|
So Kessler struck out on his own with gigs at Child Magazine: "It paid the bills," he says with a chuckle. And the Alternative Press Magazine, a low-paying Cleveland-based publication that didn't pay the bills. But the later offered other rewards: It was there that Kessler began shooting bands and earned a reputation as a music photographer. Now, ten years later, Kessler has come full circle. Sort of. He's back doing celebrity portraiture again, only this time loving it. Kessler spoke to altpick.com from his home in Manhattan. Do you do shoots in your apartment?
I have a couple people who I like. But not anyone full time. To me, it's all a matter of who you want to spend a day with. There are those super hard-core, lifelong assistants who might do great work but are so burnt out they're no fun. For me, that's the biggest question: Who do I want to spend a day with? Everyone on the shoot has to be on the same wavelength. Was it like that for you when you were an assistant? When I was an assistant, I had to hide in the closet. I was not allowed to talk to the subjects. We ate separately, everything. Of course it's always a question of the photographer's style. But I personally think that the subjects pick up on that. It's really, really horrible to be photographed. The trick is to know how to make it a decent experience for the person being photographed. Sure you need to know lighting and all that stuff. But what it really comes down to is making someone comfortable. How do you do that?
My photo teacher at the Rochester Institute of Technology called me one day and told me about a summer internship. Five other people applied for it. So I went down and interviewed, and the interviewer looked at my book. She said, "That's fine and all, but what can you tell me about yourself?" So I told her about a trip I had recently taken to Moab, Utah, and how it was a really amazing experience to be out west. And she said, "Oh really? I just got back from there." So then I met Annie, and we went from there. A job opened up later and I started working for Annie one week after I finished school. How was the work? You had to be devoted to do it. I couldn't have worked that hard otherwise. At the time I lived with my girlfriend, and I would leave before she got up and get home after she went to sleep. I found out I would have had to stay another year and a half to become the first assistant. I decided I wanted to shoot on my own, so I left.
I have a beat up old Nikon I carry around with me. I have 13 nieces and nephews, so I'm always shooting them. It looks nothing like my other stuff -- just these black and white images of my family. So the editor saw my stuff and liked it. It got me out of being a photo assistant; it got me the break I needed. But I did some horrible stories, like, "Is Your Child a Cross Dresser?" and "Birthdays Through the Ages." And, I got a gig with Alternative Press out of Cleveland. I didn't make any money but I got to meet publicists and shoot a lot of bands. My first big job was shooting the Foo Fighters on their first European tour You made a name for yourself as a photographer of bands. Now you're doing more celebrity portraits. What happened?Music is great, but record companies are in such turmoil right now because they're all merging into one big company. I think it hit me when I shot Insane Clown Posse twice in the same year. It was at the height of the boy-band phenomenon, and there wasn't much music that I liked. I thought, "It's time to shoot more portraits." What are some of your more rewarding, recent jobs in portraiture? Lately, I've been going to the Sundance Film Festival every year. It's always amazing to shoot 20 people in six days. You just run down the street shooting. You have to find locations in every corner. How do you promote yourself these days? My Web site really has been key. Nowadays, some editors don't even ask to see my book. Art directors love it -- they realize that way they don't have to talk to you. In five seconds they can tell if they are interested in you. There are more photographs on my site now than in my book. And as busy as people are these days, they love that. Things get done faster. - Contributed by Kelly McEvers >> See more work from Joshua Kessler >> See other member spotlights on the member spotlight index >> Find out more on how to become an altpick.com member |
