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wmmk

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 28, 2006
2,414
0
The Library.
OK, so for a newspaper story my mom wrote that hasn't been published, a Chicago Tribune photographer named Alex Garcia was at our house and told me that the Tribune photo lab is my "back yard." He's amazingly good, and also used to be involved in politics, which I'm totally in to. He's won a Golden Eye, which is apparently the world's most prestigious photo competition and a Pulitzer Prize for photo journalism. Wow!

Then, another photographer who's friends with my parents is doing a lecture at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue. My mom emailed him saying she'd love to come, and that I'm mad for photography and such. He writes back saying that I should do an internship at his studio some time. This guy is considered one of the premiere wedding photographers in Chicago.

I'm incredibly psyched! The websites of these guys are here:
http://www.alexandergarcia.com/main.php
http://www.reallifeweddings.com/index.shtml

I absolutely cannot believe how lucky I am!!!!!
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
That is fantastic!! I read your other post about wanting to be a better photographer and it seems that the best photographers you know already think your doing very well so there's nothing more you'd need from us. :) I did look at your photos and it is obvious I don't have much of an eye myself.

Good luck with your two awesome internships!
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Gazooeee!

Nice job. Which wedding photographer is it? There are multiple on the website.

I was at "Around the Coyote" for their Winter Arts Festival a couple of weeks ago. Most of the "Art" by many were junk (in my eyes), but the two ladies that were there were photographers and they were awesome!!

Nice break... share your website with us when you get it running with your work...
 

wmmk

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 28, 2006
2,414
0
The Library.
Hey, thanks for the congrats everybody! I'm not quite sure if my getting these internships is reflective of my work. I think these guys are just friends of my parents. Anyway, I can't get over how great this is!
To gkarris, I'll be working with Steven E. Gross himself!
I just found his other studio's website:
http://www.stevenegross.com/
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,835
847
Location Location Location
Hey,

Not to be a downer, but what type of camera do these guys use? If you worked for them, and they don't shoot with Pentax, then you can't use their equipment with your camera.

I don't know if this matters or not, but I thought it might be important. :confused:
 

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
Also not to be a downer but apart from the valid considerations which Abstract brings up regarding your camera gear, let's consider:

"He writes back saying that I should do an internship at his studio some time." is not exactly the same as a definite internship.

The Tribune photo lab may be "your back yard," but what will happen when you actually walk in there and attempt to use it?

In other words, don't count your chickens before they're actually hatched.

ETA: This has nothing to do with your photographic skills and talent; it's just a more realistic view of the situation than what you had presented.
 

wmmk

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 28, 2006
2,414
0
The Library.
hey guys, I don't feel downed at all. Steven Gross was giving a talk at the Chicago apple store today, and I talked to him, and the internship seemed much more definite. That doesn't mean it is, mid you. You're both right that my post may have not seemed so realistic, but hey, I felt rather euphoric at the time. Anyway, I don't think I'd necessarily be using either of these guys' gear. At the Tribune, I'd just be lugging around gear and developing film when the photogs don't have enough time to do it themselves. With the wedding photography guy, he shoots all film on a vintage Leica, so I doubt many interns have ever had used his gear.
I probably should have emphasized that I doubt these will be internships where I'm just an unpaid co worker. I'd probably just be doing the labor-type stuff for these guys, but it'd still be a great experience. Another photographer who shoots for Wired, Virgin Records, United Airlines, WIllie Nelson, AC/DC, Target, and Sports Illustrated, said he would write a letter of recommendation for me to a photography program in New Mexico that he's taught for. Great night! Anyway, I will do all I can to ensure finality with these internships. I really would love the experience!
 

pdxflint

macrumors 68020
Aug 25, 2006
2,407
14
Oregon coast
Having been a newspaper photojournalist for six years, including 2 years as photo editor, as well as numerous magazine free-lance assignments for a couple of glossy city magazines, I am surprised that the Chicago Tribune is still using film (based on your saying you would be developing film,) generally speaking. Of course, I did my share of black and white processing in the mid-90s, printing, print scanning, finally negative scanning, and eventually we just shot with color neg/slide film, and scanned for B/W or color as needed. But it seems that now, due to cost and speed of processing, most major publications have long made the move to straight digital.

I can understand the commercial photographers still using film in their "mix" because it still gives a certain look which is difficult to achieve with digital cameras. Nothing really looks like a gorgeous, toned, archival B/W print made from an exceptional negative, but it's really becoming a lost art these days, sadly. If you can get some of that kind of experience with the wedding photographer internship, grab it. Cheers, and good luck with your internships. They should be some great experiences.
 

wmmk

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 28, 2006
2,414
0
The Library.
****, where do you meet these contacts? :eek:
My parents are journalists. Doesn't pay like some other jobs, but they sure get to know a lot of cool artsy people!
Having been a newspaper photojournalist for six years, including 2 years as photo editor, as well as numerous magazine free-lance assignments for a couple of glossy city magazines, I am surprised that the Chicago Tribune is still using film (based on your saying you would be developing film,) generally speaking. Of course, I did my share of black and white processing in the mid-90s, printing, print scanning, finally negative scanning, and eventually we just shot with color neg/slide film, and scanned for B/W or color as needed. But it seems that now, due to cost and speed of processing, most major publications have long made the move to straight digital.

I can understand the commercial photographers still using film in their "mix" because it still gives a certain look which is difficult to achieve with digital cameras. Nothing really looks like a gorgeous, toned, archival B/W print made from an exceptional negative, but it's really becoming a lost art these days, sadly. If you can get some of that kind of experience with the wedding photographer internship, grab it. Cheers, and good luck with your internships. They should be some great experiences.

The Tribune is mostly all digital, I think. (everybody uses MarkIIs and I drool when I see them:p ) I'm sure a few guys still use a bit of film, but when I said developing film that the photogs don't have time to process, I was simply attempting to convey the point that I'll be doing rather low level jobs, not actually shooting on the other side of a room if the photographer wants more angles. Anyway, I'm going to email Steven Gross and try to get this finalized. What an awesome 4 day weekend this has been!
 

wmmk

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 28, 2006
2,414
0
The Library.
Great, as a matter of fact! I've hung out with Alex Garcia once already and will be again in a week or so. He's a very politically aware, artistic, journalistic photographer, and I must say he reminds me of myself. I've been able to learn about a lot more than rules of composition and lighting while on assignment with him.

If I don't end up having anything interesting (I'm trying for an internship at Barrack Obama's headquarters) to do this summer, the Steven Gross internship should still be open.

Paul Elledge also just sent a catalog for his photo school in Santa Fe, but it looks like most people in the classes are adults and I'm not sure if I'm interested in any of their courses targeted at people my age.

Anyhow, what I've learned from all this is that photojournalism is certainly my niche. This happens to be convenient as it's a larger market and doesn't require any premium equipment like fashion, landscape, and corporate photography. It's also nice to know that my family name is a rather well known one in the news business.
 
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