Photography Practices/Methods and (I Won) a British Airways Contest

currently looking at: Heather Hernaus

currently listening to: Kingdom Come by The Mae Shi

I’ve always had the internal debate on what photography is, methodically. If we capture a candid moment out of being in the right place at the right time, is that the same thing as constructing a visually stimulating photograph with complete creative control? I think a good photographer has to know both and of course needs to know beauty when it’s in front of them. Being a photographer is a state of mind, a practice of visual acuity. We need to be able to see things for how they are, but also ask questions as to what makes it interesting. Elliot Erwitt, Frank Capa…do they define themselves by the same means as Art Streiber and Dan Winters? It’s a tough question, one that requires a lengthy look at your own work.

When I attended New England School of Photography, I majored in Advertising Photography and minored in Architectural Photography. Although I shoot mainly architecture and people, I found that working in a studio gives me such a sense of who I am as a photographer. Advertising is 100% creative. You are in creative control from conception to completion. Having total control can be overwhelming and can actually limit success. For example, if you look at all the obstacles George Lucas had when creating Star Wars 4-6 and how amazing those films are…then look at what he can do when he has an unlimited budget and total control over absolutely everything…he comes up with a story that is overly saturated with effects and unnecessary characters that overrides what everything that the original Star Wars was all about to begin with. Well, the same thing can be applied to Photography or any art form for that matter.

So for me, Architectural Photography is a perfect match for Advertising Photography. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum. With Architecture, you have to find your shot, shoot something creatively that is unique to how you see it and have visually interesting content. Both forms of photography have different purposes, different creative processes and different receptions. What’s common for both? They are both your own unique vision.

Recently, I was announced as a winner for a photography contest for British Airways. I am traveling to London in late October to shoot a theme of “Modern London.” I am going to shoot architecture, on-location portraits, and photo’s incorporating people and the landscape/cityscape. I am extremely excited to shoot this as I have never been to England before. I also hope to travel to Paris and Amsterdam while I’m in that part of the world. Once I return, my work from London will be shown in JFK Airport. Free trip and having my work shown in a major airport? Nothing wrong with that.

Have any tips for where to go and what to shoot? Send me a shout if you know something I should photograph. Also, there are some finished photo’s from The Wine Bottega below.

ben
www.bengebo.com

Stuff Magazine, Wine Bottega, and Staying Motivated

currently looking at: Joao Canziani

currently listening to: Waiting by Pacific UV

I find myself getting inspired from everything around me. People. Shapes. Color. The world is your playground, why not use it for any and all photographic purposes as well? I find that to maintain a connection to your creative self, you need incorporate a delicate balance of work and play with what you love to do. The reason why people don’t make a career out of the things they love is because they are afraid of spoiling what they love by attaching business practices to it. The “thing” that you love should be organic and should be untampered with. Although, I think if you know how to work it correctly, you can find a medium in which you can turn your play into your work. I think it’s important to let your dreams and aspirations become you.

..Well anyways, I recently was published in Stuff Magazine twice(page 27, page 90). One for an ad with G2O Spa/Salon and the other for my interior photography work with designer Kristine Mullaney. This was a hip, Hollywood-style home that had elaborate decor and very striking design. It was a lot of fun to shoot, but with limits on time, there was only so much I could shoot.

I’ve also been doing work with the Wine Bottega in the North End. A lovely wine store owned by Kerri Platt, a truly nice person who knows more about wine than I do about eating an entire bag of kit kats (which is a whole lot). She just finished having it restored and looks amazing (so I am told). I was called in for photographs for Food and Wine magazine to get shots of the Wine Bottega for an article, while it was still in the process of being remodeled. It was tough to really get the best of it before it was done, but I’ll show you a couple choices for it. The issue should be out in October, and for now I will show you the “after” shots once I get back there next week.

Keep on keepin’ on,

ben
www.bengebo.com

Chicago and The Everyone Festival

currently looking at: Yousuf Karsh

currently listening to: Toothless by CAW CAW

Hello hello,

I just returned from Chicago for some work/fun. I love that city, there’s always so much going on and so little time to accomplish it all. I was able to meet with some old friends to attend “The Everyone Festival.” It essentially was a recollection of old friends in Wicker Park, throwing a party with a mix of various Chicago musicians. Quite fun, I’d say. I was able to get new work done while I was there. I’ve been trying to capitalize on the opportunity to get more portraits and architectural shots. When you do a lot of work for others, it’s nice to shoot for yourself when you can. I find it really reclaims what the spirit of photography is all about and brings me to why I got into Photography in the first place. The point of the trip was to actually try and “get away” from the normal routine and help re-inspire me for future projects. It worked. I’ve recently decided to go to Utah in August to help jump start an entire new portfolio. I’m sure I’ll report on my update upon my return.

That’s it for now, check back soon for new work that I’ve been collaborating on with designers Brandon Bird and Amanda Reid.

Tot Ziens!

Ben
www.bengebo.com

New inspirations/work/website

currently looking at: Paul Costello

currently listening to: An audiobook about Einsten called “Einstein: His Life and Universe”

Hello there,

I am just finishing up some work for an Interior Designer I’ve been working with, Kristine Mullaney. Anything regarding interior design, this is the person to talk to. She does a range of customized interiors with a unique variety and always keeps her design classy. If you want to see some of her work, take a look at her website. She is truly a wealth of knowlege and good tast when it comes to creating any living space. She helps reinvigorate my zest for photography, take a look at some new work I’ve done with Kristine on my updated website.

Being a photographer, I realized three of the most important things out there to do: keep costs down, never take a break, and always find new inspirations. On the business aspect of things, the first two should be just known. As far as finding inspirations, it’s really tough to always stay motivated to find inspirations in other peoples’ work. Most times, I get the idea for my next shoot in small random moments during the day. More often than not, it’s one of those moments before I fall asleep that sends a bolt of inspiration into my brain.

That’s all for now, I’ll be posting more blogs up this week, so have a delightful morning and rest of the day!

Ben

www.bengebo.com

D700 w/ video? Yes. Jon Woolf+Architecture=love?

currently looking at: Dana Hoff

currently listening to: She’s a Jar by Wilco

Hey there,

Been awhile since last post! I’ve been busy to say the least. My wedding website is finally up and running, take a peek(www.bengebo.com/weddings.html). I’ve also been traveling all over the place, even though my ties have kept me restrained in Boston mostly. I recently went to New York to shoot the band DeVotchKa last weekend, that was a blast. It was a great show and I got a lot of good pictures, take a look at my main site(www.bengebo.com).

I have also been focusing a lot of my attention on my architecture projects. Dana Hoff really inspired me with his architectural portfolio. His kitchens and bathroom are really good work. My favorite work of his work are the exterior shots; he really knows how to line things up accordingly and also pick the perfect time of day to get the most out of the structures he shoots. I also like that he doesn’t have that obvious HDR look, they are mostly all elegant photographs with  lot going on.

Today, I had the pleasure to hear an architectural photographer by the name of Jon Woolf speak. He is from the area and shoots panoramic cityscape’s. He uses all digital now and explained the process of using a 4×5 to capture one scene with 25+ frames! Trust me, it’s a painful process that makes you feel like you’re work ethic is inadequate. Anyways, there’s really impressive work from this guy; the curvature of the buildings are so fluent and seamless in his panoramics. Great stuff. (http://www.jwoolf.com/index.html) .

I heard the D700 has the capabilities to shoot video. (Whoa, really) Oh yeah, check out this article. I just got the new Animal Collective album and I need to give if a few more listens. Take care and check out my new DeVotcKa pictures.

Ben

www.bengebo.com

It’s Cold! Entertainers! Crewdson! Leibovitz!

Howdy all,

How are you? It’s been awhile since I last had a post. Much has happened up to know. I saw Gregory Crewdson at Mass Art about three weeks ago. He talked a lot about his images and what brought him to the big budgeted sets he works with today. It was good to learn about how that came to be, but I felt it was a little disheartening to hear that he doesn’t even like to use the camera, he just wants to capture a specific shot. He also spends around a year on a single image…just on post production. It was a decent lecture, but didn’t walk out there with anything I could apply to my own work. Too bad.

While I’m on the subject, tonight I saw Annie Leibovitz give a speech at Harvard. She was promoting her new book “Annie Leibovitz: At Work.” She basically went through her whole book. She talked about how it started out as a collection of images she’s never been known for, then transoformed it into 150+ images of a mixed variety. It gave me a new appreciation for how hard working and talented this woman is. Her talks were entertaining and it’s always really interesting to hear about how she deals with her subjects, no matter who they may be.

For current work, you can visit my new images in my portfolio. I am doing work on entertainers in the area. I am shooting musicians, artists, comedians, poets, porn stars, dancers, etc. It’s going well and I’m trying to shoot them in their natural element. Take a look and give me some feedback as to what you think. I’ll take a gander at your new work if you have some and I’ll do the same.

Alright, that’s it for me, have a wonderful Turkey Day and don’t fill up too much on some of that ol’ pumpkin pie!

-Ben Gebo

BenGebo.com

¡I got Published/Nikon D700/PSCS4!

Hello everyone out there in Blogger world, how’s your Thursday? It’s a beautiful Autumn afternoon here in Boston. This is my last free week before things will get really busy. I have a lot of projects ahead, like everyone else I’m sure. Anyways, just wanted to touch upon the photography world by discussing new tech stuff, photographers I’ve been paying attention to, etc.

First, I got published in The Standard Times. Check out the article here. I didn’t get a credit, but my photo is the panoramic. It’s an article about friends of mine, The Viennagram, who are in a show with some other bands, fashion show, and other crazy nonsense in the Calico Vintage store in New Beford this Saturday, 10/04. It will be fun, come check it out.

This month Photoshop CS4 will be coming out! Here’s a video sneak peek of the program here. You can pick up the Master Collection for $2,499 if you’re ballsy enough, but you can get CS4 versions of Photoshop, Lightoom, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Fireworks, Bridge, and more for $1,799. It’s all worth the money, no matter what level of photographer you are.

(Canon users skip the following paragraph)

I checked out the Nikon D700 specs and am really thrilled. It’s funny how Nikon doesn’t release any information on the public until the day of the release. I won’t go on for long about it. But, it’s got a full frame sensor, ISO range from 100 to 25600(!!!!!!). Other notable things…It has an on-camera flash, no duel deck for two card readers, 12.1 MP, Continuous shooting up to 5 FPS, 51-point autofocus, dust reduction system, and something really cool: “Active D-Lighting with NEW Auto mode: Unique three-phase dynamic control to capture previously lost details in shadows and highlights while maintaining normalized contrast.(©Nikonusa.com)” It’s a D3 in a D300 body, essentially. Also, it’s only $2,999, body only.

A photographer that I’ve been looking at lately are Brassaï, the Hungarian photographer/filmmaker and sculptor. His night photography is delicate and moving, and he knows how to capture humans in their element. I’d like to see what his work with urban stuff would be like if it were transposed into something with more of a nature oriented setting.

Also, if your band or a band you know needs some photography work done for an upcoming album/live performances/promotional purposes/etc, send me an e-mail. I’m currently booking for new talent in the Boston area.

That’s all I gots for ya! I’ll try to post some stuff from The Viennagram/Fashion/Awesome show this weekend up next week. Stay tuned!

~BenG

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Louisville/Sigur Ros/Destruction

Howdy, friends! I got back from Louisville, Kentucky a few days ago. The day after I arrived the city caught a nasty windstorm left over from Ike. The winds were insane and everyone was without power, road access, etc. A lot of destruction there. It was one of the worst storms the state has ever seen. Needless to say, I took a lot of pictures from the storm damage. Other than that, I visited Lexington and traveled around to various areas to photograph. My models were unable to shoot due to the storm, so I had to find other subjects.

The night after I returned there I went to see Sigur Ros at the Pavillion in Boston. They were amazing. I was still a little peeved I couldn’t get a press pass in time to shoot them playing live. It was a true pleasure to have seen them regardless, so for that I am thankful.

While I was in Kentucky, I saw a lot of stuff. One thing I highly reccomend is this Gallery/Hotel called 21c. It has some amazing artwork an interesting interactive pieces. I am not a fan of James Baker Hall in the least, but he has two full rooms of work, one entitled “Photo/Synthesis.” If you’re a fan of his, check it out. There’s plenty to see there. 21c

There was also a great Play I checked out called 43 Plays for 43 Presidents. It was hilarious, informative, and was extremely entertaining. In light of the upcoming election, I’d reccomend that as well.

Anyways, below are some photo’s from Louisville after traveling around. There are also some photo’s of the destruction from the city too. Enjoy!

 

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Wow, can I really delay…

Howdy do, friends. Sorry about not posting anything lately, I have been uber busy with school work, moving, traveling, etc. This summer has been packed to say the least. Every weekend for the past month and a half I have traveled somewhere. Anyways, I will try to get a post up AT LEAST every two weeks. My website has been on the brink in the past few months and it needed a lot of work to get it to where I’d like it to be. So, I hope by next week I should have it running completely.

Below are some pictures from Bisco. There are just a few of my favorites from the weekend and not all are of the music from the fest. Also, the next post I’ll have some Chicago pictures up from my first visit there. It’s a beautiful city and if you ever get a chance, try and visit.

 

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Camp Bisco!!!!

Howdy, everyone!

I just returned after three music filled days from Camp Bisco in Mariaville, NY. It had Snoop Dogg, Disco Biscuits, The New Deal, Shpongle, Lotus, and many others. The best show, other than Snoop, was probably MSTRKRFT. The whole weekend rocked and I took a load of pictures. I just purchased a 1TB LaCie hard drive and am still setting it up. Once I get it up and running, I’ll load all the photo’s from the weekend on there. Sit tight and I’ll post them up ASAP!

~Ben Gebo

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