Ep 27 - Photographer Eric Meola
03/14/20 • 76 min
Eric Meola is an incredibly talented commercial photographer out of New York City. He has spent his career attempting to make his work distinctive, photographing things like the incredible weather of The Great Plains and Bruce Springsteen on the rise. Eric began his commercial photography career after he graduated from Syracuse University, going from his first job as a photography assistant to Time Magazine. Throughout his career, Eric has been able to balance doing commercial work, which brings in money, and his personal work, which is much more important in the long run.
In this episode, Tom Kennedy, ASMP’s Executive Director, and photographer Eric Meola talk about...
- How Eric began his commercial career from Syracuse University
- Keeping a balance between commercial and editorial
- Forces that drive photographers to make their work distinctive
- Things learned from outside assignments and making mistakes
- Different sources of inspiration that have helped open Eric’s eyes
- Approaching the challenge of filming the weather of The Great Plains
- Achieving clarity and precision in the moment during all the chaos of the storms
- Preparation for chasing storms across such a massive land area
- Physical and mental challenges when chasing storms for long periods of time
- Staying careful and aware of the environment when photographing a storm
- How the process of editing and publishing changes between books
- Importance of being on press during the publishing process for the photographer
- The positives and negatives that can be taken from The Great Plains
- Making a statement about yourself with your portfolio
- Ways that the photography market has changed since Eric started his career
- Getting outside of your comfort zone to realize what you might be good at
Links to resources:
Eric Meola’s Website: http://www.ericmeola.photography/
Books by Eric Meola:
The Last Place on Earth: India
Streets of Fire: Bruce Springsteen in Photographs and Lyrics 1977-1979
Send us your comments and suggestions: [email protected]
To donate to the ASMP archives go to: https://www.asmp.org/asmp-foundation/
Eric Meola is an incredibly talented commercial photographer out of New York City. He has spent his career attempting to make his work distinctive, photographing things like the incredible weather of The Great Plains and Bruce Springsteen on the rise. Eric began his commercial photography career after he graduated from Syracuse University, going from his first job as a photography assistant to Time Magazine. Throughout his career, Eric has been able to balance doing commercial work, which brings in money, and his personal work, which is much more important in the long run.
In this episode, Tom Kennedy, ASMP’s Executive Director, and photographer Eric Meola talk about...
- How Eric began his commercial career from Syracuse University
- Keeping a balance between commercial and editorial
- Forces that drive photographers to make their work distinctive
- Things learned from outside assignments and making mistakes
- Different sources of inspiration that have helped open Eric’s eyes
- Approaching the challenge of filming the weather of The Great Plains
- Achieving clarity and precision in the moment during all the chaos of the storms
- Preparation for chasing storms across such a massive land area
- Physical and mental challenges when chasing storms for long periods of time
- Staying careful and aware of the environment when photographing a storm
- How the process of editing and publishing changes between books
- Importance of being on press during the publishing process for the photographer
- The positives and negatives that can be taken from The Great Plains
- Making a statement about yourself with your portfolio
- Ways that the photography market has changed since Eric started his career
- Getting outside of your comfort zone to realize what you might be good at
Links to resources:
Eric Meola’s Website: http://www.ericmeola.photography/
Books by Eric Meola:
The Last Place on Earth: India
Streets of Fire: Bruce Springsteen in Photographs and Lyrics 1977-1979
Send us your comments and suggestions: [email protected]
To donate to the ASMP archives go to: https://www.asmp.org/asmp-foundation/
Previous Episode
Ep 26 - Robert Seale
Robert Seale is a commercial photographer and long-time ASMP member based out of Houston. Throughout his career, he has been able to stay versatile and prolific, while providing his services to advertising agencies, corporate reports, and a host of editorial publications. Robert has made a name for himself with his exceptional technical ability, graphic eye, lighting skills, and his execution speed as a visual problem solver. From his start as a college newspaper photographer, Robert has spent years establishing himself as one of the premier names in the commercial photography industry.
In this episode, Tom Kennedy, ASMP’s Executive Director, and Robert Seale talk about...
- Getting into photography and influences that Robert had
- Transitioning from newspaper to sports magazines
- Preparation for photographing an athlete without the athlete
- Deciding to go out on his own as a commercial photographer
- Looking into the creative process that goes into getting a great shot
- Educating clients about the photography that they are looking for
- How Robert finds people that he really likes to work with
- Advising young photographers on which skills to hone in on
- The evolution from film to digital and how it has changed photography
- Importance of Instagram for displaying your portfolio to the new world
- Changes going on now that are creating more avenues for photography services
- The two factors that go into charging appropriately
- Things to know if entering the photography industry right now
- Staying critical and re-evaluating your process as time goes on
Links to resources:
Robert Seale's website: https://www.robertseale.com/
Robert Seale's Instagram: @robertsealephoto
Send us your comments and suggestions: [email protected]
To donate to the ASMP archives go to: https://www.asmp.org/asmp-foundation/
Next Episode
Ep 28 - Photography Rep Heather Elder
Today’s special guest is Heather Elder, a photography rep that has worked with some of the most well-known photographers in recent memory. Heather has spent years sharing thoughts and secrets of the photography industry through her blog, Notes From a Rep’s Journal, and her podcast, Dear Art Producer. After 25 years, she still figures out ways to innovate and adapt to the industry as it changes with the times. Heather brings years of wisdom and experience to the table, so pay attention!
In this episode, Gabriella Marks, ASMP National Board Member, and photography rep Heather Elder talk about...
- What doesn’t an artist representative do?
- Creating a sense of community in an industry that lacks one
- The importance of clear communication throughout the entire process
- Walking the line between following up and not being a stalker
- Start with the creative call and work from there
- Advice for beginners on how to approach creative treatment
- Breaking down estimates and approaching the job
- What can be said about you that cannot be said about anyone else?
- How photographers are integrating motion into what they do
- Using ASMP’s heritage to look forward into the future
- Persistence is key if you want to work with Heather
Links to resources:
Keep up with Heather’s work on her website: https://www.heatherelder.com/
Send us your comments and suggestions: [email protected]
To donate to the ASMP archives go to: https://www.asmp.org/asmp-foundation/
ASMP Experts & Masters - Ep 27 - Photographer Eric Meola
Transcript
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Hi. I'm Tom Kennedy, executive director of American Society of Media Photographers and host for this episode in Our Podcast, Siri's S and P Experts and Masters in depth Conversations about the art in business of professional Photography. My guest today is Eric Meola, a versatile and immensely talented commercial photographer working in New York City, whose work I have admired since my time at National Geographic as a director of photography there several decade
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