Spotlight Seven features Rémi Tinel (aka Ray maï)

The long-running Spotlight Seven series returns from an extended hiatus this week with a feature about Rémi Tinel, known as Ray maï on Flickr. Ray has been a photographer since he was a child, but really took up interest when he got his first compact digital camera. An avid portrait photographer, many of his photos feature the very young and very old, for reasons that might be a little surprising. An excerpt from his interview with smoothdude.

4) Your portraiture seems to focus on the very young and the very old. What draws you to those two ends of the the spectrum.
Well, I try to make interesting pictures, different than what the others photographers usually show, otherwise, there is no sense to practice photography. I look after emotional pictures, and directly, it leads me to children, because they like overall to play with the camera, it is game for them, and then to rather old people, as we can read their life (suffering, happiness) in their glances. Generally, they’re also the most eager to be a model.

Here are a few selections from Ray's feature. It was really hard to choose my favorite, because each one is engaging in its own way. Make sure you read the entire interview and view Ray's 10 selected portraits-- I highly recommend viewing them full-screen as a slideshow.









www.flickr.com/groups/spotlight_seven/discuss/72157622631...


Spotlight Seven is a regular interview and photo series, featuring 10 portraits from one photographer and accompanied by a 10 question interview. With over 30 features so far, a wonderful breadth of portraits is available from photographers worldwide, each with a style his or her own. Each exhibit is curated either by talented New York City photographer Daniel Krieger (aka smoothdude) or one of the artists previously featured in the group. Sponsored by the 6 Million People project, Spotlight Seven has created its own presence on Flickr as the home of sign of its finest portrait photography. To make sure you never miss a feature, sign up for the newsletter, bookmark the blog or just check the group regularly.

Spotlight Seven features falsalama in Week 37-- we're back from hiatus!

Spotlight Seven returns after a several month break, and we are lucky to feature the amazing black & white portraits of falsalama. Falsalama got his start in photography when he made a pinhole camera as a Cub Scout in England. He's come a long way since then, taking amazing portraits of people from Laos to Tokyo, China and many other spots around the globe.



Here's a brief excerpt from this week's interview:

3) Your flickr stream is mostly made up of portraits, is that your favorite subject photographically? Why?
Yes portraiture has always been a favourite of mine.
I am fascinated by how, in these frozen moments, the subject can engage the viewer and deliver a message, and encourage a kind of self reflective contemplation. Moments more difficult to appreciate when life is playing at full speed.

While scrolling through falsalama's profile page, I was struck by some of the testimonials, particularly this one from WasabiNoise:
"If I have to describe falsalama in a few words I must to say : enthusiasm and goodness. You can see it in each photo that he makes, how he catch the feelings of the nihonjins with his portraits, every new photo is really amazing and I'm very glad to enjoy with his work in Flickr."

Please check out the rest of falsalama's photos & interview in Spotlight Seven this week.

Spotlight 7 Week 36: DarkDaze Photography [Mildly NSFW]

This week's Spotlight Seven exhibition features Dark Daze Photography, as curated by Spotlight 7 alum Lou O'Bedlam. Dark Daze got his start as a child when he picked up an Instamatic and used it to shoot the wildlife near his house into his teens. Like many, the photography bug let-up but never went away, and DD returned to photography about 10 years later. In this excerpt, Lou asks DD about his experiences with different cameras, and the different styles they engender:

3) does the camera make the photographer? how have each of your cameras contributed to your style?
No. the camera is just a device to achieve something. But then again yes of course it does. At best it’s a healthy relationship, like all guitar players have their favourite ‘axe’ but they could all knock a decent tune out of any piece of junk with strings. I am very conscious of how differently I shoot on different cameras- for instance I hardly ever shoot digital on the street- I hate having a camera up at my eye, so I shoot on my bronica, with its waist level viewfinder. It slows me down, I don’t waste shots, I think about framing and almost never press the shutter. Polaroid frees me up, no-one ever gets intimidated by having a Polaroid taken off them- but again I shoot max 3 shots and if it doesn’t work then we finish for the day. Digital, I am in for the long haul, I may work for 50 shots trying to get one model in a set-up to move her arm to where it looks right to me. I tweak and I tweak and I tweak, and then just when its about perfect I tear down all my lights and my assistants look at me with hate, and we set up all over again. This is pretty standard. So my digital style is clean and precise, you wont find anything that isn’t meant to be there, my medium format is loose but composed, a lot of balance I hope.

There's much more to learn about DD in the rest of his interview. When did he decide to become pro, how he balances commerce with art, what he's gotten out of Flickr, and much more. This is one of our more in-depth interviews, and DD is hanging around to take questions, so you can't miss this. Please be sure to browse his photostream, and you can visit his website or order prints if you really like what you see. Enjoy! Oh, and spread the word about Spotlight Seven!

Renq in Spotlight 7

Amazing stuff this week from Renq, courtesy of resident curator madeinsheffield. Our first-ever Estonian artist in Spotlight 7, it's hard to believe that he first picked up a camera 2 years ago. Just goes to show that some people just have an amazing natural talent for photography. Rene Piirkop is the odd photographer that started on digital-- in 2006-- and now exclusively shoots film. The photos are timeless and eye-catching, and Rene gives us a small peak into his work habits.

3) Your portraits are very considered - do you spend much time planning them before hand?
Most of my portraits have been taken spontaneously, quite accidentally, and by momently emotion. I do not plan my portraits.Naturally I pay a lot of attention to the background, but these are quick momently decisions in the course of shooting. I do not make classic photo session where during long hours a model is forced to try hundreds of poses.

Check out all 10 portraits please, and be sure to leave some comments and feedback for our featured artist on the interview page. Thanks all!

Verónica Noonan (teleoalreves) in Spotlight 7

Week 33 of Spotlight Seven features our first South American, Verónica Noonan aka teleoalreves, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Which means we've now featured artists from six different continents! This is just a little bit of this week's interview.

4) How do you interact with your models when you're photographing them. Do you joke around with them or talk to them a lot? tell us how you get emotion from them?
That's the question. There's a magical success when the model is front of me , perfect strangers who naturally fell comfort, I usually let them be , but when I need something in particular, I guide them with little words, only that. Some awesome things happens to me with the persons in front of my camera. I 'm very thankful. Maybe it's a gift somebody gave to me!!!!

Verónica also maintains her own website, which no doubt features some of the best portrait photography in Argentina. The photos there are definitely worth a visit, and the website is very elegant. She probably has written a wonderful description of her work on her profile page, but as my Spanish is very rusty, I'll depend on her English testmonials to tell you that she has some huge fans. But hey, take a look for yourself in this week's Spotlight Seven exhibit.

p0cket-paul in Spotlight Seven

Please visit the 32nd installment of Spotlight Seven, featuring the photography of p0cket-paul, as curated by madeinsheffield. Obsessed with cameras since using his dad's Olympus to take photos of the television, p0cket-paul has no doubt improved considerably since those early days-- his portraits are stunning. Here's a short excerpt for the interview.

8) You shoot portraits in both colour and black and white - do you have a preference or does the choice depend on the subject?

If it is not digital or an organised situation then it will be whatever is in the camera. Although, I believe that everything I shoot should be in colour for conceptual reasons but I have a love of B&W for aesthetic reasons. Sometimes it is hard or pointless not to contradict your own ideology.

Please check out all 10 ten photos and the interview.

http://flickr.com/groups/spotlight_seven/discuss/72157608470218642/

Spotlight 7 features Rod Monkey

[The following is courtesy of visiting curator bukutgirl.]




you can see the interview at Spotlight 7 here:
flickr.com/groups/spotlight_seven/discuss/72157608289757379/

Hi all - wanted to invite you to come and see this week's interview with Rod Monkey - He's a Scott living in London - who brings his fascination with modern urban landscapes to bear in his portraiture - Thanks again to Jake and Smoothdude for inviting me to guest curate again and of course to Rod himself!

Here are some teasers!

4) I know you have traveled all over the world to shoot - from Chile to the south west of America to Eastern Europe - what's the portrait you wish you'd gotten to take on your travels - the one that "got away"?
4. I'm going to cheat here and talk about a shot i did actually take, and I'm going to class it as a portrait, even though the subject was an inanimate object.

I took a shot of a toppled giant Moai on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) just after sunrise - he looked so serene, lying on his back in the warm morning light - totally relaxed and at peace. It was a gorgeous shot and I'm convinced it was one of the best shots I've ever taken. Unfortunately I managed to drop my portable hard drive with all my Chile images on it when I got home. This damaged the drive and meant i couldn't access the photos. I spent a lot of money to have the data recovered by a specialist firm and they managed to recover about 95% of them....but not this particular image. Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!! Oh well, it just gives me even more reason to go back to this amazing island!

5) In your recent year you've focused a lot more on people - what has influenced this movement?
5. I think I just wanted to try something different - up until 15 months ago, if a person was in my photo it was a mistake - they'd wandered into shot and I hadn't noticed. I think spending so much time on Flickr seeing so many wonderful portraits made me realise i was missing out, so I took the plunge and bought a small home studio kit - I have to say I've really loved the change of emphasis.

and More of Rod's work here:
www.flickr.com/photos/rod_monkey/

Spotlight 7 Week 30 features merkley??? [NSFW]

merkley??? in Spotlight Seven.



That's right, Krieger scored an interview with the one & only merkley???? Here's an excerpt from his interview-- which fits in perfectly with everything else I've read about this genius.

5) You don't care much for cameras but have you ever shot with a DSLR or something like a Hasselblad, or as I think you've named it, the "Hasselhoff" ? Would you play around with one if someone lent you one for a day?

Haven't yet shot medium format style but i absolutely would if someone lent me one, i'm not anti-tech by any means, i'm just anti the notion that it's required and i like to champion the notion of getting to work with what you have instead of endlessly making excuses about equipment.

plus i'm lazy and i like to travel light.

when most people talk tech they are really talking about turd polishers but all i can see are their turds, polished or not. the anti-tech "filmy" people are even worse. it's mostly those with no ideas that clamor endlessly about tech up or down.


i'd love to have a camera that would capture the resolution of an eagles eye and i can't wait until they are also that small. btw i have a dslr and i use it for official shoot type stuff, i just can't wait til it no longer offers me anything i need or want. that day is fast approaching.

i want small.

a good camera will never make a good picture, people with good ideas and work ethics make them.

Part of the genius of merkley??? is his unique communication style-- half promotional, half befuddled, half shocked and half bored. Which makes for, like, 2 merkley???s. And always interesting, of course. And good-humored, and proud yet humble at the same time. Go read his profile. View his photostream. Read his blog. And most importantly, buy his book! So in that vain, here's some more of his genius, taken from some follow on questions that merkley??? answered in his interview.

Q: How do you get the cats to cooperate?
A: now it wouldn't be fun to toss them if they cooperated now would it :)

Q: And finally, you say on your site that you don't have meetings to set up your shots but they are often very complex and occasionally seem to take inspiration from paintings (one I looked at reminded me very much of a fucked up contemporary klimt) so is this intentional? Does it take a while for you to get your muse for want of a better phrase or do you just go for it and see what happens?

A: I think I have heard the klimt thing before but let me google again to see who you're talking about. -- oh yeah, no -- he was never an inspiration, even in my painting days i always thought those images were kinda faggy -- which isn't really a bad thing but you know, i'm so effin MACHO :)

besides the infections i carry with me from the inspirations i list in my profile, i don't set out to emulate or base things on other works. i'm too insecure for that.

as far as the getting my muse thing -- for the most part my subjects are all excited about getting into the retarded spirit and having fun, occasionally i'll get stuck with a person that isn't as receptive to unusual ideas and that can hurt the spirit but at the same time something inside of me enjoys a challenge and even a really frustrating experience can turn into something rewarding. but yeah, sometimes it's easier than others and at no time is it ever as bad as having an actual JOB.

Interview

Spotlight 7 Week 29 features Lou O' Bedlam

In the first week of our Visiting Curator series, madeinsheffield has selected Lou O' Bedlam to be the featured artist for week 29 of Spotlight Seven. Lou picked up his first camera, a Polaroid, after reading the Stephen King story Sun Dog. Lou, an EMT living in the Los Angeles, is a true Polaroid devotee. So much so that if given $10,000, Lou would spend the whole sum on Polaroid film. Here's just one of the question & answer exchanges.

3) Your subjects seem very relaxed with you. What's your method of working - how do you put them at ease? Do you give them much direction?
My "method", as it is, pretty much is hinged on conversation. I started doing more Photo Shoot type work mainly because I wanted to hang out with particular people I found interesting, and wanted to know more about. As a result, most of a standard shoot revolves around simply talking. Asking questions, sharing stories, discovering people. I think a lot of the "ease" seen in my photos is mostly because the actual photography is, hopefully, well-integrated with the hanging out and talking.

I tend to give very little direction, sometimes as little as "freeze right there, don't move." I'm trying to capture things I see in a particular expression, or pose, more than trying to place a model in a situation I've crafted.

Learn a lot more about Lou and his creative process in this week's Spotlight Seven interview. And check out all 10 of the amazing portraits selected for his exhibit. And be sure to check Lou O' Bedlam's website if you have a chance.

Rodolphe Simeon in Spotlight Seven (Tous les noms sont déjà pris... pfff...)

This week in Spotlight Seven, guest curator kelco selected the amazing Rodolphe Simeon, aka Tous les noms sont déjà pris... pfff..., for the Spotlight Seven exhibit. I'm going to crib from his testimonials, because my words cannot do Rodolphe justice.

JenniPenni says:
"Words fail to express how brilliant this guy is. I guess the only way to realize it yourself is to take a look at his photostream...it is one of the best I've ever seen! Bizarre, unconventional, unique and filled with imagination from the first picture to the very last. When I was just a Flickr virgin a few years ago I remember having seen his photostream back then...and now, three four years later I came to the conclusion that his work is something you simply won't forget.
Perhaps one of my favorite photographers here!"

Having photographed people in 12 different countries, Rodolphe has taken his move from Paris to Vancouver in stride. Equally at home shooting in the street or the studio, Rodolphe shows a dedication to his work that most of us can't even aspire to. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but I think this excerpt from the interview will convince every last one of you.

6) What camera/lenses/computer/software/workflow do you prefer and how much time do you spend processing your images?

I'm a Canon/Mac guy, like perhaps 80% of people in the business. Nothing spectacular. I have a Canon because all the people I know use Canon and it's more easy to exchange lenses or cameras. I have a 5D - it's an amazing camera. I can count on it all the time. My lenses are a 50mm f1.4 and a 17-40mm f4L. I have a Mac computer because Macs are 200% reliable. I use Lightroom to transform RAW files to PSD. I don't do any processing with Lightroom (not even the White balance). I do the entire post-processing in Photoshop.

I usually edit 300 pictures down to only like one photo. I spend, on average, 40 hours in post-processing on the one photo I really like. I'm pretty slow. Especially because I take a lot of time to think about what I'm doing. Technique is not really a problem. Sometimes I could probably do a better technical job, but meaning is more important. Meaning is everything, so I spend more time on research - looking through painting books, reading things, thinking, etc...

Well, that should sell you on the rest of the interview. Every week when I put this together I am truly taken aback by the depth of the interviews in Spotlight 7 and the quality of the photos. Please visit Spotlight 7, and join the group so you never miss a show. Oh, you can see more of Rodolphe Simeon's photos at his website. Enjoy these masterpieces on Flickr & beyond. And a big thanks to kelcon & Rodolphe for this week's exhibit.

Vignes Balasingam, aka devilmangod, featured in week 27 of Spotlight Seven

For the 27th installment of Spotlight Seven, we feature Vignes Balasingam, known on Flickr as devilmangod. This week's interview, artist selection and photo selection was made by week 2 artist 'stpiduko'.

Vignes was born in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, moved to the country as a child where he enjoyed the adventure of the forest and never paid much heed to warnings of tigers in the area, and now has come full circle and lives in heart of Kuala Lampur. Vignes has been fascinated by photography since he was a child, wanting to move past snapshots at the wise age of four. Here's a brief excerpt from his interview.

1: Location is everything, so interested to know where you were born, spent your childhood and where you live now?

I was born in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; the house my grandparents raised their thirteen children and eight nephews and nieces. It was the house my father would woo the woman that would become his wife and my mother. When I was eight, we moved far out of the city to a new housing estate. It was located between a rubber plantation and a primary rainforest. I remember wild boars would roam the streets at night rummaging through the dustbins for food. We didnt have water supply then, so we walked about 2 kms for fresh water from the river. My brother and I spent most of our time in the river and forest to my mother's grief. Some evenings, the jungle police would drive slowly speaking over their PA system warning residents that a tigers had been spotted. That never really meant anything to me and my brother. The sense of adventure was too strong to resist. Now I live in an apartment on the 6th floor in the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur. Its not as exciting as the dwelling of my youth but it does make moving around easy.

Be sure to check out the whole interview and all 10 portraits, or feel free to view more of his photos in his photostream or at his personal website.

Patrick Shaw featured in Week 26 of Spotlight 7

The 26th installment of Spotlight Seven features Patrick Shaw. Patrick is an Englishman living in Brooklyn, and his work can also be found on his website. Here's a bit from Patrick's interview:

2) How do you get emotion from your models? What's a tip you could give to someone starting out in portrait photography? with your subjects, try talking to them first, there is a story about avedon shooting the duke and duchess of windsor, he was deliberately late to the studio on the day, said it was because the taxi he was in, had run over a dog, he then started giving them a blow by blow description ( knowing they were dog lovers ) of the dying dog, and all the time shooting their reaction The story was completely fictitious. He had his shot.. it would have been completely different without that emotion there are many ways to bring some humanity to a shot....first think about who you are shooting, and don't be boring.

Please check out the rest of the interview and all 10 photos in Spotlight 7.

Brett Walker featured in Spotlight 7

This week in Spotlight 7 we feature the work of Brett Walker as chosen by guest curator and Week 17 artist Bukutgirl, aka Liz Kasameyer. This week represented a first for Spotlight 7, as it featured a phone interview instead of the traditional email interview. Bukutgirl found the interview to be an adventure unto itself, with midnight phone calls across the Atlantic and more like it.

Brett has lived all over the world, and traveled across the seas for many years in the Greek Merchant Marine. Angola, Belgium, Brazil, France, Italy and of course London itself. I can't do justice to either the interview or the images with a few short words. Here's an excerpt from Bukutgirl's interview of/ story about Brett Walker.

3) What is your process when you got out to shoot? Do you go out with a purpose or do you just shoot and let the shots call out to you when you’re editing?
Brett has a formal job, but it allows him a lot of time out in the streets to shoot, he says he shoots on average 400 frames a day, and counts himself lucky if he likes one. He shoots with a wide angle lens and likes to basically shoot street candids, catching the honest moments of a person’s day when they are simply existing. He doesn’t go out with a goal for a certain scene, just goes out to see what the streets will bring him. He said that sometimes he’ll see someone and they fit a memory or an idea, and he’ll try to shoot them to that end, like seeing a man in a market who fits his vision of what his father might have looked like. He shoots often from the hip, afraid to look down to see if he’s “killed it or simply wounded it” – referring to the shot that is, and when a great shot shows up everything else is out of the window for the day, nothing else will do but to go home and edit. In describing the editing process, and image selection he said that he’ll start playing with something in photoshop, not even sure what will come out of it and the image guides his work from there, often dumping him at the end with a shocked feeling that he hadn’t even really realized that that was what needed to come out or that that moment was inside.

Please check out the rest of the exhibition and leave a comment or ask a question. Thank you very much.

Spotlight 7 features Tom Hoops

For week 24 of Spotlight 7, we are honored to feature tom.hoops, a freelance photographer living in Bangkok, Thailand. Tom prefers finding his subjects wherever he can find lots of people, such as markets, train stations and public events. A Mac user who wishes he had a D3, Tom would love to travel to the UK or India to shoot for a few weeks. Of course there's much more, here's an excerpt from this week's interview:

6) Talk us through your processing techniques, particularly through some of the Nikon D80 highly processed B&Ws
All of my processing is done through Photoshop. I don't use just one method I often play around until I find something I like. In general I bring in the raw file and convert to black and white using gradient map, then fiddle with curves and levels. If it's a close up portrait I will dodge and burn to add some more contrast. If I'm feeling in the mood I might add some texture layers also. Once I am at a stage I am happy with I will sharpen the image and then save.
I enjoy the processing almost as much as taking the photos; it adds another creative element to my work.

Here are a couple more of Tom Hooper's amazing photos. After you read the interview and look at this week's photos, be sure to flip through tom.hoops' stream and visit his website, too. Thanks for visiting!



Link

nonac featured in Week 23 of Spotlight 7

Please check out this week's amazing Spotlight 7 exhibit featuring nonac. as guest curated by Desolate Places. Nonac is a native of Pittsburgh who has now returned home after living in Colorado and California. Shooting primarily with a Canon 5D and a 50mm lens, nonac has sometimes photographed the same people for 6 years or more. Nonac looks forward to meeting people every day as he walks the streets shooting great portraits, and values these friendships even if they last only a few minutes. There's much, much more in the full interview, here's a small taste of the window into nonac's world that Desolate Places helps provide:

4) What do you want people to learn about the people you photograph?
That we are all common celebrities and have a place on this earth together. That we cannot exist without each other, that what happens to another could easily happen to each one of us. That no one single person is above another, that we are all here for a reason no matter the color of our skin, the language we speak, the places we live and call home or the jobs/vocations we have chosen as our life's work. I want people to learn that there is something unique in each of us and even though we may not acknowledge that certain something every day it's out there, willing to be noticed and appreciated. I want people to know that it's critical to "find the good in everyone".

But please don't stop at the interview, since the story behind the photo are usually worth a read all by themselves. Thanks to nonac for exhibiting this week, and thanks to Desolate Places (formerly Duff Suds) for selecting such a great artist, choosing 10 fantastic portraits and conducting an in-depth interview.

Spotlight 7 Week 22: Mark Velasquez

Our guest curator .Az decided to shake things up a little bit in Spotlight 7 this week, choosing 10 stunning photos from Mark Velasquez, including some very sexy models. Mark shares on thoughts on many subjects, and the interview is certainly worth a read.

10) I'm an editor of a magazine with an international circulation, I loved your first Vanity Fair cover so much that I am going to give you 10 pages for your dream photographic project... what's it going to be Mark?
I really don't have one dream project. Whether I like it or not, I am pretty prolific. The other day I was lamenting to a friend that I was being lazy and hadn't done anything, being fairly mopey about it. Then they brought to my attention that I had done at least one shoot a day for two weeks straight, including that afternoon. I'm never satisfied with what I just did, I am always looking over the horizon.

As for this fictional project, if money were no object I would fly some of my best friends and favorite local models to Montezuma, at the southern tip of the Nicoya Penninsula of western Costa Rica. I would set up my lights and just document the fun, silly, sexy time that would ensue. I think the best photos are captured when you are relaxed and with people you love and respect.

flickr.com/groups/spotlight_seven/discuss/72157606325851241

A couple more shots. Please check at all 10 at Spotlight 7.

Itzick, prolific 6 Million People contributor, featured in Spotlight 7

In our 21st installment of Spotlight 7, we feature itzick. A long time contributor to 6 Million People, itzick added his first photo to the group about 9 months ago, and has added almost 500 more since. Itzick was drawn to the 6 Million People project in part as a tribute to his family members who died in the Holocaust.

Living in Denmark has influenced itzick's work, in that is has largely become not only a reflection but also documentation of the Danish culture and way of life. But his photography has extended beyond Denmark, as the 10 photos featured this week were taken in 4 countries-- Denmark, England the USA and Israel. Of the 10, itzick's favorite is "Only a child," shown below, which was taken at a Bedouin market in the Negev desert nearly 40 years ago. Here's a small bit of the interview where itzick discusses how he got into photography.

2) How did you first really get into photography?
To be honest I can’t remember when and how it happened. As a child I was fascinated by the ability to make/create pictures. I got an old Kodak box camera as a present. That camera had very few adjustment possibilities such as; sun, cloudy and rain as well as people or buildings / landscape and some distance marks/alternatives.

The more systematic/serious photography I started at the age of 22 when I bought a Yashika SLR camera that a year later was replaced by two Pentax spotmatic cameras. Ten years later for different reasons I stopped being active on that front and after a pause of about thirty years in December 2006 I bought as an extra X-mass present for myself a Nikon D200 and started again to be an active photographer.

Please be sure to read the interview, view all 10 of his remarkable photos and add your own comments and questions. Thank you.

Sotlight 7 features .charlie.

This week's edition of Spotlight 7 features .charlie., a Parisian living in San Francisco. This week's guest curator was calanan, recently featured on Spotlight 7. Charlie has been influenced by his mother's photography, but never got serious until he moved to the US several years ago, where he takes advantage of his French heritage to get the proper response from his subjects. He's taken a ton of great photos of school kids rocking out, and he discusses a little bit about that in the interview. Make sure to check out the whole thing.

9) You have a series of photographs of kids participating in the School of Rock (Flickr set). How did you become involved with that and what was it like photographing so many talented kids?
I got married 3 years ago and my stepson joined the Paul Green School of Rock around that time. This is an afterschool program for kids that started in the late 90s in Philadelphia (www.schoolofrock.com). It is also what the MTV movie 'School of Rock' was based on. This experience has been amazing as it has allowed me to be involved with music through photography. Kids also tend to have more 'unrehearsed' moments, and that makes for great photographs.