DWF – Let’s start off with a little bio, tell us a little bit about yourself.

JOHN - I got my start photographing rock climbers. I was a climbing bum and I’d photograph my friends. (For you climbers out there, I was climbing 5.13+ back in the late 80′s/early 90′s.) I traveled to Europe and around the US. My friends and traveling partners were the best climbers in the country and world so it was easy to get those photographs published. I’d make a hundred bucks and think I was killing it.

At some point, I decided to make it my profession. I started shooting small commercial gigs. These led to slightly bigger gigs and I gradually was able to earn a living. My goal though was always to shoot the bigger advertising jobs – shoots with budgets in the tens of thousands. I kept building my portfolio until I finally started getting jobs from agencies around the country.

I started out shooting sports since that was my background, but then a consultant suggested that I was really a portrait photographer. That sort of gave me the mental freedom to pursue a wider range of subjects and looks.

I’ve been a professional for about 20 years now and a wedding photographer for almost ten years. I’m fond of saying that there’s not much I haven’t done in the photography business. I’ve shot weddings from Japan to Jamaica and Montana to Mexico. I have high-end clients and just every day clients. I’ve shot many kids and family portraits. My average sale is just shy of a couple grand but I’ve also had sales of over $50,000. (My most expensive single wall print sale to date is over $30,000.)

I might shoot a wedding on the weekend and then do a $50,000 ad job during the week. (Not every week, but it does happen.) Actually, I’m possibly the only person ever to shoot a wedding and big budget ad shoot on the same day. I shot an Indian wedding in the morning, then jumped on a motor home to do a location shoot in the mountains. I had a producer, three assistants, stylist, model, marketing director, agency art director etc on set waiting for me when I arrived. Did six setups (with different lighting for each) that afternoon and still wrapped well before sunset.

Since a lot of folks on the DWF know me more for my legal and business posts than my photography, I should add that, after I graduated from college (UC Santa Barbara), I took a job working for Farmers Insurance. I started out handling auto accident liability then took over the commercial litigation for the office. (I was the office hit man.) I handled multiple death cases, construction defect, piracy, trademark infringement and pretty much any case that no one else wanted. I worked with many lawyers – both on my side and on the other – and I’ve sent more than a few packing. (That’s fun!) If I’d been accepted to UCLA law school, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. Thankfully, for me and the legal profession, UCLA passed on me.

I’m truly a photographer to my bones. I also love teaching and helping other photographers. I was on the phone recently with a “Top Ten” photographer friend and he was shocked that I’d participate in a forum like the DWF. He just viewed it as a waste of time. For me, sharing my knowledge is not only enjoyable, it forces me to think about how and what I’m doing; I’ve learned far more than I’ve taught. I’m a better photographer and businessman for my eight years on the DWF.

DWF – How did you become a photographer?

JOHN- After ten years of shooting commercially, I was burnt out creatively and the economy had tanked (2001). Frustrated, I decided to shoot weddings. It was a snap decision; I’d never even photographed a wedding at that point and really knew nothing about them. Once I realized that I didn’t just have to shoot formals with a Hassie and potato masher Metz strobe, I saw the potential for creating work that I loved.

I also looked at the work being done and new that I could do much better. Switching from commercial to weddings was actually pretty easy. A lot of people think that weddings are stressful, but they are a walk in the park compared to my commercial gigs. That’s not to say that weddings are easy, but they were relatively easy for me. (I love the biggest most expensive weddings since those are the ones that keep me on my toes.)

One thing that really attracted me to weddings is that I got to work with a consumer client – as opposed to a business client. Art directors are the toughest clients alive. They’re so jaded; they’re the ones that create all the marketing crap after all so it’s extremely difficult to break through to them. Wedding clients on the other hand are emotionally invested in the process and are almost always first time buyers. It’s a lot easier to have fun with the marketing and there’s more tools available reaching out to them. Brides may be many things, but they are not jaded.

DWF- Who or what inspires you as an artist?

JOHN - Well, I have lots of photographic inspiration – from photographers, to painters to musicians. But the thing that really pushes me is my desire to express myself through my photography. Photography is how I communicate what’s inside me to the outside world. The more my work successfully taps into my inner workings, the more inspired I am to create more and better work. It’s not easy – definitely a challenge, but I love a challenge!

Photographically, that’s really the ultimate inspiration – the challenge of looking at something mundane in a new way. When I look at photography, I’m most interested when I see work that is different. “I never would have thought of that” is for me the ultimate compliment I could pay to a photographer.

When I look at other photographers’ work, I don’t care so much about what they’re photographing as I’m interested in their unique vision. Most photographers, while quite capable of producing good work, don’t say anything with their work. There’s no heart behind it. I don’t care how good the work is, if it’s not saying something compelling, I’m really not interested.

My approach to finding the source material for unique work is to look inward and understand who I am and what makes me tick. There is no other human being on the planet like me. If I can bring that to life through my photography, I’ll not only be a happier person, I’ll be more financially successful.

One thread that comes up on the DWF a lot is “what workshop is best?” Since photography is for me an exploration of my own emotional life, I’m looking for ways to bring what I have inside me out into the light. I’ll be taking a songwriting workshop this summer with a well-known singer/songwriter (Steve Poltz – he cowrote Jewel’s hit songs and is an amazing performer in his own right). I don’t know anything about songwriting and I’m a lousy guitar player, but the whole point is for me to push myself out of my comfort zone so that I can open up new lines of thought and inspiration.

I’d rather blaze my own path than try and chase the same tail that everyone else is.

DWF- If we needed a photographer  today why would we book you? What makes you unique?

JOHN - Clients hire me because they see something in my work that they can’t find somewhere else. When it comes to weddings, my clients tend to seek out my ability to tell an emotionally powerful story through my images. Clients also appreciate my depth of experience and technical abilities. They place a lot of confidence in me which makes it easier for me to create the work I love. Clients also seem to relate to my oddball sense of humor that comes out in the work.

With my commercial work – which is the direction I’m increasingly heading – I try to bring a unique point of view to the work combined with high production value. A couple of years ago, I was shooting all available light. Now I’ve gone 180 degrees. I’m using many strobes to create a look that not only can’t be achieved with available light, it can’t be copied by anyone who doesn’t have expert lighting skills. The uncle bobs, newbies or moms with cameras will never be able to duplicate my look.

The other thing that people comment about in my work is my ability to break through the personal space of complete strangers. If you look at my Burning Man or 4th of July work, you’ll see an immediacy in my relationship to the subject that I don’t think you see in a lot of street photography. Most photographers are more detached in their approach – they’re across the street with a long lens. Meanwhile, I’m in your face with a wide angle. This also carries over to my wedding photography.

Robert Capa famously said, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” I live by those words.

DWF - If you had to pick a favorite “Tool of the Trade” what would it be? and why?

JOHN - Lately, it’s my Wacom Intuos 4 tablet. It’s allowed me to push my retouching and compositing to a whole other level. I can’t imagine not owning my Profoto 7b kit. I love being able to go on location and get the raw power that I need to overpower daylight. Granted, I rent more packs when I’m doing a bigger production, but it’s nice to have one on hand for smaller projects. My 5D MII is like a trusted friend. So reliable.

My extravagant splurge that I absolutely love is my Hasselblad H kit with Leaf Digital Back. Gimmie that with my 50mm and I’m a pig in slop. (Not for weddings or family portraits though. Too slow.)

DWF – Care to share your favorite photographs?

JOHN - My shot of the woman watering her lawn pretty much changed my career. I had this idea that I wanted to comment on Americana, fashion and the suburbs. I think I saw an astro turf lawn while walking around my neighborhood. After mentioning it to my studio manager, she suggested I check out the house in photo. I scouted it, loved it, knocked on the door and got the okay from the owner.

I work with a team to produce these shots and at first I wasn’t impressed with the wardrobe for the talent. I ended up going shopping with my stylist and picked up the $700 Versace shoes the woman is wearing. I also picked out the jewelry – with my stylist’s ok. When we did the shot, the $30 Forever 21 dress was clearly the right choice. Sometimes you just get lucky.

The other part of my team is my hair and makeup stylist. He “gets” fashion better than anyone else in town. He breathes it like a football coach breathes his sport. He nailed the look on the hair and makeup. The talent came from an agency.

Finally, there’s the lighting and the overall look. I used a couple of Profoto 7b’s with grids and one with a Profoto Giant Reflector – basically their version of an Elinchrome Octobank. I use the five foot version because it produces a little harder light. If I were to do this shot tomorrow, I’d use a lot more strobes to light up the house. Like I said though, this was the first shoot in this look.

This image changed my career because it really nailed what I wanted to say with my photography. The sexuality overlaying the backdrop of suburban banality speaks to my own repressed Catholic upbringing. I grew up in a house like this one and if I could do things over again, there would be a woman like this watering my neighbor’s lawn!

I’ll make one more point and that’s that everything in the image is thought out from a production standpoint. Most photographers won’t spend the money to get the right wardrobe or their model is second rate. To succeed commercially, a shot has to be perfect in every detail. Excuses don’t work. For example, I bought a garden hose for the shoot so that it would have that luscious green look to it. A used hose just wouldn’t look right. Any image is only as good as its weakest element.

The reason this shot changed my career is because once I saw the final image, I knew that I had to have an entire portfolio of images in this style. It’s been slow going, but it’s coming together.

(see the gallery below for larger versions)

DWF – How about some final words to live by?

JOHN - There’s three kinds of work that we create as photographers: Client work, portfolio work and personal work. Ultimately, the work that really matter is the personal work. It’s what drives everything else. Too often though we get caught up in a cycle of just working to please the client. Not only is it not satisfying, it’s also not a good business move because it’s the personal work where we grow as artists and break boundaries. If we fail to grow, then we risk getting overrun by the ever hungrier competition.

There’s so many forces out there that are beyond our control: lousy economy, more and more new photographers, new technology and so on. The one thing that we have complete control over is our work. Only by creating work that’s truly unique and true to ourselves can we hope to succeed professionally and personally.

Finally, I have to pitch my www.PhotographersToolkit.com website. You can sign up for my free Photographer’s Business Coach newsletter and also read (for free) some of the articles that I’ve written.

Location – San Diego

Business Name – Ventana Photography, John Mireles Photography

Websites - johnmireles.com, ventanaphotography.com, PhotographersToolkit.com

Blog - mirolassa.com

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