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November 7, 2009 |
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Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
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Columns |
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Takegreatpictures.com (TGP): How did you get started in photography? Al Gilbert (AG): I worked with my dad. I still have over 100 glass plates that he shot, and they're part of our archives. My dad never left the studio. He used to dress us up and photograph us with window lights. I studied to be a commercial artist, but I couldn't paint. In 1969 I gave a lecture using outdoor light and was called a radical that would ruin classical photography forever. How wrong they were. The most beautiful photographs today use outdoor lighting.  © 2006 Al Gilbert
TGP: Do you give lectures regularly? AG: I've been able to give a lot of lectures around the world. I'll be giving a lecture soon in Texas entitled "From Glass Plates to Digital." I was brought up watching glass and moved to 35mm and then to digital. And I can see the limitations of digital. TGP: What are some of those limitations? AG: The business of photography is suffering dramatically. All photographers are suffering today. Before, if you wanted to copy someone's proof, the labs wouldn't touch it. Now you can buy a scanner and make copies yourself. Or take it to a lab and make prints for 35 cents. We just got into Painter, which can make your photographs look like watercolors. 99% of people can't do that. But loyalty is gone. You give someone an image, and they e-mail it. So we practice quality stuff. Because of digital we're losing out in the marketplace. Once when we photographed the mayor of Toronto, we made $40,000 from selling prints. Today, we'd make zero. All people want today is a cd. We've gone into quality black and white photographs that are selling. We have all new ads that come out each month.  © 2006 Al Gilbert
TGP: And you've made graduation photographs a specialty. Can you tell us more about shooting graduates? AG: Most graduates have already been photographed by companies that have made inroads into the schools. So they have access to all the students. Now, why would someone who's already had her portrait done come to me? Because she's unhappy with the results. She's unhappy that she looks the same as all the rest of the graduates. There's nothing to distinguish her from all the rest. We've been in business over eighty years—my dad started the business in 1922—and people know to call Gilbert's for quality photographs. Since many have already been photographed and are unhappy, we'll ask what were they were unhappy with. "There are too many shadows. My hair came out dark. I didn't like the background. I just didn't look good." And that's helpful. We also recommend that the girls get their make-up done. We can even provide a make-up artist. This is not as important today because of the digital software. Still, they feel a little more glamorous.  © 2006 Al Gilbert
TGP: Are there any current trends in graduation photography? AG: What's the most important image? Parents want a classical image, and they want the girl to look happy. They're going to buy the image that makes them happy. We are working with the Olympus E1, so parents and students can see immediately how the pictures are turning out. It's a great advantage. We also recommend that they have an album made of their graduation. We send someone to the event to capture those exciting emotional images. Those emotional pictures are important. And as professionals, we know, for example, not to choose a white wall as a backdrop. You'll have professional looking images of a momentous day.  © 2006 Al Gilbert
TGP: You also do classic-looking portraits. Have you photographed anyone you were particularly excited about? AG: Around 1948, after the war, I photographed Sinatra, and that's the best seller I've ever had. He was a young, upcoming star.  © 2006 Al Gilbert
TGP: Do you have any portrait tricks you'd like to share? AG: You have to shoot in Raw. You can always break down the whites and blacks. I'm giving a lecture in Toronto on the 13th of May as part of photography week in Toronto. I will shoot some celebrities in the Toronto area using color gels. White light is hard to see, but when you see blue on a shadow and green on another light, the results are unique. Al Gilbert's Gear Camera Olympus E-Series, E1 in studio Click here to read Al Gilbert's 10 Tips & Techniques for taking great graduation photos... Click here to read Al Gilbert's Bio/Background...
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