“I’m back!”
PIXELCHATTER Issue #41
Kevin Brown, Photographer
Fall 2012
TM
In this issue...
PixelChatter The return Moab, Utah A shoot in the desert New Gear A Nikon love affair Social Media An editorial ...and more
1
Hello, I must (not) be going....
Y
Scott Anderson
ou’ve probably heard the phrase ‘gone but not forgotten’ and perhaps thought that my musings in PixelChatter were just that. And for some of you, this little rag may have indeed been forgotten...but it’s not gone. Call it what you want: a hiatus, a battery recharge, a vacation. I think of it as a reboot. Whatever you want to call it, the long absence is over. PixelChatter is back...and looking better than ever. Not only has PixelChatter been reformatted and redesigned and adopted more of a magazine look as opposed to a newspaper look, it’s also being presented in a new way - as a digital flip-book. Not bad, huh. The controls at the top of the screen offer you a few options on how to view, how to advance to the next page and so on. Get the best viewing experience by clicking on the two arrows at the top of the screen that look like this: And be sure to check out some of the links embedded within the pages of PixelChatter and highlighted in light blue. You can even view PixelChatter from your iPad or smart phone, but a computer shows off the photos and layout better. While PixelChatter has gathered a little dust, my camera has not. The past 20 months or so have been my busiest ever as clients from across the country have called on me to shoot for them. I’ll be sharing some stories and images from these photographic endeavors over the next couple of issues. My love and passion for photography have continued to grow and I’ve been challenged in new ways. I still love the variety of shoots that come my way and I’m thankful for the opportunities to shoot for many of you reading this. For the rest of you, thanks for your interest in what I do, and for those of you who are first-time readers, “Welcome!” I’ve had countless questions about PixelChatter from so many of you recently and I can’t tell you what that means to me. I hope you like the new look and enjoy issue #41.
Kevin Brown is geared up with harness and hardhat for a trip up in a bucket along the top of the Trinity River levee just west of downtown Dallas.
KB Kevin Brown, Photographer and Chief Chatterer ON THE COVER Baseball legend Nolan Ryan and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones get together for a Texas Giants shoot at Six Flags Over Texas for the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau. The shot was for the cover of the 2012 Visitor’s Guide.
kevinbrownphoto.com
2
Onthe Run
I
own a pair of running shoes. In fact, several pair of Nikes rest side by side in my closet. Notice I said rest. I’ve just never been much of a A local youth runs sprints at an event in Dallas this spring. Shot for Nike. runner. It’s not my thing. There were multiple shoots at Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags But since we last met here in the pages of PixelChatter, I have Hurricane Harbor. In fact, one shoot at the water park broke a been on the run - shooting for a variety of clients from Texas and personal record for the ‘most photos shot in one day.’ The total was around the country. about 4,500 shots. The tally really goes up when shooting action The client list has grown to include many new names and the shots at 11 frames-per-second. relationship with valued existing clients has continued to strengthen. Nike stepped it up this year with a good number of retail and event The past 20 months (yes, it’s been 20 months since the last issue) shoots around Dallas and Fort Worth. have seen some fun gigs and have kept me on the go. And I’ve put my perspective control lenses to good use on Here’s a sampling: architectural shoots for clients that include, among others, There have been shoots in Louisiana and west Texas for Union Manhattan Construction and Corbet Group. Pacific Railroad. And the industrial work has continued to be at the forefront with ongoing work for electric utility company Oncor and Balfour Beatty Construction. I’ve shot hundreds of portraits and headshots for a broad range of corporate clients, in some instances shooting as many as 100 subjects in a single day. Those shoots aren’t the norm, but there are times when companies want new headshots of all of their employees. On the flip side of the traditional business headshots are the actor and model headshots and portfolio sessions, and those are always fun. I can’t say it enough: the variety is what I like. Last spring I shot a fleet of tractor trailers for a Florida company and the next day shot Audie Murphy’s Congressional Medal of Honor for WWII magazine. How cool is that? I like the pace. Racing from shoot to shoot is what it’s all about.
A park guest does tricks on the Surf Rider attraction at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
kevinbrownphoto.com
3
Gear Gab
T
he love affair started when I was just a kid. I was inexperienced and probably a little awkward. I’m sure a lot of people thought I was too young. I’d have to go digging through some old family photo albums to find photos of that first love to remember just when she came into my life. Best guess is that it was 1979. I was fourteen. I’m not talking about a girlfriend (though the timing is about right), I’m talking about my first camera. It was a Nikon FE. And it was beautiful. I only had one lens, a 50mm f1.8. The other lenses I’d borrow from my Dad. He had three; a Vivitar 70-200, a Nikon 43-86 zoom, and a Nikon 24mm wide angle. That was it. That gear and a black and white darkroom would shape me for life. While a freshman at Oklahoma State University and on staff as a photographer at the Stillwater NewsPress (a pretty cool gig at age 18) I started shooting with a Nikon F3 and was the envy of the other staff photogs. After all, at the time this was Nikon’s flagship camera. A number of years later and wanting to jump into the new autofocus technology, I bought a Nikon F100. But then came digital.... I eased into the digital realm with an Olympus point-andshoot. It was 5 megapixels and slow but I Nikon D800 was hooked. 36.3 megapixel DSLR beauty Within a
kevinbrownphoto.com
few months I sold my Nikon F100 on ebay and paid $1,700 for its digital counterpart, the D100. At 6.1 megapixels I thought I had really arrived....and at the time, I had. Built for speed, next came the Nikon D2X, with double the megapixels of the D100. Four years later I bought a real game-changer for its Nikon D4 Nikon’s new flagship camera ability to shoot in low light and for its full-frame sensor, the Nikon possible as well as the ability to capture a D3. (My first shoot was photographing thenbeautiful bokeh when desired. These two First Lady Laura Bush). lenses, along with my go-to portrait lens - a In mid-2011 and fast-approaching 300,000 Nikon 85mm f1.4 - have really rounded out shutter actuations with my D3, needless to the Kevin Brown Photo ‘glass department.’ say I was more than ready for the latest Add in the Nikon 200-400 f4 telephoto addition to the Nikon line-up, the D4. As it super zoom and I’m ready for any sports or turns out, lots of people were ready, but industrial assignment. This lens is, in a word, Nikon had production delays because of the amazing. tsunami that struck Japan. I’ve also upgraded all my lighting gear So I turned to the just-announced Nikon with fully digital, radio controlled Profoto D800. At 36.3 megapixels, the highest count D1 Air monolights. of any DSLR on the planet, it was a very And, I’ve added a Profoto ring light. Great welcome addition to my shooting arsenal. light for fashion and edgy portraits. The resolution of this camera makes it ideal It’s been the year of ‘re-investment’ but for shooting for magazines and Annual it’s important...and I’ll admit, it is exciting to Reports. get new equipment. And finally, in April of this year the Nikon New gear doesn’t help me compose a D4 was here. photo any better. It doesn’t enable me to With the ability to shoot 11 frames per relate to my subjects more. It does allow the second and shoot in very low light at high ability to offer my clients more technicallyISOs with low digital noise, this 16 sound images on several levels. megapixel beast is really the ultimate Better equipment makes me more versatile camera. No question it’s the best that I’ve and able to overcome more challenges....like ever owned. shooting in low light that I could not have Looking to push the limits of speed and worked in several years ago. low light to the absolute edge, the recent So, for now, I’m all set. additions of a Nikon 50mm f1.4 and a Nikon Until the Nikon D5 rolls along. 24mm f1.4 have made very low light shoots 4
Hat Tricks
P
I’m a photographer...and the marketing department, and the webmaster, and the...
Zac Switzer
erhaps the famed headshot photographer guru Would I like to have Peter Hurley said it best when he proclaimed someone there to take himself “90% therapist and 10% on some of these tasks? photographer.” After all, he’s dealing with Yes. And no. At times, it some delicate actor/model egos and that’s a would be great to hand off priority when it comes to photographing some of these details. But it would them. Clicking the shutter is the easy part. come at a cost; for every little detail I didn’t have to concern In many ways I think most photographers might relate to myself with there would be a part of me, as a photographer, Mr. Hurley’s assessment of his trade. that would be lost. Sure, I hire assistants on a regular basis, And for guys like me that are just a one-man operation, the and they can be invaluable, but it’s important to stay number of hats we, as grounded to every aspect of a shoot. photographers, wear can be a While I’m not a micro-manager or a control-freak, I am little overwhelming. It takes a particular about certain things, right down to how I want my heck of a big hat rack. power cords rolled up. But those things make me better. This is true for many (probably most) selfemployed folks that run their own business, whatever field they may be in. The plumber who also answers his own sales calls is at his best when Kevin Brown he’s in the trenches finding that leak. But the fact that he actually does answer customer phone calls, and take care of his own advertising, and do his own billing, and maybe even take out his own trash, all play a roll in why he’s a great plumber. Those things make him better. He’s in touch with all aspects of the business. He cares more. It’s really more than multi-tasking. It’s more than attention to detail. From a photographer’s perspective, it’s largely about adaptability to major issues like the weather causing a Kevin Brown adjusts a subject’s tie at the historic Hall of State at Dallas Fair Park. shoot to cancel at the last minute, and minor issues like making sure a subject’s tie is tied properly. In a way, the Writing quotes for photography and negotiating contracts are tie looking good might be just as important as the weather things that I don’t enjoy, but they’re essential....and I forecast. wouldn’t want anyone else doing them. It’s about continuity. If a potential client calls wanting to My job, apart from being the best photographer I can be, is book a shoot, they talk to me. On the shoot, I’m the one that’s to be the best everything I can be, and like Mr. Hurley, there to assure them that, yes, we’ll be able to photograph sometimes - many times - I’m part therapist. And I’m part their CEO in only five minutes. And it’s me that processes stand-up comedian and part furniture mover. But I wouldn’t their files, burns their disk, and drops it in the mailbox. really want it any other way. I am who I am as a photographer This newsletter is a complete one-man effort. because I’m all the other things, and I like it like that.
kevinbrownphoto.com
5
FOCUS:PEOPLE 6
I wish I had a count of how many people I’ve photographed over the years. No doubt it’s thousands. The numbers stretch into the hundreds each and every year...and I’ve been at this a while. Photographing people is so enjoyable. Every subject is different and each present their own set of challenges. While the shoots that don’t involve people are good for a change of pace every now and then, it’s always nice to get a beautiful smile or a great face back in front of the lens.
Opposite page: Solera Holdings Inc. Clockwise from top right: Steinbrecher and Associates, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Bennett Benner Pettit Architects + Planners, and Alerian
7
FOCUS:INDUSTRY
8
People often ask me what I like to shoot the most. It’s a tough question. I like different types of shoots for different reasons. But if I had to pick a favorite, I’d have to say that industrial photography tops the list. From shooting bottling operations at Dr Pepper Snapple Group to photographing surveyors in the waters along the Texas Gulf coast, every industrial shoot is unique and each has its own set of challenges. They’re all rewarding in the experiences they offer and for the images they allow me to capture. Opposite page: Oncor Clockwise from top left: Oncor, Lamb-Star Engineering via Creative Magma, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and Frontier Surveying via SKSW
9
FOCUS:ACTORS MODELS MUSICIANS
10
Models, authors, dancers, and actors are frequently found in front of my camera. In the past year I’ve photographed four opera singers - three of them in Fort Worth. Who’d’ve thunk it. I really enjoy working with creative folks. These shoots are always fun and they’re a nice departure from the corporate assignments that make up the majority of my workload. 11
FOCUS:EDITORIAL 12
While the bulk of my work involves shooting for corporate and industrial clients, there is still a good bit of editorial work that comes my way. So when the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau called and said they wanted me to shoot baseball legend Nolan Ryan and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones together for the cover of the 2012 Visitors Guide, I was ready. Let’s just sit’em on the hood of a roller coaster - I’m sure they’ll go for it. Whether I’m shooting a group of oil executives dressed up in authentic 1880s western clothing, or the Grand Prize winner of the Google Global Science Fair for an Australian magazine (I supplied the bubble gum), I love stepping outside the box and putting myself, and my subjects, in unusual circumstances to tell help tell a story or ask a question. It makes for great pictures.
Opposite page: SageRider, Inc. via Lagniappe Productions Top, “Dolly” magazine via Coleman-Rayner Right: SageRider, Inc. via Lagniappe Productions
13
FOCUS:ARCHITECTURAL
14
Architectural photography is a dierent animal. Time of day factors in more heavily than in any other type of photography. The demands of lighting, angle, and composition are perhaps more critical than most types of photography.
Opposite: Rockwall County Courthouse Above: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Below: Apogee Stadium at University of North Texas All images shot for Manhattan Construction
15
I Share... Okay folks, you gotta promise me one thing: If you click on any of the links to check out these cool sites, you’ll come back to finish reading PixelChatter. Don’t make me come lookin’ for you... Deal?
Photography and Design demilked f-stoppers PetaPixel feature shoot 500px Behance photo.net PhotoShelter Borrow Lenses Panoramic Earth Tin Eye Compare Lenses
Photographers I Admire (in no particular order) Joe McNally Dave Black Art Streiber Richard Avedon (1923 - 2004) Andrew Eccles Moose Peterson Chase Jarvis Dana Neibert Joel Sartore Merek Davis and my friend, Geraint Smith
Other KB Faves YouSendIt VisuWords Anagram Maker Newspaper Map Guitar Tuner
...You Share Sharing is a good thing. Don’t you love it when somebody shares something with you? It might be something tangible like a spoonful of ice cream on a hot day, or a little space under an umbrella on a rainy day. You can also share intangible things with people, and these can really be the most rewarding. I’m talking about things like ideas, or words of encouragement. And don’t you love it when someone shares something with you just because they think you’ll like it? It’s a win-win isn’t it? It makes you feel good to share an idea, a bit of inspiration, or a bite of ice cream with a friend...and the recipient sure isn’t going to complain. I hope you’ll take some time to visit some of the links I’ve shared with you. There’s some great stuff there and I’ll bet many of you will see something that made you laugh or that you thought was helpful or interesting. So here’s the challenge: If you’ve enjoyed browsing PixelChatter, then I want you to think of just one person that you think might enjoy it also....and share it with them. Maybe you know somebody that loves photography... or perhaps have a colleague that might need a photographer. That’d be a win-win-win. There are a couple of ways to share: 1 Go back to the original email you received and look at the body of the message and click on the Forward email link. 2 Or you can just tell a friend to visit kevinbrownphoto.com and click on PixelChatter. Thanks so much!
~ Kevin
If you know of a cool site, send me the link! I’ll put it in the next issue!
kevinbrownphoto.com
16
“Like,  Follow  me  and  we’ll  Connect...�
L
ove it or hate it, social media is here and it’s probably here to stay in its present form until Facebook or Twitter figure out a way for us to download each other’s “walls� directly into our brains. Until then, you can find me, follow me, connect with me, and even like me right there from the comfort of your keyboard. And be sure to check out my thoughts on social media on page 24. It’s sort of an unplugged little article that might give you a chuckle or leave you shaking your head.
Click  each  logo  for  a  link  to  my  page
tw tw tw tw tw Follow  me  on  instagram  at:  KBROPHOTO
kevinbrownphoto.com
17
Between a rock and a hard shot.
Shooting ATVs in Texas and Utah: a dirty job, but somebody had to do it.
18
W
hether you’ve been to Moab, Utah or not, you’ve seen the landscape in films like 127 Hours, Stagecoach, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. So what better setting to shoot a selection of four wheelers (known in the industry as ATVs or side-by-sides) for Carrolton, TX-based Bennche. Three days was spent on-location in Moab shooting a variety of ATV models for Bennche’s new website and new catalog. Shots of vehicles perched on rocks and action shots of vehicles in motion were captured on the shoot. Closer to home, I employed my new Nikon D800 at the “Mud Nationals” in Jacksonville, TX, shooting high speed action sequences of vehicles kicking up sand, going thru the trees, and splashing in the mud. The vehicles (and the camera) performed very well. Studio shots of all the different 4X4 models, their myriad features, and Bennche apparel were shot at Bennche’s manufacturing facility in Carrolton, TX over the course of three other days. Be sure to check out the 360 degree views of the vehicles at the Bennche website.
kevinbrownphoto.com
19
Top: A Bennche ‘Spire’ model puts its four-wheel drive to work during the Mud Nationals in east Texas. Left: After a long day on the ranch, a Bighorn 700 Crew four-seater takes a break in the barn.
kevinbrownphoto.com
20
GREATDEAL
Book a shoot to take place in the month of November and I’ll knock $100 off of any half-day shoots, and $150 off any full-day shoots. Click the button to take advantage of the offer. Go on....click the button.
O)O Shoots must be booked prior to October 31, 2012 and must take place between Nov. 1-30, 2012. You must use the above link to schedule your shoot or call me and mention that you want to take advantage of the November GreatDeal Promotion.
817-454-6252
21
OFFSHOOTS
Stan Hulen
RAMBLINGS, RANTS, AND RAVES ABOUT STUFF, AND OTHER STUFF...
Kevin Brown
T
his past spring I attended a two-day photography Or, maybe not. workshop hosted by a well-known and very Some folks obviously rely on social media more than others. successful photographer. Half-way through the first Some have mastered it and some (most) haven’t. morning he said, “After lunch, we’re going to talk I haven’t. about marketing.” Maybe I’m missing the point of social media. What IS the point? I was pumped. Marketing! I I don’t know that I’ve even love marketing. I’m a believer. fully embraced it. Yes, I I’m all in! I could hardly wait to have a business Facebook power thru my club sandwich to page and you can even go get to a topic that I was really there and ‘Like’ me if you excited about. want to. If you do, you’ll be After lunch, the group settled ‘Liker’ number 204. Sad in to resume our class and isn’t it. discussion. I was ready to take I’ve often wondered...when notes, ask questions, and Sally Field goes to her brainstorm. Facebook page, does she The time had come. shout, “You like me! You “Okay, let’s talk about really like me!” marketing,” he said. For you younger folks, This is gonna be great, I sorry, you won’t get that thought. joke. “I’ve got two words for you: But isn’t that what people social media. Now, next topic....” who have a business I’ll take Vimeo for $200, Alex. That’s it? Social media? Facebook page think? Don’t Nothing else? Hmmm. we want to be liked? Come to think of it I did learn about this guy on social media...and I guess I don’t want to be liked enough to devote too much time to that’s what ultimately led me to pay big bucks to attend his my business Facebook page. Have I booked photo shoots as a result workshop. So heck yeah, he’s going to be raving about social media. of Facebook? Yes, I have. I get it now. Good for him. And for me. But it doesn’t drive a lot of business to me.
kevinbrownphoto.com
22
No doubt I’m doing something wrong, huh. But wait a minute, how’s this for impressive: go to my page on Google+ and you can put me in your Circle....along with the 15,422 other people that “have me in their Circles.” I’d be like Sally. “You’ve circled me! You’ve really circled me!” Oh, please. (But seriously, I do have 15,422 people following me on Google+.....and I have no idea how that happened). It’s always about the numbers isn’t it? How many followers. How many likes. How many comments. I think being successful at social media is like playing golf. Here’s what I mean: Do I lack success at golf because I suck at it, or do I suck at it because I don’t have success at it. Read that again and think about it. It’s profound, if I do say so. Or, maybe not. It’s about dedication. Going to the driving range. Hitting the putting green. Investing the time. The success will (should) come. Do only 204 people on Facebook Like me because I suck at social media, or do I suck at social media because only 204 people Like me? It’s got a little chicken and the egg thing going on there doesn’t it. If the work that I have put into it resulted in more than a couple of hundred folks liking me, then I’d probably devote more time and perhaps the number would go higher. I have a link to my Facebook page, my Twitter page, and my LinkedIn page in the signature of every email I send out. I really don’t know why. The Followers, the Likers, and the Connection numbers don’t go up much (any). And even though I like to think that the 15,422 people will be interested in my posts on Google+, when I add a cool photo or comment, it’s like a tree falling silently in the forest. Nothing. Maybe a half-dozen people will comment...out of 15,422. If I’m lucky, I’ll hit double-digits. Maybe I’m just not interesting. And then there’s LinkedIn.
Okay, cool, I like LinkedIn. I have about 400 connections. (You may be one of them. Howdy friend.) I haven’t booked any shoots as a result of LinkedIn, but that’s not really what that site is all about. And then of course there’s Twitter. For months I was not a Twitter fan. I didn’t get it. But I finally caught on and now I like it. I’ve even booked a couple of gigs because of Twitter referrals. But that’s not why I like it. Okay, it’s part of the reason. When I first signed up for Twitter, I followed hundreds and hundreds of people, simply hoping they would reciprocate and that it would drive traffic to my website. And they did reciprocate, and hundreds and hundreds followed me. But it was all about ‘broadcasting’ messages and not about ‘receiving’ messages. It was like a cocktail party with everyone talking at the same time. You can’t hear any one person talking....because everyone is talking. But I found that I didn’t really care what any of those people had to say, so I stopped following all but about 100 of them. (That number has now grown to about 160). Now I check the Twitter feed all the time. I’m interested in these folks and companies and care about what they have to say. It’s a conversation. I don’t post a great deal to Twitter. I try to share cool stuff by retweeting more than I do actually promoting my business in hardsell, used-car fashion. I’ve settled in to Twitter, finally, and it feels pretty good. It’s more about sharing information, neat links, and industry news for me. I have about 500 followers. Not many, but who’s counting. (I haven’t counted since noon yesterday.) So, here’s an idea: Follow me on Twitter. Raise my numbers! Hey, I promise to follow back. Join the conversation. I dare you. You just might like it.
I’ve often wondered... when Sally Field goes to her Facebook page, does she shout,“You like me! You really like me!”
kevinbrownphoto.com
- Kevin Brown
23
FINALFRAME
My son Matthew enjoys a couple of pancakes and tolerates me wanting to try out a new ring flash.
Subscribe to PixelChatter
kevinbrownphoto.com
24