Home > Culture > Mentor Showcase > The 2007 Best-of Series: Wayne Chasan
The 2007 'Best Of' Series
We have now produced an annual Best Of issue of the ASMP Bulletin for the third year in a row. As before, we selected twenty projects for our issue — but this year, we had nearly 200 excellent submissions! It was a tough decision, and we thank all those who submitted their work. We hope you will enjoy reading about these projects.
Wayne Chasan, Malaga, Spain
Web site: www.chasan.com
Project: 30-foot banner for Canon Europe’s 50th Anniversary Campaign
For the 50th anniversary of Canon Europe, Wayne Chasan’s pictures received the royal treatment in the Principality of Monaco. One of seven photographers across the continent selected for this honor, Chasan delivered 15 pieces, a mix of newly minted creations and stock. Different keywords and Canon’s red color palette served as the founding concepts for a campaign with the message “We Speak Photos.”
All images in this article © Wayne Chasan
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
I lived in Spain as a child and took my first photographs in the late seventies during return visits there. Discovering this latent talent for capturing magical moments, by 1982 I decided to leave my life in California and dedicate myself to a photographic project on the Spanish countryside. In 1983, somewhat by chance, I commenced a career of commercial assignment work in a resort area of the southern coast. That means I’m coming up on a quarter century!
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
Since 1986. As I became a professional in what was a backwater, far-away overseas region, I turned to the ASMP as my only means of getting a grounding in this business. I have always felt very strongly that we needed to communicate and share amongst ourselves. This is the only way we as photographers will find strength and common cause together. I then joined the national photographers association in Spain when it was formed, and eventually the SAA as well to battle the first Getty contract terms. To my overwhelming joy the internet, email and forums have brought us together on an instantaneous level that has been of tremendous benefit — and is essential in today’s industry.
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
I come from a family of architects, and one thing I knew was that I didn’t want to be an architect. I dabbled in all the arts and eventually wound up as a photographer, highly specialized in … architecture! I guess it’s in the blood. My projects are generally advertising-related within that sector, I am usually called in to produce imagery for brochure and ad work for high end real estate developers, resorts, golf developments and hotels.
Some of my strengths are being equally comfortable producing both exterior and interior imagery, my total fluency in Spanish and my adaptation to the European market, which combine to make me particularly suited for multi-national assignments or companies. Also, living in a regional market has allowed me to expand my areas of work as many European photographers do; on my web site there are portfolios on landscapes, food, resorts, golf, people, personal work…
ASMP: Please describe the processes and techniques central to the making of this work.
This particular image was conceived to represent the keyword “Enter,” and I had a rough concept of a semi-open doorway in the middle of a fabulous deserted landscape. Prior to finding a new door as a prop, I decided to investigate old doors at a friend’s antique shop. After discarding most due to their lack of frame, I decided upon the door in the image.
He suggested using the beach conveniently 100 yards from his shop, which I doubted would serve at first, but upon examination I decided that near the surf itself the beach looked good enough to achieve the desired effect. Fortunately my friend is a photo enthusiast, and he put all his efforts and team at my disposal, offering to place the 100-year-old door physically into the surf … which saved me having to ask of him that favor! As a red element was required (the unifying theme in the Canon images), various red objects were tried, with the chair being the best prop in the end.
The image was taken with natural light on my Canon 1ds Mark II, hand-held using the Canon 17-40 lens (since replaced with their new 16-35 II lens). The door was initially held in place with a series of fishlines and steel rods and supports, until finally we discarded them upon finding that an assistant could just fit in behind the open door without being seen, to hold it in place in the shifting sands. The final image chosen from is basically unretouched, except for some minor spots & details I cleaned up. However, I should have had someone taking photos of the passerby’s faces on the waterfront walkway; that would have been a feature in itself!
ASMP: What do you consider your most valuable piece of equipment?
At the risk of sounding obvious, my eye. The equipment, from 35mm to 4x5, matters itself in its ability to allow you to achieve what you require technically. I love all my knick-knacks collected over the years, but perhaps it would be my B+W slim circular polarizer filters, which I use on almost every exterior image, and even some interiors.
ASMP: What is unique about your style/approach, or what sets you and your work apart from other photographers?
I believe I walk a fine line between commercial and artistic imagery. My images are produced from the heart yet accessible to the end viewer, neither too abstract nor too hard-sell. I may carry cases of lights and accessories, but am thrilled when I can work “organically” with whatever available light there is to create and capture mood without cracking those cases open. I believe my true innate talent lies in my ability to find and portray beauty in whatever is placed before me, regardless of what, when, where or how.
ASMP: Had you done work for Canon before this assignment?
No, I had not. To me that was one of the most appealing things about the project. I had done only one previous assignment for Orchard Represents, the Getty photo assignment agency that brought us all together — it was a feature covering a nature reserve in Spain for a special edition of Time Magazine about the Wonders of Europe.
ASMP: Are you a Canon shooter, and was this central to your selection for this project?
I have used Canon from day one, although my mainstay became the Mamiya RZ. However, while it was a basic requirement that the images be captured on Canon equipment, the non-Canon shooters chosen were reimbursed for their Canon rentals. Ironically, however, I was not reimbursed for any of my investment in new Canon equipment!
ASMP: Were you approached directly by the manufacturer or through their agency?
As mentioned above, Getty contacted me after first directing the agency to my website, and having been selected by them on that basis.
ASMP: How many different keywords did the client provide for possible concepts? What were they? Did you present ideas for all of the keywords?
The main concept was “We Speak Photos” plus 14 other keywords. We were all required to suggest concepts for each keyword or provide stock images that we felt might be appropriate. In the end I produced 7 new images and delivered 8 stock images to be used in the exhibit. I am on a travel assignment as I respond, so I will try to recall them all from memory: Enter, Welcome, Celebration, Fifty, Pause, Wonder, Theatre, Discover … hmmm, I’ve forgotten some of the ones I didn’t specifically create new images for!
ASMP: Were other photographers asked to produce work for this campaign? If so, were you aware of their conceptualization of the theme or their work during production?
A total of seven photographers were chosen from across all of Europe to participate in the campaign. While there was no communication between us, the agency did send us all a single Excel spreadsheet with the accepted concepts/keywords from each photographer, so we had a rough idea of the new images to be produced by each other.
ASMP: Please describe the process you used in brainstorming for this project.
To be honest, all it took was a few hours of attempting to visualize the keywords, from which a fairly spontaneous description came forth for each. I enjoyed this creative process as it was slightly out of the ordinary for me. Usually my clients let me loose on a place or product with little direction from them and a lot of confidence in the results, so creating this premeditated vision was an inspiring change and challenge. My concept for “Welcome” was simply a conservative grandfather hugging a grunge/punk grandson; another I had for “Theatre” was two mime faces floating in the air, in front of a red curtain theatre.
ASMP: Did you do any research into campaigns or images used by the client in the past?
No, I did not.
ASMP: What kind of licensing rights and compensation was involved in this project and how was this negotiated?
Originally it was presented as a set budget for 7 images to be used during 2 weeks at the official exhibit celebration in Monaco. Then the budget was slightly enlarged, but we were told the final quantity would depend on which of our concepts were selected. This was almost a deal breaker for me, as the budget divided by 7 images was already low on a per image basis. If all 15 were chosen it would not be worthwhile economically to be involved in it. However, the enthusiasm I had for being involved in something more creative and conceptual plus the personal satisfaction and PR value of the campaign swayed me over. I also considered the long-term value of the imagery for stock licensing, as the rights after the 2 week usage period were all clear.
ASMP: As a photographer based overseas, how has your client base evolved in recent years? What is the balance between work done for local versus internationally-based clients?
As I live in a very cosmopolitan area, there has always been a large variety of clients and investors of all nationalities and locations. While my production was mainly for their projects within my home-base region, my client base itself was worldwide and travel assignments were a frequent if irregular event. Now I am finding much more of my work is for larger, more significant assignments in the USA and Europe, which I am enjoying immensely. I am continually uploading this newer and more varied material to my online portfolio to promote this direction.
ASMP: Are there specific tactics that you find to be most effective in marketing your work to an international audience?
I have always been very fortunate in the sense that after my first year of work all my business came through word of mouth. I have rarely done promotional efforts or advertising aside from editorial bylines, exhibits and such. The downside of that is that it was very late when I actually focused on where I wanted my career to go, as my work and life was continual and absorbing. To date I have not had a proper photo rep anywhere!
Nowadays, my new website is by far my main vehicle for promotion; potential clients now contact me knowing who I am and what I do, whereas before they would call without knowing much and request a portfolio that would be expensive to ship and, often, would arrive after a decision had already been made. I do find that, despite the strength of the euro against the dollar, clients in New York consider my work to be high-end at a mid-range price. On the other hand, in smaller US market areas I may be less competitive. This is a good example where communication with my peers is imperative to avoid undercutting unwittingly.
ASMP: Are overseas pricing and/or rights structures similar to US markets?
I can only speak from my direct experience and what I know from my companions, which is that unless you are working at the very top, rights control is eroding … not that there ever was much in the Spanish market. Other countries such as Germany or the UK have a more established understanding of rights such as exists in the US, but where I live specifically there is no comprehension at times — clients sometime expect to own the work even if it is a stock license!
Also, very few of my peers properly document their interactions, and I have tried to educate and create the basis for clear and fair transactions for all those involved every day of my career. I share all my info and forms and have given seminars for clients and photographers to that extent. While it has not been easy and is not getting easier, I will not be moved from what I believe is correct and fair.
ASMP: Are there other international photo or creative organizations or associations that you belong to, in addition to the ASMP?
As mentioned before, the AFP (roughly the Spanish equivalent of ASMP) and the SAA. I would love to join APA, but at the moment my membership budget is used up!
ASMP: Besides this submission to ASMP, have you made other outreach efforts to promote such a high-profile assignment? If so, what kind of response have you received?
Unfortunately, my PR machinery is not as well oiled as it should be… lately I do find that sending emails regarding important news like this to all my contacts is a great reminder of my existence and a definite “reaction provoker” which gets me great responses and occasional jobs as I jog client’s memories, but that does not reach into new markets. Local press coverage on me has increased due to these emails, which is always helpful … but this is clearly an area I really need to improve on now!
