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| This is an outline of the process for a typical architectural/interior design shoot: Getting prepared: planning and strategizing are very important parts of the shoot. The first step is a conversation to get clear on what will be the purpose of the images - what is important to show and feature, and why, and their use (portfolio, awards submittal, publication, marketing, advertising, etc.). The next step is the site visit, either by myself or with the client. By this time, I will have a preliminary shot list, or a list of areas/spaces that need to be documented. I will offer to take scouting shots of the project, which is a great way to finalize the shot selection, especially when it is not practical for the client to be present at the shoot. Once we come up with the final shot list, we will go over the scouting shots and talk about what you like and don’t like, discuss composition, lighting, props, the best time of day to shoot each shot, whether or not to include people in the shot, etc. At this time, we will also go over issues such as scheduling, arranging access/clearance, site preparation (landscaping, light fixtures, signage), contact people, etc. During the shoot: As I proceed with the shots, I am always looking for unexpected angles or details, and go ahead and grab them when I see them. Post-production: after the shoot, I put together the proofs, and we go over the retouching that needs to be done on the images. There are different levels of retouching: a basic level involves removing outlets, exit signs, smoke detectors, etc. The next level is all about fine-tuning the image. When I shoot, I take different exposures with different lighting so that I can put together the final image by picking and choosing parts of the different exposures. This allows me to create an image that captures the best qualities of the space while still looking completely realistic. Yet another level involves removing large objects such as telephone poles and wires, adding trees, etc. (Even though I may end up doing a lot of Photoshop work on the image, I walk the fine line of making the work undetectable…) After the retouching is done, I submit the images for the final review, make any necessary adjustments, format the files to client’s specifications, and deliver the final, finished images either on disk or via FTP. |
| I was born in 1964, in what was still the Soviet Union, in the city of Moscow. My family and I emigrated from the USSR in 1979. We came to the United States via Austria and Italy, arriving in New York City in February of 1980. I first discovered photography when I was nine or ten, back in Moscow. My father, an avid amateur photographer, was in the habit of setting up a temporary darkroom in the bathroom of our apartment. There, in the eerie dim light of a red safety bulb, I saw images magically appear on a white sheet of photo paper. My Dad gave me a simple camera and I started taking photos of buildings in Moscow. I became seriously interested in photography much later. As I was about to graduate with a BA degree in architecture from UC Berkeley, I took a photography class. I loved it so much that I realized I wanted to become a photographer. I had no idea how I was going to do it, I just knew I had to do it. The catalyst was an experience I had while I was working for an engineering firm after I graduated. I was asked to assist an architectural photographer during a shoot for an awards submittal my firm was putting together. Watching that photographer work made me see that architectural photography was what I wanted to do. I quit my job, went into debt, bought equipment and started shooting. I learnt through trial and error and as I gained more experience, I honed my skills and continued to learn more about the qualities of lighting, like transparency and layering, and the dynamics of composition, space and form. Over the years, while photographing mostly architecture, I was also asked to do other kinds of photography, such as food/hospitality, lifestyle and people. The experience of photographing people was completely opposite from shooting architecture. I had to think fast, be quick and flexible, and interact with my subjects. My first major assignment was shooting events at the Stanford Law School, starting in 2004. I then went on to team up with my wife, the hair and make-up artist to do beauty shots of models, and then headshots of people in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Now, in my mid-forties, with over 20 years of photography experience, I still feel inspired to grow and improve as a photographer. My goal is to approach every project and assignment with an intention to create images that capture the essence of the project, yet also convey my love of light and composition, the progression and layering of space, the relationship of objects within the image and how they dialog with each other. |
| LIST OF CLIENTS Click on the links to see website Field Paoli Architects *MBH Architects Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz *VBN Architects *HKIT Architects Gordon Huether Architectural Glass Design *The Dahlin Group Architects Armstrong Construction, Inc. Kim Betzina Interiors Fushimi+Fushimi Architects The Stinking Rose Restaurant Group Fulcrum Structural Engineers Hertzka Knowles Architecture The Legacy Partners Real Estate *Deems Lewis McKinnley Architects Mark Thomas Architecture HTA Architects DES Architecs ED2 International Hildebrand Architecture City Building, Inc. Cass Calder Smith Architects Richard Pennington Arhitecture Kathy Bate Restaurant Design *Sasaki Associates, Inc. Loy Davis Martin Custom Fine Furniture Domus Design Group DesignWorks Interiors *Don Dommer Associates *Del Campo & Maru DPR Construcion, Inc. Miller/Kelley Architects Mock/Wallace Architecture MBT Architecture Mark Nelson Development *Peters & Associates Interior Design David Baker + Associates Restaurants First Hospitality Design CBI Contractors GSA Rod Rossi Restaurant Design Richard Witzer Interior Design Kahn Design Architecture Thomas Bateman Hood Architecture Oculus Architecture John Malick & Associates, Architects Jan Gunn Interior Design Jurow Design Associates *Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition Dean Trimble Lighting Martha Tout Interior Design AND Design Lisa Weber Design Lincoln Construction, Inc. Butler Associates, Architects Linda DeMartini Interiors Freebairn-Smith & Crane Architects Van Der Sterre Construction Stanford Law School Shaddle Construction, Inc. Jean Kezeor Interior Design Homer Oatman Architects KPW Structural Engineers, Inc * Denotes award-winning submittals using my photography PUBLICATIONS California Home Design, July/August 2009 The Franciscan Cookbook Menu, 2008 & 2009 Athletic Business, December 2007, Cover San Francisco Chronicle, Home and Garden Section July 28, 2001 Contract Magazine, January 2001 AMC - Le Moniteur Atchitecture, March 1999 Haas School of Business, A Brief Centennial History, 1998 Mercedes Momentum, Spring 1998, Cover Cal Business, Spring 1998 Custom Homes, March/April 1998 Hospitality Design, July/August 1997 Diablo Magazine, April 1997 House & Home, March/April 1997 San Francisco Examiner Magazine, October 27, 1996 Sunset Magazine, September 1996 Hospitality Design, March/April 1996, Cover Ross Stores, Inc. Annual Report Cover, 1996 Contract Design, March 1995, Cover Photo W Magazine, Homes Front Supplement, 1995 Remodeled Homes, May 1994 Sunset Kitchens Planning & Remodeling, 1994 Remodeling, February 1994 Nikkei Architecture, November1993 Sunset Magazine, October 1992 SF Magazine, March 1991 |