-Asad Haider

What makes a photo great?
When I started my first job as a photo editor, I remember asking myself that question. In a sea of images, how would I recognize a great photo? So I gave myself a rule to help sort through images faster and feel confident in my decisions. It was as simple as… if I paused on an image. If I took an extra second to look at an image for whatever reason, then I knew that was a good image. Lots of times, maybe the majority of the time, I’m not sure why I like it in that initial pause. It’s just that gut feeling. After that pause, I realize it’s the composition, sense of humor, use of light, etc.

How did you get to your current job?
I grew up in a family that encouraged and practiced the arts (my mom is an oil painter and my parents own an art gallery in Vermont). I was terrible at math and standardized tests but did well in art classes. In college, I was an Education major, but it never really felt like a fit. On my last day as a student teacher, the naughty kid in my class stuck rocks in his ears and, at that moment, I thought this isn’t for me. So, a year or so later, after lots of jobs and a long trip through Europe, I moved to New York to study at Parsons School of Design for an intensive summer program. I then applied and became the assistant photo editor for Travel + Leisure. I’m still so thankful to the photo editor David Cicconi (now a photographer and owner/founder of Trunk Magazine) for hiring me. T+L was a dream job. But after about three years in NYC, I found myself leaving the city most weekends to get outside and visit friends in New England. I applied for the position of photo editor at the Improper Bostonian, and I’ve been here five years. Time flies.

Get involved. And have your cell phone ready. (Photo by Austin Walsh/Kansas City)

What’s the best way to get your attention?
I think the best way to get my attention, or anyone that you want to meet in general, is to be passionate about what you’re doing. To me, this means getting involved. Reaching out to members of the artistic community, joining non-profit and photography groups online, going to local photo shows, participating in shows and getting to know other photographers you admire. I don’t think this means you have to pay yearly fees to join organizations, enter lots of photo contests or spend a lot of money; photography is expensive enough! I think it just means putting yourself (and talent) out there. I found this PDN article very interesting that talked about finding a charity that you can support through your work. I believe this type of involvement can lead to other opportunities.

I also think it’s just as important to have a great body of work that’s technically strong and shows a signature style. I really appreciate a well-edited website of recent shots. I get frustrated when photographers send me websites and their images look like they’re from 1982. That work may be visually interesting, but it doesn’t apply to a lifestyle magazine that’s trying to look relevant.

What annoys you the most?
I think I get frustrated the most by budgets. Working for a local magazine, with limited resources, I’ve never had much money to put an issue together. The magazine doesn’t have deep pockets, and I’m given a yearly and issue-to-issue budget. I find it hard to pitch a story to a talented photographer with such a tight budget when I know they’re worth so much more. It’s all very humbling. To make up for the low rates, I try to be respectful of photographers. It’s important to me that their photo contracts are fair, they get paid on time, shoot something of personal interest and have artistic input.

What’s the most satisfying part of your day?
I was working on a shoot recently where the photographer I hired had to back out because of health reasons. I heard through the grapevine that a young photographer in town had shot the same subject a month or so before and was probably available. I gave him a call and within 10 minutes my problem was solved. He answered his cell phone right away, replied to my email, got totally on board with the shoot. It’s great when I can go from a big question mark to feeling confident I have a photographer who’ll nail a shoot from beginning to end.

There are many different ways of nailing it. (Photo by Tadd Myers/Dallas)

-Asad

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Shahrukh Khan (Photo by Suresh Natarajan/India)

The world’s biggest movie star has been captivated by what might be the world’s biggest camera. The 20×24 Polaroid Land Camera, first produced in 1977, which weighs in at 235 pounds and produces nearly two-foot square pictures. Only seven of them were built; one has been lost, two are on exhibit at MIT and Harvard, and four are used commercially for prices starting at $3,500 a print. It requires a 10,000-20,000-watt flash, and the distance between the lens and the lens plate makes for a uniquely unstable focus.

The Forbes article describes the three-person process of taking a picture, and their unique character:

Because of its sheer size, the 20×24 delivers an unparalleled level of detail and clarity. People love the results for their imperfections: As each photo is taken, the camera’s titanium rollers burst pigment pods within the film, spreading color across the image. Excess fluid produces a gloppy, irregular border prized by admirers of the form.

Most famous are Chuck Close’s and William Wegman’s pictures with the camera, but the recent bankruptcy of the company and their subsequent auctioning-off of the work has brought new attention to the camera. Polaroid, during earlier economic troubles in 1981, had abandoned abandon the Land Camera project.

Khan wants to use the camera for what Forbes describes as a “photographic tribute”; the magazine also notes that designer Vivienne Westwood is interested in taking some 20×24 shots of her friends. (One can only hope that the aesthetic will be closer to Johnny Rotten than Sarah Jessica Parker.)

-Asad

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Darren had spent some time in Maripoca County, where a controversial Sheriff named Joe Arpaio has been leading a radical campaign against undocumented workers. He is famous for his policy of sweeping the streets to make arrests, a practice that has been investigated by the Department of Justice for racial profiling (the DOJ has just sued Arpaio for refusing to cooperate with their investigations).

Equally famous are the conditions he has established for prisoners. Mother Jones, which recently published an investigative report on the death of a Mexican immigrant in Arpaio’s jails, describes the new “Tent City” and how it fits into his overall strategy:

Arpaio has declared that he has room for at least 1,000 new prisoners in the tents in the desert, where summer temperatures routinely hit the triple digits. Some Arizona officials have described the tents as a cost-saving measure, as they’ve served as an extension of overcrowded prisons that have housed a wide range of convicted criminals, in addition to immigrants. But Arpaio has made it clear that the “Tent City” is part of his larger plan to make life for prisoners humiliating and unbearable.

“I put them up next to the dump, the dog pound, the waste-disposal plant,” Arpaio once said of his tactics, which have also included chain gangs (for men and women), public parades in pink underwear (for men only), and massive illegal-immigration sweeps.

As a second-generation immigrant, I pay close attention to issues like these, so I asked Darren about the thoughts that went behind these photos.

Darren explained that growing up in a mid-sized city gave him a lot of exposure to Latin Americans and American-born Latinos; “its hard not to know one, or be friends,” he pointed out. “They are woven in the fabric of life, so it never seemed like a distant or foreign topic, even though I am thousands of miles from the border.”

It was a trip to Guatemala to take photos of a clinic that sparked Darren’s interest in investigating Latin America and its politics. Since then, he has spent six years taking photos in Central America, and recently he has begun to turn his journalistic curiosity towards immigration between Latin America and the US.

Darren acknowledges that the police confront serious social problems as they try to prevent crime in immigrant communities, but he also argues that these problems are centered in “about 1-2% of the population,” while “the 98% of the… nice, hard-working people suffer the consequences.” This is what he learned from the people he spoke to in Arpaio’s Tent City:

I am not talking about criminals who were picked up for doing bad things, I am talking about the man or woman who was pulled over for speeding and was found to be illegally here or without paperwork, or the individual who was busted in a raid at their place of work.

Darren concludes that some changes will need to be made to fix a broken system:

The majority of the people are just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. The journey they are forced to take because of the failed system of citizenship is insane, plain and simple. The amount of struggle and fear of being robbed, raped, extorted, or killed is far beyond what anyone should have to go through, and that is just going through Mexico; once they cross into the US they live in fear, because at any moment they could be caught and sent back. We need to have a system where they can apply and come here and be legal, so they can work and be a positive mark in society instead of being forced into a life of shadows and fear.

-Asad

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It looks like punk's not dead, but I have heard that smoking kills. (Photo by Sonya Revell/San Francisco)

Extend your knowledge of unpopular culture with this tribute to the least-viewed videos on YouTube.

We’ve spoken before about redesigning money, but it’s clear that the logical next step is to sell advertising space in your wallet.

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart gave a famous definition of pornography: “I know it when I see it.” I wonder what he would see in this Mormon’s photographic experiment.

Pornography or art? Neither, it's fashion. (Photo by Hayes and Hayes/New York)

-Asad Haider

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Our own Alabama-based photographer Jason Wallis just did a shoot with Reid for Men’s Journal. On Jason’s blog, you can read about the shoot, and he’s also given us a peek at his favorite outtake:

Jason describes the shot, and his general technique:

Technically I only used one light, but the sun was my other light. I tend to use the sun alot, in whatever way it’s shining. Ultimately I like to plan as much as I can, then allow whatever is happening at that time of day to play into the shot.

Here’s the Cool Hunting video, in which Reid discusses collaborating with Levi’s and his design inspirations:

Authenticity and “work” have been major parts of Levi’s ad concepts lately, with their recent “We Are All Workers” campaign. The rhetoric is a little unusual in a country where manufacturing has been on such a steady decline. Our Austin photographer Jay B Sauceda debated the pros and cons of the campaign on the Public School blog.

It’s also interesting to juxtapose this with the other latest Levi’s campaign: All Asses Were Not Created Equal. The “bold fit” needs to be a little bolder, if you ask me.

-Asad Haider

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Getting to the site of the Gulf oil spill was somewhat difficult, as it has been for other media; Matt says that “most of the trip was spent just trying to get access, trying to get through red tape, and battling the bureaucracy in charge of wrangling the media.”

The pictures were taken for the Telegraph (UK), which described the scene vividly:

Workers from the department of fish and wildlife, wearing white contamination suits, paddle in kayaks among this patchwork of low-lying barrier islands, bayous and creeks, approaching the shore when they see birds that have been contaminated.

The healthy birds take off and the heavily-oiled ones attempt to join them, but are unable to do so. “We then pick them up and rescue them that way,” Mr Baker said.

Below is a poster Matt designed to express his sentiments, and perhaps those of the birds.

-Asad Haider

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From left, top: Ed Cunicelli, Peter Clark, Cassie O'Connell, Asad Haider, Henry Randolph; bottom: Jess Dudley, Paul Stanek, Heather Astorga, Daniel Buschmann.

We spent the day priming the entire interior of a house under construction in North Philadelphia, with the patient supervision of full-time Habitat workers Cassie and Henry. We got covered in latex, and Peter’s back is still sore.

How many WM staffers does it take to paint a wall? (Photos by Bill Cramer/Philadelphia)

Since the spirit of giving is in the air, I thought that this would be a good time to share some of the charitable work that our photographers have been doing.

Ed Cunicelli

Our Philadelphia-based photographer Ed Cunicelli not only joined us on our Saturday painting session, he has been working hard as a volunteer with organizations that support Native American youth. It started when Ed did some work for the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health. His travels to the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation and various towns within the Navajo Indian Reservation were an eye-opening experience. “I hit the history books and asked a lot of questions,” said Ed. “I soon realized that there has been a systemic culture of one letdown after the next. I didn’t want to be a part of that and looked for ways to start doing something.”

That opportunity was Native Vision, a camp for Native American youth. Ed volunteers his time and his photography to Native Vision, and has started to teach the kids there about photography. “Working with Native people has changed my approach to the way I make pictures,” Ed said. “I now take my time and think of what why I’m making certain descions… I now understand the importance of knowing when to put the camera down… and I also never take a picture I don’t give back.”

Ed hopes to someday publish the work he has done with Native American youth.

Kevin Brusie

Many of our photographers work with Flashes of Hope, an organization that provides children with life-threatening illnesses with portraits taken by professional photographers. For example, Steve Williams in the Orlando area, wrote about a recent shoot on his blog, and he told me it was “a really great thing to provide photos of these brave kids to their families. ”

Kevin Brusie, who is based in Boston, was so inspired by the work of Flashes of Hope that he decided to bring it closer to home. He worked with the Cleveland-based organization to bring the project to Maine’s Camp Sunshine—since 2008, he has organized photographs for approximately 190 children and their families.

For Kevin, this work is the “ultimate test” of his ability as an environmental portrait photographer, working to make the children and their families comfortable without knowing their condition. “You come away with an even finer sensitivity to your subjects,” Kevin said. “It makes us all better photographers, and people.”

Lynton Crabb

The third story brings us to Australia, where Lynton Crabb has been working with the organization Alzheimer’s Australia. “Working with the organisation is especially important to me, as my father was a long time sufferer of early onset Alzheimer’s until he passed away 5 years ago,” Lynton explained. “It is special for me to be involved and feel a kinship with other people who have had the same experience.”

Lynton has produced several portraits that have been used for ads, posters, corporate literature and a traveling exhibition. For Lynton, the goal of this photography is “increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in the community, recognizing the [caregivers] and projecting a respectful image of the Alzheimer’s sufferers.” Because of the personal importance of this subject, Lynton says, “I would be proud if the Alzheimer’s images were viewed as one of the defining parts of my body of work in years to come.”

This is just a small sampling of our photographers who do charitable work, and we’re excited to hear about all the others in the future.

-Asad Haider

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-Asad Haider

What makes a photo great?
Technical qualities—good light, composition, all that—only take a photo so far. What makes a great photo is an image that not only conveys some kind of information, but also works on an emotional level. It can be punch-you-in-the-gut direct, it can be more subtle, something that pulls you in slowly and allows you to wander around the image, keep coming back to it even if you aren’t sure why; it can be funny, witty, wry; it can be something that elicits a feeling of remembrance, something that reminds you of your own life; it can be horrifying, or gratifying. But it has to do something; it has to connect with the viewer. Of course, this is extremely subjective… and a really hard question to answer. There are plenty of good photos out there, even a lot of really good photos. But truly great photos are rare.

A good photo can punch you in the gut, but this guy got punched in the face. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Washington DC)

How did you get to your current job?
I was freelancing (and handing out camera equipment at a local art school photo supply room) when a friend who works at Mother Jones tipped me off they were looking for an art intern. I applied and got it. There was no photo editor while I was interning, so I stepped into that role, helping the then-art director (and current creative director) Tim Luddy with photo researching, looking for photo essays, eventually assigning. When the internship ended, I got offered the job of Associate Photo Editor. I’ve been here for about three years now.

What’s the best way to get your attention?
First, simply, have great, well-edited, work that is suited for the magazine. Or more, work that fits the magazine but pushes the boundaries of what people expect to see in Mother Jones; that always catches my attention.

If you work in an area outside of New York, LA or San Francisco, I am likely to spend a little more time looking at your work. We don’t have the budget to fly photographers around, so I’m always scoping out good photographers within a day’s drive of an assignment.

Coming in to show your book helps put a face to the work, and those personal interactions are good. But I don’t often have time to meet with photographers in person, and when I do have the time, I really prefer doing it in a more informal setting—over a coffee or beer, getting to know you and your work a little better than the typical in-and-out book showing.

Beer increases productivity in meetings. (Photo by Brian Kuhlmann/Chicago)

What annoys you the most?
Oh, I guess the usual photo editor stuff annoys me. Cold calls are near the top the list. I’m not into people who email or call again and again about whether or not I’ve received their promo or pitch. If you send me a pitch and it’s something we can use, you can be assured I will get in touch with you.

Let me just say, even if it’s not something we can use, I try to reply to as many emails as I can. I’ve been on the other side as a photographer, so I know how much time goes into not just shooting the work, but in the pitch. It’s really frustrating to not hear anything back. I try to write back as often as I can, even if it’s just a sentence or two. Sometimes it takes me a long time (like months) and sometimes I just don’t have time. But I do keep pitches (and bookmark sites) I think we could possibly use down the road, or that might fit with a story, or that I just like. So, just because you might not hear from me, or if I turn down a proposal that doesn’t mean I didn’t see it or that I didn’t like it. I always tell photographers to keep in touch and I mean it.

But really, the most annoying thing is when I reject a proposal and the photographer argues with me about it. That takes even more time out of my day and it shows a real lack of professionalism. There are many reasons I might reject a photo essay, none of them should be taken personally. I get anywhere from two to ten photo essay proposals each day. We run maybe six photo essays a year. It’s just hard to get work in the magazine. And that’s really one of the worst parts of my job, seeing so much really great, truly amazing work and not being able to get it in the magazine. It can be really frustrating.

What’s the most satisfying part of your day?
It doesn’t happen every day, but I really love getting in work from a photo essay or photo shoot and going over it with the photographer, getting their feedback, then showing it to the art department and editors and seeing the layout and everything all coming together just right, with the photographer really loving it (among everyone else). That is exceptionally satisfying, especially after all the work that goes into getting a significant body of work in the magazine.

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Being your own boss. (Photo by Brian Kelly/Detroit)

Work can be a creative unfolding of your inner nature, but it can also be an effective punishment.

Here’s a useful talk by Michael Bierut about how to be a successful designer when you’re not really all that creative.

Sometimes creativity in advertising can be found in the most unexpected places.

Advertising can have a life of its own. (Photo by Susana Raab/Washington DC)

Finally, here’s a slice of photography history—color motion pictures before you knew they existed.

Photographer Update:

• Roger Snider is all over the place with his Ultra Rigs, with an interview on Alterati and a blurb on the Urban Outfitters blog.
• Douglas Sonders has a guest post on Photoshop Insider
• Jennifer Pottheiser shoots the World Basketball Festival

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Leonard first started taking pictures of the major figures of jazz—including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon, just to name a few—in 1948, when he set up his studio in Greenwich Village, New York. Like these now canonical musicians, Leonard did not achieve fame until much later—beginning in 1985, when he released his first book, The Eye of Jazz, and then in 1988, when he had his first exhibition at the Special Photographers Company in Notting Hill.

Leonard kept shooting until the end; the obituary in the Financial Times reports:

When clients inevitably asked him to recreate the mood of his most famous shots, his standard reply was: “Nobody smokes any more.”

NPR’s The Picture Show blog has, in a recent announcement of Leonard’s death, linked to a slideshow from 2009 with fascinating audio of Leonard reminiscing about his pictures. You can also take a look at a more detailed press release on Leonard’s website.

-Asad Haider

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