Who is Steve Raymer?

Before Steve Raymer was Professor Emeritus, of Indiana University’s Media School, he spent 25 years at National Geographic Magazine, first as a staff photographer and then later as its director of the news service.

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Raymer is author and photographer of Somewhere West of Lonely, My Life In Pictures, a visual memoir published in April 2018 by Indiana University Press. He also is author and photographer of Redeeming Calcutta: A Portrait of India’s Colonial Capital, published in 2012 by Oxford University Press; Images of a Journey: India in Diaspora, published in 2007 by Indiana University Press; Living Faith: Inside the Muslim World of Southeast Asia, published in 2001, and St. Petersburg, a 1994 book about the imperial Russian capital. Raymer is the photographer of several additional books, including The Vietnamese Cookbook, published in 2000 and Land of The Ascending Dragon: Rediscovering Vietnam, published in 1997. Raymer is currently completing a book titled The Public House: An Enduring British Institution — a volume that documents a centuries-old establishment that is threatened by an array of social, cultural, and economic changes.

My Back Story

I pursued a graduate degree at Indiana University in the late 90’s which is when I enrolled in one of Steve’s classes. He was still getting his bearings as a newly installed professor of visual communication (after I. Will Counts’ retirement from that same university), when I popped up with an idea to photograph the Muslim community in Bloomington, Indiana.

Steve was all for it, but as I showed him my contact sheets (this was back when I still shot lots of black and white film), he would take a red grease pencil and circle the frames that “almost” passable. He was a tough teacher, and I had no illusions that as a graduate student he expected more from me. I vividly recall the note he clipped on to the final images from the semester.

In measured sentences he asked me if I had the resolve to continue working as a photographer. I still hold onto that note from him because it fuels my 20+ year obsession in photography and it is one of the reasons I publish this blog. With a few words he lit a bon fire in me to keep at it, and to always feel deep inside that there is a better and stronger photograph to create the next time I am out with my cameras.

For that alone, I owe Steve Raymer a huge debt of gratitude.

The Interview

I had the pleasure of speaking with him some time ago and given that today is his birthday, I figured what more of an appropriate time than today to get this chat with him out into the world?

So here here it is:

Somewhere West of Lonely, The Book

Steve’s book, Somewhere West of Lonely, is one I recommend to all photographers. As you can expect, it is a visual feast. However, it is understanding a photographer’s backstory that makes this book that much more richer for me. And perhaps it will do for you as well.

Christmas is coming and Steve’s book will make for a wonderful gift this holiday season. I highly recommend you buy one for yourself and gift one to a photographer in your family.

Family Photojournalist, Teacher, Mentor

Where Kirsten Lewis is based really doesn't matter.

You see, both her passion and her vision to document families takes her around the world from her home base in Denver, Colorado. She is a highly sough-after teacher as well. Did you catch her on CreativeLive?

Her first course, Family Photography: Modern Storytelling, drew such a huge following that she is scheduled to come back and teach again this February. This time her topic is – Family Photography: Photojournalism in the Home.

But before she heads back to teach at CreativeLive, in Seattle, Kirsten Lewis will be at Inspire Photo Retreats, taking place February 8-10th. Her presentation at Inspire is called “The Being Of You.”

The Interview

If you are asking yourself what that means, you will want to listen in to our short conversation below:

We talk about:

– How Kirsten moved from wedding photography to documenting families
– The unpredictable nature of photographing families
– What the best photojournalists can teach you
– Encouraging all photographers to be vulnerable enough to strengthen your work
– The Artist vs. Business person
– Being a documentary family photojournalist
– How Kirsten becomes a part of the family she is photography for the day
– The one important you can grow your own documentary family photography business
– Who are you photographing for?
– Why are still photos so important?
– How to offer all-day, or 1, 2 or 4 hour sessions
– Why trying to convince parents to hire you for their documentary family session is the wrong move to make … instead what will persuade parents to sign up

In our current industry, saturated with thousands and thousands of photographers all making work that look like they come from a single shooter, it's imperative to stand out in your market. The easiest way to do so is to simply make pictures that are an extension of you, your experiences and how you see the world.

Kirsten Lewis' Documentary Family Photography Portfolio

Though Inspire Photo Retreats is just a few weeks away, you can still register for it. I am going to be there and Kirsten Lewis's presentation is on the top of my list. As a family photographer in Avon, Connecticut, I owe a great deal to her as my mentor and teacher.

Bonuses

We mentioned Huy Nguyen who founded The Foundation Workshops and Fearless Conference.

Kirsten also talks about the amazing portrait photographer Luis Gervan. Check his work out!

A Different Genre

I must have stumbled across this quote about wedding photojournalism several years ago, when I was starting to transition from being a photojournalist to a wedding photojournalist:

“The hallmark of the concept is both perspective and attitude, based on a mandate to be truly reactive rather than proactive, and a dedication to record events as historian rather than director. Content with reality, the wedding photojournalist quietly documents while anticipating action, sensitively observing details and nuance, capturing moments without subjects actively aware of the process.” – Denis Reggie, the Godfather of Wedding Photojournalism

And it took my breath away.

If you ever pursued anything without knowing that it was valid and that there would be a demand for it, you'll also know that sense of calm that washes over you when you know all will be well.

No one had so succinctly defined the kind of photography I wanted to deliver for my wedding clients. That someone had enunciated it so lucidly assured me that I was on the right path.

So began my pursuit at studying Denis Reggie‘s work. To be honest, I wasn't attracted to it because he had photographed the Kennedy's or that he comfortably commanded five figures for his services. No, it was this “hands-off” approach that captured my imagination. I'll bet you see it in my work at Amata Pictures. Take a look!

The Interview

It was on Facebook that Denis Reggie and I finally connected. I must have asked him a question or responded to something he had posted about wedding photojournalism. What follows is a short interview with Denis Reggie about wedding photojournalism:

We talk about:

– Photographer as a witness, not a director on the wedding day
– How to blend in as a wedding guest to photograph weddings as a photojournalist
– Photographing people without them being aware of the camera
– Why documentary weddings are specific to a particular age group of clients
– How Denis doesn't really use Photoshop to create fantasy photographs
– The Achilles Heels for any new photographer
– Creating consistent lighting, understanding flash to create quality light
– Producing matted albums vs. flush albums for high end clients
– Knowing your client's needs and experiences and delivering on it
– How wedding photojournalists are historians with a camera
– Getting started in the business of wedding photojournalism
– How Denis literally starved for 7 years before making it in his 8th year of business
– Working with wedding planners, banquet managers
– Time, education, practice, staying current all cater to a photographer's progress
– Whether we are sitting in a wedding photography bubble or not; will prices come down?
– There is a market for excellence in wedding photography
– Creating original works of art for discerning clients

The Wedding Photojournalism Gallery

Check out some of Denis Reggie‘s work below and visit his website:

Where Do You Stand?

Are you a photojournalist looking to enter the wedding market? Would you abandon all that you know about narrating visual stories and pose people all day long or would you prefer to work with clients who will respect your work at the end of the day? As Denis Reggie said in the interview, there is no right or wrong approach to wedding photography. If your clients expect (or even demand) a certain approach, then you are in essence only delivering on that promise you are making them at the very start of your relationship.

Ryan Jones quit his corporate job and instinctively knew he had to be come a photographer.

After working at the Fresno Bee as a freelancer and starting a commercial photography business on the west coast, Ryan decided to pull his roots up and move to New York City. He currently lives and works from Brooklyn, New York as both a street photographer and a wedding photographer. I urge you to check out his portfolio and website.

Ryan's work struck me as well-crafted and thoughtful. His photography can be labeled as off-beat or even a bit odd, but his portfolio is full of arresting images of daily life that place you in the scene as if you were actually witnessing it for yourself.

While some of his documentary style could be attributed to his attending the Foundation Workshops, it is Ryan's love for chaos on the streets and making sense of it all that informs his actions. His raw or organic approach to street photography lends itself well to also those commercial clients who seek him out for just that kind of work.

Ryan also curates a blog called An Unlikely Scene. He created it in 2013 and invites other street photographers to submit their work to be considered for inclusion.

A couple of weeks back, Ryan and I sat down to chat about his career and why street photography is so important to him. We discussed his blog An Unlikely Scene and one of his favorite street photographers, Richard Baker.

Some of Ryan's finest work: