Rangefinder Magazine
November 2004

Profile: Ira Gostin by Peter Skinner
Entrepreneur, Businessman, Award-winning Photographer, Educator and Visual Storyteller

Very early on in a career that began as a high school student shooting for the local Lafayette Sun newspaper in California, Ira Gostin learned a valuable and lasting lesson. And it’s a lesson that has served him well throughout his career and one from which other photographers could profit: While making images is creative and fun, professional photography is first and foremost a business.

“With a couple of brief exceptions, I have been running my own businesses since I was 19, and I know that to stay in business, you have to be profitable—it’s that simple,” says Gostin. He speaks from experience—his freelance photojournalism career encompassed the gamut of newspaper and agency assignments and today he operates a multifaceted advertising and commercial business in Reno, NV.

	This image was created for a cowboy clothing company in Jackson Hole, WY.

Gostin is both colorful and outspoken. He and his images exude the individualism and character of the West, which has been his home for many years. In some ways he is not unlike the cowboys he has worked and lived with and photographed. He says it as he sees it, and most other thriving professionals would probably concur with Gostin’s analysis of time and effort devoted to non-shooting endeavors: “In reality,” he states, “I am an entrepreneur and business owner, not a photographer! Thirty percent of my time goes to running the business; 20 percent goes to marketing; and 30 percent to being a photographer. Also, I devote about 20 percent of my time to teaching and running our workshop business. Marketing and promotion are crucial to success and I am constantly looking for new projects and new clients.” So, if any aspiring professionals are reading this, digest the above percentages and be prepared to learn the business of the business if you want to stay in business.

However, regardless of which role Gostin sees himself in—businessman or photographer—there’s little doubt that his clients value the most public proof of his talents: his uncanny ability to portray the essence of his subject in every image. In a nutshell, Gostin strives to be a visual storyteller. That he aspires to such a goal is not surprising, because storytelling runs in the family. As a youngster, Gostin was enthralled by family yarns. Even though he didn’t know his Russian émigré grandfather, Sol, who died when Gostin was a baby, his father, Leonard, a first-generation American who grew up in the Bronx, relayed many wonderful anecdotes. “There were a lot of stories to be told, and I just loved to hear them. I guess that I inherited the trait and carry it on in my photography where I can tell stories visually,” he says.

Like many other successful versatile shooters, Gostin cut his teeth on photojournalism. Initially, as mentioned above, he started in that most basic of training grounds, the local newspaper, while still a student at Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA. Over the ensuing years he moved on to larger papers including the L.A. Times, where he interned and later freelanced. He also gained national and international exposure shooting for the AP. During his AP years, Gostin covered a multitude of pro sports including World Series, major news events, fires, military operations in places such as Honduras and Panama, and two Summer Olympics, 1984 in Los Angeles and 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. You name it; he probably shot it.

Cowboy Cody Crawford riding in the snow.

Given that his photojournalism years provided a vast storehouse of great moments, memories and images, Gostin is hard put to nominate the most special. But some do come to mind, especially his first major league game. “I always loved baseball and, like most kids, dreamed of being a pro player. That didn’t happen, but I did get to be in and around baseball as a photographer. And I still get goose bumps when I think of the first time I stepped out of the dugout to photograph an Oakland A’s game. I was about 19, a baseball fan forever and an A’s fan for many years. I remember the crisp, perfect blue Oakland sky, the smell of the wet grass. Loaded down with my Nikons and all my gear, I stepped out and it was overwhelming. I was photographing The Show. One dream realized and many to come,” he says.

And the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games resulted in Gostin’s capturing perhaps the definitive and most published of all images made at those Olympics. “I went to Seoul for AP as a lab tech, but immediately volunteered for the overnight job, so I could travel around Seoul during the day. Then Rusty (Kennedy, a senior AP photographer) wanted me at track and field again, so I would work all night, take a nap, go to track and field, and work that. I had a lot of photo essays from the neighborhoods in Seoul, but nothing that compared to my big day! I was covering the 100 meter men’s track final, the big showdown between Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis. I was in the right place, at the right time and had the experience to get it just right. I got the shot of Johnson crossing the finish line, his finger pointing skyward claiming ‘I am number one’ and looking over at Carl Lewis. As we all know, Johnson lost his medal because of drugs, so that image really defined an historic moment in Olympic history. I am told it is the most published image from the Seoul Olympics,” says Gostin who proudly remembers the ovation and backslapping he received on walking into the AP office after his great achievement.

	Gostin calls this one of his “fun rodeo blur shots.”

Also ranking high among his memoirs is the “little blue postcard that arrived in the mail one day.” It was from the Pulitzer Prize committee confirming that he had been nominated for a Pulitzer. In 1994 Gostin covered a horrific fire in the Sierra Nevada, near Reno, and the AP bureau in Reno nominated Gostin’s package of images. At that time, Gostin was responsible for all of AP’s photo coverage between Sacramento and Salt Lake City and down to Las Vegas; AP did not have a photographer in Nevada. “I was by myself covering the fire. A friend would meet me and run film to the lab, then I would come in and scan and transmit every night,” he said. True, he didn’t win a Pulitzer, but nomination is itself a coveted accolade.

On looking back on his years in the field, Gostin is adamant that his photojournalism background was paramount in making the transition to advertising photography. “I didn’t come from art school, assisting or an apprenticeship in commercial/advertising photography as many other photographers have done. But working for newspapers, especially for AP, provided me with the eye to capture a moment; how to tell a story and how to weave information to build the fabric of an image. And I had to learn how to create a memorable and storytelling portrait on the run. One of my regular AP assignments in Los Angeles was shooting celebrity portraits. The AP beat writer, either TV or cinema, would have lunch with the star and we would get about three minutes—no kidding!—to create a portrait. It was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have done—arrive, scout it, look at the light, develop the composition, meet the star, put him or her in place, get the shot, go! But on reflection, I wouldn’t pick another path to where I am now if I were able to,” he says.

Created for “Hot August Nights.” This was sought for the premier classic car and rock and roll event in the U.S.

And where he is now is as an established regional advertising shooter with an increasing list of local and national clientele including SBC Communications, First USA Visa, Harrah’s Entertainment, OEA Aerospace, Wells Fargo, GlaxoSmithKline, Hertz, Time, Popular Science and numerous others. The transition from journalism to commercial work, while relatively smooth, was in segments—initially a lot of PR assignments—all the while mastering more sophisticated lighting techniques, constantly seeking education in technical areas, marketing to agencies and art directors, and always sharpening skills, both photographic and business. Added to his scope of enterprise is teaching photojournalism at the University of Nevada and producing and leading workshops around the country. In keeping with his personality, Gostin’s photo workshop and business programs are a combination of serious industry spiced with lots of fun.

	A poster for “Hot August Nights.” Gostin explains, “This was at the beginning of my advertising career, and we ran out of lights. We were lighting the front with car headlights, and, of course, this was after the rain, wind and hail stopped! It was a very long day that netted us a cool picture.”

Since he expanded his range of undertakings from the day-to-day shooting as a photojournalist, Gostin has won tribute and accolades from numerous sources, both clients and peers. His contributions as an educator to professionals drew this praise from one of his colleagues, Will Crockett of Aurora, Illinois, who said: “Ira Gostin’s seminars are a ‘must see’ for any working pro who is serious about molding their photo business into better fiscal shape. Ira is forcefully clear in presenting his well researched (and unbiased) data in an up-front ‘here it is’ manner that is both refreshing and appreciated.”

The success of a project, says Gostin, revolves around good communication, collaboration, a free flow and exchange of ideas. “We discuss what they want to accomplish, their message and the audience they are targeting. Collaboration is really important, and in the planning stages everyone’s opinion matters—the stylist’s, the assistants’, the art director’s. But when it comes to shooting, the creative part, the only person I talk to is the art director. Anyone who wants to have input at that stage talks to the art director. I don’t have 20 people talking to me during the shoot,” he says.

This shot was for a spread in Boston Magazine. These XFL players were both from the Massachusetts area. Too bad the league didn’t make it. Gostin says, “I love shooting in Vegas, it’s just spectacular.”

While he still uses Nikon 35mm film equipment, mainly for personal work, Gostin’s workhorse camera system is the Fuji GX680. For big jobs he still shoots film (predominantly Fuji Provia 100F and some Velvia 100) from which drum scans are made. His entry into digital photography has been with Nikon D100s. Gostin works entirely on location—he doesn’t have a studio, and rents a facility at Harrah’s Hotel Casino (clients love having their shoots in the location) if a studio is needed. Other members of his team are a production manager, two part-time assistants, a freelance Web designer and a secretary.

Today, Gostin is definitely a Nevadan with a deep-rooted love of the environment and its traditions, evidenced by the style, warm colors and rich textures of the West that are woven into his images. This goes back to high school days when he “started messing around photographing and attending rodeos, roping a little, and working one summer as a ranch hand.” As an adult Gostin has always been around horses, cowboys and rodeo. He and his wife, Lorie, and stepson, Justin (also a keen baseball fan and player), have a small ranch, the Silver Nickel, north of Reno. Lorie rides on the Reno Rodeo’s drill team and also trains and teaches barrel racing and riding. Fittingly, one of Gostin’s clients is the great Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in Santa Clarita, CA, for which he shot the 2004 poster—the whole genre is part of his life. Also, a personal and ongoing project is his series of cowboy portraits, which started out “kind of Avedon-like, and now each is slightly different. I am actually hoping to wrap this project up this year and do something with it!” he says.

Even though his roles in photography are diverse, Gostin is best known as a visual storyteller. “My life is about stories, and I spend my time helping companies tell their tales and reach their customers. I love the challenge of brainstorming an idea with the client and then using my creative and technical skills to make the story come to life. It’s magic for me, turning sales goals, vision statements and company values into compelling photographs. It’s what I love to do,” he says.

To see more of Ira Gostin’s images, visit www.gostinphoto.com/.

	Advertising photo for Microflex, a world leader in latex and safety gloves. This image was created in the parking lot.

To check out his range of workshops and seminars, visit www.gostinworkshops.com and www.shootSMARTER.com/.

Ira Gostin’s Nuggets of Wisdom for Professional Success:
• Any professional photographer must have solid business skills. Not necessarily at MBA level, but understand business basics, how to read a budget, and how to talk to other business professionals. Good business practices are a priority for all fields—wedding, portrait and corporate.
• Customer service is a top priority. There has to be an honest and sincere desire to deliver a top product, in a top manner to all clients.
• Teamwork and collaboration are important. The photographer should have his/her own style, and at the same time, know how to fit it in to the needs of the client/agency.
• Keep your business well organized; the studio or workspace organized and efficient. This allows for greater creativity.
• Sharpen the saw! Go to a seminar now and then, take yourself on a “photographer’s date.” Once a month, take an afternoon, go to a gallery, or an independent film—recharge the batteries!
• Have a pricing model. Write a physical, internal-use price list. This way when you are negotiating, you have a pricing structure all designed. It builds consistency, keeps you on track to your business goals, and helps you avoid industry hassles.
• Develop and use targeted marketing and promotional materials. (Working with respected consultant Ian Summers for the past year or so, Gostin has gone back to using a print portfolio and has created extensive promo pieces. This is in addition to his presence on the Internet.)
• Never stop learning. Attend workshops, seminars. Join a trade association (or associations), so you can network with peers and benefit from the clout such organizations offer.
• Photography students: Strengthen to your photo or journalism degree with a business minor.

Freelance writer/photographer and author Peter Skinner, who has recently relocated to his native Australia, has more than 22 years experience in the photo industry in public relations, media liaison, corporate communications, workshop production and coordination. His magazine articles and photography have been published internationally and he has co-authored or edited numerous publications and books. He recently collaborated with the late Don Blair on an recently released book, Portrait Photography: The Art of Seeing Light (Amherst Media). He can be reached at: prsskinner@bigpond.com.