Portland based Photographer & Cinematographer
I got an email from viewbook today asking if they could use my website as an example on their site. It is pretty awesome to be an example on there next to some pretty amazing photographers. You can view the examples page here: viewbook examples
A screenshot is below as well. My website is in the bottom right corner. If you’re currently looking for a website to display your work you should definitely check out viewbook.
I thought I’d share all of the photography blogs I like to keep up with. I admire all the photographers below, know and am friends with some of them, and many of them provide great insight into the inner workings of their photography.
Photography Blogs I regularly frequent:
Chase Jarvis (Commercial photographer located in Seattle, WA): Chase provides great insight into the world of commercial photography.
strobist (blog about off camera lighting): Great for learning pretty much everything about off camera flash gear.
Zach Arias (Editorial photographer located in Atlanta, GA): Zach provides a lot of good info on lighting with one-light and how to correctly to light a white seamless backdrop.
Angelica Glass (Wedding and portrait photographer located in NYC, NY)
Gabriel & Boone (Wedding and portrait photographers located in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA)
Pete Springer (Editorial and fashion photographer located in Portland, OR)
Sean Flanigan (Wedding and portrait photographer located in Seattle, WA)
13B Design and Photography (Editorial and fashion photographer located in Portland, OR)
Perspectiveye (Wedding & portrait photographer located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Jason Group (Wedding photographer located in NYC, NY)
And I’m sure there are many more awesome photography blogs that I have yet to discover.
I had someone comment on my SuicideGirls blog posting yesterday.
“I’m glad Phil Warner is getting sued. I worked with him numerous of times and never ever got one single image from him. He is a so shady and is getting what he deserves. I have many friends who also has worked with him and also never received a thing. He should watch out for more battles. His girl friend needs to get over herself she looks like a blow fish and is extremely disgusting. SSG should sue her ass too. GO SSG!”
-private@yahoo.com
This person failed to leave anyway to respond to him/her, (who now will be known as “Private” because that’s what they left in the email address) so I decided to respond on here.
I have not worked with or met Phil Warner so I don’t have first hand knowledge of his character. I have however heard very good things about him in photography forums, from models, other photographers, etc. so I find it hard to believe Private.
Secondly, if Private never got a single image from Phil, why did Private continue to shoot with him. It seems to me if a photographer doesn’t give you images (if it’s TFP and not paid that is) then there is no reason to shoot with them again. period.
Finally to respond to the name calling of his girl friend. This just makes your case even less credible and makes you sound very immature. If Phil really did wrong you there are better ways to go about it than slinging mud at him and anyone else connected with him.
On that note, I am eagerly awaiting the verdict on the SuicideGirls vs. Phil Warner case. I have a feeling karma’s going to catch up with SuicideGirls.
(quotes are paraphrased to the best that I can remember them)
Today I responded to an ad on craigslist looking for a still photographer for a film shoot. I instantly got called up and asked to set up a meeting with the guy. He’s british and is talking a mile a minute. Everything is going well. He’s telling me how he likes my work and he’s met with tons of photographers so far and just wants to find one and be done with it. Then I ask how much the pay would be. He doesn’t respond and just continues on with what he was saying about how he wants me to call him next week to confirm, etc. etc.
A little frustrated that he ignored my question and thinking maybe he just didn’t hear me, I ask again “how much will the pay be?”
Finally paying attention to what I’m asking, he goes off on me.
“I’m the director. I don’t know these things. You’re asking the wrong question bud.”
“well is there someone I can speak to, perhaps the producer that would know a ball park figure for me.”
“Kid, you don’t ask what the pay is. You wait till a couple meetings and then ask. I’ve been in the industry for a long time and you don’t do that if you want to get a job.”
At this point I was getting a little angry because this guy was trying to give me a lecture on the do’s and don’ts of business. I can understand where he is coming from but what it comes down to is my time is money and I need to know it will be worth my while before getting into anything . . . especially on craigslist. I’ve had too many experiences where everything looks like it’s going great and then we get to how much they’re going to pay me and it’s hardly anything. So, excuse me for wanting to know what the pay is going to be like. I feel it’s a legitimate question to ask.
Finally I respond “look, lets agree to disagree because obviously you’re not going to agree with me and I’m not going to agree with you and I don’t want to sit around arguing over this. I’m still interested in discussing the job with you though.”
“you’re right . . . we shouldn’t meet up.” and he promptly hangs up.
I’d like to hear what other people think on this subject because maybe I’m wrong. But it doesn’t feel like it. What it comes down to is I don’t appreciate people being rude to me. . . even if I ask a question they aren’t happy with.
In the last couple years Facebook has grown in leaps and bounds. From first starting to offer photo albums, to hosting videos, to opening facebook to third-party applications. The newest addition is facebook pages. As a photographer this is a pretty great feature that will let my work get seen by even more people (for free), especially considering almost everyone has a facebook these days. You should check out my facebook page and become a “fan”. It’s just another way of staying updated on my new work. You can even read my blog entries on there and check out my short films.
Update (01/13/08): I recently became aware that SG and Phillip Warner and Apnea recently came to a settlement. Apparently all the bad blood between the two parties is now resolved and Warner and Apnea now supports and advocates fully for SG. They issued a joint statement about the settlement:
“We want to make it clear that we 100% have no hostilities towards SuicideGirls in anyway anymore, we all came to a really fair agreement over this dispute, and there were no bad people here, just mistakes and misunderstandings. If you’ve boycotted SG on our behalf, you helped us come to this agreement, so thank you but the battle is over, and we’re all friends again.”
And they now want everyone to sign up for SG:
“To help offset our legal expenses, when you sign up with SuicideGirls, please use this affiliate code so that we can use the money to pay off our lawyers and focus on Apnea’s modeling and my photography!”
To me this just seems to be a big sell out; going from adamantly opposing SG to now fully supporting SG. To read more on the subject you should check out Amelia G’s article on blueblood.net entitled: SuicideGirls vs Lithium Picnic Lawsuit Settled
Anyways, I just thought I’d put this out as an update to my blog post below.
A couple days ago, Suicidegirls.com (NSFW) contacted me wanting me to join their team as the portland staff photographer. I was flattered at first. I had also heard some pretty bad things about SG. Instead of just going off of what other people believe I decided to do my own research on them. What I found not only confirmed what other people have told me about them but went above and beyond it (or should I say below and beyond).
SG touts itself as being a company that is “founded on the belief that creativity, personality and intelligence are not incompatible with sexy, compelling entertainment, and millions of people agree. The site mixes the smarts, enthusiasm and DIY attitude of the best music and alternative culture sites with an unapologetic, grassroots approach to sexuality.” In reality SG cares more about getting as many images for as little amount of money and then turning around and making as much money possible on those images. SG also touts itself as a women run organization when in reality the one who makes most of the decisions is a man, Sean Suhl. He is also the president of the company. He has been known on numerous occasions to verbally sexually harass suicide girls that work with him. They have on numerous occasions exploited their models and photographers, paying them an incredibly low amount per set shot (which in the professional photography world would be seen as a huge insult). They have been known to not pay models and photographers until they sign new updated contracts that decrease the models and photographers pay. The list goes on and on . . . and on and on.
They also have no respect for their customers. Coming straight from the mouth of Sean Suhl:
Below is an email I wrote to them listing the reasons why I would never work for them:
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So I wanted to do my own research about SG and not just rely on what I’ve heard from other people and from your site. Just looking at the contract it’s almost laughable (and wrong in my opinion) how much control and freedom models and photographers sign away to SG. For one photographers are signing away any discoveries, ideas, techniques, etc. that they learn during the two years they are contracted with SG. Who in their right mind would agree to that?
And the pay is just as laughable/wrong. No wonder SG has photographers sign contracts like this because they knew if they didn’t staff photographers would jump ship and find jobs that actually pay them what they are worth. SG is paying photographers $300 (at most) to hand over the copyright of 80+ images. That $300 is barely enough for the shooting and editing and nowhere near enough for handing over ownership. For it to be worthwhile, the pay would have to be at the least $1000 per shoot.
Your explanation of why models are paid more is a complete joke as well. Yes they’re nude on the internet forever but they don’t have to invest thousands of dollars in photography and editing equipment, hundreds of hours learning the trade, not to mention a good deal more time shooting, editing, and preparing the photos for SG.
I took time to read up on what past photographers had to say about SG (outside of your trash can section (NSFW) on SG) and all I heard was bad things. How you forced photographers to sign new contracts before you paid them, paying them less in the new contracts than the old, paying for plane tickets to remote assignments but then making the photographer pay out of pocket for expenses like hotel, studio, transportation and food while on the trip, rejecting sets from photographers and not paying them for the sets, etc. (the list goes on and on).
I also read up on SG’s lawsuit against Phillip Warner and I have a very hard time believing your side of the story after everything I have read across the internet. I found nothing to support SG’s side (and believe me I searched quite a bit). I even read the contract he signed with you and it clearly states that SG’s competition does not include single girl sites (which is what SG is suing over).
I really wanted to believe that SG was/is a good company with good business practices that treats and respects their photographers and models with dignity. But what I found is the stark opposite, that SG is really just out to get as many photo sets for as cheap as possible.
I appreciate your offer of staff photographer for SG but I won’t and will not ever work for a company that treats their employees the way SG treats theirs.
I wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Isaac Lane Koval
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Now when they replied to my response the only rebuttal they had was “the sgirls community is an unreliable rumor-based resource.” Other rebuttals actually call the girls making the accusations mentally insane . Now, I could understand these lines of thinking if it was only a couple people accusing SG of wrong doing . . . but no . . . if you do a search on google about SG you’ll find pages and pages of horror stories about them. There’s absolutely no way all these accusations can be false.
Right now they have a lawsuit against one of their past photographers, Phillip Warner
. I’m really hoping the judge rules in the photographer’s favor and reveals SG for what it truly is.
If you are a model or photographer interested in working with SG I urge you to research them yourself and then make an educated decision whether you want to work for them or not. Myself, I will be boycotting any and everything that comes out of SG.
For more info on SG go to the sites below:
Ex-Photographer tells the truth
Another Photographers experience
The Ugly Side of “Alternative” Porn
boycott SG myspace
SG censorship
the selling of SG photos to third party hardcore porn sites
SG model contract
(model handcuff photo by Terry Turner, after6photos.com / model – Lady Atropos)
