Rangefinder Magazine
April 2005

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Insight/On the Cover by Bill Hurter

Need an illustration of time? Or how about a photographic series that illustrates the concept of elegance as it applies to blue jeans? The photographers who execute and often conceive of the solutions to these types of visual problems are commercial photographers. They are the good-natured Svengalis of the photography world. Often the restraints aren’t conceptual, but are impossible time restraints, such as New York jazz photographer Gene Martin shooting a CD cover in 15 minutes (page 68) or Las Vegas photographer Audrey Dempsey trying to capture a soufflé before it fell flat (page 14). Dempsey’s task was made even more daunting by the nature of the assignment: photograph the great chefs of Las Vegas, showing a beautiful interior of their restaurant, a prize entrée or dessert, and a heart-warming portrait of the master chef! The commercial photographer sometimes has to create and express things that don’t exist in our world. John Lund’s animals, for example, are in a wacky world of their own (page 38)—dogs psychoanalyzing cats, sumo bulldogs, and canary-tasting felines are just a few of Lund’s creations. Photographer Melissa Scheetz has a unique take on the world of fashion photography (page 56) that captures the strange other-worldly beauty of high fashion. Commercial photographers also show us aspects of our world that we don’t have access to—like Matthew Jordan Smith’s (page 8) and Cesare Bonazza’s (page 28) insightful celebrity portraiture. Their styles are quite different, but both men produce images that peel away the layers of our most famous icons, revealing depth of personality and character. David Lorenz Winston (page 20) is a fine art photographer who distills the essence of a moment or place that most people would not even notice. His images, almost exclusively horizontal, tumble foreground, midground and background into a fascinating array of space. John Woodward (page 32) is the prototypical commercial photographer—the jack of all trades—skillful at shooting sports, food, fashion, events and product. Also featured in this issue are Steve Begleiter (page 46), Reed Young, (page 52) and Roger Rosenfeld (page 60).

Bill Hurter, Editor

PHOTOGRAPHER: Matthew Jordan Smith
Title: “Yin”
CAMERA: Contax 645
FILM: Kodak Ektachrome E100G
LENS: 120 Macro lens
EXPOSURE: 1⁄60 at f/11
LIGHTING: Profoto 7 battery pack & Octa umbrella
COMMENTS: This striking image and its companion image, “Yang,” were taken for Zink magazine, a fashion and beauty magazine.

Matthew says he did a lot of research into what Yin and Yang are. He then explained the concepts to both models. He also drew sketches to show them what they were representing. He had the models keep their eyes closed for the pictures.

Matthew is a fashion and celebrity photographer based in New York. His work has been featured in numerous magazines, including InStyle and Essence, as well as being featured on TV shows such as The View and E! Entertainment. In addition to years of hard work, Matthew’s people skills are most responsible for his success. He says, “People hire you when they like you. People request to see you when they like you. Photography is a very intimate thing. And it is about relationships.”

See the companion image, “Yang,” and read Larry Brownstein’s profile of Matthew Jordan Smith beginning on page 8.