Secret Shooter's style is based on several foundations.
Good lighting, good lenses, beautiful subjects, and compelling themes.

Think of the imagery that captivates your imagination, that makes you feel something.  Imagery should move your emotions, cause you to feel, cause you to remember.  This is Secret Shooter's purpose;  To cause one to feel, remember, and imagine.

Secret Shooter's statement about photography.  "Photography is like music, just because music is technically good does not mean everyone will like it.  Photography, like music, is a matter of taste, and must be experienced in order to be perceived.  Only then can one decide in their taste for photography."

What's the big secret?  No secrets here, except of course the next new concept theme shoot in planning.  Secret Shooter is a seasoned photographer of everything from portraits to weddings, and has years of amateur, semi-pro and professional experience spanning over 20 years in photography.  SS is also in a network of seasoned musicians, record producers, and video producers, so musically talented or actors are encouraged to network with SS for collaboration on cutting edge projects.

Secret Shooter will consider TFP on a case by case basis for serious inquiries, and may even consider travel for compelling imagery opportunities. Secret Shooter gives preference to those that have a passion for achieving greatness in the arts, and is willing to collaborate with talented individuals to wish to create compelling imagery.

Secret Shooter's fees are $100 hourly for digital and $200 hourly for medium format film.  A film shoot will consist of both digital and film images, of which models receive both digital and film prints or slides.

Secret Shooter says, "If you've never seen yourself on film, you might not appreciate what makes the difference between an image you see in Maxim, and many of the other excellent and compelling works that you see on the web, but not in print. Magazines require such high resolutions that most photography submissions will never have a chance of hitting a magazine because they lack the resolution, contrast, and color depth that only large or medium format film can deliver.  In fact, I can't even show people over a computer what high resolution is about because a computer screen is only able to show a limited gamut of colors and pixel resolution.  However, if I take a medium or large format slide film and project it up on the wall, people's jaws drop, and the colors are more true to life than people are aware is possible in this new digital age of photography.  Digital will eventually catch up, but today a 40 MP camera is just out of reach for most professional photographers at over $10K.  That will change soon, and as soon as digital gets more contrast, then film may be a thing of the past.  Until then, film is what you use for print work."

Secret Shooter's Gear:
His preferred digital platform is the Nikon D200 10 MP DSLR with a f1.4 or f1.8  fast auto or manual lens, or an assortment therof.
Secret Shooter also uses the Mamiya Medium Format 645 Pro film back camera. (This is his favorite camera to date)
Secret Shooter uses Mamiya lenses mated to Nikon Digital bodies for a best of both Worlds approach to amazing lenses and digital bodies.
SS uses Rollieflex Planar lenses and Medium format film cameras as well.
SS uses Pocket Wizard remote flash triggers and an assortment of studio strobes and triggers.

A Word for TF* Candidates:
SS is able to collaborate with TF* models to create compelling imagery that would be mutually beneficial.  This means that you should feel that SS could bring something to benefit you, and vice versa.  If you appreciate the photographer's "eye", then contact him to see if you can accomplish some imagery that would have artistic merit.  SS wants each shoot to have a purpose, or a goal.  "What is it we are trying to accomplish with these images?", he fondly says.  "Once you understand your motivation, then you can understand the message in the imagery.  That's what makes an image memorable.", he proclaims. "What is the model trying to achieve with her images?", he asks.

SS says, "Photography is just like surfing, you just keep searching for that perfect photo and never get tired of the ride."

Why does SS capture imagery?  "Photographs are some of the most important things in our lives.  It's how we remember times gone by, family memories, people you care about, children growing up, what you looked like when you were a baby.  We take images for granted sometimes, but only in the 20th century were people able to even take photos.  They've made such a difference in our lives, and that is why it is still such and incredible medium.  These things are what drew me to photography since I was 13.  Photographs are important to me, they are like my visual diary of the World.  A way to relive and remember.  I love digital because every photo has a time stamp of when it was taken.  Weddings I've shot are like a permanent record of people's most important memories of their lives.  I'm proud to be apart of this tradition of creating snapshots in time for people to record events so that they can be relived and shared with others.  Photography is all about sharing, too.  One takes a photo, and then shows it to others.  This is me, this is what I looked like.  OMG I looked like that?  It lets people perceive themselves as others perceive them."

SS would like to say, "Very few people understand the technical reasons why Ansel Adams photos are so compelling.  The fact is that he used a piece of film the size of  an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper should reveal some clues.  When people think of photography they think 35mm film, but Ansel Adams film was 11 inches wide, so your talking 850% higher resolution on the film compared to 35mm.  That's why you can sit there and stare at an Ansel Adams photo is because there is so much more information there, combined with the fact that he used the greatest latitude of light to create imagery during the golden hour of lighting."

If you would like to work with SS, send him a message, or ask "Would you like to TF*?"  Please include you ideas for where you are going with your modeling, if it is just for enjoyment that is fine too, and any ideas, locations,  and wardrobe that you can bring to the table.

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