We were recently asked to put together an RFQ for a potential job.  To those of you outside the A/E/C world, an RFQ is a Request for Qualifications.  Architects are asked for RFQs all the time and also RFPs (Request for Proposals) and therefore, indirectly, I know what a major undertaking they can be.  I had been asked for RFQs before but, they typically consisted of a 3 to 4 page document and a portfolio of work or website link.  This RFQ was DIFFERENT.  The request was a major university who was doing a national search to find a photographer or organization who would serve all their architectural photography needs over the next 3 years.  The client took the same format that they would use to select and architect and applied it to architectural photography and thus, it was quite the undertaking.  Apart from the run of the mill info: “How many years have you been in business?”, “Do you have ample insurance?”,  “Do you have pending lawsuits against you?”, the meat and potatoes of the RFQ was How many national awards have the projects you have shot won? and How many times have your projects been published nationally?  Well, one might believe we might readily know this information but, after a shoot happens, we are often not informed when these things happen and it required a bit of sleuthing.  We reached out to clients, inquired and round up quite a list. In the process we learned that 45 Projects we had shot had racked up 90 not only National but, International Design Awards and if you threw in the State and Local AIA Awards, that number was closely approaching 200! We also found that our work had been published in either a Nationally or Internationally distributed publication 124 times!  That is a bunch of published work.

In the end, our RFQ was 44 pages long!  We sadly were not short listed but, I didn’t feel bad.  The of the three firms that were shortlisted, two were local to the project and the third was a collaborative of photographers so, they could mix and match talents to the respective projects.  I am not a stable of photographers nor could I make myself local so I felt good about the effort we put forth.  More importantly, I learned a great deal about the work I had done and now can walk into a meeting with the knowledge that a significant amount of the projects I have shot have either won a design award on the National or International stage or have been published on those levels as well, and few can say the same.  We have served out clients well and some GREAT clients they are!

I graduated from Cornell in the Spring of 1986 and moved to New York City.  I shared an apartment at 30th & 3rd with a college roommate for two years through the summer of 1988.  At that time I wanted to go to grad school to get my MFA so I might end up teaching so, applied to MFA programs at Yale, RISD and NYU.  I wanted to go to Yale or Rhode Island School of Design but, they largely accepting those whom had been working on their thesis for 5-10 years and my commercial work experiences were largely looked down upon. I got into NYU but felt I needed some more grass, trees and fresh air so, I moved back to Ohio. My time in New York City was incredible and it certainly made its mark upon me but, life has a way of taking you where you need to be (An Architectural Photographer).  I am very happy I ended up where I am, as opposed to where I thought I wanted to be (A Collegiate Professor). Maybe I didn’t end up teaching but, I still regard myself a teacher.  Instead of teaching to a class, I merely take on one student at a time and their education tends to be 2-3 years (and they even get paid). They are known as my assistants, past & present, and I care for them deeply.

Assistant’s are often the behind the scenes, uncelebrated and under appreciated team members that help a shoot come together.  The assistant allows the photographer to focus on their vision, while they lug equipment, set up lights, cameras and computers and through and through, keep a shoot running smoothly.  I wanted to take a few moments to give some acknowledgement to some of my assistants, past & present, in chronological order, put faces to the faceless and let the world see some of the truly GREAT work they are doing!

Stuart Hart was my assistant many years ago.  Stuart was a wonderful assistant and very talented.  With my encouragement to go work with the best, Stuart moved to New York City to try assisting in the big city and there, Stuart got smart.  Stuart saw two people on set, doing virtually the same job.  There was “the Assistant” who was facilitating things but was getting very little respect and also very little compensation and then there was this other guy called “the Producer” who was facilitating things and was getting total respect and, in turn, was getting compensated with big bucks so, Stuart became a producer.  He is now one of the Owners of TNC Productions, one of New York City’s top production companies and now works on some amazing campaigns, as you can well see below.

Then there is Jason Meyer who followed Stuart and, after 5 years of assisting, became my Associate. Jason does wonderful work in both Architectural and Rock & Roll arena.  Jason has been my right arm for more than a decade and I will forever be indebted to him for all of his diligence and hard work.  He has been shooting live Music for more years than he has been with me (which is about 15) and his work is some of the best out there.  Please take a moment to check out the Rock & Roll stuff as it will knock you off your feet (as shown below, WOW!).

Following Jason was the fantastic Andrew Frasz.  Andrew, like Stuart, moved to New York City and has assisted some great great photographers, certainly greater than I.  Andrew is like a sponge and I see him sucking up all the wonderful experiences he has had and then turning all his immense knowledge to create images that are uniquely his own.  Every time I go to Andrew’s website I am simply blown away.  His work has so much sensitivity, openness, heart and grace that I am always in impressed by how far he has come and know that the sky is the limit as far as how far he will go. It is definitely worthy of your time to take a look as what you will see is special on every account.

Next came Dustin Halleck.  Dustin after working with me moved to Chicago, with his now wife while she pursues her medical degree.  Dustin’s vision is unique and he is fascinated by the world both great and small.  I found myself on many shoots, would be setting up and would look around only to find Dustin on his hands and knees photographing a flower or insect.  His investigations into the micro worlds of flowers and insects is awe inspiring. I am perpetually amazed by his work.

Last but certainly not least is the fantastic work of my current assistant, Lauren Davis.  She is certainly no slouch and amazes me daily with her work and creativity.  She may be at the
beginning of her photographic journey but her enthusiasm, talent and vision will take her far.  She will undoubtedly have a very long a fruitful career (if I ever let her leave assisting me).  Definitely worthy of a look and her absolutely wonderful work.

If I leave this world and all I have to show is the fact that I have helped these fine men and women along their journey, the great work that all of them are producing will be enough.  Each has impacted on me and ceaselessly inspire me.  I hope I have, in some small way, helped them along their journey and the time they spent here with me was valuable.

Photography is not always easy.  The hours can be long, the travel can be grueling and the attrition rate is aggressive at best.  I just read in Resource Magazine that after 3 years ONLY 15% have endured.  A staggering 85% turnover rate. So, as I look back over my past 25 years in the business, I am blessed.  Blessed to have worked for the likes of Avedon, Mapplethorpe, Newman, Horst and Tenneson, blessed by the wonderful clientele I have and the wonderful projects I get to shoot and blessed by the incredible opportunities to travel and see the world around me but, most of all, I am blessed by an incredible wife and two wonderful boys. I am very fortunate.

I hope that you, too, are equally blessed in this world and I wish my family a very happy and healthy Valentine’s Day with Lots of Love from Me.

My son has a funny/cleaver T-shirt from Threadless called the “i in Team”.  I find it very humorous and great design but the “Team in I” is way more important.

A few weeks back, I was asked on The ASMP/ASPG listserve, what it was like to work with Arnold Newman.  The response was highly positive and I felt there might be enjoyment gained but others than just those on the list serve.  Here it is, I hope you enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of ©James Cook 2004

I first need to give you a bit of background.  After leaving Cornell and moving to New York City I had applied to work with quite a few photographers and was offered jobs by Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz.  I chose Dick over Annie, though Annie was VERY hot at the time doing all the Rolling Stone covers, and was glad I did.  I came to find out that everyone had worked for Annie as she chewed up and spit out photographers quickly and I never met an assistant in New York whom lasted more than 3 months with her.
Avedon was the best & worst experience of my life.  Everything in that studio needed to be perfect always.  I never left the studio and when I did, I would come home and dream (or really have nightmares) about being at the studio.  There are countless stories to tell but I want to get to Arnold. At that time I thought that I wanted to teach and was rather forthright about it.  Avedon felt his studio was there to create little Richard Avedons and after 9 months we parted ways.  At times I wish I were there longer but in truth, I learned greatly in my 9 months and went on to a series of diverse experiences that certainly exceeded staying longer with Avedon.
Having worked with Avedon — since I was one of the very rare few –  opened many doors.  I had my “hit list” of “GREATS” with whom I wanted to work and called on them every other week to see what opportunities existed. I chose that I did not want full time employment but wanted to freelance so I could work for an array of photographers and I did; Mapplethorpe, Horst, Bruce Davidson, Joyce Tenneson and many others. For nearly two years I called upon Arnold and always got the same response, “We have no openings at this time but please stay in touch”.  One day I called and Arnold answered the phone.  He said, “How good a printer are you?” I was actually a very good B&W printer and printed for Avedon, for Arthur Elgort’s book the Swan Prince and several others and I said so.  He then asked, “How good a print spotter are you?” to which I replied, “I’m just OK but could probably be better”.  He responded, “That’s an honest answer.  Come in tomorrow!” and that is where it began.
First lesson learned, Always be honest and truthful, even if it shows your weaknesses.  It is better than creating an illusion that you cannot live up to.
I came to the studio and met Arnold.  He showed me the darkroom which had a poster on the wall of a B&W Enlarger set up in a Dungeon with shackles attached to the legs and I knew I was home. He wanted me to work full time but I didn’t want to so he said, “I will just hire you 5 days a week”.  For the last 4 months that I lived in New York I worked for Arnold, largely printing but also shooting with him. I printed his Sidney Janis Gallery show that hung in late 1988. An interesting story of one of the prints in the show, I was printing images of the painter Francis Bacon who often did paintings showing decay and one print I let sit in the fix too long.  It had bleached out in several places and look kind of interesting.  Instead of hiding the evidence, I showed him my mistake and he loved it.  We washed it throughly and went I went to the Sidney Janis Gallery’s opening, it was framed and hung as a “unique print”.  Loved it.
Over the time I worked with Arnold Newman we shot sculptors Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen for a American Airlines, about a dozen different female art collectors for Town & Country Magazine, but one of the best was a shoot at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton.  This is the think tank that Einstein was at and to Arnold — he was an Artist and he mingled with Artists and to him — Artists were just Artists but SCIENTISTS, THEY WERE GODS!  We spent two days setting up lights for a group shot that was truly about 30 separate portraits.  The group came in and each had the exact place in the photo (where I had once sat for the lighting tests) and had been lit specifically for them.  Sadly, I cannot find this image online as I would love to share.  After the shoot we went to dinner with the great sculptor and very good friend of Arnold’s, George Segal who was a professor at Princeton.  Arnold told me before the dinner, “We are dining with the great George Segal.  You are at the table because I have an obligation to feed you but you are not to say a word.  He is my friend and I am having dinner with him and you are to sit there quietly” which I did with great delight!
Arnold had a brusk way about him and a huge ego but, at the core was a big teddy bear with a heart of gold. No matter what I did, he had a better way.  No matter how well I packed the car with equipment, he always “needed” to move things around as he always thought there was a better way.  He was like the slightly annoying but loving Jewish grandfather.  He drove you nuts but you loved him, nonetheless.  He had an abundant love for his family but his heart and soul was truly Augusta.  I never knew a man who loved his wife so much.  She was an absolute angel and when she died I knew that Arnold would not last long and he did not, I believe two years exists between their passing.  Arnold’s studio was in the same Brownstone as his apartment so life and work were invariably intertwined.

I will tell you this, when you work so closely with people, you become very close to them. I remember the multiple calls I received after moving back to Columbus when the phone would ring and it was Arnold saying, “Where are my brown shoes” and I would reply, “Arnold, they are in the small closet on the 2nd floor, third shelf up from the bottom, right side” and he would say “Thanks”.  He was a wonderful man who I will forever miss and I feel uniquely fortunate to have worked with him.  On my wall hangs a portrait of the great stop action photographer Harold Edgerton that Arnold took and I printed for the Sidney Janis show.  Arnold had me print an extra copy and before I left New York City to return to Columbus he signed it “With Warmest Regards and Greatest Hopes for Your Future Success – Arnold”.  It was an amazing few years in New York at a time in history when there were some great photographers living and working.  I feel privileged to have been there then and those few months working with Arnold were certainly a highlight.

Last spring break, my 10 year old son decided that he wanted a change of scenery and wanted to change the look of his room.  He didn’t like the color of the room so we decided to paint.  One might think, what is there to say about painting a boys room?  There is more than one might think.

When I worked in New York City, typically the 1st job give to any incoming assistant was to paint a wall.  You ask, “Why?  Are there a great deal of walls in New York in need of painting?” and the answer is, no.  If you are working with a fashion photographer there is typically a cyc that requires painting occasionally but why your first job is to paint a wall is because painting a wall tells a great deal about how you may do the rest of your job.  Painting a wall is not difficult but it takes time, attention to detail, patience and diligence.  If you are going to do it right, everything needs to be taped off thoroughly, you need to put on several coats of paint, the coats of paint need to be applied evenly, the job is slow, tedious and can’t be rushed.  If you neglect any of the methodical steps, you will ultimately end up with a sloppy job, poor edging, uneven coats, spots and drips.  If you do these things well, you probably will approach the other jobs in a photo studio with the same diligence, which is critical.  If you don’t, you might need to move along as you may not be cut out for the rigor and attention to detail that photography requires.

Do I like painting? NO! I hate it but, I know what is required and can do it well when asked.

Well, my 10 year old asked and now has a beautifully painted sea blue room.

So, go “Paint-A-Wall”.  It may tell you more about you ability to be a photographer than you realize.

All the Best,

Brad Feinknopf

Recently, I was asked to provide a bid on a project.  The agency, who contacted me, said that their client required them to provide them with three photographer’s bids.  I appreciated being considered but, must admit that I do not like bidding scenarios.  I think most bidding scenarios are created with a photographer already in mind for the work and then two other sets of numbers to make certain the one photographer isn’t going to gauge them.  Nonetheless, it is the way of the world.

The project was of significant size and the client’s client was a large corporation so it was worth exploring the possibilities and therefore we put forth a bid.  The bid was due on Friday and we were to have a decision by end of day Monday.  Monday came and went, as did Tuesday and Wednesday and, at the end of day Thursday, we finally received out answer.  They had decided to go with a photographer they had worked with before.  Was I disappointed, yes.  Was I surprised, no.

I was told by the Art Buyer that the long delay in the decision making process was that their client entered into this process intending, as I suspected, to rehire the person with whom they had worked with before but, when they saw my work, it gave them pause.  For 4 days they deliberated on whether to go with the “known” or to venture somewhere new.  As much as I would have loved them to go somewhere new, I understood the comfort in going with the known.

I was professional, understanding, considerate and calm.  Getting upset was not going to change the decision and yet, I know so many photographers who blow up when a decision does not go their way.  Being graceful, polite and civilized is a far better way to go.

A few days later a received an email from one of the Executive Vice President’s of the Agency saying,

“I am sorry the project didn’t go your way.

I referred you in to the project. I have been a fan of you and your work for many many years! I think it would be great to have you in some time to share your portfolio with our team so that we can make sure you are on the list every time moving forward.

Let me know who to coordinate with to get you in.”

I guarantee that if I had a fit over not getting that particular job, the preceding email would NEVER have been forthcoming.  I can thankfully say that I win more projects than I lose but how you lose it is equally, if not more important, than how you win.

Who knows what the future will bring but you only have a fighting chance to win the game if you are in the game.  At least I know, with this particular client, I am still in the game.