Photography Genre Music and Advertising

I always had a love for music and photography, whether photographing music or playing guitar with my band. So that drove me to my passion for photography and made it my career

Do You Have a Good Photography Tip for Us?

Keep it simple. Less is more.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

I had the opportunity to shoot a band in a huge venue in my country, just when the sun was setting. Before that though, it was cold and cloudy and I worried I wouldn’t get the sunset I wanted. But as I waited and the hour start passing, it cleared up and I got a beautiful sunset in the background. It’s a beautiful photo!

What’s in your bag?

• For my camera bag, I use a Think Tank carry-on
• I have a reflex camera
• My lenses 16-35 mm, 50mm, 70-200mm, 24mm
• A BLACKRAPID strap
• Transmitters
• A tether cable
• And some accessories

Follow Ignacio Galvez

• Instagram – instagram.com/xignaciox
• Website – ignaciogalvez.com

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Live Music, Travel, Motion Picture/TV

Dave Blass is a 3 time Emmy Nominated Production Designer specializing in high concept shows like “Star Trek: Picard”, “The Boys”, “Preacher” and “Constantine.” When not world-building in for Television he is an accomplished Rock Photographer.

Do You Have a Good Photography Tip for Us?

Watch YouTube Videos to know what a band will do during a live set. Want to get the big jump, or the pyro explosion just right, they do the same show every night. Watch several clips and you will know where and when to be for the epic moments.

“Last Kiss”

I get a call last minute that another photographer has dropped out and they need me to drive 2 hours through Los Angeles traffic to photograph Kiss on their Farewell tour. We were supposed to shoot from “Front of House” near the sound board, but at the last minute they move us to the photo pit where we get up close and personal with the hottest band in the world. Close enough to feel the heat from the pyrotechnics.

What’s in Your Bag?

• When Shooting Concerts I always have my BLACKRAPID Breathe Camera Harness.
• I shoot with a pair of Canon 5D Mk IV
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L
• Canon EF 24-70 f2.8
• EF 16-35mm f/2.8L just in case there is something special that needs a super wide.
• I use Eargasm High Fidelity Ear Plugs as my go-to
• I have an extra 77mm UV Ultraviolet Clear Haze Glass Protection Protector as stage divers and mosh pits are a dangerous place for cameras and equipment. Twice I have had them broken.
• A plastic pouch lanyard is great for your photo pass, allows you to keep them for fun, and looks more official than sticking it on your shirt. I have had my pass ripped off by fans before too.
• Also stuffed in the bottom is a poncho as you never know when GWAR is going to spray you with blood.

Follow Dave Blass

• Website – www.daveblass.com
• X/Twitter – X.com/DaveBlass
• Instagram – instagram.com/dave_blass_photography/

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Commercial Photographer and Photo Educator

Bobbi Lane, a Fujifilm “X” Photographer, is an award-winning commercial photographer specializing in creative portraits on location and in the studio. Lane’s multi-faceted approach to photography incorporates over 40 years of technical experience with innovative artistic interpretation.

Her corporate and editorial work includes corporate websites, annual reports and hundreds of environmental portraits for a wide variety of magazines. As a dedicated photo educator, she brings insight and enthusiasm to her students in workshops held worldwide. She is widely known as the “Mistress of Light”, teaching portrait lighting techniques with both natural and artificial light.

Combining her love of travel, photography and teaching, Bobbi also leads international photo travel workshops with her husband Lee Varis, such as Venice Carnival, Tuscany, Neighborhoods of New York and Scotland. Her dynamic workshops are always both education and entertaining!

Do You Have a Good Photography Tip for Us?

Stop and think about the “essence” of your photo, don’t just do a snapshot, take your time, think about what attracted you to want to shot that subject/scene, and explore what it means to you. Taking a breathe and thinking about this helps you make stronger images.

The Magic and Mystery of Venice Carnival! A photographer’s paradise!

Many people don’t know that Venice invented Carnival (also known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday-basically it’s the day before Lent) back in the 1100s to celebrate a military victory over an enemy. However, it mainly is about anonymity by wearing masks, so there can be frivolity, amorous encounters, and partying before the start of lent.

Sadly, the Carnival was banned after Napoleon conquered the Serenissima Republic in 1797, meaning Venice was no longer independent. Holy Roman Emperor Francis 11 banned masks, and with that, the spirit of the Carnival died. This was to prevent citizens uniting to conspire against the government. It did not start again until 1979, even though Rio and New Orleans were still celebrating.

Unlike the sexuality of Rio and the drugs and alcohol of New Orleans, Venice is truly about fantastic, magical and elaborate costumes. Many of the costumers design and make their own costumes every year, and some of them cost upwards of $5000! Many bring trunks with multiple outfits, and some are traditional and others are wild and crazy! Their creativity is unsurpassed, and many costumers have been coming for 30+ years.

A couple weeks before the official Carnival date, the costumers line up before dawn in San Marco Plaza and along the Grand Canal. They know that at that time of day, only experienced photographers will be there because it’s necessary to light the subject with a flash and balance the exposure with the background. I bring portable flash with a variety of modifiers, shoot both off and on the camera and use some special techniques like zooming while dragging the shutter. The costumers don’t want money, they want the photographs! Each of them carries cards with their photo and email. They hand them out when asked, hoping the photographers will email photos. This is one of the few places and events where photographers are welcomed, encouraged, and respected!

I’ve been leading a Venice Carnival Photo Tour since 2012 and every year it’s better and more exciting. Over the years I’ve become friends with some of the top costumers and they know that they will get excellent photos from me. I shoot thousands of photographs and send the best images to each of them. Many are in high demand but will only work with a couple selected photographers during the week. We rent grand staircases and halls in historic hotels, bring costumers to Burano, the colorful island, and arrange private shoots, as well as contract a gondolier so the participants can get in the gondola with the costumers and have a quick trip up some canals. The week is creative and fun and filled with endless surprises!

Some of my favorite photographs of my entire career have been created in Venice. I feel that we create a partnership with the subject to make something that is not just beautiful but has a story that evokes the magic and mystery of Carnival. In 2019, my photo “Golden Woman” won Best in Show in an international photography contest! There are many locations in the world that I have visited more than once, but none as often as Venice. I still feel like a curious child filled with wonder for every Carnival!

What’s in Your Bag?

• Three Black Rapid straps (Metro Camera Sling, RS 4, Sport Breath)
• Fujifilm XT-5, XT-4
• Fujifilm X100V
• 10-24mm f/4
• 16-55mm f/2.8
• 55-200mmf/3.5-4.8
• 55-140mm f/2.8
• 56mm f/1.2
• 90mm f/2
• 18-135mm
• f/3.5-5, 6, 8-16mm
• f/2.8
• 80mm macro f/2.8
• 2 Profoto A1x with variety of modifiers

Follow Bobbi Lane

• Website – bobbilane.com
• Photo Tours – bobbiandleesphotoadventures.com
• Facebook – facebook.com/bobbilane

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Wedding and documentary photography

Born in Florence, Edoardo inherited his father’s passion for travel and photography. He has over 130 expeditions to as many countries under his belt.

He is a member of important international associations: Wedding PhotoJournalistic Association, Artistic Guild WPJA, World’s Best Wedding Photo. He is the winner of numerous international awards, including the National Geographic, the WPPI, the Spider B & W. Master and collaborator for over 20 years for the Nikon School and Nikon School Travel.

In 2019 he joined the National Geographic Expeditions photography team. His latest book was released in 2021: Photography and the art of Gin Tonic.

Do You Have a Good Photo Tip for Us?

In a world of photographic bulimia where there is no longer a relationship between the eye, mind and heart, he returns to reflect before taking a photo. Make your images make sense. Taking photographs doesn’t just mean pressing the button, it makes it become a thoughtful action again.

When a Prince is to Get Married

I was having dinner in a small trattoria in the hills of Tuscany one summer evening when I received a phone call. The caller was strange. Many numbers preceded by a +234. It was definitely a phone call from abroad but I didn’t associate those first three digits with any known country or at least with which I had already had the opportunity to speak. I replied curiously. It was a wedding planner and she asked me for a quote for a wedding. I started asking her the usual questions like: when, where, how many guests and I was amazed when she told me that she was calling me from Nigeria for a wedding with around 2,000 guests. Well, the first thing I told her was to write me an email and that I would respond to her on that. I hung up convinced that it was a fake or, worse, still the start of a scam.

Within 10 minutes I received an email with all the information I needed to give her a quote and she requested it with a certain urgency. With very little desire I replied in a generic way, without going into details and without even exposing myself with figures. I remained very vague, I wanted to understand where the deception was. I remember that I also asked on social media to see if others had received a similar phone call. Only two of us had been contacted. This also left me somewhat perplexed. I decided to send her my price list and see how things developed, convinced, however, that I was wasting time.

Our correspondence instead continued, going into more and more details and with increasingly interesting specifications. Fifteen days after our first conversation I received confirmation. I was still far from the idea of having taken the marriage, in fact I was always convinced that, in the end there, was the trick and I was racking my brain to understand where it was. The wedding planner asked me for my bank details to transfer the deposit. I told them to her. There were still 3 months to go until the wedding day and honestly, if she had credited me with the deposit I had requested, I didn’t understand where the catch could be. The bank transfer arrived, things were getting really interesting. Shortly thereafter I organized a ‘Zoom’ call with the future bride who wanted to get to know me first, even if only on video. Now I was realizing that I had actually been given the job and that I was going to Nigeria.

The news on the terrorist actions of Boko Haram in the north of the country were certainly not reassuring. Well, a few days before the visas arrived in my passport, the wedding planner gave me guarantees that terrorism was located in the north east while the wedding was in the south west and that in any case I would have bodyguards who would follow our movements. I must say that this last consideration did not reassure me much.

I and some of my staff left from Italy. I still didn’t understand who the bride was or even that it was a royal wedding. I had guessed that they were wealthy, but my imagination stopped there. It was after our arrival first in Lagos and then in Benin City that we began to realize that it was not a simple wedding of a rich Nigerian couple. I remember that we entered the bride’s house passing by about twenty bodyguards, police vans, several soldiers, many of whom were wearing bulletproof vests and carrying a machine gun over their shoulders. Well it had to be something more. We met the bride, her brothers, her family. While talking about her, Ivie, the future bride, told us with an embarrassing naturalness that her future husband was a prince. We looked at each other to make sure we understood correctly. Yes, we understood correctly: my husband to be is a prince!

We started shooting with new eyes and attention. Now it was no longer a ‘normal’ service but was becoming something different. A reportage that went beyond wedding photography. The services of Benedicte Kurzen, Robin Hammond, Glenda Gordon who had worked in Nigeria came to mind. However, unlike them, I had been chosen as the couple’s personal photographer and this made me quite proud. So I began to tell what I was experiencing right from the setups, from the preparation of the ‘favors’, from the pre wedding rituals, in short, I wanted to document a story that I had never lived, a very particular experience, totally different from what I had ever photographed before. Traditions, cultures, unusual and new human relationships that I would never have thought of or hoped to experience. I wanted to make a reportage that would show all this.

We spent more than a week in Nigeria and the anecdotes I could tell are truly numerous. We found ourselves in situations that were sometimes embarrassing and sometimes photographically intriguing. We had a unique experience, at least for me. I won’t go any further and I won’t go into details, I’ll leave the word to the photos.

What’s In Your Bag?

• Two Nikon SRL Cameras: D850
• 1 Nikon ML Camera: Z6 II
• Two Flashes with remote transmitter
• One small continue light
• Three lens: 14-24; 24-70; 70-200; all f2.8
• One BLACKRAPID Double Strap
• One BLACKRAPID Single Strap
• MacBook Pro 13”

Follow Edoardo Agresti

• Instagram – instagram.com/edoardoagrestiph
• Website – edoardoagresti.it
• Facebook – facebook.com/agrestiedoardo

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Adventure/Documentary Photographer

Kiran Kallur is an alpinist and photographer. He expresses his vision and approach to life through his adventures in the mountains and documenting the experiences and stories of some incredibly inspiring people. His work documenting emerging climbing destinations has appeared in the New York Times and has highlighted community members across the international climbing scene. Honing his parallel crafts of climbing and photography, Kiran now juggles life between urban Bangalore and self-supported climbing expeditions in the Indian Himalayas.

Do You Have a Good Photo Tip for Us?

Photography has rules; first, learn them and then break them.

The Consequence of Discomfort

In both art and extreme sports, a shared element is the act of pushing beyond our comfort zones. On a particular day, our team embarked on a mission to capture a series of photographs depicting ice climbing at night. The endeavor presented a multitude of challenges, including confronting biting windchill, freezing temperatures, the discomfort of screaming barfies, and overcoming technical hurdles in operating the camera within the harsh environment.

Despite these formidable limitations, our team persevered collectively, confronting and surmounting each obstacle. Through this shared journey, we gained a profound understanding of the consequences of discomfort, ultimately resulting in the creation of a truly unique and remarkable experience.

What’s In Your Bag?

• BLACKRAPID Sport Strap
• Nikon Z6 Mirrorless Camera
• Nikon 20mm f1.8
• Nikon 35mm f1.8
• Nikon 85mm f1.8
• Nikon 50mm f1.8
• Nikon 70-200 f2.8
• Tamron 15-30 f2.8
• Tons of Memory Cards
• Lume Cube
• Macbook Pro

Kiran Kallur

• Instagram – instagram.com/kiran_kallur
• Behance – behance.net/kirankallur
• Website – globalclimbing.org/kiran-kallur

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Travel Portrait Photography

Glynn is well known as not only the best photographer in the world with the name Glynn Lavender but also as the only photographer in the world with the name Glynn Lavender.

Glynn leads photo tours and runs workshops where he shares his passion for teaching, capturing great images and talking about himself.

Do You Have a Good Photo Tip for Us?

Find the light, put them in it.

The Dung of 50,000 Camels!

One of my favourite tour stops is the Pushkar Camel Fair in India. 50,000 camels. Nomadic camel traders each one with a cooler face than the last, gypsies, snake charmers, camel beauty contests, longest moustache competitions all packed into the dusty desert fringe of the little town of Pushkar. It’s a people photographers dream.

What’s In Your Bag?

• 2x Canon 5D Mk IV
• Tamron 15-30mm f2.8
• Tamron 70-200mm f2,8
• Tamron 35mm 1.4
• Tamron 85mm 1.8
• 2x Godox AD-200’s
• Flash Triggers for every brand of camera
• Hobolight Avant
• 2x BLACKRAPID SportX in Desert Rapid

Follow Glynn Lavender

• Instagram – instagram.com/GlynnLavender/
• Facebook – facebook.com/glynn.lavender/
• Website – creativephotoworkshops.com.au

The post BLACKRAPID SPOTLIGHT: Glynn Lavender appeared first on BLACKRAPID.

Automotive & Motorsport

Jordan’s career began as an editor for an automotive publishing house in Toronto, Canada. When their staff photographer couldn’t make the F1 Canadian Grand Prix, Jordan subbed in and cemented his passion to pursue photography full time.

Since then, he’s shot for championship-winning race teams at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and manufacturers including Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Bugatti and many others around the globe.

Do you have a good photo tip for us?

Light and composition are your best friends.

Drifting through Las Vegas!

Early in my career I had the opportunity to shoot with Formula Drift racer and builder Vaughn Gittin Jr. during the SEMA show in Las Vegas. We didn’t have a transporter for his newly-unveiled RTR Spec 5 Mustang, so we hopped in his unlicensed, full-on drift car (there was no passenger seat for me!) and burned rubber down the Vegas strip to the rooftop level of a parking garage for a nighttime shoot.

What’s in your bag?

• 2x Canon R3
• Canon 1DX II
• 17-40 f4
• 24-70 f2.8
• 24-105 f4 IS
• 70-200 f2.8
• 85mm f1.2
• 400mm f2.8
• Manfrotto monopod
• BLACKRAPID Blackline II Double Sling

Follow Jordan Lenssen

Website – jordanlenssen.com

Instagram – instagram.com/jordanlenssen

Facebook – facebook.com/jordanlenssen

The post BLACKRAPID SPOTLIGHT: Jordan Lenssen appeared first on BLACKRAPID.

1120 Studios – Concert, Fine Art, Model

Keith Perks is a photographer based out of Northeastern Pennsylvania that specializes in concert, fine art, and model photography.

He is most passionate about concert photography and has photographed bands such as The Melvins, Flogging Molly, Avett Brothers, Weezer, Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth, and hundreds of others. He’s also photographed XPoNential Music Festival, Warped Tour, Peach Music Fest, and Camp Bisco multiple times, along with other major music festivals both large and small.

As a lover of street photography (and food), he can often be found in the streets of NYC capturing candid moments, architecture, and the tiniest bits of what he considers the greatest city.

Do you have a good photo tip for us?

What we do is a responsibility. Care for your subjects authentically and also, take time to connect and learn to listen. There are great stories behind the moments we capture.

Share some of that insight. It helps connect the viewer on a more emotional level and they’ll have a greater appreciation for your art and hard work.

Is there a stand out experience you can share with us?

There are so many great experiences that I have for a variety of reasons, so it’s very difficult to narrow it down, but the excitement of being in the photo pit with your favorite band in front of you and thousands of people behind you is amazing. Being caught in the middle of that energy is like no other.

What’s in your bag?

• 2 Nikon D-750’s
• 24-70mm f2.8
• 70-200mm f2.8
• 17-35mm f2.8
• 85mm f1.8
• 50mm f1.8
• And 2 BlackRapid Slings and a BlackRapid Double Camera Harness. I’ve been using your gear since 2013!

Follow Keith Perks

Facebook – facebook.com/1120studios

Instagram – instagram.com/1120Studios

Website – www.1120studios.com

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ProStarPics.com – Motorsport Photographer

I’m an accredited F1 photo journalist focusing on the behind-the-scenes side of Formula 1.

By posting images along with engaging captions to Instagram moments after taking them, I’ve amassed more than 350,000 followers. On top of that, another 450,000 people follow me on YouTube, Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter. These are avid F1 fans keen to know everything about this fascinating sport and as long as they’re interested, I’ll continue to share my experiences with them.

Do you have a good photo tip you can share with us?

For isolating Formula 1 drivers as they walk throughout the paddock, crouch low so you can get them with the sky behind, instead of crowds of people.

What’s a memorable moment you can share?

I had 10 minutes with Pierre Gasly outside the Alpha Tauri Formula 1 garage to do a personal photo shoot with him, using a Hasselblad camera.

What’s in your bag?

• 2 Canon EOS R3
• BlackRapid Double Harness Strap
• Laptop, 600 ml lens
• 70-200 mm lens
• 85 mm fixed lens
• 50 mm lens
• 72 mm
• 16-35 mm lens
• Elgato streamdeck
• Manfroto monopod

Follow Kym Illman

YouTube – youtube.com/c/kymillman

Website – kymillman.com

Instagram – instagram.com/kymillman

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Nature Photographer

Shane Turgeon is an award-winning nature photographer focused on landscapes, the night sky, storms, and wildlife. He is based in Alberta, Canada and since picking up his camera for the first time, Shane has traveled through much of western Canada exploring some of the most photogenic locations both on and off the map.

While pursuing nature and landscape photos for his own personal pleasure are his primary focus in photography, he has a keen passion for sharing the mental health benefits of nature photography and passing on his experience and knowledge to other photographers.

Do you have a good photo tip you can share with us?

I always keep a pair of rubber boots in my vehicle. They’ve helped me get the right shot on more occasions than I care to remember!

The Big Freeze

Where I’m from in Canada, winter is a pretty big part of life. At our latitude the snow usually starts falling around mid-October and melts in April typically giving us about 6 full months of winter. The days are short, the nights are long and the temperatures can be downright dismal.

Being a nature photographer here, particularly a night sky shooter, means embracing extremes in order to capture some of the special celestial events we have. I’ve stood waist-deep in snow drifts in -25C temperatures to photograph meteor showers. I’ve driven three hours from home for a blood moon eclipse in -37º C temps, standing outside for hours, vehicle running so we can charge batteries as they drain from the cold to keep the cameras going. I’ve walked across a frozen lake in -43º C, chasing the aurora and accumulating ice and frost over most of my face and head, including my eyelids!

Night photography here requires a bit more fortitude a few months out of the year but it’s absolutely worth it for the shots we get.

What’s in your bag?

• Canon 1DX
• Canon 5D MkIII
• NiSi filter kit
• Canon 24-70mm 2.8
• Canon 16-35mm 2.8
• Canon 70-200mm 2.8
• Rokinon 14mm 2.4
• Sigma 150-600mm contemporary always connected to a BLACKRAPID Sport strap. That strap is hands down one of the most important pieces in my kit. Whether I’m doing wildlife, concert or commercial photography, it’s there.

Follow Shane Turgeon

• Website – shaneturgeonphotography.com
• Instagram – instagram.com/shane_turgeon
• Instagram – instagram.com/shane_turgeon_wildlife

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