Cinematography : Photography by Erick T. Cole

Erick, yeah I am a diversified producer offering photography services as well as film and video production. As a photographer I like to capture urban, rural and industrial landscapes. Professionally I do events, portraits and products. How about you?

Pretty much in the same boat Michael. I shoot weddings, events, and portraits/headshots for the money; urban/rural landscapes for the love of the art. I also enjoy shooting bands since I'm really passionate about music.

I'm a commercial advertising photographer based in Los Angeles. I work mostly in stills, but have started to shoot a little video in conjunction with my normal work. I shoot mostly automotive brochures, room sets, kitchen appliances, etc.

That's cool too! I've done a little product photography, but barely enough to even speak of. I'd love to get more involved in the photography scene around my city. Any networking/business tips for a slighty experienced aspiring pro? Or any heads up on resources/websites/media outlets I should be using? I know it partially depends on your subject material, but I figure there are at least a few golden rules out there.

Hey Erick, I'm a photographer specialising in Sports and active lifestyle. What sort of photography do you want to do and why? This will help you with direction. Look at successful photographers who shoot what you're interested in. This will fuel the brain with inspiration. Don't worry about, spending loads of money on buying kit, really, borrow, hire and collaborate. Shoot, shoot and shoot some more, set yourself a small project once a month. Experiment, look at what's been shot before and try to shoot a particular image in a different way, this will help you create your own vision. - I do this all the time. It's a super tough business but if you have something to offer you'll make it. And remember to enjoy it. Here's some sites I read regular though not a complete list it'll get you started to get you started: http://strobist.blogspot.com - Anything lighting http://nickonken.com - Photographer has a pretty cool blog http://www.aphotoeditor.com - Anything worth reading about is here. http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/tips - Creative Boom offers some pretty good business tips. Hope this helps, good luck. :)

Cleveland, thank you so much for the input! I have an idea of what I like to do, but I'm really trying to define myself as an artist (maybe narrow my focus a bit) and take advantage of networking opportunities in a smaller city/market. Without all the resources that come along with a production power house city (which I don't live in), it sometimes makes it a little tougher to collaborate with other like minded individuals. Just curious if there was a good way to navigate this issue. I appreciate the tips and links though! Anything to advance is always a help. :)

Just joined and actually actively working to build my portfolio as a unit stills photographer, and my network in the industry. My current stills work is all theatre based. I'm hoping this year to get on a few sets as a PA to start so anyone that knows of anything shooting in OH, PA, KY, MI or WV hit me up! Erick you've definitely got the right frame of mind in terms of shooting what pays the bills so you can shoot what you love. In terms of defining yourself as an artist one of the first things you need to figure out is what you are trying to convey and how you want to bring that to the table in a new way. Best of luck!

Thanks for the advice Sarah! I definitely agree with you. I think I'm having a tricky time nailing myself down because I'm sort of a Swiss Army knife when it comes to production in general. This was born out of necessity, and pursued out of passion, but somewhere along the way I've gotten so caught up in the technical aspects of everything (I'm a huge tech head) that I kind of lost the artistic perspective on my work. So now I'm trying to take an opportunity to regain this, and really seperate what I love, from what I do for the money, from what I want my end goal to be. It takes work, but I plan on getting there eventually... :)

I tagged along with my girlfriend for the last few years as a wedding photographer. We are a team and continue to do weddings, but I have done some HDR work, which was really fascinating. Now I am working my way into video to compliment the wedding slideshows we would like to offer, and that is why I joined Stage32, in hopes to pick up a few tricks of the trade. =)

Yeah, I checked out your photos (the ones on here) and you've got some awesome stuff! I'd love to learn more about HDR. It's one of the few things I haven't dabbled in. Weddings aren't my passion/favorite thing to do, but they're definitely the money maker! Video is a lot more work when it comes to weddings. Personally, I enjoy the photography portion more, but I've got friends that are really good at it. My video work/skills are much more solid on creative based projects.

Enjoyed all the comments here. It's always a thrill to see what projects and directions other people are going with their photography. Professionally, I work mostly in product pictures for retail websites but I get my side income from portrait sessions. My real passion is my blog at www.shootabout.com where I focus on urban/rural creative work.

i've been doing more promotional video work. I've thought it might be nice to package photography services to support the website. In a sense it would be convenient as I would be more familier with the personalities at the company and the aesthetic that might fit there marketing needs. But I also realize that the production process can be completely different from stills work to video production. It might be much easier as a content producer to be focussing on either one or the other. Nice to read the comment thread. I'm sure like me others are seeking balance between commercial and creative efforts.

Appreciate all the conversation! Sounds like we're all struggling with the passion vs. profit sector of things, but when isn't that the case for an artist? It's always good to know that your fellows are in the same way though. Not that I wish this on anyone, but it does give you encouragement to perserve knowing that others deal with the same thing. Trials only make us better! Michael, I too am navigating the difficult bridge between photo and video. I love them both, but they are definitely suffering from my attempt to do them both simultaneously. The one thing I can say, is that I find video much more resource intensive and time consuming. This is pretty obvious, but sometimes it tends to dictate what I do or do not attempt depending on the nature of the project. I'm not entirely sure yet if settling on one or the other is the answer, or narrowing my subjects/focus is a better alternative, but I definitely feel your pain on that one.

i'm also a photographer... :) if any of you guys has interest in HDR, maybe this can help.. http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-tutorial/ i'm using 550D at this moment, got some limitations with it as i shoot here and there, but hey, life is about finding the way around. a photographer guru said once: the best camera is the one's with you. :) Vincent Laforet started Reverie with nothing but 5D mk.II. no fancy rigs or stuff.. :) i think if we are a working photographer, we need to calculate that our gear is making us some $$.. not the other way around. :) *sorry if my english is confusing, not my mother tongue. :)

I started out as a photography nut when I was a young lad. Learned to shoot and develop 4x5 film shot from a view camera; then it was 35mm. I was also shooting a lot of Super-8mm film from a Canon 1014-XLS camera. I later learned to shoot 16mm on a Bolex during the eighties and developed my own b&W and color film. My video business started on a Canon GL-2 SD camera, then on a Sony VX2100 and now on a Canon 60D for HD video and stills. I make my business shooting and editing video, but photography is still something I like to dabble in.

Well, I'm definitely a hybrid myself, working in both mediums. I was just curious if there were actually any photographers on here since the majority of things seemed to be geared towards film/movies. Thought it might spark a good convo. If you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose, I'd most likely confess to being a filmmaker... But photography is very a close second, and has been an excellent way to fill in my knowledge gaps/learn some new skills. I think the subject material would play a big role in that choice too though.

Agreed, Jeffrey! Definitely don't give up on the filmmaking aspect of things. The T1i is a nice little tool, and you can get some great results out of it video wise. If you ever have any questions about filmmaking, I know there are tons of people on here who would be willing to help, myself included. I'm still learning too, but always happy to share my knowledge and assist fellow creatives if possible.

I used to own a Pentax and gear which I hauled around with me whenever I was on a road trip. I believe in natural lighting and I would snap pictures with art composition in mind. One of my paintings, a panoramic miniature called "The View From Decker Canyon Road" captures what I had in mind, though I had to assemble the whole from 3 wide angle shots. Since then, I had to stop using the Pentax when film became hard to come by. Last year I invested in a Nikon L105, which surpasses the Pentax by a wide margin, plus the fact that one does not have to develop anything. It comes with a video card and I use it to snap my jewelry photos. I'm still working on doing another road trip soon.

My mom used to have a Pentax! Ahhh, nostalgia... I definitely agree with you that digital is a game changer. There's no way I could afford to do what I do if I was shooting film... Which is a little sad, but true. Such is the way of technology.

More than fifty years in the profession. Yes, I am an old guy. I have been so lucky to have made a living through my passion and to extend it into the film/video arena. Gotta love photography!

I'm a liitle older than most of the Studio 32 artists and just getting started, but I am not going to let that slow me down on my goals or turn down any advice that will help me to achieve those goals.