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Tips from the Pros

Al Satterwhite - Professional Photographer, Nikon Legend

"If you could share any wisdom to those who are enjoying photography and want to improve their skills, what would that be?"

.....the more you shoot & make mistakes, the better you get...if you aren't making any mistakes, you're not taking any chances...taking chances is what will get you better images...sometimes you have to roll the dice on getting the 'sure shot' that everyone else will get or try for something different that no one else will get...that separates the original thinkers from the 'herd' mentality that are all playing it safe...

Studying & enjoying the work of 'Master' photographers will give you ideas & motivation to go out and shoot better. Look at books from photographers like Avedon, Eugene Smith, Hiro, etc.

...get to assignments early, way ahead of everyone else...it gives you a chance to scout the area for the best vantage points, to secure permission for possible shooting positions, to talk to the 'locals', to settle down & be comfortable before the action starts.

"What is the most valuable advice that you had received and found most useful in your career?"

.....learn how to say 'NO' and then explain why....when clients price jobs too low, call too late, expect too much from a poor layout or inferior budget...when the job is not right for you, pass it over or recommend another photographer better suited...when the money is not right...or the client wants too many rights for what they are offering...if the job can't be done for the budget they have or the way they want to shoot it, turn it down & then offer a better solution... problem solvers are what clients are looking for....if you start setting your standards now, they will pay off in the future because they will have become good working habits.

Al Satterwhite

http://www.alsatterwhite.com/

Al Satterwhite

Al Satterwhite started working as a still photographer at a major daily newspaper in Florida (The St Petersburg Times) while in high school, covering major news stories in Florida and the Southeast. After a year as the Governor of Florida's personal photographer, he started a career as a freelance magazine photographer working out of Florida and Los Angeles. Over the next 10 years he worked on assignment for almost every major magazine (Automobile, Car & Driver, Fortune, Geo, Life, Look, Money, Newsweek, People, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Time, Travel & Leisure, to name a few). In the 80's he moved to New York City to form his own production company and concentrate on advertising.

For the next 15 years he did a wide range of national and international advertising work, becoming known for his saturated color images and keen sense of design and composition..... from action and aerial work, to miniatures in the studio, to major production campaigns in worldwide locations. Some of his advertising clients include American Express, Coca Cola, Dole, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Johnson Outboards, Kent Int'l, Molson, Nikon, Oldsmobile, Porsche, Polaroid, R J Reynolds, Saab, Sony, Tuborg, Universal Studios and Westinghouse.

Satterwhite has won many national and international awards. He is considered an authority on color and design, and has four (4) published books of his work on this subject. He was a paid consultant to Kodak for digital imaging for two years. He has lectured at Boston University, Brooks Institute of Photography, the Los Angeles/ Miami/Minneapolis/New England/New York Chapters of the ASMP, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, PhotoExpos in Los Angeles & New York. He has given workshops at Dawson College (Montreal), ICP (NYC), Kauai Photographic (Hawaii), the Maine Workshops, the Missouri Workshops, Palm Beach Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe Workshops & his own studio in New York City.

He has participated in the special book projects: A Day in the Life: Spain, A Salute to Singapore, A Salute to Western Australia. Satterwhite's work has been included in other author's books, such as A Man & His Words: Claude Kirk, The Perfect Portfolio (1984-Henrietta Brackman), Getting To The Top (1984-Peter Gambaccini), The Business of Commercial Photography (1997-Ira Wexler), The Photographer's Guide to Marketing & Self-Promotion (2001-Maria Piscopo). Stories and interviews with Satterwhite have been published in many national & international magazines along with his images.

In recent years he has focused his attention on making films. He has shot commercials, features & award-winning feature shorts as Director of Photography. Al now resides in Dallas, Texas. He was honored by Nikon and made a "Legend" in 2005.

Published Books:
1991 - Lights! Camera! Advertising! (144 pages; Amphoto)
1986 - Satterwhite On Color & Design (144 pages; Amphoto)
1984 - Fotographa Satterwhite/Images (64 pages; Italian)
1978 - The Photography Of Al Satterwhite (50 pages; Hennegan)

The Digital Image Cafe community thanks Mr. Satterwhite for sharing his insight and experience with us.