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Firstly can you please tell me a bit about yourself and how you got started in photography?

-My name is Jeffrey Byrnes. I am a photographer. I do not label myself as any specific type of photographer because my interests in photography are so varied. I make images because I am compelled to.

I see arrangements and compositions that people do not stop to look at, or are so focused on life they do not have the time to see.  I have a strong interest in people. This interest allows me to explore photographing people. Another strong focus of mine.

As a child I would always go page by page through magazines and publications, never reading the words, but reading the photographs. I never really had an interest in the words, the images always caught my attention. Fast forward a few years to high school. I took my first photography course when I was 15. I fell in love with cameras, film, and the darkroom. It was that same year that my aunt gave me my first camera. After playing with it and accidentally fixing the stuck shutter, she gave it to me. She didn’t have a use for it, so it became my first real camera. I have used that camera daily up until last year when I decided to retire it. This camera, high school and then taking a photography class in college are what initially placed me in the direction I am going now.

There was a brief time where I tried to go to school for something other than photography. I pushed away the desires and interests to pursue photography. Only to be lead back to what was always there. I took a college level photography in which I yielded some fantastic results. The professors encouraged me to explore more. So, I changed my major from business to photography and have been devoting every day of my life to photography.

When I am not making photographs, I am thinking about making photographs. When I am not thinking about making photographs, I am making photographs. I often hear people refer to photography as hobby or a passion. I used to think it was a passion, but now, now I think its more than that. It is who I am.

Photography is so integrated into my life that if a word exists for describing something as being more than passionate, than that is a word I could try and apply to myself. That is my brief description of my beginning in a life of photography.

You have a great website, how much of your time is taken up writing articles?

Thank you.  Not nearly enough time gets invested in my site. I always have great ideas for articles that sit on paper waiting to be published. Even though the site is a big part of my photography it gets half the attention it deserves. However, the articles I do write, I spend a great deal of time writing them. The last article I published I spent about two days working on. I like to make sure I put in all the content that I really want to see and have people read. I feel it is important to make sure that everything that pertains to the article gets articulated just right.

I notice from you work that you like to experiment with different techniques, what is your favourite type of shot?

-To be honest, I do not have one particularly favorite style, technique, or process. I have been called a “tone nut” for always toning my photographs. I experiment with various styles because there is a lot that grabs my attention. I can’t just focus my attention on one particular style. I have different styles and post-processing techniques that I apply to various projects that I am working on. I make it a point to stay current with the contemporary/conceptual  trends that are entering the industry while maintaining an interest in the traditional practices of the photographic medium.

Is there a location that you have not yet photographed that is on your agenda?

This is a great question. I have a serious desire to travel and photograph the world to validate its existence. I have a strong interest in traveling around Europe.

Looking further afield, is there anywhere in the world that you would particularly like to visit to photograph?

There are a great number of countries that I want to visit. Most of Eastern Europe (Poland, Berlin, Bruges, Amsterdam, Prague, and quite a bit of the neighboring countries), I also would like to spend some time in Italy and some of the surrounding countries. Paris is a must for me as well. The U.K and most recently, Ireland. Not only would I like to visit these parts of the world to photograph, but I would love to work in some of these countries, and possibly exhibit some photographs.

If you could give 3 peices of advice to someone starting out in photography or looking for inspiration, what would they be?

1)  The number one thing I would suggest is get a good education. Your education will carry you through life. Doors are open to you when you have a college degree. I would suggest a B.F.A over a certificate from a school that manufactures commercial photographers. I have a lot of respect for self taught photographers, (considering I am largely a self taught digital photographer), but an education will teach you things you might not have other wise taught yourself. When you set out to learn something on your own, you only teach yourself what interests you. Where as being in a class, they may cover something you didn’t know existed, or something you might not have thought to try. We are all students of photography, you can learn and know all the traditional processes, those arent going to change that much, but it’s the future of photography that we will constantly be learning. To add to the above statement about self teaching digital photography, my background and education with photography was all the traditional practices utilizing film and the darkroom.

2)  If someone is looking for inspiration, look at as many photographs as you possibly can. Search for photographers that are shooting what interests you and look as many images of theirs as you possibly can. This will allow you to refresh yourself, give you ideas, and allow you to form your own ideas. Question what you are looking at by saying “how can I do this differently? What can I do differently?”

3)  If you are just beginning or starting out with photography, you have to put a lot of time, effort, and money into it. It is not just something that happens over night. You can not just wake up, or one day say, I think I am going to go pro today or next year. You have to work hard, put a lot of hours in, and be willing to work very hard. You have to stand out and separate yourselves from what other people are doing. And most importantly, you have to want to make it happen. If you don’t have the ability to want to make it happen, make a life out photography, or make the best possible images as you can, then you simply wont.

Is photography your livlihood or do you have a ‘day job’?

Photography is my livelihood. I started working free lance two years ago and have since co-started a business/studio. (True Resolution… http://www.true-resolution.com ) Aside from the business, there is a studio I do work with.

Which photographers inspire you?

-There are a few photographers that inspire me. Just to name a few: Joel Meyerowitz, Henri Carte Bresson, Annie Liebovitz, Richard Avedon, Jerome Liebling, (he lives locally), Man Ray, Steichen, Steiglitz…They have all done fantastic things that both inspire and awe me.

What’s in your camera bag?

I keep it very simple. I have a shoulder bag that holds my DSLR, a wireless remote, two memory cards, two batteries, my flash, a polarizing filter, uv filter, the cable that connects my camera to my computers, and plastic ziplock bags in case there is a change in the weather and I need to waterproof my camera and the rest of what is in my bag.

What’s the most important piece of equipment in your camera bag?

This is a tough question to answer. I feel like I should say my camera, but I feel that my spare battery is the most important thing in my bag. There have been countless times that my backup battery saved me and  allowed me to continue shooting when it was much needed.

Do you have a favourite location that keeps you coming back for more photos?

This is another fantastic question. There is one particular place that I photograph regularly. Holyoke, Massachusetts. Holyoke has been a place that I have been photographing since I was 15. It is where my career essentially began. I received a degree in photography at a college Holyoke. My first studio is in Holyoke. I have an entire portfolio about Holyoke. And I have a few projects that I am currently working on that are based out of Holyoke. I even have a blog devoted to just images of Holyoke. I keep it simple with this blog. http://www.seethebrick.blogspot.com

Can you describe your photography in 3 words?

That is a tough one. I am leaning towards no, but if I had to, I would say symmetrical, original, inventive.

If/when you have inspiration blocks, how do you overcome these?

If there is a time that I feel a little strain in my creativity, I just search out as many photographs as I possibly can. I look at as many different types of photographs that I can. I also look out side the spectrum of traditional photography publications. For example, instead of looking at just a photography publication, I will pick up other publications/magazines of things that interest me and I search for images that command a second look. There are so many outlets to view great images and when I can see a great photograph not in a photography publication, I get inspired. I get inspired to make images that I hope will be used out of the normal context they were created for.

What post processing software do you use, do you have a set process to ‘touch up’ your shots?

I use Adobe photoshop, Photomatix, Lightroom. I am currently developing and working on some photoshop actions and light room presets. I do not have a set process for how I do my post-processing and edits. I take it one image at a time, especially when I am working on images for a client.

If you had to pick any of your photographs to showcase your work, which would you choose?

I would pick photographs that best showcase how I see the elements and arrangements with in my surroundings. The photographs I think would compel people to view them. The ones that make sense to me.

How often do you venture out on ’shoots’, how long will you typically spend on a shoot and how many shots would you expect to get from the session?

On any given week I will get out and shoot about 3-4 days. This is not including shooting a job or for a client. If I am working on a personal project I typically shoot no less than an hour  and upwards of 4-5 hours. If I am shooting for HDR, I typically shoot upwards of 200+ images. If I travel some where, say New York City for a day, I will typically bring back a couple hundred shots. About half of which I think will be useable.

What is your opinion on HDR photography as this appears to be a ‘hot topic’ for debate in most online forums?

I think HDR is fun. I shoot a good deal of HDR photographs because it is still so new to a lot of people. It seems to generate  quite a bit of attention. People are always so curious as to what it is and why it looks the way it does. I use HDR as a creative way of taking a break from all the work that I do. I also think that the HDR trends that are out now are leading to something much greater. HDR presents such a surreal way tp view the average, everyday objects and elements that more and more people want to see it. This is how I express myself through HDR. I feel that HDR has a strong future for photography. Not necessarily the tone mapping aspects, but the entire concept of what HDR is. I agree, it is a “hot topic” that is going to be around for a little while.

What’s the next peice of equipment you hope to aquire?

I am ready for a camera upgrade. I have my eyes on a few different Pro Canon DSLRS.

Where would you  like to see your photography in 5 years (aspirations, exhibitions etc).

In 5 years from now I would like to see myself exhibiting more photographs, solo exhibitions as well as joint exhibitions. I have already shown my photographs in a few exhibitions. I am working on a few projects now that I would like to see go into books. I also see myself traveling between the US and Europe frequently. To show and work. My goal is to do more work in editorial, fashion, and portraits. I aspire to be more international. I am also planning on having a larger studio. To be published in more publications. I would like to just walk into a store, newstand, or book store, and see my photographs in a publication. I have been publishes quite a few times over the past two years, but not featured in the publications I would like.

Finally, feel free to plug your website and your photography!

You can view my photographs on any one of these four sites.

http://www.lenshare.com (photograph blog devoted to all aspects of photography)

http://www.true-resolution.com (our business and portfolio of work)

http://www.1stimpression.wordpress.com (collection of photographs)

http://www.seethebrick.blogspot.com (photographs of Holyoke)

Jeff can also be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Lenshare and on Facebook here.

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