Meet the Membership Board: Photographers
WORKING NOT WORKING
Simply put, Working Not Working doesn’t work without our members. Every single creative that builds a profile on WNW is further bolstering the elite talent pool we’re known for with their unique skillset and perspective in tow. With our community growing exponentially to include more than 50,000 creatives all over the world, our very own Membership Board has become especially invaluable. Members of our Membership Board are not only some of the most talented and experienced creatives on the platform; they also take time out of their busy schedules to proactively vet creative talent on WNW and offer personalized feedback to help fellow members strengthen their profiles.
This recurring WNW Magazine feature will introduce you to creatives on our Membership Board. It will celebrate their work and give them the mic to offer advice on how to elevate your own WNW profile. This feature is NOT meant to introduce you to creatives you should beg, bribe, or badger to review your profile. Our Membership Board includes hundred of members and the profiles they review are randomized.
How did you first get into photography?
Well, if I really go back, I first stepped in a dark room as a kid during an astronomy camp in France. (Yes, sure, call me nerdy.) We camped out one night to look at Saturn and we took pictures. The next day, we developed the film in a darkroom and printed them as well. For me, seeing the images appear in the chemicals under the red light was magic. And that photo crush never really left me. After I finished high school in France, my parents were not so much into the pro photographer path, as they wanted me to avoid living under a bridge. So I studied graphic design for 4 years. I learned a lot and it was super useful, but after a few internships and meeting some new photo mentors, I ended up following my passion for photography. In 2008, I moved to NYC to attend ICP.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
Bike Kill, of course… It was the hardest one, the most personal one, and the longest one I worked on.
I put everything into it. My heart and my guts. I spent 3 years photographing it, but I was involved in it for about 10 years of my life. The closing chapter of my Bike Kill project was the book that came out last July. All the way to the end I tried to stay true to myself and the people I photographed. It was published by a small Italian Publisher in Italy and is more like a book-object, with a lot of hand-made elements. The dummy was made when I was living in Japan during a book-making master class with award-winning designer Teun Van Der Heijden and his wife Sandra.
This project is super important for me because it’s 100% me without any compromise. It took me a long time to photograph it, a long time to get to make the book, and a long time to find the right editor. It’s the most pure and complete form of work I have been able to make so far.
What's your creative mission at this stage of your career?
My creative mission is always to evolve; it always will be. To perfect techniques, learn new ones, keep training the eye, trick it maybe, try to not get polluted by commercial influences, stay true to myself, and be honest as much as possible. Now I also am more and more interested in collaborations. Documentary/portrait photography can be very solitary, which is great at times. But I am also interested in working with other artists and teams in dance, music, or cinema, but also advertising or fashion. I have loved every single one of those experiences so far. I’m interested in growing and making great images. It doesn’t matter which medium needs them, as long as it doesn’t go against my own ethics. That’s important to me. Images are made to share, transmit, inform, and communicate. They help me analyze and understand the world that surrounds me and if that can contribute to others, that’s even better.
“Present your profile the same way you would pitch it one-on-one to a professional. You need to take the time to edit and sequence your best work. If you are not very good at it, don’t hesitate to ask colleagues, mentors, and editors to help you out! There is no shame in it.”
What do you look for in a WNW profile when vetting talent?
I am looking for something that makes me react and feel something. It has to be personal. If it’s well done and that’s it, for me it’s just a technical skill. What brings the candidate to the next level? What will make an editor or art buyer or art director choose her/him over others?
I like to see authenticity in the work as well. I see a lot of candidates putting themselves in many different pro categories and in the end, the work is all over the place with no real direction. “I’m an advertising-documentary-filmmaker-retoucher-art director-sound designer-photo editor.” It becomes super confusing: so wait – on this project, did you take the photo or did you retouch it? Were you the producer or did you direct it? Did you direct it or did you film it? I need to know what I’m judging. It’s not always obvious.
If you don’t make me want to see more of your work, or if you haven’t seduced me already with the images on your profile, then there is absolutely no reason for me to go to your site and check if you just did a bad edit. Editing and sequencing are SUPER important! An employer will not waste time checking your other websites if you haven’t convinced them already. So, if you don’t bother presenting your work well, why should anyone bother to look at it? You have only a few images to convince the person to want to see more: chose carefully.
What advice do you have for talent signing up on WNW?
Present your profile the same way you would pitch it one-on-one to a professional. You need to take the time to edit and sequence your best work. If you are not very good at it, don’t hesitate to ask colleagues, mentors, and editors to help you out! There is no shame in it. I still do this for important presentations. It’s like proof-reading for a text.
What do you like to do when Not Working?
The weird thing with doing something I enjoy is that I feel like I’m always working or that I’m never working. My brain never shuts off from photography or the image-making process. So, if I’m not at my desk or shooting an assignment, I like to see a lot of art shows in museums, concerts, dance, theater, and cinema.
I take a lot of visual notes everyday of things I like: screen captures, shitty iPhone photos, actual photographs with a real camera, sometimes I tear pages from magazines. I collect a lot of visuals that resonate with me. Also, since I’m so interested in people or a sign of their presence, I spend a lot of my time experiencing life and observing. I feed myself constantly from what surrounds me and I stay curious. There is no lost time, no lost or worthless experience. Whatever happens or doesn’t happen can come in later in my work, and maybe not always in a conscious way.
How did you first get into photography?
I got into photography while studying political science at American University. On a whim, I decided to enroll in a film and video class but had to first take Basic Photography as a prerequisite. While in Basic Photo, I received a homework assignment to visit any photo gallery in the city (Washington, DC) and I chose one that was showing the work of Walter Iooss, Jr. I thought his work was incredible and it showed a side of athletics that I wasn't used to seeing. From then on, I was hooked.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
I'm proudest of the work I did with the Coolidge High School football and basketball teams in Washington DC. After seeing Iooss' work and diving into the work of other sports documentary photographers, I decided to do the same with a local high school. I reached out to a bunch of coaches and Coach Jason Lane of Coolidge got back to me and was down for the project. During a 5-year period, I dipped in and out photographing the football and basketball teams. Not only did it turn out to be the foundation of my photography career but it was also a great experience watching those boys grow into young men over that time period.
What's your creative mission at this stage of your career?
At this stage in my career, I want to continue to produce cool, interesting and authentic sports-centric work whether it be through portraits, documentary photography, or game action. I also want to continue to challenge myself to look at the way I'm making photos and figure out how to make them better.
“What I want to see is work that is important to the artist and not necessarily work that will get the artist hired.”
What do you look for in a WNW profile when vetting talent?
What I look for in a WNW profile is really just work that I find interesting. There is a lot of work out there that is very good but also very much the same as other work. What I want to see is work that is important to the artist and not necessarily work that will get the artist hired.
What advice do you have for talent signing up on WNW?
I understand the practicality of presenting something that you think will get you hired even if you don't love the work. But I would encourage talent signing up on WNW to also present the work that they are most passionate about and most interested in creating because that might be the stuff that ACTUALLY gets you hired.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
I used to play a LOT of basketball, play video games, and watch sports on television. But now I spend most of my “not working” time with my wife while we watch our daughter grow up much too quickly for our liking.
How did you first get into photography?
I started taking photos of my youngest sister in high school; she was born when I was 15, so she was the sort of default photo subject at my house. At the same time, I started documenting musicians at concerts once I was able to drive, and that continued on into college. I switched my major from Graphic Design to Photojournalism before my sophomore year once I realized it could be more than a hobby.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
One of my favorite projects is a personal one called Thunder Moon; I wrote the script, directed and edited the short film, and shot the stills. It was one of those projects where my vision completely came to fruition with the help of some talented friends.
What's your creative mission at this stage of your career?
I would love to direct more short films that are in keeping with my style of photography; I’d love to make motion a larger part of my practice and concept some larger productions.
“One of the most important things a creative should have a good grasp on is self-editing: knowing which select projects will best showcase their talents. Attention spans are short nowadays, so I should be able to get a clear sense of your vision immediately.”
What do you look for in a WNW profile when vetting talent?
One of the most important things a creative should have a good grasp on is self-editing: knowing which select projects will best showcase their talents. Attention spans are short nowadays, so I should be able to get a clear sense of your vision immediately.
What advice do you have for talent signing up on WNW?
Keep your status current and make sure your profile is complete. Keep making work and putting it out there!
When do you when you’re Not Working?
I’m rarely not working, but in my free time I’m hanging out with my 5-year-old son!