Jack Salzke Photography
All credits go to Jack Salzke at FadedFocus, you can check out more of his work in the links below.
Website: http://www.fadedfocus.com
Facebook: FadedFocus Photography
Instagram: @fadedfocus
cmxphotography
exploring the world of photography
Category: Uncategorized
June 10, 2015
June 3, 2015
Jack Salzke Interview
What inspired you to peruse a career in photography?, how did you get started in the industry?
I guess the only reason I got into photography is that I’ve always had a camera in my hand – since the age of four I can remember always having a disposable camera whenever we went on holidays, no other careers really interested me. I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day long – building or construction would have been my next choice but manual labor didn’t really appeal to me, nor did the extended training that was required.
I’m still not sure how I got into the industry – when I was 16 I won first place in the 15 – 17 years category of the “Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards”, I think that’s when I realized I could do what I do professionally – obviously I’ve moved away from Wildlife and I’m still not really sure how I transitioned into fashion and beauty, it all just happened so fast as soon as I made the move to Melbourne and had a huge number of other creatives to work with and draw inspiration from.
Is there a certain type of photography you enjoy taking? Would you say you have a specific style?
My favourite type of photography is probably a quite intricate and in depth fashion editorial with a really cool set or location; awesome hair and makeup; beautiful styling and a really talented model, but I don’t get to do that as often as I would like.
I’d say my style is quite clean and minimal – although like I said, I want to move into shooting with more intricate sets, so that might chance in the not too distant future.
What are some important things you take into consideration on set of a shoot?
Honestly for me it’s a lot of relying on the rest of the team to work together and contribute their little part – there’s no one thing that has to go right, everything and everyone needs to work together and sometimes improvise to pull off an awesome shot.
How do you come up with the concepts for your images?
Again – I draw a lot of inspiration from other creatives and the team that I’m working with, it’s often a group effort to come up with something cool. Sometimes we’ve got a specific outfit or model in mind and we’ll work around that, sometimes it’s a cool makeup look – depends on the kind of shoot and what the outcome is supposed to be.
Do you have an assistant or work with a team of people?
If I’m going on location I like to take an assistant but I don’t get to do that as much as I’d like to – in the studio I generally don’t need an assistant so I won’t get one, but there’s always generally at least a team of 4 or 5 people when you include stylists, hair and makeup, etc. so we’re never short on extra hands.
Where do you find your models, stylist, make up artists?
Models are pretty much always through agencies or through the client, which makes it super easy to find awesome people to work with. In terms of stylists, and hair and makeup – that’s all through networking, I used to do open searches on Facebook groups but I find I’m getting so many recommendations for artists these days it’s easier to go with those people as I know they’re going to be able to do a great job.
Where do you find your clients?
Honestly this is something I’m terrible at and I’m definitely not the person to ask but… Facebook groups sometimes have decent clients, but there’s a tonne of competition, I also work for a company called Shopafar and I’m meeting a lot of people in the industry through that so I find some clients that way as well – but this is definitely something I need to work on.
What equipment to do you use?
At the moment I’m shooting on the Nikon D800 with mainly the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and the Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 Micro lens – with a bunch of cheap no brand strobes and modifiers from eBay which is getting me through just fine for now.
How much time is spent on planning and post production?
Planning depends on the shoot and the client, sometimes there’s a 30 minute conversation with a few creatives who want to do something fun, other times there’s hours of back and forth with clients to come up with a totally planned out shoot.
In terms of post production I generally spend around 20 – 30 minutes on each image. But it varies from shoot to shoot, I’ll spend far more time on a beauty shoot over a fashion shoot purely because of the skin detail – but may also spend a lot more time on a shoot that I really enjoyed too.
Do you edit your images yourself?
I do – I’ve had Photoshop since I was 6 and doubt I would ever let anyone else retouch my images. For product work I get that outsourced, but for editorial I do everything myself.
Do you do photography full time? What is a typical work week for you?
I do – kind of. I still have a lot of free time but I don’t really have any other jobs to keep me going. I run a photography studio called Warehouse 100 in Richmond that we rent out to other photographers and creatives, but that takes up very little time. A typical work week for me is 3 or 4 days worth of product photography (clothes, jewelry, shoes, that kind of thing) and if I’m lucky an editorial job every other week or so. Then a lot of file management, outsourcing, spot cleaning, etc.
What is your view on the photography industry?
I don’t think it’s as bad as everyone’s making out – sure clients need to value our time a little more than they currently do but there are jobs out there I think. It’s all about finding the quality repeat clients over a multitude of crappy ones.
Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers?
Not really – do your own thing, shoot as much as you can and shoot what you love, and obviously network your butt off.
June 3, 2015
Jack Salzke
Melbourne based photographer Jack Salzke, goes by the name FadedFocus. He works out of Warehouse 100 in Richmond, he has a love and passion for fashion, beauty and portraiture photography. I was recommended by a friend to check out his work, I really enjoy Jacks work especially his fashion shots; colourful and perfectly constructed. He has been very busy with upcoming shoots so i’m thankful and happy he took out some time to respond to my questions for the interview, if you’d like to see his work you can click here:
Website: http://www.fadedfocus.com
Facebook: FadedFocus Photography
Instagram: @fadedfocus
May 20, 2015
Interview with Stephanie Valencia
What interested you into pursuing photography and how did you get involved in the industry?
A trip overseas when i was 15, I was inspired by all the architecture and lifestyle’s of the people that i had to capture it.
Do you have a preferred style of photography?
Initially it was fashion, as the years go past in the industry I’ve come to love all aspects of photography such as travel, interiors, food etc
How are the concept for the images created?
Through various inspirations, whether that be a fashion style, music, locations etc it is so broad.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Nikon and canon camera
Lighting – elinchrom, broncolor
Where do you find your clients and models?
Agencies, networking and social media.
Do you work with a team of people? If yes, what are their roles within the group? Do you have an assistant?
It all depends on the job, i generally work with makeup artists and stylists.
Do you edit all your images yourself, roughly how long does it take?
Generally yes, its dependent on the image itself they can range from 1 hour to 5 hrs.
How do you go about planning a shoot, roughly how much time is used in planning & post production?
Planning is generally organizing the teams schedule and when is best to shoot and deciding on what direction/theme of the shoot is. Post production is retouching the images and varies on time.
What is a typical work day, how many hours a day/week do you work?
When i was a freelance it seemed like i was always on the job whether it be shooting, prepping for a shoot, admin or finding clients and getting my name out there. Now i am full time for a commercial client but still work the odd weekend if i can.
Do you have a favourite photo shoot you’ve done?
A recent interior room styling shoots that incorporated food styling also. The lighting added to the mood as if the afternoon sun was creeping in from the windows, I can’t wait till those images are retouched.
What is your view on the photography industry?
You got to work hard. Its not all glamour as there is a lot of hustling and late nights getting your name and work out there. This is no 9-5 job but if you truly love it you wont see it as a job and you’ll put in the work.
Do you have any advice for new photographers?
Be out there shooting and building your portfolio and try to assist other photographer.
April 22, 2015
Interview with Vassi Dyulgerova
What interested you in pursuing photography and how did you get involved with the industry?
My father was a photographer in the army and he use to take beautiful candid pictures of my brother and I always loved photography as a visual medium but it wasn’t until I worked for the Vanity Fair Germany as a photo editor when I realised I want to be behind the camera.
Is there a specific style of photography you enjoy taking?
I love portraits especially photographing music and fashion.
How do you come up with concepts for your images?
I do a lot of research, daily actually.
What kind of equipment do you use?
I use Canon and Profoto.
I really like the images of Ashley Pogmore, for a shoot in doors what is the lighting set up like?
For this shoot I combined ambient light and 1 Kinoflo Diva light for more natural feel.
Where do you find your clients? As well as models?
Its usually that my clients find me. Worth of mouth is the best advertising that you can possibly get. As long as for models I work with all modelling agencies in town, sometimes the client has their preference too.
Do you work with a team of people; do you also work with an assistant?
I always work with a team and my team stays the same if the client allows me to pick up hair and make up artists. I work with an assistant only if the shoot requires it and I know that we have to go trough a lot of garments in little time.
How much time is spent on planning and post production?
Planning could takes days or even weeks, pre production, meetings, organizing everything and everyone. As a photographer you are directing the shoot, so everyone expects you to be on top of things 🙂
Post production is done externally, I don’t do retouch anymore as it is a whole different profession and I leave to the professionals. Usually 3-4 days for an editorial shoot to be retouched.
For outside photo shoots, how do you find locations? Does this take a lot of time before going out to shoot? Research again 🙂 on my days off I like to drive around town and look for nice new locations or I ask my social media friends if I am looking for something in particular.
Do you edit all your images yourself; roughly how long does it take?
I do the first selection (not the edit as a post production) and then the client will choose what he likes from this selection.
Do you have a personal favourite photo shoot you have done?
I had a lot fun shooting ‘Love Room’ with Ashley and Into The Open with Sam Wine from IMG Models.
Do you have any advice for new photographers?
Have patience – success doesn’t come over night. Be humble. Don’t stress out on shoots, this will only make your team nervous and no one likes to work in a stressful environment. Be ALWAYS on time for shoots!
April 22, 2015
Vassi Dyulgerova
Vassi is a Sydney based photographer who does freelancing for fashion, beauty and portraiture. She has worked as an editor for Vanity Fair Germany as well as a photographer for Playboy and Max magazine. Vassi was also nominated as on of Australia’s Top Emerging Photographers for 2011 and 2012 in the Fashion category by Capture Magazine.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Vassi via email, she was very sweet and quick to respond to all my questions, I recommend those who love a mixture of fashion, beauty and portraiture to check out her photographs here wesbite: www.vassi.com.au
instagram: @vassi_lena
April 14, 2015
Elizabeth’s Photography
These are three of my favourite images by Elizabeth, there are many more wonderful photographs, check it out here:
http://www.elizabethgrinter.com.au
There are some images that are not on the site but you can see them on
intagram: @elizabethgrinter
April 14, 2015
Interview with Elizabeth Grinter
What interested you into perusing photography and how did you get involved with the industry?
I always wanted to have a creative career, and after taking photography classes in high school, I decided to do my BA Photography at uni, and just went from there. I worked for other people, I freelance, I did magazine submissions, and worked with as many talented creative people as I could. (and still do all of these things, other than working for other people)
Is there a specific type of photography you prefer? I
love anything hair and beauty, and high fashion! It just has to be creative, with a creative team!
How do you come up with concepts for your images?
Mostly by drawing inspiration from life, anything, everything, and looking at other photographer’s work, not copying but taking the bits and pieces that inspire me from many different shoots and piecing it together to create something new and unique.
What equipment do you use both indoor and outdoor?
Outdoor – pretty much only my camera (5D MkIII and whatever lens suits what I’m shooting) I don’t use a lot of reflectors etc Studio – Elinchrom lights, soft boxes, octoboxes, beauty dish, + camera. I like to keep things pretty simple, so not all of this at once generally.
Where do you find your clients?
I just put my work out there as much as possible, and they find me. Social Media, my website, my agent, working with lots of different creative people, networking. But I don’t really direct market/direct email, although perhaps I should!
Do you work with a team of people, or an assistant?
I don’t usually work with an assistant, but I do work with a creative team – model, makeup artist, hair stylist, fashion stylist is about usual, although sometimes hair and makeup are done by one person. And if I need a hand with something the team generally lends a hand holding things, carrying things etc.
Do you edit all your images yourself, roughly how long does the process take?
Yes I do all of my own editing, and time depends on how much editing it takes. Beauty always takes a lot longer, and could take me 30mins – 2hrs, depending on how good the model’s skin is, and how good the makeup artist was etc, whereas location fashion might only take 15 mins-45 mins depending on what needs editing/skin etc.
How much time is spent on planning and post production?
A LOT more time than actually shooting, planning can take days/weeks of contacting everyone and getting a team together, and putting mood boards together, post production could also take up to 2 weeks to turn around depending how busy I am and how much editing is required.
Some of your images have colourful lighting, how did you create the background, is it edited?
Some of the coloured backgrounds are painted, sometimes its done with coloured gels onto a white or grey background, but I don’t edit a background to a colour. Occasionally I’ll tweak the colour tone slightly (make it cooler, or warmer etc), but never change a grey/white background to a bright colour. And all coloured lighting you see is done in shot, not in post production.
Are there any challenges you’ve faced when taking the images or working for others?
There are endless challenges, very little is ever straight forward, but that’s why its a creative industry, the creative part is overcoming the challenges.
Do you shoot any commission or stock photos?
No I don’t shoot any stock images. All my work is commissioned directly from my clients. I don’t sell images separately.
Do you prefer to do photo shoots inside a studio or outside?
I do a lot of both, and love both, but I do find myself shooting in studio more just because I don’t always have access to amazing locations, and studio isn’t weather dependent!
Do you have a favourite shoot you have done or a specific image?
Not really, its always changing! Because hopefully I’m always improving, so what I like is always changing!
Do you have any advice for new photographers? Its a very difficult industry to break into, and make a decent living, so if its what your heart is set on just keep going and don’t give up! Be aware it could take a few years before it starts paying off, it does for most people. Being more proactive and more in peoples faces will help, but its not instant. It’s not, you’ve finished your course, so straight into making the big dollars. But if it makes you feel any better its the same for everyone, its not that you’re doing anything wrong.
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