Rules are meant to be broken

   I met alexandra through model mayhem, a kind of facebook for models and photographers. When i saw her images i knew i had to shoot her. It took quite a while for us to set a date and finally get together but i'm very glad we did, we had a great time. Not only is she gorgeous and a true natural in front of the camera but i think we laughed most of the night. I always have fun but when you get the pleasure of working with someone as funny and just all around great as she is it makes it really tough to call it work.
   The funny thing is i broke several personal rules that night. Let me explain. One thing i hate to do is shoot in the same place several times, i think it can be hard to make the work look different and interesting if you just switch bodies but the environment is the same. Somehow this time my secret little alley (which isn't really much of a secret anymore) seemed like a completely different place. Not sure why, if it was the infusion of her energy or what it was but it was different.
   My second rule broken that night was that i try not to shoot people that have been shot quite a bit around the same timeframe. I feel like it looks bad. Like we as a community of photographers pass people around which is not the case. I think it makes for a bad atmosphere of competitiveness that we all try to outdo each other and again that's not true. we all do things in completely different ways but i still try to avoid people that are very popular subjects. Just me.
   I don't think she even knows this but i almost cancelled our shoot for that very reason. I'm very happy i didn't, i think we did pretty well. Sorry to keep this post so short, i think this image is worth a few words. Be good friends.

technology rocks!

Welcome to Szel Photography's link page!

We are a Manhattan, Kansas-based husband and wife photographic team. If you're looking for a fun and memorable experience while we make innovative and original images for you, you've come to the right people! 

What we do:

Wedding and portraiture. We have been shooting weddings together for over 15 years and will give you the day you've always dreamed of. We will happily shoot alternative and special ceremonies, we have worked closely with the LGBT community for many years.  We specialize in general portraiture of all kinds from commercial to personal. Unique and unconventional, the reason people started calling us by that name and it has just stuck. Unconventional photography.

Modeling and portfolio. One of my personal favorite things to shoot is aspiring and professional models. I love the challenge of working with new ideas and concepts and making them a reality.  Working closely with some of the area's best makeup artists and fashion designers gives us a creative edge to make the images you need to get where you have always wanted to be.

We also specialize in engagement, maternity, and boudoir photography as well as just about anything you could possibly imagine. You can find much more info and images at our website, www.szelphotography.com or you can look us up on facebook, www.facebook.com/szelphotography. We look forward to making incredible images for you!

Terry and Tamera Szel

785.477.0263

terry@szelphotography.com

www.szelphotography.com

www.facebook.com/szelphotography

collaboration: the photographer's last supper

   i know i've touched on this before, but there is an extreme sense of satisfaction that comes from being able to visualize an image in my head and then make it happen, often exactly as i pictured it or even better. i think most artists can empathize with this, it takes years to be able to do this for most people. i'm not talking about flowers in a vase, my visions are intense and difficult, and truthfully it's only been within the past few years that i have been able to do it and be happy with the results.
   i am very proud to have around me a group of the most ingenious and creative people, we are constantly bouncing ideas and concepts off of each other. when i approached the group about this crazy idea that has occupied a big spot in my brain i was in awe of the response i got. you never know how an idea will be taken or worse, mistaken. instantly the brainstorming began and the planning commenced. this was the biggest joint project i had ever been a part of, let alone been in charge of, so i definitely needed all the help and support to make it happen. the logistics of just finding a date to get that many people together in one place was ridiculously tough. but minus a few members we managed to get a pretty good representation of our own little A-team.
   this image, not counting the time it spent in my head patiently waiting in line to get out, took over a month to plan. every detail, what would be included on the table, who would be where, and many other tiny details had to be nailed down before hand so that we could get in, get it shot, and get out in military precision. even after all that quite a few minute items had to be tweaked. but all in all i think the long planning phase made the image stronger in that all those details were taken care of and we had a rough idea when we sat down to shoot.
   before i get into the awesome fiasco that was the day of the shoot, i should talk a bit about my inspiration for this image. it's not what you probably think. i have followed the work and career of david lachapelle for many years. his work is shocking and vibrant and super creative. i liken myself to him in that many of his images are not technically perfect but every detail is completely intentional. don't get me wrong, the vast majority of his images are perfect both technically and artistically, but i feel connected to his work because i think i learned a lot from his style and rejection of the idea that beauty is sacred and must be portrayed that way. (there's another secret project in my head along those lines so that's all i'm going to say about that!) anyway, a few years back he shot a rendition of the last supper that has always stuck with me. frankly i don't know the ins and outs of copyright law well enough that i'm not going to try to link to it, you'll have to google it. but it's well worth your time to do so, if for nothing else other than to see where my thoughts for my image came from.
   the day of the shoot was predictably chaos. trying to get so many people to find a location most had never been to, getting everything together. finally we were ready to shoot, with a few last minute changes and some casting and position changes, setting up lighting and the remote shutter system, (which was a fiasco in itself) it was time to start making exposures. all 47 of them. it took that many to get everyone where we wanted them, tweak the lighting and camera position, and get it... the image that has lived in my head was now real. well, as real as a digital file can be. i still miss the feel of a sheet of film in my hands, the smell of a darkroom...

  i have to give lots of credit here. not only to the people in the image but to a few that helped make it happen without actually being there. first those that are seen in the image from left to right... nic nichols (extra and model), jill stauffer (model and assistant extraordinair), melisha blair (photographer and model), justine hobbs (model), heather frazier (photographer), me, (please don't call me jesus), jessica budinas (photographer, and expert cigar lighter), zac johnson, who might actually be just left of jessica but something tells me you all can tell who is who (photographer), stephanie thede (photographer), catheryn chatham (photographer), kelli janzen (model), and georgia abrams (extra and juggler, i had to note that since i don't know very many)
   now on to those that were not in the image. i'm undoubtedly going to forget someone... first the group members that weren't able to be there,(you all suck by the way, except you elizabeth, you had a good excuse) angie davis, elizabeth debusk, emily bryan, jackie wilson, and nicolette sessin. you all better be there for the next one.
   also at the shoot but not in the shot were my incredible wife tammy szel, who without her help and understanding i'd be in a mental hospital, and stephanie's wonderful husband who i have no idea what your name is but you rock, nameless man.
ok i'm done. i hope.

"$30 family photo session, full res cd included"

  we've all seen these ads on craigs list. come on, really? this really saddens me, that the future of the industry i love is in the hands of the $30 photographer. the really sad part is i'm not entirely sure who is to blame for this. is it the $30 shooter or the people that have devalued good work to the point that they will pay them? i saw an image this week that just made my stomach turn. it was by one of the people i had idolized in the area and it was so bad in so many ways that i can't help but wonder if it was complacency that led to it or defeat. i don't know how that person feels but i can say it seems like i'm pushing a rock up a hill at times. why even try hard to produce a stellar image if someone would just as easily pay for an image that not only lacks any technical knowledge but is so uncreative and uninspiring that your yawn reflex kicks in before it's even loaded all the way.

  the way to compete with the $30 photographer is to maintain the high road. do what i have always done which is as simple as staying ahead of the curve so to speak. that's the part i can do, offer the very best i can and make sure i do all i can to give people what they want while still making it mine. you the consumer have an important part you can play too. don't fall for it. don't assume that these people in any way represent the cumulative body of work that is out there. demand better. demand quality worth paying for.

  this part is to you, the $30 shooter. do you make a profit? do you even know what a profit is in this industry? do you have what it takes to be in this industry for the long haul or is this a passing phase that will blow over as soon as you figure out that it's not an easy job? stop. either wait until you can ask for a decent price while looking in your clients in the eyes or go back to shooting your kid's softball games.
 
  the ever changing world of digital technology has a bit of this burden to bear also. there is no such thing as learning the hard way and working your way through the ranks. all of the unqualified reviewers these people get absolutely do not help. every time they post a mediocre image or worse they inevitably get "great photo!" or "i love your style!" from some soccer mom that has no clue. again only you can prevent inflated egos. don't spoon feed them these comments. think about what you're looking at and ask yourself if you would pay a real fair market price for their work. if the answer is no then you're doing everyone involved a huge disservice by giving shallow thoughtless critique. i am in no way advocating you to tell them coarsely how bad their work is but there are tactful ways to let someone know that they are not ready for prime time. trust me, i get asked to review people's work all the time and it could quite possibly be the hardest thing people ask me to do. i am however a firm believer in that if you must ask others for their opinion of your work then you already either doubt its quality and are looking for that aforementioned shallow ego inflation or your ego is already hopelessly inflated. either way, don't be surprised to feel the prick of a pin.
 
i don't feel defeated yet. i don't think i ever will. i am not about to start offering full resolution cd's again, or any cd's for that matter. (i have explained my reasoning for this ad-nauseum in the past and if you missed it stay tuned because i'm sure i will again in the future.) and i'm sorry, i won't be offering anything for $30. what i will be doing is trying new things, new techniques, learning constantly, and working as hard as i can to make sure there is a definable difference between my work and the $30 variety. as i said, you as the consumer of these deserve better.

  i leave you with an image from a very recent model shoot. try that with your pop-up flash, mr. $30.

the lovely shannon

   although facebook and i are currently not on speaking terms, i owe it a lot. besides the connecting with old friends, meeting new ones, blah blah blah, it has been the best thing i could have done to improve my photography. twofold really, it has shown me what can be done and shown others what i can do. the hardest thing to do in an industry like this is to get your work where others can see it and judge for themselves. facebook has instantly made that as simple as turning on a computer. good and bad has grown from this of course, but that's an entirely other subject and i've caused enough trouble this week so i digress.
   shannon and i met through my embittered lover, facebook, and i instantly knew i had to shoot her. beside the fact she's gorgeous, there was just some quality i couldn't put my finger on until i looked again and realized she is a dead ringer for one of my favorite models, miranda kerr. (that's right, some have favorite football players etc., i have favorite models. don't judge me, it's what i do.) so i was thrilled when she and i started talking about shooting. see she doesn't see the resemblance and i was determined to show her. she is a die hard, we arbitrarily picked a day that fit both of our schedules and of course it ended up being one of the hottest days so far in the summer. we did our best to stay in the shade out on the trails at the konza prairie and that made it bearable. we had fun and we got some great stuff. you be the judge on who she looks like.

the paradox of art and business

as a photographer i've always had issues with two titles, pro and artist. i don't know if i'll ever be comfortable being called a pro, mainly because even after twenty years of shooting i'm continually learning and evolving. being called an artist i think i'm a bit more comfortable with because art is totally subjective. literally in the eye of the beholder.

for me the greatest thing about art and more specifically about making art is that it's part of you. it's a very cathartic thing to put your own style into something and not worry about being judged against others because there is nothing to fairly judge against, it's too individual and personal.

photography is one of the very few businesses that try to meld the two, art and business, together. it's not always an easy task and usually not seamless. my style is very defined, i think people have a good idea when they hire me that they're not going to get rigid posed sears images, technically perfect but soul-less. that's why i spend so much time talking with people before i shoot them. by doing this i'm not just trying to learn exactly what they want but also i'm quietly thinking how can i put my mark on this and make it indisputably mine. anyone can shoot a decent portrait, literally anyone. it's the attention to detail and the work in planning and execution that make it special.

the end results though still have to be what the client had in mind when they contacted me and that's where the tricky part lies. i have to make a memory that is as much their concept and vision as it is mine and that's not easy. sometimes our ideas mesh perfectly and sometimes they clash, in which case sadly capitalism wins. getting to know people and grasping an idea of their taste helps but i occasionally take a leap and hope for the surreal.

jill came to me for some unique images of her very colorful tattoos. we talked and agreed on a setup and location. i had some ideas where i wanted to go with it and she loved them. so we shoot and we get some great stuff. beautiful saturated colors (she is a gorgeous redhead so that just added to the color). as i was editing i came across one image that i just kept struggling with. i tried everything i could to make it work in color but it kept screaming at me that it was meant to be black and white. this is the point where art and business collide, the point where you have to rub completely against and go with art. i really wasn't sure how it would be received, we did get some spectacular images in full and glorious color but this one black and white was totally contrary to the intent of the shoot. i showed it to her and she loved it. fortunately a gamble payed off, enough so that this image will be in a gallery show in july. whew. sometime you have to jump without thinking.

top secret

at an undisclosed location, thunderstorms looming in the distance. it seemed like we drove forever to get there. then we walk and walk and walk a bit more. nearly lose a shoe in some mud, and finally we arrive at the coolest place i've been for a while. it always takes a few minutes to break the ice so to say, to get into a good groove and start making magic, but i think it took way less time than it usually does. partly because chelsea is phenomenally good at what she does, and partly because i had a very good idea of what i wanted from this shoot. we shot for hours and it went by like minutes, pure magic.

ok enough 1950's crime drama writing. this was a really fun shoot and since it was the first time we had worked together we had a blast trying all kinds of different things. i have yet to meet someone that versatile and i wish i could explain how fast she can go from laughing to ready to shoot. almost instantly. i'm still playing with my homemade light strips. i may never use an umbrella or softbox again. 

another great day in the life of a photographer.

don't get me wrong, there are plenty of times it sucks to be a photographer, or more broadly to be in business for yourself doing anything. the business end of it is tough and brain-killing at times. the bright side though is the extreme satisfaction i get when i get to have a jump up and down "i got a killer!" moment! i've said this before but it's such an integral part of how i work, i plan everything. i'm a chronic planner. i am very good at pre-visualizing what i want from a shoot, but i'm also good at throwing those visions out and changing course. enough on that boring stuff though.
last night i had one of those moments when i knew i had a killer. it was a great shoot altogether but there is just an instant when you glance at the display and do a little dance, and i have to give credit where it's due, my bestie heather actually set up the shot, she's been trying to find the right situation and model to do this for a very long time and last night was it. i haven't seen what she came away with from it but i'm sure it will be spectacular. here is my version of it:

there were quite a few images from last night that i like but this was my dance like an idiot moment. i have to thank margaret for being such a great model and for putting up with our insanity. last night was just nuts, we were all late (except for margaret) and in a very uncharacteristic display i had some technical issues that while easily resolved (again you can't get freaked out when stuff goes awry!) they were still frustrating. but all in all a great night. here are a few more...

i'm really hoping to make more regular posts but life keeps getting in the way! i need desperately to update my website but frankly i'm becoming rather addicted to blogging. gee thanks again for that chris.

A weird reality check

i had the honor last week of shooting the graduation photos for a couple of great kids. not just any kids but the kids of a friend that i went to high school with. i'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. someone my age is old enough to have kids that just graduated high school? seriously am i.. are we that old??? yes i'm afraid we are. my lovely wife and i got a really late start at the kids thing, our oldest will be ten soon. but this was still a really weird realization, i just don't consider myself that old. my knees would disagree, they feel every day of my thirty eight years. nonetheless it was a great opportunity and i'm so happy i was able to do these photos for them. and what a fun bunch at that!

just to get the shot

photographers are a different breed. we're an obsessive and even neurotic bunch, driven by one thing: the desire to get the shot that's in our head. if you meet us one on one we may seem perfectly normal, but when you get us in groups of five or ten, or forty, our true insanity comes out. we have our own language, most of which seems to be dominated by a bunch of numbers and fractions and we are constantly passing around unbelievably expensive pieces of equipment as if we were showing each other baseball cards. one thing that happens quite a bit when we get together is we take more pictures of one another than we do the clients or models, and one of my favorite type of these images is the ones that demonstrate exactly the lengths we will go to just to get the shot. here are some of my recent and all-time favorites.

heather frazier of hnf photography, taken by me at  the 2010 scott kelby photo walk.

tom leopold of high class photographs, taken by lisa marie mulvaney, lisa marie photography. also taken at the 2010 scott kelby photo walk.

chrystal rae heckman of chrystal rae photography, taken at a shop talk event at tuttle creek by heather frazier.

me! taken by heather frazier at a recent model shoot.

catheryn chatham of rock star images photography, taken by me at a wedding i assisted her with.

yaritxa quinones-rodriguez, taken by me at a shop talk event.

a vision from my head.

i very rarely go into any kind of shoot without some idea of what i want to leave with. to me this pre-visualization helps me get prepared and gives me a direction. i'm also a firm believer  that you have to be willing to completely let go of that vision and be able to move in a totally different way if need be and not freak out and lose focus. versatility is a really critical thing to being a successful photographer. possibly the most important thing. one way i work on my own versatility is by challenging myself with unique locations and situations.
this image has lived in my head for a very long time. for one reason or another i could never find the right person/place/time to make it. but it stuck around and kept knocking on my brain wanting out. it's still not exactly what i had envisioned, and maybe at some future point i'll do it again, but for now my brain is quiet. for now. that doesn't last long.

a strategic decision.

i loved the image that i had used for years to represent my business, but it was time for a change. i made the decision that it needed to be more universal. the tattooed body of my good friend V has graced all of my pages and even my business cards but it might be offensive to some, who knows possibly many. it kinda feels a bit like selling out. i love catering to the extreme, after all most would agree that i'm a bit extreme. the problem is, there simply aren't enough of them... us around here to risk losing out because of something as simple as a profile photo or logo. so here it is, the newest face of szel photography. enjoy.

This guy inspires me.

I love to read zack arias' blog. Short fast reads, always good stuff. A quote from one of his recent posts that has stuck with me: "photography calls to many but chooses few". Perfect.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

well i did it.

well i have succumbed to yet another thing that i freely admit that i really don't understand and am not sure how to use. i'm now a blogger. i shouldn't be so surprised i guess, the last ten years have been filled to its brim with things i never thought i'd do and now have become daily life! so here it is, and here's to the start of something new.