I get a lot of questions about how I work with my subjects to make them feel comfortable.  A photographer’s interactions and technique with his or her subject(s) is one of the most important aspects of a photo shoot, next to being prepared.  I have a lot of thoughts and ideas on this subject, but one idea I thought I would share today is a giant cat face.  I don’t think I need to explain why this works, but here is how you can try it out on your own.  Place a giant cat face over your left shoulder so it is facing your subject.  This will generally help your subject feel more at ease.  If they hate cats or giant cat faces, then they may not feel so comfortable, but at least you will still get some interesting expressions.  It’s a win win for you.

Here is how you can approach it.

Subject: “What’s with the giant cat face?”

Photographer: “What giant cat face?” (It’s important to pretend you don’t know what they are talking about.)

Subject: “The one right behind you, staring at me.”

Photographer: Slowly look around the room, and then discover the giant cat face.  ”Oh, that giant cat face.  Don’t worry about him.  Dante is here to help you feel more comfortable.”

There you have it.  Now you know one way to make your subject more comfortable.  Use a giant cat face.

I am pleased to announce I am now represented by Snyder/Redux, a new agency in New York.  They have a great roster of talented photographers, and the best reps and staff you could imagine.  In a few days I will be heading out to New York for the agency launch party as well as a few other events.  The company website is snyderredux.com.  I am looking forward to the new opportunities which will come from this relationship.  Here we go!

Here is my new video interview on Adorama TV, hosted by Mark Wallace.  I was really impressed with Mark’s questions, and I think the video turned out great.   Some of the questions include the gear I use, what it was like photographing Annie Leibovitz, how I approach photographing celebrities who are aligned with hot issues, and much more.  I am going to keep this pretty short because of the video, and there  isn’t really anything I need to add.  Thanks for taking a look, I hope you enjoy it.

Congrats to Mark and Summer and welcome to the family baby Allister.  As of yesterday, Isla has a cousin and I am officially a crazy uncle.  It seems society has always warned us of crazy Uncle John’s, and now I am one.  On the bright side, I now have a valid excuse for my crazy behavior.  I guess I can also test new parenting techniques on someone else’s child before introducing them to Isla.  Lots of good times ahead!

My website updates are finished, and I am pleased to announce I have a new Liberia gallery in the Selected Work section of the website.  If you subscribe to this blog in a reader you may have see some strange posts come through during the update, but that has been fixed and everything should be back to normal now.  The current selection of images is basically round one as I will be adding more images in a few weeks.  I feel really good about this first edit.  Take a look and let me know what you think.  I hope you like them.

If you have been wondering what to do with your evening on March 8th, wonder no more.  It’s open mic night at Comedy Underground.  But if that isn’t your cup of tea, you could go to the Seattle Center hear me talk about my photography and ask me those burning questions you have been wrestling with (photography related of course).
Seating is limited, but admission is free.  This will be taking place at:

Studio H, TPS
4th Floor
Center House, Seattle Center
305 Harrison St. Seattle, WA 98109

March 8th is a Monday, and the start time is 7:00.  There are still about 25 seats remaining, and you must RSVP (HERE).

As an added bonus, photography consultant Amanda Sosa Stone has been kind enough to donate a couple copies of her book The Photographer’s Survival Guide:  How To Build And Grow A Successful Business which I will be giving away through a drawing.

I am going to see about recording the talk, so if you are out of town, or not able to attend, feel free to leave your questions here in the comments and I will do my best to address as much as I can.

I hope to see you there.

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Well, it’s back to work now after a fun few days in New York.  It was really nice to be there without camera gear or a portfolio to lug around, even though I still had a full schedule.  I went to Adhesive on Wednesday and the AP25 Party the next night.  It was fun to see see friends, as well as meet some new people.  Some of the photographers I met for the first time included Ben Baker, Rudy Archuleta, and Joey L.  I also had the chance to catch up with Nick Onken for lunch.  First time I had Pho, which was very good by the way. 

I wasn’t able to get a copy of the AP25 book (hopefully soon), but there is some excellent photography in there.  I would recommend buying a copy when you get the chance.

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In the course of a conversation this past summer, it was mentioned that Annie Leibovitz was going to be in Seattle that November.  As soon as I heard this, I was gone.  Blank stare.  Absent from the conversation. I was thinking, “What would it be like to photograph Annie Leibovitz?  Would she let someone else take her portrait?  I don’t think so.  She is one of the greatest photographers ever.  The only pictures I have ever seen of her were self portraits.  How nervous would I be if I got to take her portrait?”  A couple of months later, I received an email from a photo editor at Seattle Metropolitan; “Do you want to photograph Annie Leibovitz?”

I thought a lot about how I would photograph her.  But after dreaming about some grand and sizable production ideas, I decided not to try to do too much.  I would just do what I do best, and keep it simple. We were scheduled to shoot in a private meeting room in a downtown Seattle hotel, with no chance of moving to a different location.  Because of her full schedule that day, I knew she would be tired.  An interview with Steve Scher on NPR (listen here) right before the shoot, and speaking at Benaroya Hall for ‘Seattle Arts & Lectures‘ right after.  I had a small window of time to work with her.

When Annie came into the room, she looked around at the lighting setup, and said,  “Wow, this looks scary.”  My thoughts exactly, but it wasn’t the lights I was thinking about.  We talked a few minutes about photography and cameras before she sat down.  Then I told her about my idea for the portrait, and asked if she would mind taking off her glasses. She said that was fine, and I started to shoot.  It was a balancing act trying to find the line between being in control to get what I wanted, and not being pushy.  I could tell that she was not comfortable being photographed.  She moved around a lot while I shot, and I decided to be flexible rather than push too much to hold a certain pose.  Things don’t always go exactly to plan, and sometimes this can be a pleasant surprise.  It felt like the shoot ended up being a collaboration in making the pictures.  It’s not often that I work with someone who is so willing to be expressive and experiment as she was.  Shortly after we started, the shoot came to an end, and I knew that I had the shot.  I thanked her for her time, and she said, “You did good.”  I’ll take it!  What a compliment.

The article that was published in Seattle Metropolitan, and written by Steve Wieking can be read here.

*Update* – My portrait of Annie Leibovitz was selected in the American Photography 25 Competition (AP25) and will be published in November 2009.  This is a huge honor for me!  The link will take you to a post with more about the award.