FSB103: Annie O'Neill

Every year online studio management software producer ShootQ offers a $10,000 grant to a wedding photographer who is interested in doing a special photojournalist project. Last year’s winner is today’s guest. Annie O’Neill was a traditional editorial photojournalist for the better part of two decades. As many in that field are now want to do, she made the cross-over to wedding and portrait work. Annie’s story is quite an interesting one. She’s a twin sister, ninth of ten kids, from an Irish Catholic family on Long Island. She shares with us her stories growing up and making the trek into photography. She then shares with us about the subject for which she won the grant: military post traumatic stress syndrome as it specifically relates to sexual abuse.  Annie gives us a no holds barred interview that you won’t want to miss.

Remember you can catch a new episode each week at fstopbeyond.tv and you can follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/fstopbeyond.

Bumper music for this show is “Close to You” by Steve Hefter and Friends of Friends, part of the TRUE ROMANCE collection, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.

Annie O’Neill on F-Stop Beyond.
http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3247397568-audio-player.swf?audioUrl=http://blip.tv/file/get/Fstopbeyond-FSB103AnnieONeill558.mp3
Download MP3 | Subscribe in iTunes | Permalink

Next week we have the WNYC Street Shots winner Joe Wigfall.

FSB098: Pepper and Mitch

WARNING: Listening to this episode of the show could cause you to pee in your pants from sheer laughter. Besides being extremely talented photojournalistic wedding photographers, today’s guests, Pepper Nix and Mitch Burt, are a riot. They really could take their act on the road. Except, it’s not an act. They are genuinely easy going and very, very funny. They are great examples of how not to take life too seriously.  Today they each talk about how they got into professional photography. Mitch by way of USCs film school then a switch to a neurobiology graduate course. Pepper is a proud art school college drop out. (Her photography professors told her she didn’t have what it took to make it as a professional photographer. Now she’s internationally renown, award-winning wedding photographer who’s shot celebrity weddings.)

They also share with us how they got hitched and what it’s like being in business together, then becoming “friendly” competitors. This is an interview that will greatly entertain and inspire you. You’ll also learn tips on how to keep your 2-year-old from getting pink-eye.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/462xfc/fsb098-PepperMitch.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week I speak with Alex de Jong from the Netherlands. You may not have heard of him, but after this interview, I guarantee you’ll be inspired by him. The story of a terminally ill and blind photographer and how he hasn’t let his blindness prevent him from creating his art.

FSB095: Anna Kuperberg

Every now and then I get a show where the conversation flows so naturally and is so engrossing, I lose track of time and don’t want to stop. Today’s interview with Anna Kuperberg was such an interview (thus the hour+ long episode). But, don’t let the length scare you. I have no doubt you’ll savor every second of this wonderful interview, in fact, you’ll probably be wanting more.

Anna covers the whole gamut. Born to Polish parents (it was her first language) who emigrated to Houston, TX, then moved to Auburn, AL when she was very young. Eventually moving to the St. Louis, MO area where she attended college. Anna was voted this year by American Photo as one of the top ten wedding photographers in the world, and is by far one of the most successful photographers in the San Francisca Bay Area. Anna talks about what it was like getting a degree in photography but not learning the business side. (That was something she had to learn on her own, which she’s glad she did). We have a wonderful discussion about improvisational jazz as an analogy for photography, which leads to a fun tangent about my stint as a swing dancer (don’t worry, I tie it back into the interview quite nicely). We talk about living in the south, why immigrants make terrific photographers, how she improves her craft, using social media effectively, how the switch to digital has affected her work and business, and her take on the use of Photoshop and other such tools. (You may be surprised at the information she shares). From the funny anecdotes to the insightful advice, this is an interview that will inspire you.

Next week we have a Thanksgiving Day special. Another thoroughly engrossing conversation with a real “rock star” photographer, Gabrielle Geiselman, photographer for such groups as Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, and Marilyn Manson. You definitely do not want to miss what Gabrielle has to say.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/5bgmj/fsb095-AnnaKuperberg.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

FSB Re-run: Jim Kennedy

Last year I did a series of interviews with entrepreneurial photographers who have created businesses above and beyond their photography. One of my favorite episodes from that series was with Orange County wedding photographer Jim Kennedy. Jim has an amazing, true to life “rags to riches” story. Early in his career he was penniless, barely making ends meet. His first marriage suffered under the strain leaving him a single dad to boot. Now he is happily remarried to a wonderful woman and business partner. And his business Jim Kennedy Photographers is probably the most successful wedding studio you may never have heard of. I say that only because Jim is a low key, under the radar kind of photographer, not seeking fame and prominence. His friends and colleagues, other Orange County, CA photogs like Becker, Dane Sanders, Jasmine Star, and his mentor Joe Photo, are in many ways household names in the world of wedding photography. Yet, none has an “empire” quite like Jim’s. From living paycheck to paycheck, to running a million dollar plus studio that does well over 300 weddings a year, to now co-owning and running Stephanie James Couture, a retro chic wedding clothing store with his wife Stephane, Jim is living the American dream. Bust out the pen and paper. You’re going to want to take notes on this one.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/zarhe8/fsb046-JimKennedy.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

FSB085: Ira Lippke

Ira Lippke is a documentary photographer with a passion for capturing truth and reality. He has undergone one of the most unique documentary projects I’ve seen. He’s re-created his childhood in a “documentary” series of photos called “Lore”–a collection of photographs depicting what it was like for him and his brother living in the woods with this “hippie” parents (at one point they did upgrade to a school bus.)  As Ira puts it, he wants this series to be “true” rather than exact.  He’s hired actors to star as his mother, himself as a kid, and his brother as a kid, and his real brother stars as their dad. This idea of uncovering these memories and revealing what is true is part of what we’ll discuss in today’s insightful interview.

Ira’s a man whose work takes him to vastly divergent parts of the world. Ira also comments on what it’s like to be documenting poverty and despair in 3rd world country one day, then literally shooting a swank Beverly Hills wedding the next.He also straddles two coasts with a studio in Manhatten and in southern California. This is an interview that I think will open your eyes to the possibilities of stretching your eyes and your heart with respect to your art.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/vkvxy/fsb085-IraLippke.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we chat with the husband and wife photo and cinema team Patrick and Amina Moreau of StillMotion in Toronto, Canada.

FSB084: Kia Bondurant and Sana Antisdel

There’s something special about the mother-daughter relationship. Especially when the mother and daughter look alike and work together in the same studio. Today’s guests are the mother-daughter portrait photography team of Kia Bondurant and Sana Antisdel of Antisdels Photography (Sana is the mom). Sana was raised on a dairy farm, then subsequently raised her kids on a farm too. In addition to the standard farm fare like chickens, cows, pigs, etc, they also raised Arabian horses (go figure). Sana, who was trained as a water color artist, took her artistic talent and interest to start the photography business in 1994. Now, just 15 years later, they have one of the most successful family and teen portrait studios in the country, despite the fact they live and work in a littlemid-west town. Both were self-taught. And in the early days Sana had a unique way of teaching Kia a lesson whenever Kia would ruin a roll of film by over or under-exposing it: she’d tie a light meter around her neck and make her wear it all week. Kind of like tying a dead chicken around a dog’s neck to keep it from killing more chickens. If you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, just listen.

In addition to sharing with us their unique family experiences, they also pass along some wise insight about the current and future state of the industry, how their studio has grown, advice on breaking into the senior market, and they tell us about SPA (Senior Portrait Artists), the organization they started to help educate senior portrait photographers. This is one of those interviews that is equally fun, educational, and inspirational.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/iyxm5t/fsb084-KiaSana.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we’ll have bi-coastal editorial and wedding photographer Ira Lippke.

SPECIAL BONUS

Here’s the trailer for the SPA Event DVD mentioned in the interview. Enjoy!

http://blip.tv/play/g8pVgYrXMgA%2Em4v

FSB083: Jeremy Cowart

Sometime the stars all align for a guy and an innate talent can quickly lead to super stardom. Jeremy Cowart is such an individual. He started his full time commercial and music editorial photography business in April 2005. In December of that year he was photographing music legend Sting (yeah, as in the ex-lead singer of “The Police”. When he was first discovered by his agent, he didn’t even know what an agent was). It’s been all up hill from there. His client list reads like a who’s who of entertainment: Sting, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cirus, Denise Richards, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, ABC, E!, Fox, FX, Capitol Records, Island Records, and on and on and on. Last year he was the official photographer for the Christian concert tour Passion (comprised of four of the top bands in the Christian music scene), and he was the official photographer for Britney Spears’ Circus tour (talk about diametrically opposed. Oh, and did I mention he has NO formal photography education? Crazy man!

In this insightful interview, Jeremy tells us the story of his path to success, what life on the road for months at a time is like (hard when you have a wife and two kids waiting at home for you), where he gets his inspiration, and how his faith plays into his work. He also talks about his first foray into video production shooting his first music video for the group Abandon (using a 5D Mark II of course). He mentions on the blog post for that video how he just jumped into it without knowing anything about video (kind of like how he started in photography). I’m confident you’ll find this another inspiring interview.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/rbyvkt/fsb083-JeremyCowart.mp3&autoStart=no
Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we have mother/daughter portrait photog sensations Sana Antisdel and Kia Bondurant of Antisdels Photography. Another example of an uber-successful studio in a small town.

FSB078: Scott and Adina Hayne

A little over two years ago, Scott Hayne was running a small courier business that lost a major contract forcing  him into “unemployment.” His wife Adina lost her job as well.  Yet, Scott had a gift for photography, and in the midst of those job losses, they took a leap of faith and invested $10,000 in camera gear and other equipment to start their photography business. Well, their investment paid off. This year at the Annual Senior Portrait Artist event, he was named both Senior Portrait Artist of the Year and Top New Artist of the Year. Scott and Adina seem to be doing everything right. They’ve gathered over 2,500 Facebook friends (half of which are clients or potential clients), have a decent Twitter following, and his meteoric rise to success has prompted other photographers to ask, “How’d you do it?” So, they started their “No Rules “Workshop” to share the what worked and didn’t work for them.

In this interview, Scott and Adina tell us how it all began, the scary start of borrowing the money to start the business, how Facebook has benefited their business, how they went from 4 weddings to 37 in one year, finding one’s “style,” and what it’s like working together as a husband and wife team. In today’s trying economic times, it’s encouraging stories like this that remind you anything is possible!

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/6x9zx3/fsb078-ScottAdinaHayne.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we have a very special treat. Uber-successful commercial photog and industry thought-leader Doub Menuez graces the FSB airwaves. You absolutely WON’T want to miss it!

Contest Winners

We also announce the winners of the “Find our ad in RangeFinder Magazine” contest. Congrats to Lydia Takeoka, Rich Mattingly, Patrick Farrington, and George Williams. If you want to bypass the contest winner announcement, the interview starts at 5:36.

FSBTV023: Mike Colon Part 8

In early October 2008, Brooks Institute hosted a very special F-Stop Beyond: In Living Color, which we produced in partnership with PhotographyMentor.com. A live webcast was held. Renown celebrity wedding and lifestyle photographer Mike Colon took almost three hours of his busy schedule to share his personal and professional take on life and the industry.

In this episode, Mike talks about what new photographers getting into the business should do, his take on advertising, and work/life balance.

Subscribe to this show in iTunes
http://blip.tv/play/gZ1b_IVjAA

Sponsored in part by

Special Thanks to

ShareThis

4 comments Edit

FSB074: Chris and Katie Humphreys

At a relatively young age, and in just five short years, Chris and Katie Humphreys have become rising stars in the world of wedding photography. They are speakers at Pictage, give webinars for liveBooks, are writing for ProPhotoResource.com, and all around genuine people. Theirs is another inspiring story of two people who kind of fell into photography and bloomed. After failing miserably as a camp counselor for little kids, Chris (who was a music major of all things) asked the camp owners if there was another job he could do. There was: taking photos. He fell in love with photography. He sought a job at the college paper as a photographer, and one fateful day, in a very funny way, he met David Jay (who at the time had recently started his own wedding photography business, and is now world renown instructor and CEO of ShowItFast). David hired Chris as an assistant, and soon encouraged him to “leave the nest.” He later “dragged” his then girlfriend Katie into the business, and the rest as they say is history.

In this fun interview, Chris and Katie fill in the details of how they got started and how they met. They share how the differences in their personalities actually helps them in their business and staying sane as married couples who work together.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/wzknam/fsb074-TheHumphreys.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we have another married couple, this time at the other end of the age spectrum, Kent and Sarah Smith, 20+ year veterans and leaders in the world of family and senior portraiture.
CHRIS AND KATIE IN ACTION

We’ve had the pleasure of producing for Chris and Katie this video that shows them in action at both a wedding and an engagement shoot.

Click image to play