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john-gress-interview-steady-focused-20

020 - Going Full Circle | John Gress Interview

March 05, 2017 by simeon hendrix

This week on Steady Focused, we're on the line with Mr. John Gress, a 16+ year veteran to the craft of photography. His body of work is the stuff of dreams. Clients from NFL to NBA, to Best Buy to Hyundai, Lexus, New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine... Some of his assignments include the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama, 2006 Super Bowl and the 2010 Stanley Cup. High fashion, high commercial, super models, film stars and much much more.

Strap on your seat belt, we're keeping the pedal on the gas. John brings soooo much value!!

President Obama. Photography ©John Gress Photography

President Obama. Photography ©John Gress Photography

Key Takeaways:

02:00 - John gives a brief overview of his history. Age 14 picks up moms camera, 18 starts freelancing for AP, then picked up by Reuters

06:00 - Full circle - collecting trading cards as a kid -  shooting photographs for NFL, NBA rookie trading cards as a 40 year old.

07:00 - How handle being with celebrities? Ever star-struck?

08:45 - What's set up looking like for NFL / NBA trading card shoots?

Pocket Wizard, Speed Cycler, 10 light set up. Alternative  "scenes" from same lighting set up. Take two photos in a row, lights automatically toggle on/off to create twice as many "scenes" at the same time, without having to manually switch or adjust lights.

NFL Miami Dolphins Rookie Photograph. © John Gress Photography

NFL Miami Dolphins Rookie Photograph. © John Gress Photography

12:53 - Hardest thing with having a career as freelance artist?

Inevitably you will have a great client you love to work with, but something will happen and you won't have that client anymore. People will move on, budgets will change. Recognize change is inevitable, but you're going to be okay. Doors close and doors open. Sometimes, things seem bad but they are really going to be okay. Don't sweat things.

16:00 - How important is putting in the work, to being successful?

For about two years, two photo shoots a week on models, for free. Getting the experience. It allowed me to develop my lighting technique. Or at the very least be able to see a photo and understand how to recreate it.

18:35 - Cheating yourself by having two different set ups, two different approaches for different paying shoots. There's a time where I would have clients who would pay me $600 for a portrait but the newspaper would pay me $250 for a portrait.

22:00 - Communicate, prepare, set up early. Protecting yourself. Setting yourself up for success. 

24:00 - Does amazing lighting have to cost a ton of money? - No.

24:00 - Art Streiber - Photek Soft Lighter -  10 sided umbrella with sock - Photek Soft Lighter - $89
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/42419-REG/Photek_SL_5000_Umbrella_Softlighter_II.html

26:15 - CheetahStand 48'' RiceBowl 16 sided softbox - $150
http://www.cheetahstand.com/product-p/rb-120.htm

NBA Sacramento Kings Photography. © John Gress Photography.

NBA Sacramento Kings Photography. © John Gress Photography.

29:00 - Buy on eBay

30:15 - Biggest struggle in career to get to point where are now?

"Every creative person, has been told they should stop doing what they are doing and find a real job. And at the same time they've also been told, they are God's gift to whatever..." The trick is to live somewhere in the middle. Be humble, keep your head down.

32:40 - Go deep with relationships. Build, grow, connect.

35:15 - What's a most common mistake you see photographers make? Finding one thing and executing that one thing over and over and over, getting comfortable and not trying new methods.

Corporate group photo. © John Gress Photography

Corporate group photo. © John Gress Photography

37:30 - The power of experimenting. Discovering new ways to do the same things. 

38:45 - Mentoring. Sharing what you know.

41:30 - Practice. Practice. Try stuff. Develop the depth, so that when you do come across the opportunity that is a solid paying gig, you will be ready for it.

43:00 - As long as you're making a living, doing what you love, that's all that matters.

44:00 - Photographing Barrak Obama

46:45 - #FamousBTSMag #iso1200 - Awesome behind the scenes Instagram accounts you should follow

http://instagram.com/johngressmedia
http://johngress.com

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March 05, 2017 /simeon hendrix
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there-are-many-ways-make-living-with-camera-steady-focused-ep-19

019 - There Are Many Ways to Make A Living With Your Camera - Find Yours

February 27, 2017 by simeon hendrix
“It’s not just about high fashion, it’s not just about high-end commercial. You can make a living telling stories with your iPhone. The most important thing is hustle. Just do it... go all in on your passion.”

In this episode of Steady Focused, we're traveling to Sugar Land, Texas - a suburb of Houston to document the grand opening of an Urban Air Adventure Park. We explore the fact that it's 2017 and there are many ways we can make a living with our camera. Heck, it's possible to make a living with your iPhone.

The important thing is to follow your passion. Go all in. 1 million percent. Push all the chips to the center of the table and bet big on your passions. Follow them. What we are passionate about, is where we will be successful.

Hoegger Communications, the agency I work at, handles all the marketing for Urban Air Adventure Park nation wide. Urban Air Adventure Park = birthday party central! Trampolines, dodge ball, slam dunking, sky coasters, rock walls, rope courses... it's an incredible amazing company that's spreading like wild fire all across the USA.

Urban Air Sugar Land Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting

Urban Air Sugar Land Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting

Moms have business meetings while kids play at Urban Air in Sugar Land, Tx

Moms have business meetings while kids play at Urban Air in Sugar Land, Tx

Young girl floating in balls that line the floor of the Ninja Warrior Course at Urban Air.

Young girl floating in balls that line the floor of the Ninja Warrior Course at Urban Air.

LED lights shine bright, illuminating the floor of the Urban Air Ninja Warrior Course.

LED lights shine bright, illuminating the floor of the Urban Air Ninja Warrior Course.

Ninja Warrior Course at Urban Air Adventure Park in Sugar Land, Tx.

Ninja Warrior Course at Urban Air Adventure Park in Sugar Land, Tx.

A young boy scales the rock climbing wall.

A young boy scales the rock climbing wall.

Aerial view of the ropes course, 15 feet above the ground! Defy gravity at Urban Air Adventure Park!

Aerial view of the ropes course, 15 feet above the ground! Defy gravity at Urban Air Adventure Park!

For more information:
http://UrbanAirAdventurePark.com
#UrbanAir

February 27, 2017 /simeon hendrix
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Being Fro Knows Photo | Jared Polin Interview | Steady Focused 018

Being Fro Knows Photo | Jared Polin Interview | Steady Focused 018

018 - Being Fro Knows Photo | Jared Polin Interview

February 13, 2017 by simeon hendrix
“I can’t sit around and do nothing. That sucks. I don’t want to go sit on a beach. I don’t want to go relax... I want to create and that’s what I set out to do. Because if I’m not (creating), I feel like I’m dying.”
— Jared Polin - Fro Knows Photo

Guys, tonight we have on the show the man, the myth the legend. Mr. Jared Polin, Fro Knows Photo. 

Not only is this man a world renowned photographer, but this man is the epitome of long game consistent content creation. He has been consistently putting out a video, not every month, not every week, but every day... for years!

He's accumulated over 600,000 subscribers, 89 Million views and has literally shaped the landscape of photography in our world.

Key take aways:

(00:00) Jared Polin introduced me to Gary Vaynerchuk

(01:45) How Jared met Gary Vaynerchuk

(02:50) There's no secret to success. Just beat the shit out of it. Crush it. Just show up and do it.

(03:35) Where was Jared along is path when he first met Gary?

(04:00) The one thing I learned from attending events was what not to do. Gary was different. He told it how it really is.

(04:45) Very first video was posted in 2008

(06:00) When Jared interviewed Gary Vee

(06:25) "I still have the same mindset of creating great content that people enjoy and consume."

(07:00) What drives you? "What's the alternative? Sitting around and doing nothing? I don't want to sit on a beach and do nothing. I want to create. Because if I don't, I feel like I'm dying."

FroKnowsPhoto RAWtalk EP 213

(07:55) Typical week? *laughs* it never ends, it's a constant. Wake up, create, engage with audience, eat, sleep, repeat...

(09:28) How many are on the Fro Knows Photo team?

(10:41) Best place to eat in Philly

(11:45) Roadblocks encountered along the way

(13:00) Go from someone who keeps all the secrets to giving it all away

(13:45) Self Doubt - "The most mundane things get fucked up in my head. I question everything."

(14:30) Secret to learning - "Just fucking do it."

(15:15) My Gear Vault App - New app Jared and his team has created. Catalog and protect your gear and yourself

(19:30) What advice would you have for a younger version of yourself - like me with Steady Focused, growing a brand still green, still growing

(20:43) Did you ever feel like you wanted to give up?

(21:00) Wake up, shoot a video, edit a video, post a video, interact with people, go to lunch, come back from lunch, think about an idea, shoot a video, edit the video, put it out into the world, interact with people until 1 or 2am, go to sleep, wake up and do it all again for the next 6 or 7 years.

(22:00) "I didn't start Fro Knows Photo until I was 29. ... I made a change at 29, I transformed my body, and that gave me more to get in front of the camera. I wanted to do something. I decided right then and there and I did it. If you have an idea, just do it."

For more information:
http://froknowsphoto.com
http://youtube.com/froknowsphoto
http://mygearvault.com
http://instagram.com/jaredpolin

 

 

 

February 13, 2017 /simeon hendrix
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