Rangefinder Magazine
October 2005
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Marshall Sokoloff by Harvey Goldstein
Geometric Images
Marshall Sokoloff, the photographer, began his career as Marshall Sokoloff, the freelance graphic designer and art director. He became comfortable and experienced in the world of digital photography while working with photography studios in Toronto, Canada, long before he picked up a camera. After leaving the graphic designing field, he needed a creative outlet while working as the marketing manager for a dot-com company. That’s when Marshall purchased his first camera and began making photographs.
With the implosion of the dot-com world, Marshall was forced back to the design world but continued to make photographs. The upside to this turn of events was that not only was he making photographs, but he was also selling them. Within two years he was able to leave the design world behind and work full-time as a photographer. Marshall states, “It’s the greatest experience when people start showing that willingness to pay for your work… That first leap is a tough one. I’m not sure who said it first, but the expression, ‘Take the leap and grow your wings on the way down’ comes to mind.” Marshall has no formal training in photography, art or design; he has his eyes, dedication and perseverance. He believes that his lack of formal training has not been an impediment to his success; his confidence allows him to do as he pleases.
Marshall is a photo-artist: The images he creates are not based on assignments. His inspiration comes from wherever he happens to be, not from a supplied subject.
Before Marshall had fully developed his style, he had his portfolio reviewed by a noted art gallery owner in Toronto who was less than complimentary. Among the things said to Marshall was that he photographed like a graphic designer. Taken aback at first, Marshall thought more about what was said. Although he initially felt that the gallery owner was dismissive, he realized he is a graphic designer, specializing in the placements of elements on a page and in his photographs.
He was also told his work was “eye-candy,” that the images did not project any deeper inner meaning. This raised the question: What is art? To Marshall, art is anything that moves him. “I think deeper meaning is a great and noble objective, but completely in the eye of the beholder when it comes to abstract images. I think to feel and appreciate beauty is a place to start in the abstract realm, and beyond that, meaning is entirely an individual thing.”
Marshall’s workplace is quite often industrial sites. He likes to photograph areas that are subjected to “hard work, hard use and hard time.” Although he is noted for his photographs of ships, or parts thereof, the ships were not the impetus for the subject matter. He was drawn to the ports by the heavy industries that occupy the area such as cement, petroleum and steel. In photographing the hulls of ships, Marshall sees things outside of their context.
Marshall has been using Photoshop since version 2.0, and it is ironic that his purpose in becoming a photographer was to get away from the computer. However, he does not like to place an object or manipulate a scene. All of his images are “uncropped” and “unstraightened.”
The images are opened in the RAW interface of Photoshop, and then he makes corrections to color, temperature and exposure. Working in Photoshop 16-bit, he will tweak levels and curves, but only slightly. He does not like to make radical changes to saturation or contrast. His primary purpose in correction is to portray the images the way he remembers seeing them. His images are rich and color-saturated right out of the camera.
Because he likes to be in the moment of the photograph, Marshall photographs only with available light and usually hand-holding the camera. Placing the camera on a tripod takes away from being “right there in that moment.”
Many of Marshall’s most intense and vibrant images are photographed in the first two hours after sunrise. He finds that the eastern exposure delivers the ideal light at that hour and that the light tends to be more on the blue side, as opposed to the warm tones of sunset. He feels his photographs around the water also benefit from the glassy calm at that hour.
Marshall is currently using the Canon Pro 1 because its features are well suited to his style of photography. The camera is small, which is important if he has to squeeze into small places such as gaps in fences and abandoned industrial sites. Because he photographs over fences, the flip-out LCD display is extremely helpful, and the small lens barrel makes it easy to put it through a chain link fence to capture an image. He also utilizes a Mamiya 6 with 50mm and 75mm lenses, as well as his new Canon 1Ds Mark II.
To the aspiring photographer who would like to follow in his footsteps, Marshall says, “Just go with your gut—shoot what appeals to you.” He also recommends digital capture rather than film because of the cost. In his first year as a hobbyist, he made 15,000 exposures. This will give the newcomer experience as he/she fine-tunes both technique and style. Marshall also advises anyone starting out to create a great web site, again because of the low cost and its effectiveness, and it’s important to network, network, network.
Marshall’s inspiration to photograph is about “the moment.” “It’s the moment when you release the shutter, the moment you know the shot is gold, the moment when everything is perfect, the moment when you become so excited and can’t wait to see the shot as a print.”
Often, knowing the story behind the work, the circumstances in which it was made, and the life of the artist, help the viewer to understand the final work. In some instances, the process is the work. While Marshall believes that knowledge of the process is important, he also believes it is often used as a crutch as well as a hindrance in the interpretation of art. He believes that too often the status of the celebrity boosts appreciation for that individual’s art. Rather than take a structured view of how one should see art, Marshall feels that when viewing art, view art. All that should matter is the piece of work one is viewing. Marshall asks the questions, “Does it move you? Does it speak to you?” He uses the Ontario College of Art’s Annual Mystery Sale fund-raiser as an example of the true value of art.
Hundreds of pieces are sold each year at bargain prices, unsigned. Canada’s most famous artists donate some of the artwork; others are donated by college faculty and students. Prospective bidders seek out the pieces that “appeal to them, that move them, that excite them.”
To view more of Marshall Sokoloff’s photographs, visit his web site, www.blurbism.com/.
Marshall Sokoloff’s
Imaging Tools:
Clothing Accessories: Steel-toed safety boots, hard hat and safety glasses (makes it easier to access many work sites)
Cameras: Canon Pro 1, Mamiya 6, Canon 1Ds Mark II
Lenses: 28–200mm
Light: Available light only, never flash
Tripod: Ninety percent of photographs are handheld. Marshall carries an inexpensive tripod he can afford to lose due to the nature of his locations.
On-location equipment: Three 1GB CF cards, a Firewire CF reader and a Mac iBook. After off-loading the CF cards, he immediately reformats the images in the camera.
Computer: 20-inch iMac G5, 1.25GB (RAM)/160GB (hard drive).
External Firewire drives: 160 & 250GB
Printer: Work is processed at a local lab, Pikto, using an Epson 9600 for large size Giclée prints and 4000lpi Agfa D-lab for digital C-prints.
Harvey Goldstein from Branford, Connecticut, has been in the photographic industry for more than 30 years. He is a former studio owner and presently edits numerous association newsletters and magazines, as well as being a freelance writer.
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