Pi X E L magazine
JOE THOMAS PAUL JOSEPH FOSTER KATHRYN RILEY MALCOLM KHALDI
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THE BRANDING ISSUE
cover by ELISE DOVELETOGLOU
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PiXEL
m a g a z i n e by
NUPiC
Table of Contents 6 Letter from the Editor 18 Joe Thomas 24 Paul Joseph Foster 30 Kathryn Riley 36 Malcolm Khaldi 50 Meet the Team
ARIANE RABEUF
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Throughout my time at Northeastern, I’ve seen the evolution, the impact, and the importance of developing a ‘brand’ on social media in order to be sought out as a photographer. From this, a lesson that I had to learn was that developing your own brand doesn’t go hand in hand with reaching a plateau in your creative development. Even if you have developed a unique editing style or a novel ‘aesthetic’, there is still room for your environment and influences to change, and therefore your brand may also change along with them. For this edition, I wanted to illustrate a mixture of photographers that have found their niche and personal brands, as well as those that continue exploring and pushing themselves to discover different styles. Our first story on Joe Thomas captures the importance of following your gut and working on improving your skills through experiences that challenge your perceptions of what photography should be. Paul Joseph Foster explains to us his current process in finding what works best to illustrate his brand and challenges the notion that your Instagram feed needs to be endlessly repetitive in style. Malcolm Khaldi demonstrated the need to break the status quo by creating the images he thought he were lacking on his feed, an exercise resulting in captivating portraits that bring one in. Finally, Kathryn Riley hones in on the freedom of creativity that comes from the realization that one may create their own path, and ultimately find a way to turn one’s passion into one’s livelihood. As this is my last issue as editor-in chief, I want to thank everyone that has made this possible. The magazine still has a long way to go and develop but, I’m excited about where it will go and how it will continue to grow after my departure. Additionally, I want to thank this semester’s writes, our editor, and NUPiC for supporting and contributing to the magazine. Without you, there is no magazine. I say a bittersweet goodbye! Kind regards,
Katherine Hinds Editor-in-Chief 6
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KATHERINE HINDS
SASHA AVILOV 8
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MUHAMMAD ELARBI 10
NWOKOLO AFAM
AUTUMN MARTIN 11
ELISE DOVELETOGLOU
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ARIANE RABEUF
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SASHA AVILOV
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JUSTINE NEWMAN BIANCA PALMARINI
RYAN PUTRANTO 16
NWOKOLO AFAM 17
JOE THOMAS written by Nadia Naeem
@joethommas joethomasphoto.com
Now, more so than ever, competence with Instagram and other social media platforms is necessary for the survival of creatives. New York based photographer and Northeastern alumnus Joe Thomas understands this better than anyone. He has united his skills in photography and comprehension of social media to achieve great success in his photography career.
the Instagram community and discovered many photographers that inspired him to create. He prides himself on his perfectly curated feed and believes that sticking to a niche on Instagram is important despite its limitations. Although Thomas may not feel like he has the freedom to share a diverse array of photos, finding his niche with architectural and travel photography has allowed him to cultivate his expertise in these subjects and develop a distinct style. His keen understanding of social media, and what photos will do well, has allowed him to amass a huge following on Instagram of more than 50,000 followers. Thomas knows how to shoot photos that will be popular on Instagram, and his understanding of the platform has opened many doors for him career-wise.
It all started when Thomas moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University. Despite having begun as an engineering major, he soon took a turn towards a more creative field: journalism. This shift was due in large part to his love for photographing the city of Boston with his cellphone. In the beginning, Thomas was apprehensive about pursuing a career in photography, a saturated market, with everyone now having a camera in their pocket. However, his use of, and success with Instagram is what allowed Thomas to overcome these hurdles. Starting out on Facebook, Thomas quickly realized that Instagram was going to be a better home for his photos. He had fun exploring the city, taking and editing photos with his phone, and enjoyed learning how to manipulate them to achieve his own vision. Thomas found out more about
His initial interest in photography led him to his first co-op with a wedding photographer. This was an important step for him to learn more about fundamentals, advanced cameras, lighting setups, direction, and running a photography business. His second co-op was at a non-profit doing social media work and content creation, which allowed him to cultivate his skills and apply them towards an outside entity. His third co-op was at Amazon Robotics doing photography and videography 18
for training with robotics materials. Thomas is now working for Spherical, a marketing agency in New York. Spherical does marketing for luxury hotels in New York City and abroad. Now working on the company’s social media team, Thomas manages a couple hotels’ accounts, and photographs content for them. On the side he is also freelancing and does projects with brands that reach out to him via Instagram.
important in building a brand. Though he admits he still has a lot to learn, Thomas’ first successes have been thanks to his unique style, and his competence using social media. In the future, Thomas wants to step up his photography and get away from social media directly. He hopes to shoot more professionally, perhaps for editorial, where the focus is on spending time to make the perfect image with lighting and editing, improving the technical side of his photography.
Thomas has utilized Instagram for almost all his marketing, and it has helped him secure all his co-ops and current job opportunities (both local and international). He believes that being able to build a social media following is imperative, and a unique style is necessary to stand out in today’s photographic climate. Thomas acknowledges that Instagram, and social media broadly, is a powerful tool, and it’s only going to become more
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PAU L J O S E P H F O ST E R
written by Gus Mueller
A photographer’s brand is an inherent aspect of the collection of their images. The composition, color grade, tonal curve, shadows, highlights, and texture of images within a portfolio constitute a photographer’s style and thus brand. However, a conglomerate of aesthetically pleasing images with a consistent style is only one aspect of a photographer. The true foundations of a photographer’s brand are their ability to network effectively, to evoke emotion in their clients and viewers through their images, and their consistency. The improvement of cell phone cameras and digital image sensors has given millions of users the opportunity to take high quality photos without having to spend more on expensive equipment. However, most important to the branding of photography is the ever-growing presence of professionals on social media. Platforms like Instagram or photography forums allow photographers to create online portfolios. Particularly Instagram, has become a tool for photographers to easily share their work in the format and style they desire. A photographer’s Instagram page features their main images, story highlights, profile picture, and “bio.” These visual components can all blend together to forge a unique brand. Additionally, Instagram’s business tools allow users to place contact information on their page, either email or phone. Instagram has made the process of creating a photography style, aesthetic, and brand incredibly easy. Paul Joseph Foster, a 5th year Marketing and Cinema major at Northeastern University, has 24
@fosfos
used Instagram to experiment and curate his photography style and brand. When asked about his use of Instagram, Paul replied: “I use Instagram as an outlet to try new things. My photos have been changing a lot recently, my feed usually isn’t a consistent image. I am trying to not be too consistent as I am experimenting and trying new things.” Paul further stated, “I try and vary my Instagram page. More consistent in quality but varied in style.” Like many others, he is on a journey to find a unique aesthetic to share through Instagram and other social media. Paul tells me that some major aspects of this Journey were his two Co-Ops in New York City: “[…] my style and brand came about from opportunity. Both of my Co-ops were in NYC and everywhere I have been has been mainly cities.” As a result of his citybased work, Paul’s style centers around cityscape,
landscape, and architectural photography. One of his Co-Ops was at IFC Films where he consistently used his eye for photography. “…a big part of what I had to do was picking out stills for press images and getting an eye for a cinematic composition.”
age of social media, working with clients and other photographers is essential in creating a personable and compelling brand. A photographer’s presentation of themselves in person is a much larger factor than their online or digital selves. Paul suggests that “you need to put yourself out there every opportunity you can, and work to network as much as possible. Your digital presence should be there to help reinforce what you conveyed in the real world.” Paul additionally noted that consistency across platforms is essential. A photographer should present their work with the same individual touch and brand across all platforms in the digital realm and in person. All mediums that a photographer uses must speak to their creativity and dedication to the craft. A brand is powerful when the viewer knows the photographs weren’t just taken, they
Nearing the end of the interview, I asked Paul about the future of his photography style and his philosophy for how to create a compelling brand. In terms of his ideal cinematic composition, Paul aspires to create a real and naturalistic look with a dark, Stranger Things aesthetic. He hopes for his style to be ever-evolving, but to always have a trademark of quality. Although the digital aspect of branding photography has become important in the 25
were made with the eye, heart, and intellect of the photographer.
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KAT H RY N R I L E Y
Written by Ashley Van Eyk
A collection of historic moments that begin and end with the blink of an eye. Combine late nights and adrenalinefueled stadiums; this is just a taste of the fast world of Boston sports photographer, Kathryn Riley. A Boston University graduate who initially arrived there with a dream of continuing her family’s coaching legacy, Kathryn unexpectedly found herself combining her passion for the field as well as the lens. For Kathryn, photography never took the front seat in her college career. She came to BU with a lacrosse scholarship and predicted her future employment to revolve around coaching lacrosse. As many collegiate athletes can attest, being involved in sports can dictate life far beyond the field. When her sophomore year rolled around and lacrosse was no longer a part of the picture, her life opened up. That’s when a new and exciting opportunity presented itself: the BU yearbook. She started investing her free time back into sports, but from a different angle. Kathryn covered everything from hockey to football, all while receiving credit for doing what she loved. Although she felt fulfillment capturing the game-changing goals, phenomenal energy, and bright red jerseys of the Boston Terriers, Kathryn faith in photography as a full-time job still seemed implausible.
@k__h__r khriley.com
She spent six months post-graduation working a 9 to 5 intern position with an elite PR agency in Boston. Despite the seemingly perfect opportunity, something just didn’t feel right. Following artistic ambitions can be terrifying, especially in the competitive world of photography. At the end of the day, it was more important for Kathryn to follow the path which would bring her happiness, even if it took more work than a comfortable day job. Today, Kathryn works for National Football League as a Live Content Correspondent for the New England Patriots, has interned for the Boston Red Sox during their 2017 season, and is a freelance 30
photographer for newspapers and magazines like USA Today and the Boston Magazine. She attributes much of her successes to maintaining her online presence. Social media has increased the exposure and hiring opportunities for photographers like Kathryn. Whether it’s prioritizing the aesthetics of her Instagram and personal website, Katherine recognizes the importance of personal brand development. Perhaps more important than social media, though, is having a positive reputation among photographers and employers.
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By performing her job with integrity, punctuality, and a drive to reach out instead of waiting to be discovered, has served to exponentially build her career in sports photography. Kathryn continual effort developing her brand on and offline will continue to move her career.
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M A LCO L M KHALDI
written by Alejandra Moreno
@malcolmkhaldi The development of the internet and social media platforms has prompted a new era for up-and-coming photographers. Photographers are now able to share their art in a very public and creative way. Whilst social media has created an avenue for photographers to reach new audiences, it can also take away from the overall experience of viewing a photograph. When talking to Malcolm Khaldi, a Bostonbased photographer from Ghana and Lebanon, it became evident that platforms like Instagram can have a pernicious effect on the messages that photographers wish to convey. Most photographers have a very well-defined style on their Instagram profiles, analthough this uniformity can be very visually striking, it can also be very limiting. Instead of posting images that evoke a powerful response, photographers now feel obligated to follow a particular style, that is consistent with their other work. Whether it be with color schemes or composition, photographers are finding ways to define their personal style. Photographers are essentially creating a watermark for themselves sans the disruptive name in the corner. 36
Khaldi expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of photographs on Instagram, as well as the limitations he faces when editing his images. For example, Instagram’s inability to capture a full vertical frame results in portraits being cut short. There is a certain mood and feeling created by pictures that is very hard to convey through an Instagram post. Khaldi talked about the average user of Instagram: “[…] people are often scrolling through an interface, and rarely take the time to stop and fully take in the beauty of an image. As an artist, it is hard to post on a platform that is saturated with other meaningless content. Artists are forced to share their craft that has been meticulously edited and have users quickly glance at their work.” Nevertheless, Instagram
continues to be a social media platform that allows photographers to quickly gain traction and share their work. To compliment his Instagram, Khaldi has his own website where users may take their time to browse his images with the intent of experiencing real artistry and talent.
images are all bursting with attitude and personality. His subjects all have a certain confidence and style to them, and this results in images that feel young and full of life. His simple editing and lack of watermark allows his images to remain raw and unadorned.
Khaldi’s personal brand is difficult to pin down on his social media. Contemporary photographic branding is often done by producing consistentlythemed photographs, creating a color scheme, or employing a similar compositional technique in all the pictures. Khaldi however, has a very diverse range of photographs. Some feature monochromatic shots of children, while others include very rich colors with strong leading subjects. Khaldi’s
Khaldi hopes to work on his website to share his photographs in a way that isn’t centered around ‘likes’ and superficial popularity. By continuing to post photographs that are diverse and aesthetically pleasing, Khaldi will be expanding his brand and identity as a photographer. For now, however, he simply HANNAH OSOFSKY wants to “take beautiful images,” and produce photographs that satisfy him as an artist. 37
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NICK SEIDL 39
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VICTORIA MICHA
ANTOINE GODFROY
BRIDGET FISH
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BIANCA PALMARINI 45
BRIAN BAE
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GUS MUELLER
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BRIDGET FISH
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ABOUT NUPiC
NUPiC, Northeastern University’s official student run photography club offers students the opportunities to explore the art of photography. From tutorial sessions, demonstrations and guest speakers on the technicalities of photography, to group outings across Boston’s various neigborhoods, our aim is to promote a culture of collaboration and to cultivate a space for students to harness and develop their creativity.
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MEET THE TEAM
KATHERINE HINDS
FEDERICO TORO
Editor-in-chief
Editor
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NADIA NAEEM Writer
ALEJANDRA MORENO Writer
BRIDGET FISH Creative Director
GUS MUELLER Writer
ASHLEY VAN EYK Writer
HANNAH OSOFSKY 52
SAM PENNEY 53
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BRIAN BAE
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RYAN PUTRANTO
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KATHERINE HINDS
THE BRANDING ISSUE “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right” - Henry Ford