1. Which photographers have influenced your work?
Would have to start with Ansel Adams… even thou I do commercial/portrait type of work… his profound level of quality as far back as 1923 has yet to be surpassed… He also made a profound statement in 1971 that confirmed something I believed and will last my entire life because I was already doing this when I heard him say: Half the image is created in the camera, and the other half is created in the dark room. Needless to say, the likes of Photoshop are now my darkroom. Being able to perfect tone and color after capture is critical in today's workflow.
2. What is the one thing about the photography business that you wish you had learned earlier in your career
That would have to be generating a Stock segment in my business. I dove into that just a tiny bit and did well but didn't continue after it. Stock work is amazingly rewarding both financially and seeing your work published… but if I could do it all over again, it would be to organize and procure Stock Photography.
3. What advice would you give someone thinking about starting a career in photography?
Learn to see the light… that is, learn to SEE THE LIGHT… this is the one thing that will change your life, forever. Seeing the light is something that will dawn on you all of a sudden when you first see the light. You realize you've always seen the light but now, for the first time, you can actually see the light. I know that sounds silly but it truly is a life changing experience. I mentioned this to a young man once and as he went on tour giving seminars in photography around the country, he exclaimed to himself… What was Eddie talking about…? How do I learn to see the light? And it dawned on him one morning as the sun was rising and he was getting ready to shoot… he saw the light for the first time and realized what I meant and when he shared his experience with me it was very exciting. Light is beautiful and it is a privilege to have eye sight and to be able to see the light.
4. What is your most memorable photo or photo shoot that you have done?
There are many that come to mind but I would have to refer to the assignment I was given in 1980 by WSB-TV to fill 4 large windows behind the new News Set with images. This assignment took me to many different levels of being a photographer from learning about shooting out of a helicopter using a Tyler Mount (because the Continental Mount was in use for a movie) to generating 40x60 inch Cibachrome transparencies sandwiched between a milked and non-glare plexiglass, along with two versions of what ended up being a skyline shot of downtown Atlanta, a daylight and twilight version. This was the first of its kind for a TV New Set, having a skyline in the background and this set ended up on Ted Kopal's, ABC Nightline for a segment he was doing in Atlanta.
5. Please name five important accessories you always carry with you on a shoot?
I never have less than 3 Delkin memory cards with me. A white balance tool such as an Expo Disc and a MacBeth Color Checker (24 patch), which I call an insurance policy (for color accuracy).
6. If you could be in any other profession than photography, what would you like to be?
I would love to be a Helicopter pilot… silly isn't it seeing how Martin (Delkin's CEO/President) always teases me about helicopters… but that would be my profession if photography was not. Actually, before photography I was a musician (drummer) and played at Six Flags and for the grand opening of Disney World in Orlando in the early 70's (I don't have to tell my age here do I?) and may have gone down that path but I did become a band photographer, worked on tour with Kansas back in 1980 and had many other music clients when I started my photography business then.
