multimedia photographer Susan Seubert shoots baby goats for Culture Magazine

Culture Magazine is one of my new favorite niche publications.  It’s all about cheese, one of my favorite things to eat.  It’s a beautifully printed quarterly journal about all things cheese – travel, cheese-making, wine pairings… It’s obvious to me now that a magazine about cheese is just as, if not more so, useful as one about wine or other specialty periodicals.  I was assigned last year to photograph at Pholia Farm, a beautiful organic farm in southern Oregon, near Rogue River.  The back story is heartwarming – a young girl (Amelia) decided to raise Nigerian Dwarf Goats for her 4H project which ended up blossoming into a family cheese-making business.  My husband and I spend a day and a half with the Caldwell family – Gianaclis (mom and head cheese-maker), Vern and Amelia – along with their 60 or so herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats.  The mothers were kidding while we were there and despite the warning from my art director to not take too many photos of the babies, I found it difficult to restrain myself.  You can see more photos from the story by clicking here to be taken to the outtakes.  Below is a video we took of two-day-old goats, just learning how to walk and stand.  I was literally lying on the ground, holding my 5D Mark II on my elbows and trying to follow focus on these adorable little critters who bounce around as though they’ve had too much coffee. They play classical music in the barn, which you can hear in the audio, as it’s been discovered that the music helps the gals produce more milk.

Baby Goats

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Vern, giving me a "lift" so I can get the shot of the farm

I’ve also posted a couple of behind the scenes photos, because we spent so much time trying to shoot the centerfold.  Unfortunately, the cheese we shot was the wrong age (groan) so they ended up sending the cheese to another photographer to shoot, so I didn’t get the whole story in photos in the issue.  Nonetheless, it was a marvelous assignment, and I look forward to my next story about cheese.

 

the challenges of working out of a studio environment - you use what you can get your hands on. Say cheese!

goats will, and do, eat anything... cameras included

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commercial and editorial photographer Susan Seubert heading back to Portland

Aloha!  Today I’m leaving Maui to return to Portland where an enormous pile of work awaits.  I feel so fortunate to have spent the last two weeks in Maui watching Humpback whales frolicking in the near shore waters, Hawaiian Monk Seals swimming in the water and resting on the beach, surfing and enjoying many great meals at Japango, Saigon Seafood Restaurant and Star Noodle.  I’m looking forward to returning to the chilly but verdant Pacific Northwest and hitting the ground running.  I’m working on a new body of work for a show at the Froelick Gallery during the month of April, when Photolucida descends on the city.  I’ve got bookings lining until I leave on the National Geographic Expedition to Baja late February.  I’ll be back in Maui late April until late May, so stay tuned for more updates on the adventures in store for 2011!

A hui ho!

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surfing and the business of photography

Most of my blog posts are for announcements about publications and upcoming events that pertain to my business as an editorial or fine art photographer, but after taking some time off from work and spending that time surfing, I’ve had a few epiphanies about surfing as it relates to my career as a photographer.  In September of 2007, my husband and I visited Waikiki and he insisted that I take a lesson. (he’s been surfing for 50 years!)  On my first wave, I looked down and watched as the reef passed peacefully along below my board.  It was the first time I felt the quiet of riding a wave, being pushed along by the power of the ocean and it was remarkable.  I was hooked.  The learning curve in surfing is steep and long and never ends.  Since I grew up in Indiana, the notion of ever being able to swim in the ocean, much less surf, was at one point incomprehensible.  But so was a career in travel photography.  As I continue to pursue both, I find many similarities in their respective challenges and rewards.  Surfing has given me strength – both physical and mental, as photography has.  Being in the open ocean is exhilarating, but sometimes downright frightening and always challenging.  Where are the waves breaking?  How big are they?  Can I make the drop in?  Can I paddle over a growing swell?  How do I get out into position?  What’s the line-up like?  Is there a long enough break in between sets to rest?  If I wipe out, how deep is the water?  If I tombstone, can I get my leash off in time?  While I’m in the washing machine, how do I keep myself from panicking and hold my breath just a few moments longer before I pop up?  And then there’s paddling – right now, for me, it’s the what I spend most of  my time in the water doing.  Paddling into position.  Paddling over set waves that seem too big.  Paddling hard to make a wave that I don’t make.  Paddling hard for a wave that I drop into and have a smooth, long satisfying ride. All of these experiences and challenges mirror my career as a photographer, but if I want to make it at either, there’s one thing they both have in common: paddle harder.  It’s not a stretch to say that the learning curve in the business of photography is steep and long, particularly in these rapidly changing times.  I continue to push myself to learn the new technologies.  I continue to market myself using all available means including email campaigns, direct mail pieces, and face-to-face visits to clients or prospective clients.  It seems endless and exhausting at times, but when I land a fabulous job and get to go somewhere and continue following my childhood dream, all the work has paid off and I have that same feeling that I get in surfing – a lot of frenetic activity that sometimes seems endlessly challenging and fruitless, followed by that nice drop and the smooth ride.  Then it’s paddle back out time.

patience, fear, beauty

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national geographic travel photographer Susan Seubert’s Barbados Story

Greetings!  It is again, with great pleasure, that I am able to announce that the story I shot for National Geographic Traveler about Barbados is now on the newsstands. This is the second major assignment I’ve shot in the Caribbean for National Geographic Traveler. The last story was about Unique Hotels of the Caribbean.  This time, I traveled to Barbados in August of 2010 to shoot the ten day assignment and it was another glorious adventure, despite the oppressive heat and outbursts of torrential rain.  The writer, Charlie Kulander, was wonderful to work with and I enjoyed reading his story and did my best to capture the essence of his experience… and mine.  I am looking forward to the opportunity to travel back to the island nation to visit the many people who helped make this story so fantastic.  The printed version is not available online, so I encourage all of you to go out and pick up a copy of National Geographic Traveler’s January/February 2011 issue.  Or, if you have an iPad, you can purchase a subscription through Zinio.  That version features more photos than both the web site and the magazine.  The opening spread, of which I am quite proud, is pictured below.  I am including a link here to my favorite images from the shoot, some of which were also published in the both the print and electronic versions of the magazine.

 

opening spread for, "It's a Wonderful Life," story by Charles Kulander, photographs by yours truly. Click here to be taken to a gallery of some of my other favorite photos from the shoot.

This was my first all digital shoot for this magazine.  Everything was shot on Canon 5D Mark II cameras and processed in Adobe’s Lightroom software.

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portrait photographer Susan Seubert shoots for Smithsonian

Last May I had the pleasure of being assigned a portrait session with famed author Paul Theroux.  The image is published in Smithsonian Magazine alongside his article entitled, “The Trouble with Autobiography.” It was a wonderful afternoon spent with him at his home on Oahu not only chatting about all sorts of things, but touring his garden and meeting his pet geese, which had marvelous personalities.  He’s a warm and friendly man, which one would expect given he’s traveled extensively throughout the world and works regularly with other photographers.  We spent quite a bit of the time together with me shooting through a window in front of his desk, from which he allowed me to remove the screen.  It looked much nicer than trying to light the interior of his home which is surrounded by verdant green forests and somewhat dark.  The photograph that was published was a second idea – I was really drawn to the artifacts that he had sitting on a large, wooden coffee table.  I enjoyed his thoughts on autobiography and encourage you to read the article, which is also posted online here.

Portrait of author Paul Theroux in his home on Oahu, Hawaii

All the images were made with the Canon 5D Mark II with the Canon 24-105mm lens and processed using Adobe’s Lightroom software.

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Canon 5D Mark II Error 01 Message Follow-up

I have gotten tons of traffic to my previous blog post about my experience with the Canon 24-105mm lens problem.  Basically, if you get an Error 01 message on your camera and you’re shooting with a 24-105, it is the lens, not the camera.  I now have two of these lenses that I travel with: one new one and the old one which has been serviced.  It seems like there is no rhyme or reason to the failure, it happens spontaneously and without notice, leaving whoever is shooting with that lens stranded.   Canon has been very responsive to all of my problems – their CPS program is top notch.  But it is indeed irritating to be on location and have equipment failure.  On the other hand, I’ve had my fair share of purely mechanical failures before the popularity of shooting digital.  My Hasselblad has fallen apart more times than I care to think, but because it’s mechanical and the problem is usually due to normal wear and tear that a professional would bestow upon heavily used equipment.  This issue with the Canon 24-105mm lens is vexing, but I haven’t been notified of a recall.  If I am, I’ll be sure to post about it and if I get any insight from Canon as to why this problem seems so prevalent, I will share whatever information I can.  All I can say is that if you are going to get the lens repaired, send the body in to a Canon Factory Service Center with it and have everything inspected and cleaned at the same time. If you are a serious pro shooter, apply for the CPS program.  The technicians know their stuff and do a great job with repairs and cleaning.  Happy Shooting!

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editorial photographer Susan Seubert heading to Maui, Hawaii

Happy New Year to all!  2010 was certainly a fabulous year filled with many glorious adventures and it looks like 2011 will be a continuation of the same.  On January 4th, I will be heading to Maui where we hope to spend time watching the humpback whales.  One of the largest parts of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary is just steps from our home in Maui, viewable from Ka’anapali Beach.  This time of year marks the beginning of the peak of the whale sighting season and you can often see them tail and fin slapping or breaching right from the beach.  It’s not unusual to see them just at the drop off point, hanging just at the surface, their humps conspicuously sticking out from the ocean’s surface.  If you have a good pair of binoculars, (I recommend the Canon Image Stabilizer Binoculars), then you can see a good distance.  I’ve spent the better part of many days on the beach, under an umbrella, watching these gentle giants.  It’s also great to view them on a kayak tour, from a stand-up paddle board, or in the comfort of one of the many whale watching boats.  Aloha!

Kayaking off of Olowalu on West Maui

 

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