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To create these otherworldly environments, Fiscus taps as deeply into his imaginative as his technical faculties, applying a digital-imaging technique that seamlessly merges rich layers of portrait and environmental photography into one composition. As a student, Fiscus studied photography for three short semesters at East Texas State University before putting in time as a photographer's assistant, scouting locations, carrying cases, and lighting sets in the daily grind of the production assistant's life. "Everybody has to assist," he says about this stage of his life, philosophically. In 1991, he landed his first client, Philip Morris, for which he traveled the country shooting farmers. He hasn't stopped shooting since. Represented by Stockland Martel, he has a robust client list today that includes ESPN, HBO, Nike, Guinness, Cartoon Network, Channel 4 in the UK, and Showtime. Over the course of his career, he's shot a host of high-profile celebrities, from musicians like Ludacris and Usher to sports figures like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. Fiscus recently took a break from his busy schedule to share his thoughts about his work.
Tell me about your beginnings. When did you decide to strike out on your own? It was in 1991. I used all the money I made in production to buy cameras and set up a studio. I didn't have a portfolio or clients. That was a very backwards way of doing it. If I did it again, I wouldn't buy all the hardware first but would concentrate on building a portfolio. Starting a studio is a very complicated thing, and I was very lucky to get to work with decent people. With time, the creative got better and better, and now here I am, traveling and shooting every week. How do you manage to capture the essence of the people you're shooting? I think that in order for me to illustrate what a person is like, I have to apply different personalities for each shoot, because different people respond so differently. When you photograph people, they need something from you-or they simply don't. It depends. I either have to be very involved with that person or I have to withdraw to allow them to be whatever they are. If I try to overpower someone, I'd be getting them to be what I want them to be, not who they are. In dealing with any person, it takes a little bit of time. But the idea is to allow a situation to be what it is without imposing my will and my personality. The idea is not about getting attention for the photographer-it's about attainting an image. I also shoot a lot of real people. Very rarely do I have the opportunity and responsibility of photographing commercial talent. With commercial talent, they're used to being directed, but real people bring so much more to a shoot than what a photographer or art director can do with a preconceived ad. Spontaneous things happen, and you have to be ready for it. Do you have a native ability to let people be who they are, or is it a skill you've honed over the years?Being shy, I was always someone who watched people from the sidelines. I've watched people forever. As I began to do this professionally, I realize I continue to watch people. I just use the camera a little bit.
I intentionally don't research some of the personalities I shoot. A lot of the work is so fantasy-driven and conceptual that it doesn't have to do with what the person has done in the past. If I research what they've done, there's a chance the work might simply to duplicate that. Everyone knows who Ludacris is, but before I shot him, I didn't research him, because what we were trying to do was create a new world. It's not an easy question to answer, but can you take a stab at describing your style? Each of my images dictates its own action-its own lighting and method of thought. One day it's Usher, the next day, it's an ad for the Powerpuff Girls, and I have to put myself in the role of the viewers. You really have to be flexible. I try to think like an 11-year-old girl if it's a Powerpuff Girls ad. And if it's a billboard of Usher in Times Square, I try to think what it will be like to be in Times Square, looking up at that billboard. Part of the beauty of my relationship with Stockland Martel is that I've had such a diverse client base. Each ad campaign has been dissimilar, and every week I get to do something completely different. How has the photographic landscape changed over the course of your career?Clients have become much more trusting over the past few years. Rather than saying, here's what I want this to look like, or asking me to duplicate what's already been done, I've had the wonderful opportunity to create unique photographs. The credit for that goes to the clients I've worked with, whose concepts have been extremely creative. That's one of the most important changes in my career as it applies to the photographic landscape. It's much easier to do great pictures when you have a great concept to work on.
Really it's illustration that's most interesting to me. It seems to me that there are so many great photographers, but in terms of conceptual thought, the illustrators have an edge over us. It makes sense, because illustrators aren't bound by physics. The images I do are shot in layers and they're digitally composed, so I've had some of the advantages that illustrators have. By shooting things in layers, I can do something that's not "literal," but at the same time, things appear to be photographically real. And how about you? Have you dabbled in illustration? I draw my layouts. Other than that, I'm a master at the stick figure. Any other sources of inspiration? I'd just say that the staff and the people who do this with me are a very important part of what I do, from the stylists to my studio manager to the digital artists. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by these people who are extremely dedicated to what they do. They're as much a part of making it happen as anyone. - Contributed by Mary-Beth Holland >> See more work from Jim Fiscus >> See other member spotlights on the member spotlight index >> Find out more on how to become an altpick.com member |
