Rock Climbing Top Model Style

It's always fun working on America's Next Top Model and this shoot was no different.  The exception was I think the girls on this season were some of the most attractive out of all the seasons with maybe season three as another great group of young woman.  My personal favorite was Lisa, but she didn't get to the top level.  Still she is working in NYC at this very moment and signed with an agency there.

All the images shot for the show are photographed with the show's camera to keep control of the images getting out.  It's very different shooting for the show vs shooting in reality because as a photographer you don't have control and each girl only gets a few frames.  We have a very tight deadline so there isn't much time to spend on actual shooting.  The process is my photo assistants light the set based on how I'd like to shoot, but I must keep in mind that there are camera positions that must be met.  Then I get each girl for about two min. and then on to the next girl.  After each girl I am interviewed to give my opinion of how I think she did on the segment and I give my honest opinion.  Sometime I get to look over the images and send my comments to Tyra but most of the time the schedule is so tight I never see the images at all until the show airs. Still it's a lot of fun working on the show and I get to hang out with my good friend Jay Manuel.  

I've known and worked with Tyra since the early 90's and it's wonderful to see how smart she's been with taking her career to new heights over the years.   I am very proud of her and love each time I get to work with her as a photographer, hand out or example to people all over the world.

Equipment wise the following is used on all my shoots for Top Model:

Camera:  H2 Body 

Phase back:

Lighting gear:  Pro Photo 7A packs 

Octabank reflector

Magnum reflectors

Grip gear

How I got started

I am often asked, "how did you get started"?  This morning I woke again to this very question so I decided to share it with everyone because if I can make a living doing what I love you can to.  This is my story.

Growing up my father always had his camera but it was just a hobby.  I remember looking at family slide shows in the living room with my entire family and really enjoying seeing the photos on the wall.  My father kept his camera on the desk in my parents bedroom and I used to sneak in and play with the camera and then try and put it back the same way so he wouldn't know I had touched it.  There is a photo of me as a kid playing with a toy camera.  I must have been around 4 or 5.  My family moved to South Carolina from Brooklyn, NY when I was five and this shot was taken in NYC.

Years, later my father gave me a camera of my own at the age of twelve and then turned the kids bathroom into a makeshift darkroom.  My Dad taught me how to process and develop my own black and white images and once I saw my first photographs develop in front of me I was hooked and I've been hooked ever since.  Still it was just a hobby for me and then I found out about Gordon Parks and James Van Der Zee.  I read a book by Gordon called "A Choice of Weapons" and "The Learning Tree" and it changed my life because for the first time I saw someone who looked like me doing photography as a career and not just a hobby.  That was the first "light bulb" moment for me.  

After high school I went to Art school at the Art Institute of Atlanta and was turned on to magazines like Vogue, Glamour and Zoom out of Italy.  A professor there made a statement that all the truly great photographers worked in New York, Paris and London and if we wanted to be in that class we should go to one of those places.  I decided that day to go to New York.  I heard for the first time about photo assistants and that people from all over the world came to New York to work as photo assistants to the best photographers.  I packed my bags and off to NYC I went to become a photo assistant.  It was very hard my first year and I literally lived off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, (I still crave them from time to time).  

The first person I worked for was a photographer named Bruce Buck and he traveled a lot doing fashion catalog work, so I got to travel all over America with him as his assistant.  Then I met other great photographer and started working for them and traveling the world.  Paris, London, Italy, Scotland, etc.  It opened my eyes and after three years of working as an assistant I started shooting on my own.  However, I was still assisting during the days when I wasn't shooting and one day an agent to a photographer I worked with asked to see my portfolio.  I was going on a trip with the photographer as an assistant to Paris.  When I came back the agent said, Matthew I am going to be your agent!  I'm changed agents but I've been shooting every since and it's been 22 years now.

I have been very blessed in my career and in this blog I will do my best to share as much information about my career and shooting style so come back often.

Always Dream Big,

Matthew Jordan Smith

Love Lessons from 9/11

There is no place like New York City.  I was living in New York in midtown Manhattan when 9/11 happened and could see the towers from my place.  I remember that day like it was yesterday but seven years later the lesson that I learned from that day is that work is not the most important thing in life, love is.  

When you work for yourself it is hard to turn off and unplug but it is necessary and essential especially if you are a creative.  I have learned that the thing that fuels my creativity is having a full life doing the things I love most.  I love photograph and doing it for a living but I also love spending time with my girl and enjoying life.  I work hard so I can enjoy all the best life has to offer but it's much sweeter when I can enjoy those things with the person I love.  

My girlfriend made the most amazing dinner for me last night and even today I can't stop thinking about it.  She was born in Sapporo, Japan but now lives in Los Angeles.  We went to Japan this past July and traveled all over Hokkaido visiting Onsen's and enjoying the food of northern Japan.  We also traveled to Kyoto and Osaka where I had blowfish for the first time but the best part was sharing this with her and photographing how I felt while there.  As photographers we have the opportunity to share our feelings and ideas about life, love and how we see the world.  My world is so much better when my heart is taken care of  and my girlfriend Nozomi makes me feel like a king.  My work is always better when I am in love and now I feel like it better than it's ever been.  

I am currently learning Japanese and hope to be able to speak the language the next time I am there.   As of last week I am now officially sponsored by Sony so having the language down would also be a plus for my business.  You will be hearing much more about my involvement with Sony and Microsoft in the coming months but for now, get out and photograph something or someone you love.  I'm going to photograph Nozomi!

Angela Bassett and Olay

Angela Bassett has become one of my favorite people to work with over the years because she is always fun to shoot and the Olay shoot was no exception even thought it started off harder than most of our shoots.  Angela Bassett is now on ER for the final season and has a hectic shooting schedule so she came a bit tired from her schedule.   However, like all my shoots I had flowers waiting for her in the dressing room and a note that simply said, "here's to another great shoot".

This assignment required a lot of production and prior to the job my producer and I worked on pulling all the elements together to make for a great shoot.  In the office my interns and assistant worked on making sure we had all the photo equipment needed to make my vision come to life along with making sure I had the right music on hand.  My assistant, Dushyanthi was in charge of making sure she and my interns of put the right music together for the shoot and as it turned out, this was one of the most important parts of the day.  

My crew put the set together as I spoke with my clients and Angela.  My clients and I looked over and discussed wardrobe with the clothing stylist as the manicurist did Angela's nails and toes.  Then we had Angela try on varies garments to find the right one's that worked.  I had one of my interns, Hiromi shoot small jpegs of Angela in each garmet to email to P&G for approval.  Once that was done Angela went into hair and makeup and then we finally started to shoot.  

I shot with the H2 Hasselblad body with a P30 plus digital back and instead of using strobes I decided to use a continuous light source as my main light.  I started my career using HMI lights and have always loved the look and quality I get from these lights.  It's the closest thing to the sun and was perfect for this shoot.  

Finally on set and everything was working except for one thing.  Angela was tired and I could see it in her eyes.  I stopped often to give her breaks and talked with her to get her energy up and she was a professional in every way but still I could see I wasn't getting the Angela I am used to.  My assistant, Dushyanthi whispered that she saw Angela singing to a certain song while her makeup was being done and told me the song she wanted to play but I blew it off and told her to keep with the music I had playing.  I again stopped and talked with Angela and started to shoot more when my assistant again came and whispered in my ear.  I have come to trust my crew a lot so I said "okay lets play that song" but I wasn't really convinced for some reason.  Then the song came on and Angela lit up!  I couldn't believe it and all of the sudden the shoot changed and her energy was the Angela I've shoot so many times.  That was the turning point of the day and I can only say "thank you Dushyanthi", as this was the second time she's been on point with the music.  The magic song was Tina Turner's Proud Mary and I don't know to this day why it didn't click at first when it my assistant mentioned it the first time but Proud Mary turned the day around and made this image possible! 

Camera:  H2

Back:  P30Plus

Lighting:  HMI

Music:  Tina Turners "Proud Mary"

Location:  Los Angeles, CA

Makeup by Roxanna Floyd

Personal Assistant: Dushyanthi

Interns:  Hiromi San, Ramona

Photo Assistants: 1st asst-Gary, 2nd asst-Robert

Condé Nast Brides Shoot and Warren Buffett

Five days left until "The Election" and I can't stop thinking about how fast this year has gone by and how fast things can change in our lives.  This election is not at the end but the beginning.  The beginning of hope for a better economy, better careers, better chances and more possibilities. The wonderful thing about America is that each day we wake up we have possibilities.  We can go from being homeless to a billionaire, unknown to famous, weak to strong and all of this is not because we have the power to change our lives if we just believe in ourselves.  America is about possibilities.  Please vote and get all of your friends to vote.

Brides Magazine is one of my favorite clients.  The editors there are wonderful people whom I love working with on each and every assignment.  They have become almost like family to me and we catch up on our separate lives each time we meet.  During my assignments we talk about our lives, mates, travels outside the US, hopes for the future and this crazy economy.  For years I've been a big fan of Warren Buffett and now all the things I've said over the years are happening and the advise I give to my assistants, interns, clients and friends is now something everyone is interested in hearing.    One of my favorite quotes by Warren is "Be fearful is others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful".  It seems the entire world is fearful at this moment but I told my clients and assistants that this is cyclical and prosperity will again come our way but we must all be smart at this time until things change.

The beauty of making a living as a photographer is that I love photography, so it never really seems like work.  I certainly love shooting for Brides Magazine and having the opportunity to make amazing images with clients I like and models that are talented.  The models on this shoot were both great to work with but this session was a re-shoot to a story I'd shot in New York a few weeks prior.   A few weeks ago we shot this story with three models but one of the girls wasn't as strong as the other two and my clients and I agreed it would be better to find a stronger third model and re-shoot.  I didn't mind and I was headed back to New York from LA anyway for other clients so it all worked out.

As many of you know, I am a big fan of using one light source and this shoot was done with simply one light.  We had other lights on the set but only used my Para umbrella.  One rule to remember is the bigger the light, the softer the light and as you can see from some of these images I'm using a big source.   The light here is the Para 220 umbrella.  This light comes in three sizes and for the most part I use the smaller two, but both are not really that small.  The 170 is the smaller of the Para, but I use the 220 the most.  The 330 is just too big for most of my uses but I have had times when it was appropriate to use.  I use the Para with Profoto strobes and have done so for years.  I don't own the equipment but simply rent it each time I use it but no matter how many times I order it I get a call from the equipment rental house telling me I can't use Profoto with the Broncolor Para and for years I've told them I use it all the time.  My assistants laugh each time I tell them this!

I shot Digital for the 2nd time for Brides on  this assignment.  We've always shot film in the past but in the last month we have now gone to digital.  I miss working with film a lot and now it seems I am doing so less and less except on my personal work.  Even my assistants are not as on top of things as they were with film and I have to remind them more often than in the past.  More on film later.  Time to edit yesterdays shoot!

Photo Plus

I never thought I'd ever add "speaker" to my resume, but these days I do quite a bit of public speaking.  The Photo Plus convention in New York City just ended yesterday and I spoke a total of  eight times during the convention.  I love photography and I love sharing my knowledge with anyone hungry for information in my field.  Whenever I am in New York City I try to see at least one photo exhibit so today I went to ICP, The International Center for Photography on 43rd and 6th Avenue.  Cornell Capa's work inspired me and I found myself thinking I must shoot every day and keep my eye sharp, especially in NYC.  Another favorite gallery in New York is the Staley Wise Gallery in Soho.

If you've heard me speak before then you know how important music is to my photography.  This week my collection of music launched at Triple Scoop Music and it's a list of my top 10  songs to keep your clients in the right mood while shooting.  Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.  The link to my music list is available at http://triplescoopmusic.com/About/Featured/Matthew-Jordan-Smith-Vol1.aspx

Tomorrow I fly to Boston to speak at Boston Univeristy Center for Digital Imaging Arts.  I look forward to sharing my knowledge of photography with the students there and inspiring the next great photographic talent.  I will be joined by Julieanne Kost from Adobe who will speak about layering and compositing in the new Adobe Photoshop CS4.  The event is October 27th, 2008 from 6:30pm -9:30pm.  

8/7/08 Helicopter over Iceland

My trip to Iceland was filled with surprises each day and this day was no exception.  I woke up to learn that I'd have the opportunity to fly over Iceland in a helicopter without the doors attached.  At first I was a bit apprehensive but the excitement of photographing this incredible landscape soon took over and I was one in the first group to go up.  Once I got over how fidget it was without the doors I didn't want to come down.  The landscape is so overwhelmingly beautiful and the colors unreal.  I took one body and one lens along with a hooded jacket and heavy gloves.  I soon learned I couldn't shoot with the gloves on but it was worth my fingers freezing to get these shots.  I only wish I could have stayed up longer and traveled all over Iceland this way.  

8/8/2008: Glacier Lagoon_Iceland

I never thought I'd see an iceberg with my own eyes, much less watch one sink right in front of my own lens.  Five min. before this image was taken our guide told us that this glacier wasn't here the day before.  Even when he said it I didn't really believe him but then we heard the cracking sound and a moment later it slowly sank half way right in front of us.  

This day was one of my favorites in Iceland and I can only say "thank you" to Microsoft for taking me on this incredible journey throughout all of Iceland.  There is no place on earth like it for sure and I plan to go back often to photograph the beauty of this land.  Normally, I'm photographing models or personalities but there was something special that can't be put in words when trying to describe the beauty of this lovely land called Iceland.

The Oprah Photo Shoot

Oprah has an amazing aura!  I've never seen my crew so happy after a shoot, but it wasn't just my crew who left feeling inspire and uplifted but my clients as well.  The shoot was in incredible experience and partly due to having the a great crew and great music.  I had a short window to shoot but we easily had 100's of great images for my client.  The week leading up to our shoot I had my interns and assistant putting the right music together and I grilled them to make sure we had all the latest research material to compile a great music list.  The moment Ms. Winfrey walked in the room and heard the  music I knew I was going to have a great shoot.  Some of the artist I played during our photo shoot were, Leona Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Robin Thicke, Tina Turner and more.  It was a great day and I hope to work with her again soon.