“RNP the Blog”

I took a little break from the blog over the holidays. I figure it is about time to add to my favorite photographers list.

If you don’t already know his work, allow me to introduce you to the talented and prolific Frank Ockenfels. His website is a great source of inspiration.

I first came across his work in a Keb Mo Cd a number of years ago. His soulful portraits of Keb Mo are still in my head to this day.

Frank is known for working primarily with available light. His shooting style is open and free and he embraces the elements and challenges he is presented with (like having five minutes with his celebrity clients). I would say he is a shooter that actually shoots for happy accidents.

He shoots a variety of formats and still works quite a bit with film (like many of the other shooters I have profiled). His work covers a wide gamut and he has more than enough game to pull it all off.

Frank is known for his contact sheet collages (I even paid homage to him with my collage from my shoot with Miss America last year).

From everything I have read and heard about him not only is he talented but is a genuinely good person. I was scheduled to do his workshop in Santa Fe a couple summers ago but had to cancel when one of my best friend’s wedding got scheduled for the same weekend. Hopefully there will be another opportunity.

He was also featured on APhotoEditor

Well done Mr. Ockenfels, well done!

.

I found myself on the couch a couple nights ago winding down from the day and watching television. I stumbled across a reality show that unexpectedly pulled me in. I don’t know how many of you have scene “Confessions of a Teen Idol” on VH1 for me at least it was entertaining and not for the reasons that you might think.

As someone who is pursuing a career in a creative industry I thought the show had a lot to offer. In my humble opinion pursuing a career as a photographer or an actor (you could add musician, comedian, writer, etc…) has a lot of parallels. We are all competing in an industry where there are far more people competing for work than there is actual work. We are all trying to find ways to package our talents as unique and special in industries that want to place us in boxes (car photographer, comedic actor, etc..) and label us. We are all in fields that require a “break” from someone that recognizes our talent and is in a position to introduce us to a larger audience in order to reach the highest levels. And if we are lucky enough to reach those high levels there will be thousands of people cutting us down our and waiting for us to fail.

It was interesting for me to see how these guys have dealt with the success and the failure. For instance the story of Jamie Walters who used to be on 90210. After he left the show he went through a slump as an actor and a musician. He wasn’t booking gigs and finally decided it was time to leave the business. He got married had some kids and works as a fireman. But he has always wondered if he would have stayed in the game if things would have turned around. I think that is a universal question for anyone that is pursuing work in a creative field. We all struggle initially and some struggle for years even decades but how do you decide when and if to walk away? If we walk away now will we miss our big break?

I found myself alternating between feeling sorry for these guys that have been chewed up by the entertainment industry and wanting to tell them all to get over themselves and be thankful for the success that they enjoyed at one time in their career.

I don’t have any answers to the questions that the show brought up….but I do have a hope that in all creative fields that over the long haul talent eventually wins out.

.