The incredible photographer, Tumblr sensation, and documentarian, Brad Elterman, has teamed up with the painter Marco Pittori for a set of limited edition prints. We featured an interview with Brad several months ago, which you can read HERE.  The editions are a welcoming complement between Brad’s miraculous ability to [read more...]]]>

The incredible photographer, Tumblr sensation, and documentarian, Brad Elterman, has teamed up with the painter Marco Pittori for a set of limited edition prints. We featured an interview with Brad several months ago, which you can read HERE.  The editions are a welcoming complement between Brad’s miraculous ability to capture the right moment at the right time with awesome skill and Marco’s ferocious strokes of pigment. The prints will be displayed in an exhibit titled “NUDE HOLLYWOOD” that is set to open at Galerie Eulenspiegel – a little bit before the official chaos of Art Basel begins.

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BRAD ELTERMAN: http://www.bradelterman.com/

 MARCO PITTORI: http://www.thesheriff.net/

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This year, 2012, marked a gorgeous update to the Venice Art Walk, as the AUCTION portion of the event was now hosted in Google’s bright headquarters on Main Street. And as soon as you walked around to the back of the building where the entrance to the exhibition was, [read more...]]]>

This year, 2012, marked a gorgeous update to the Venice Art Walk, as the AUCTION portion of the event was now hosted in Google’s bright headquarters on Main Street. And as soon as you walked around to the back of the building where the entrance to the exhibition was, you got to see Aaron Axelrod painting a magnificent canvass while listening to the sounds of a rad DJ. Then, once inside, you walked past a hallway and two gigantic rooms full of beautiful pieces — in fact, possibly the most beautiful pieces to have ever been featured in the auction since it’s inception many years ago. Prints and originals by artists as diverse and talented as Robbie Conal, Gregory Siff, Allie Pohl, Jon Bernad, Jules Muck, and Isabelle Alford-Lago were up for grabs with the money going directly to the Venice Family Clinic. And as if that wasn’t enough, a brilliant sculpture garden topped it all off featuring Alex Andre’s portable version of METAMORPHOSIS — an interactive sculpture that blends two friend’s faces into one. The team who organized the artwork for the auction deserves a huge round of applause and although it wasn’t a competition this weekend between the Venice Art Walk and the Beverly Hills Art Walk [which were going on at the same time], I can safely say. without-a-doubt, that the Venice Art Walk not only won, but lapped it’s opposition several times.

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VENICE ART WALK – http://theveniceartwalk.org/

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At the end of the 90′s there was a really weird film named JAWBREAKER about a couple of girls who kidnap one of their friends and gag her with a giant hard candy of the same name. Unfortunately, the girl dies and then then a technicolor adventure to try [read more...]]]>

At the end of the 90′s there was a really weird film named JAWBREAKER about a couple of girls who kidnap one of their friends and gag her with a giant hard candy of the same name. Unfortunately, the girl dies and then then a technicolor adventure to try and cover it up ensues. Anyways, I was instantly reminded of the film when the artist at SEE LINE GALLERY’s April/May exhibit included a jawbreaker gag hanging off of one of her sculptures. And since the whole show has to do with innocence, sex, and play I figured it must’ve been a reference to the cult classic. The rest of the show includes photocopies of hands, mirrors facing the ceiling, and even sand on the floor.

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 SEE LINE GALLERY – http://seelinegallery.com/

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JAUS is a beautiful artist-run gallery located on a residential street in West LA. And for their last exhibit, co-owner Chris Tallon curated a group of 6 like-minded artists whose actions were based more on impulse then rationality. The work was on display for two months and all sat [read more...]]]>

JAUS is a beautiful artist-run gallery located on a residential street in West LA. And for their last exhibit, co-owner Chris Tallon curated a group of 6 like-minded artists whose actions were based more on impulse then rationality. The work was on display for two months and all sat nicely with each other in the space. Also, while some of the artists were in the midst of their MFA’s, others had long since graduated. So, it was all about the work itself rather than the artists’ pedigrees.

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JAUS - http://www.jausart.com

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Over 30 artists came together to auction off their work in an effort to help David Castleman pay his medical bills due to a recent bout with Cancer. And they all brought their A-game with them. So, a diverse array of original art lined the walls of the Keystone [read more...]]]>

Over 30 artists came together to auction off their work in an effort to help David Castleman pay his medical bills due to a recent bout with Cancer. And they all brought their A-game with them. So, a diverse array of original art lined the walls of the Keystone Fine Art Studios — ranging from metal sculptures to a hand-painted drum head for the band GWAR. There were even a couple of micro-installation pieces you could bid on silently, including an incredible peephole into outer space. Thank you to Mary Mathe for letting us know about this wonderful exhibit and if you’d like to donate to the cause, please click the link below.

David Yow

Bob Gorman

Mary Mathe

Itaru De La Vega

Michael Uhlenkott

Matt Jones

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DAVID CASTLEMAN CANCER FUND - http://www.giveforward.com/helpsupportdavidcastlemancancersurvival

KEYSTONE FINE ART STUDIO - http://keystoneartspace.com

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DRKRM knows what’s up when it comes to incredible photography exhibits. I mean, there seriously hasn’t ever been a bad or uninteresting piece in any one of their shows. And Steven Rubin’s VACTIONLAND is no exception to that statement. The photographer showcased a body of work he took while [read more...]]]>

DRKRM knows what’s up when it comes to incredible photography exhibits. I mean, there seriously hasn’t ever been a bad or uninteresting piece in any one of their shows. And Steven Rubin’s VACTIONLAND is no exception to that statement. The photographer showcased a body of work he took while hitchhiking around Maine in the early 1980s. Where, through his lens, he managed to capture blue collar life in a most elegant way. So, I highly suggest you check out the link below to read Steven’s artistic statement about his journey while taking the photographs. And I think what draws me to his work more than anything is that he’s able to make his subjects look so glamorous, even though you can see that they’ve led extremely rough lives by the lines in their faces and their leathered hands.

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 DRKRM – http://drkrm.com/

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Trace Mendoza’s multi-piece painting at ART CUBE in Laguna Beach is a stunner. He’s incorporated everything from traditional painting techniques to modern wheat-pasting in his panels, which brings a fresh feeling to the spirit of contemporary art.  The work, titled ”Save the Monsters from the Children”, is actually Mendoza’s reinterpretation [read more...]]]>

Trace Mendoza’s multi-piece painting at ART CUBE in Laguna Beach is a stunner. He’s incorporated everything from traditional painting techniques to modern wheat-pasting in his panels, which brings a fresh feeling to the spirit of contemporary art.  The work, titled ”Save the Monsters from the Children”, is actually Mendoza’s reinterpretation of a chair that’s made up of scrap furniture parts. And you can check out his meaning behind the painting on his website that he also updates with pages from his sketchbook. It’s because of art like this, that the hour plus drive to Laguna Beach from Los Angeles is well worth the traffic. Especially, now that ART CUBE has their eye on progressive emerging talent like Mendoza.

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 TRACE MENDOZA – http://WWW.TRACEMENDOZA.COM/

ART CUBE – http://www.artcubegallery.com/

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I walked into the Thomas Paul Fine Art gallery on Beverly Blvd the other day, where I discovered the awesome work of Carlos Duanjuan. He’s an artist that without comprise has found a way to blend both fine art and fun into a single entity.  And not only can [read more...]]]>

I walked into the Thomas Paul Fine Art gallery on Beverly Blvd the other day, where I discovered the awesome work of Carlos Duanjuan. He’s an artist that without comprise has found a way to blend both fine art and fun into a single entity.  And not only can he do it through the use of bright colors and happy expressions, but also through skill. For example, in the painting below of the man and woman, he’s rendered out a brilliantly detailed pug and even in the piece featuring a bear with a sweatband around its head, he’s utilized subtle textures to really make it pop. Also, his blog is pretty epic, since he updates it with pictures like THIS.

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 THOMAS PAUL FINE ART: http://www.tpaulfineart.com/

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Every year, BRITWEEK puts on a celebration of British contributions to California. The event spans across multiple fields, from fine dining to fine art.  And so, Cod Save The Queen, a delicious fish n’ chips truck made an appearance at the special BRITWEEK opening of Marine Contemporary’s exhibit On The Horizon: [read more...]]]>

Every year, BRITWEEK puts on a celebration of British contributions to California. The event spans across multiple fields, from fine dining to fine art.  And so, Cod Save The Queen, a delicious fish n’ chips truck made an appearance at the special BRITWEEK opening of Marine Contemporary’s exhibit On The Horizon: New Generation British Painters. The work in the show however, was definitely way more tasty than the fries and cloudy lemonades, and if you tasted how yummy the food was, you know that’s saying a lot!!!

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 MARINE CONTEMPORARY: http://www.marinecontemporary.com

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Beate Chelette is an entrepreneur and photography success strategist who goes by the name THE PHOTO BIZ COACH. During our interview, Beate revealed some of her epic knowledge that can really help not only photographers, but anyone in the visual arts field. She’s seen success, downfall, and success again [read more...]]]>

Beate Chelette is an entrepreneur and photography success strategist who goes by the name THE PHOTO BIZ COACH. During our interview, Beate revealed some of her epic knowledge that can really help not only photographers, but anyone in the visual arts field. She’s seen success, downfall, and success again — all while never giving up nor letting anything get in the way of her goals. So, the following interview is segmented into two parts. The first half is the story of how Beate became the PHOTO BIZ COACH and the second half is a shortlist of advice for photographers.

When did you start your first business?

I started my first business after I was laid off from a big Hair, MakeUp, and photo representation agency during the recession of the early 90’s.

What did you do?

I was a producer, represented photographers, and ended up becoming the hip go-to girl for all the urban shoots that European companies wanted to do America. But then the unthinkable happened –- one of my employees traded all of my insider information to a photographer who claimed that he could help her start her own business — so I sued them because I didn’t know any better.

How did the lawsuit turn out?

I fought the good fight, but became broke pretty quickly in the process. However, I had a big production season coming up, so I thought I’d be able to get out of debt, but then out of nowhere 9/11 happened.

How did 9/11 effect your life?

All of my bookings got cancelled because none of my European clients would get on a plane to fly to America. And so my production business was finished overnight. I lost $1,000,000 in six months and was going seriously into debt.

What! How is that possible?

We were selling stock images like crazy and pretending to be in good shape, but meanwhile I was close to having to file for bankruptcy because of all the legal fees and how high the startup cost of the business was. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to Europe to visit my family. And unfortunately while I was there, my father ended up dying from pancreatic cancer in my arms. I barely had enough money to pay for the funeral and right after they finished the burial I got a call about how my landlord was trying to evict us from our office (and home) back in the USA. I literally fell to my knees and raised my fists to yell at God. And I ended up writing a letter to the President of the United States.

You really wrote to the President?

Yes and the only reason I did so was because my former mother-in-law wouldn’t shut up about it. And thank goodness she didn’t, because it turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Three months later I got a letter back from the White House referring me to Lorenzo Flores, the Debuty Chief Director of the SBA [Small Business Administration]. I scheduled a meeting with him and I’ll never forget when he picked up the phone and called a couple banks on my behalf. A few months later I got an SBA backed loan, restructured all my debt, and another three months later we were profitable. And within another year and a half of having to start over, I sold my company for millions of dollars.

Who was one of the first photographers you represented?

Tim Street-Porter, who is one of the most well known names in the interior and architectural world and also one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with in my life.

How did you get to work with him?

What most people didn’t realize at the time was that a lot of interior photographers were still working on large format cameras, so no one had started to convert their archives into digital assets yet. So, I went in and made a deal with the photographers, where I’d take all the risk and cost in digitizing their archives and then sell it for them. The next thing I knew I was representing all these heavy-hitters like Oberto Gili, Pieter Estersohn, and Fernando Bengoechea. We sold some of their pictures of celebrity’s homes 30 times over. I’d send an email offering a celebrity story overnight and in the morning I’d make $20,000.

How were you able to sell the pictures so fast?

The whole At Home market was really big at the time. But that’s not all we did. We also sold banks the images behind the teller’s booths that talk about refinancing your home and Home Depot the photos of exterior house colors to demonstrate swatches.

How does the world of interior photography work?

The top photographers get hired by the top architects, the top architects work with the top interior designers, and the top interior designers work on wealthy people’s homes who have connections to magazines. So, the architects pitch the homes they’ve built for famous clientele to the magazines and then interior photographers shoot the house for the stories.

When did you become the Photo Biz Coach?

After I sold my company, I set up the Photo Biz Coach to help photographers and agencies become more successful. Once you have something figured out, your knowledge should be shared with the next generation.

~TIPS~

Are business cards outdated?

They still come in handy, but I will say that those who actually pick up the phone or mail things to people are King – since no one does that anymore. People get so much email now that they delete everything, so if you send them a physical piece it’ll get their attention.

What should photographers be careful of?

What they put on the Internet is there to stay, so be careful about what you upload.

What’s your view on watermarking images?

A photographer once came to me for a coaching session and showed me a picture of a duck he placed 7 watermarks on. That basically told me he thought it was so valuable that it would never sell and to be honest it wasn’t that great of a photo to begin with. Yes, people steal, but there are ways to offset that without ruining your images. I don’t mind a small watermark on the image if it’s done tastefully, however the best thing to do is to just be clear on your website that you are looking to license your images and don’t want people to take them without permission. And at the very least, you should make sure your meta-data is always up to date and protected.

What’s the best way for a photographer to protect themselves from bad deals?

The cheapest way is to join a photographer organization like the ASAMP or the APA. They already have contracts available that are written by the best attorneys in the world. Also, if you ever get a contract YOU HAVE TO read it and be conscious of keywords like “In Perpetuity” or “For Media invented or not yet invented”

What’s your view on undercutting?

I don’t think most photographers do it intentionally. If I’m a pro photographer whose day rate is $2,500 and there’s an amateur photographer who will shoot the same thing for $300 it’s pretty frustrating. For him, that $300 is nirvana. It’s not that he understands that he hurt himself and the other photographer in the long run because you can’t really live off of a day rate that low. Yet at the same time, you still have to set your value at a level that makes sense. So, if you’re just starting out at least say your price is low because it’s an introductory rate and not because you’re always willing to work for that cost.

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 PhotoBizCoach: http://www.photobizcoach.com/

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