Trampoline

Gina shares her secrets with Melbourne Tramps

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:38:00 +1100

Photographer to the stars, Gina Milicia gave us a generous insight into celebrity photography at Novembers trampoline meeting. Gina shared how she came to do what she does best; and the qualities she felt as emerging photographers and assistants would make us stand out from the crowd; all delivered with some surprising and entertaining personal anecdotes.

Gina attributed her break into celebrity photography came through assisting for a well known celebrity photographer, as a result of him appreciating her efforts in keeping the studio toilet sparkling white and going that extra mile, that no other assistant had done so before irrespective of her admittedly subpar (at that stage) technical skills (inclusive of folding up a reflector by snapping it in half). It was when she first stepped into his studio for a shoot with [ Sarah - what was the name of the celebrity?] that she knew exactly what she wanted to photograph for the rest of her life.

Gina's advice on working with celebrities/models was to earn their trust as early as you can through simple things like and using a laptop tethered to show them what they look like, making sure they are well looked after and to make a good first impression as within the first three minutes of getting to know someone they will either get along with you or they won't but either way formed an opinion. She highlighted the importance of testing lighting setups before the celebrities/model is present and never testing a new lighting setup with an important client but sticking to what you know works due to the typically very tight windows you have to work with them Case in point her image of Gary Sweet for which she had all of 30 seconds to create. Recent trends she noted with her celebrity clients was that they are taking more control of their public image by going to the photographer directly rather than through an entertainment company which they are contracted by.

Advice she had for assistants was to focus on just being assistants. Go that extra mile to show that you care, whether in her case it was scrubbing the toilet or changing the hand towels before a big and important shoot as these efforts don't go unnoticed by the photographer. Gina warned that if you are looking for assisting work never start the email/letter with the phrase Hi my name is [insert name] I really love your work it so amazing/mind blowing/ a creative whirlpool of photographic energy or end said email/letter with here is link to my folio you can checkout. 9 out of ten emails she receives read like a template. She doesn't care if potential assistants take great pictures; they are not there to shoot but do everything else but. Amen to that.

Gina's advice to students included getting as much assisting work with photographers as early as you can and with as many different types of photographers as you can as the skills sets and approaches to lighting are different. Gina was careful to note that she didn't see a distinction between all the different genres of photographers as one been "better" or more "respectable" than others saying she learnt a lot from wedding photographers and respected the skills of the paparazzi in their hustling with the rest of the pack to get the money shot as she did high end fashion photographers or architectural photographers. Gina advised students and emerging photographers to get a good mentor someone that you gel with. And get use to rejection; Gina suggested a 40 to 1 ratio of not getting a gig verses getting a gig. Gina underpinned the importance of building relationships and surrounding yourself with people (assistants, makeup artist, stylist, art directors and retouchers) that you get along with and finding those clients that you get along reemphasizing the three minute rule and then building those relationships.

Her closing words of advice were to "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up". If there is a common denominator between all the speakers I heard give presentations at ACMP and Trampoline meetings, it has been those five words.

P.S If anyone wants to know how Annie Leibovitz does it, it's two soft boxes either side. Bam.

Bounce Bounce Bounce

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:31:00 +1000

Last night saw the long awaited resurrection of the Melbourne ACMP Trampoline group for emerging photographers. It's probably been about 12 months since the last one of these and a big hand clap for photographer Sarah Anderson who has taken the initiative to get things going again.

Mark Munro spoke to the 30-40 togs gathered at Phoenix studios and gave a passionate perspective on not only his folio but also his personal visual diary and how he's become one of the busiest commercial photographers in town. He then went through his processes on developing ideas to get final resutls as well as touching on quoting, copyright and client relations. He also showed this amusing and appropriate youtube video:

If you enjoyed that or didn't get that, maybe the straightshooting advice of the legendary John Harrington might cut through to you. Here's the ad that he saw on Craigslist - as an emerging photographer would you do the job?

Here's what John had to say about this - if you even thought for a second about saying yes, well, click the link for some sage advice.... http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com

Joseph Feil gave us some excllent links from his blog http://www.josephfeil.com/snapshots/
real life quotes http://www.aphotoeditor.com/category/pricing-negotiating/
and ideas for unique folios http://blog.noplasticsleeves.com/

In the upcumming meetings we will be hearing from
Sally Brownbill http://sallybrownbill.com/ on how to put together the folio that will get you jobs and who to show it to.
And Gavin Blue http://www.gavinblue.com/ on how to quote a job once you get one.
To make sure you are on the Trampoline mailing list email me with your details sarah@sarahanderson.com.au so you don't miss out on the dates.

We also discussed having a review of work for 2 - 3 Trampoline photographers work each month so if you're interested don't forget to contact me with your details and images for review. You can also join the Trampoline Flickr group.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/trampolinebounce/
Trampoline on Facebook: Trampoline Sydney
Trampoline on Twitter: Trampolinesyd

Don't forget Projections entries close August 15th and they are looking for voulenteers to help during the screening period in November. See the website for details.
http://www.theprojections.com/

Special thanks to Mark Munro for voulenteering his time to speak and share his valuable knowlege
Rob Anderson from Phoenix Studios for the space
Borge Andersen for lending us a projector
Sun Studios for lending us the chairs
And Joseph Feil and Raphael Ruz for helping with the organisation.

Momento are looking for a Prepress and Customer Service rep

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:11:00 +1000

MOMENTO PRO PTY LTD
Customer Service Representative & Prepress

Premium Photobook Manufacturer

Fun, friendly & supportive team
Located in the creative hub of Chippendale
Professional photography & design clients

Momento is Australia's most established photobook company with a state-of-the-art production facility in Chippendale.

We have a vibrant workplace with a friendly team and we're looking for a candidate with experience in photographic file handling, customer servicing & a passion for photography.

Your duties are shared between print file preparation & communicating with customers about their files, software issues & orders.

JOB ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

File Preparation

Check files against Momento specifications
Advise on & troubleshoot PDF file issues
Conform approved files using Acrobat Pro
Create print templates & specifications

Customer Servicing

Answer & action customer queries (phone/email)
Tech support & troubleshooting for Momento software
Process customer file uploads & payments
Related data entry & database maintenance
Represent Momento at industry events

TECHNICAL SKILLS REQUIRED

Proficiency in Photoshop, InDesign/Illustrator & Acrobat
Proficient with a PC, Word & Excel
Knowledge of colour management preferable

PREFERRED SKILLS

Fast learner, efficient & independent
Advanced communication & writing skills
Great interpretation & negotiation skills
Fluent in spoken and written English

If this sounds like you, please submit your Resume with a Cover Letter confirming your specific qualifications for the role to hr@momento.com.au today.

AUSTRALIAN CITIZENS & PERMANENT RESIDENTS NEED ONLY APPLY

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 5pm, MONDAY 5 JULY 2010

Libby Jeffery - HR Manager
hr@momento.com.au

Aerial Photography Emergent Photographers wanted

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:18:00 +1000

Paton Air Helicopters are now expanding their Power Line Aerial Patrol operations with an Aerial Patrol job with a power company in Queensland. They currently need 4 photographers/camerapersons to complete the team. They will be working in 2 separate teams in rural areas of Queensland working 2 weeks on , 2 weeks off. The work is estimated to go for approx. 14 weeks . Accomodation and meals/ expenses will be organized and paid for directly by Paton Air Helicopters while away on assignment. They are wanting to commence aerial patrols ASAP but planning towards a start date Wednesday 9/6/2010
The photographer will need to invoice Paton Air Helicopters for any work done. The rate of pay is $500 per day including GST. Training will be provided to the successful applicants as well as Detailed Safety and procedure manuals.

The photographer/cameraperson will need to be seated in the back of a helicopter with the door open while flying at about 100m elevation off the power lines. The photographer is required to capture detailed, sharp images of the poles/ insulators /transformers etc. as the helicopter is flying by. The camera equipment used is a Nikon D3x with a long lens. total kit weighs approx. 9 kg (body and lens ) and is suspended hanging in the doorway by a bungee type cord .(This setup is being reviewed however this is what we are currently working with). The photographer will be securly fastened to the helicopter anchor point via a harness. The photographer will need be able to set up and operate/monitor the basic camera and lens controls as per the Photographer Manual ensuring ongoing quality control and recording of the images. The photographer will be responsible for backing up and storage of these image files . The photographer will be responsible for the safe and secure storage of the photographic equipment and hard drives containing the image files at all time while on assignment.

If your interested in this opportunity please email a resume or brief explanation of your experience and training to the below email address.

For further information please contact Dave Empey direct at Paton Air Helicopters, 48 Magills La, Maindample VIC
Email: david@patonair.com.au
Phone: 0418694334

Melbourne Trampoline Meeting

Mon, 24 May 2010 19:00:00 +1000

The next ACMP Trampoline meeting will be held at Phoenix Studios on 24 June at 7pm.

Come along and meet the ACMP board members, have a drink, show your recent work and hear plans for the rest of the year.

The next meeting in July will be organized by Sarah Anderson who is has taken on expanding the trampoline network in Melbourne.

We will post more details soon.

Welcome to the new Trampoline Blog

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:41:00 +1100

Welcome to the new and improved Trampoline Blog

The one stop shop for the latest industry news, details of the next Trampoline meeting and photo related events.

WANT TO WORK AT A HAPPENING SYDNEY RENTAL STUDIO/EQUIPMENT HOUSE HERE IN SYDNEY?

Attention assistant photographers THE FRONT are looking for someone to work in their busy equipment department, if you think you have what it takes then send your CV and cover letter outlining your experience to Stan at info@thefront.com.au

BRIDGET MAC Is having an opening tonight at the CHINA HEIGHTS Gallery from 6:30pm Level 3 16-28 Foster Street Surry Hills, Might see you there

TWITTER You can follow trampolinesyd on twitter by heading here: http://twitter.com/trampolinesyd

Photography by Robi Watt

Workflow workshop at Sun Studios

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:41:00 +1100

Mikael Wardhana & Amanda Lim are two young, amazing and fast-emerging photographers within the industry. They speak to share their knowledge and photographic process.

Curious about how it all works? How to plan and execute a successful shoot? How to direct models to achieve what you want? This intense workshop will guide you along the work flow of a professional photographer – From an intense focus on pre-production to a hands-on studio photoshoot with a professional model, to a brief showcase on post-production in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Learn tips to jumpstart your career from professionals working within the industry. Lunch is provided.

We can offer a $50 discount for ACMP members off the full price, but no further discounts for students.

$350 - Non member

$300 - ACMP Member

$250 - Student

For more details on the course content, please visit: www.amandalim.com.au/workshop

10th April 2010
Studio 4, Sun Studios Alexandria

Contact:
Amanda Lim – mail@amandalim.com.au
0433 772 523

Details on the next Trampoline meeting coming soon

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:59:00 +1100