the pricing guide or not.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to be a professional photographer?
Don’t worry about your camera or your equipment! The best camera is and will always be the camera you can both afford and know how to use and also the one that you have with you right in the moment. My first camera ever was a film one that was totally manual and the next one after that (which I used professionally for many years) was also film. When I stepped into the digital realm, I did so carefully and I never invest in the latest, greatest, newest or most expensive equipment out there. I do use and will use only exactly what my very specifically defined needs call for. These days digital photography is incredibly affordable to just about anybody but it takes YOU knowing how to compose a good image inside of your viewfinder and then knowing exactly when to hit that shutter button to capture the image in the first place. Buying a camera doesn’t make anyone a professional photographer, it simply makes someone a camera owner! Focus yourself on what’s in front of you and study visual art on the whole and not just photography. Learn about the basics of visual art and design (correct use of color theory, contrast, values, form, composition, etc.) in other medias than photography and it will automatically strengthen your photography work. Don’t’ be so full of yourself that you think you can’t learn from other people – even people who might appear (by your judgment) “worse” than you. It’s possible to learn from everybody and anybody! Let other peoples triumphs and/or mistakes be things that will propel you in the direction (or away from, for that matter) that you believe you ought to be traveling.
Who does your visual and web design?
I do all of my own visual branding and graphic and visual design for print, web, and albums (for clients). I outsource nothing in the way of design but I do go to third party services for actual printing (of prints for clients and for actual album fabrication and assembly). I also do case-by-case visual art/branding/graphic consulting and web and blog design on occasion if I have the time. I built my business from the ground up and if my schedule allows, I enjoy helping others do the same thing.
Do you pose people? ::AND/OR:: Where does your inspiration come from?
I pose people sometimes if a situation calls for it. Some people don’t feel comfortable being in front of a camera but I have experience in drawing that discomfort away from them so that they can feel a little less inhibited and a little more genuinely authentic. I can/will give very minimal direction for a starting point but most of the time that’s all I will do and then I will just have an ongoing conversation with them (from behind my camera) similar to what a hair stylist might do or even a healthcare provider so that we can interact a little more personally. My inspirations are all usually from the immediacy of the moment. It could be a joke or light-hearted moment that has formulated amidst our interactions of getting to know one another. It could also be about very immediate energy of the event at hand or the quiet or visceral nature or hugeness of the space that we happen to be in for your session at hand. I draw inspiration from sensory details a lot (seeing, hearing, feeling, smells, etc.) and also from colors and tones of a situation.
