Home > Culture > Mentor Showcase > The 2007 Best-of Series: Eric Futran
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.
Eric Futran, Chicago, IL
Web site: www.chefshots.com
Project: Alumni testimonial poster project for Chicago’s Kendall College
Chicago-based food shooter Eric Futran mixed client service with community outreach in his alumni testimonial posters for the new campus of Kendall College, where he teaches as an adjunct. He managed the project from soup to nuts: conceiving and promoting the project to school administrators; contacting recommended alums; shooting digital portraits; interviewing subjects; editing images and text; designing posters; overseeing printing; even hand-framing the posters for display on campus. Now a cornerstone of the school’s on-site marketing, the poster project allowed Futran to complete an entire package utilizing his multiple talents.
All images in this article © Eric Futran
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
My picture taking has paid every rent and mortgage payment I’ve had since 1974.
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
I really don’t remember, but it must be 25 years.
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
I’m an old photojournalist who, over the years, has gravitated into the food and restaurant market. Truth to tell, I shoot everything from studio food to portraits, restaurant interiors (I’m not going to put anybody in the architectural group out of business) to glamour shots of commercial kitchen equipment. My photojournalistic background comes into play when I cover culinary competitions and cooking schools. Most of my work involves the food and restaurant world in some way.
ASMP: Please describe the processes and techniques central to the making of this work.
The portraits were shot using my Nikon D2X, in RAW. I converted them pretty simply into black and white by de-saturating them and did whatever retouching was required (it ranged from none to a bunch). The design and typography was done in Quark. Because my printer is an Epson 4000, which only prints to 17 inches, I had the final output done by Pixelmint (owned by ASMP member Brian Warling). I framed the drymounted 32x40-inch pieces in black sectional frames.
ASMP: What do you consider your most valuable piece of equipment?
I’ve come to realize that it’s my brain. The leveling effect of the digital environment has made it possible to do just about anything. We can buy any piece of hardware or software on the market. (Well, I’m probably not going to get one of those 39-megapixel ‘blads any time soon.) We really are only limited by what we can create. And sell.
That said, here are three simple things that make my life easier:
- I always carry a battered piece of gold cardboard fill card in my camera bag (instant sexy fill for food shots)
- About five years ago, I went from an over-the-shoulder camera bag to a backpack; it’s really saved my back
- (although I’m ashamed to say it) the Photoshop clone tool.
ASMP: What is unique about your style/approach or what sets you and your work apart from other photographers?
Most food shooters have been born and bred in the studio, working with view cameras and stylists in a very controlled environment. I learned the job working with chefs in restaurant kitchens (not always the most easy environment for shooting pictures). This is a skill that is not always fully appreciated in the world of food photography, but when the circumstances call for it, I try to really emphasize it to potential clients.
ASMP: How long have your been working digitally? How would you compare the process, including design and printing, to working with film?
About five/six years. It’s the best thing since cold beer. It’s great for us and for clients. I love having total control over the imagery. I love being able to design and output pieces. I love being able to create multimedia presentations. Truth to tell, I do miss the richness of beautiful silver prints, but I don’t miss smelling fixer and having black spotted lips from Spotone. And every day I’m getting closer to nailing my black-and-white. Plus, how else could you possibly keep several hundred black-and-white favorite images ready at a moment’s notice to print at any size you’d ever need? Know anyone who needs a D2V?
ASMP: Has your approach to food photography changed over the years? Please elaborate.
When I started shooting food twenty years ago, I was painstakingly slow about propping. Because I was essentially shooting a picture of both a chef’s environment and his food, it was very important to place the food in context. If I was shooting in a white-tablecloth restaurant, I would make sure touches like menus, silver, flowers were correct and readable. In a rib shack, I’d take a menu board off the wall to put the food on. Today’s style calls for making the food the star. The props have to be in support, suggesting the environment rather than spelling it out.
The food photography business is very trend-driven. People are concerned with the current right colors, camera angles, and depth of field issues. It’s a lot different than being a photojournalist!
ASMP: Do you cook? How does this affect your approach to food photography?
I do cook, although it’s a pretty utilitarian form. I do a nice pizza, and I’m good at grilling and braising meats. Now, if you asked me if I ate….
The thing is, I really like food. I like going to cheese factories and watching them press curds. I love the way a French baker at a patisserie will turn a tart in the window so it catches the light just right. I love the forms of beautiful produce at a market, and the smell of a souvlaki grilling at a Manhattan pushcart. I love the drape of the corned beef over the rye bread at Manny’s deli off Roosevelt Road and the intricate flavors of a slow-made mole in an Oaxacan street stall. One of the reasons I may be pretty good at shooting food is the love that I have for it.
ASMP: Please describe where teaching fits in relation to your overall business strategy? What do you feel is the most important benefit you receive from doing this work?
I can’t really call my class a major business decision — no one ever got rich being adjunct faculty — but it’s been a really wonderful experience. Unlike most photographers who teach at colleges, my students are pursuing a culinary education, not a career in the arts. I’ve learned about my craft by having to codify rules for food photography, but I’ve also learned by seeing how people from another discipline approach a problem. I’ve had some really talented students, and sometimes, when I’m on a job, I will remember something that one of them did for one their class assignments. I’ve also learned about food styling techniques from my co-teacher, Mary Valentin, a Chicago food stylist.
ASMP: What is the most important piece of advice about photography that you give to your students?
I tell the culinary students to light from the rear quarter. I tell the photography students I meet to learn the Mac backwards and forwards; it’s going to be the best way for them to earn money in the short (and maybe the long) term.
ASMP: Did you already know the subjects who were selected for this project? If not, did any unexpected insights or connections result from these contacts?
While I knew of a few of the chefs previously, I met most of the people for the first time when I contacted them for the shoot. One of the really nice benefits of this assignment was meeting some Kendall alums who are successful food service entrepreneurs. And it just so happened that some of them were in need of some photography; imagine that!
ASMP: How were the subjects selected for this project and how central a role did you play in this process? Please elaborate further about your collaboration with the school’s administration. What worked best and what was most challenging?
Subjects were chosen (and still are) by the school administration. Department heads recommend likely candidates, as well. Frequently, I will meet one subject while photographing another (“You really should talk to…”). As word about the posters spreads, alums who feel they should be included are not shy about contacting the school and asking to be ‘posterized’.
ASMP: Had you done interviews with your photographic subjects before this project? Did you learn anything from interviewing subjects and editing their words that you find useful or inspiring to your photography? Useful or inspiring for your teaching?
What I have learned about the foodservice industry through these assignments is very applicable to my work as a teacher, photographer and food industry vendor. I think that these contacts have solidified my role within this workplace. I am much more comfortable with my role as a photographer, communicator and educator. I am much more able to relate to the jobs my students will have within the marketplace. I’ve also become better aware of possible selling points for my own business.
ASMP: What are your thoughts about the relationship or differences between editing words and editing photographs?
This is a very interesting question. I was writing long before I ever became a photographer, and I think the proper use of the English language is somehow embedded in my brain. My wife is an excellent professional editor and since we have been together my appreciation for the written word has grown even more. When I did these shoots, the first role I had was that of art director. I walked into a location, looked around and created a ‘layout’ in my mind. Then, as a photographer, I executed the shot. After I received the copy, the ‘editor’ took over and honed the words. Then the ‘art director’ took the pieces and laid the whole thing out (the ‘retoucher’ frequently got involved, too, removing chunks of unsightly atoms by manipulating bytes — see ‘most valuable piece of equipment’ above).
Again, it’s all part of a whole. And for me, at least, it’s a much more rewarding process than just handing off a digital file (or transparency) to a someone else to finish off the process (although I never complain about working!)
ASMP: What are your thoughts about the relationship or differences between photographing food and people/portraits?
It’s funny; there are lots of people who think of me as a food photographer, and there are folks (usually food photographers) who think of me as ‘that people’ guy. I guess everybody’s right. As for the similarities and differences, I think of what happened 20 something years ago when I got my first big food shoot. I called a friend who as was pretty strictly a studio food shooter and asked if he had any advice. He thought for a minute and said, “Well, the food’s got to look good.” That was it.
But what he meant, I think, is you’ve got to develop a feel for the subject. Whether it’s knowing how a portrait subject should hold their head or knowing how to light a roast chicken, you have to intrinsically know the characteristics of the light, reflectivity and form of what you’re shooting. It’s not necessarily a verbal thing, as my buddy 20 years ago could attest. But you’ve just got to do it. A lot.
ASMP: Was this project above and beyond your usual job description? If so, what made you decide to take it on?
I am really starting to welcome assignments that push my envelope. I recently did a slide show called Sweet Home Chicago For Foodies for a convention of, well, foodies. I’m an amateur songwriter, so I took the Robert Johnson song and added a bunch of food and restaurant related lyrics. A friend of mine recorded it, with me playing guitar and harp. I took the song and laid out a slide show in that high-tech program, iPhoto, using 75 or my Chicago food pictures. A big hit. I’ve done a few more slide shows for people. I’ve shot and edited some video. I’ve laid out a few more posters. I’ve written some magazine articles. And these are all paying gigs.
I’m ffff — oh, never mind how old I am. These are exciting times. I’ve been shooting a long time; if we don’t push our envelopes, we can’t expect anyone to do it for us!
ASMP: Has the success of the project lead to other business opportunities? Please elaborate.
See previous answer.
ASMP: Now that this project is completed, would you consider adopting this model to provide clients with a complete project and multiple services? If so, what do you feel would be the most important considerations to address in terms of fees for your services?
We live in time where people can buy pictures on-line for a buck. I go to see music in dark clubs where people take out their point-and-shoot digital cameras (with viewing screens a helluva lot larger than my $5,000 model) and shoot good, recognizable available-light pictures of the musicians. The technology is astonishing.
If we don’t add additional services to our photography, we will be ignoring real opportunities. And these opportunities present creative challenges as well as additional revenue. Instead of giving up your pictures to your client, who will hand them off to an agency or design firm, you can keep your masterpieces in house and play with them some more! And get paid for it!
The important consideration here is to be fairly compensated for my time. My design fee is certainly not going to match my photography fee, but if I bundle this work with the shooting fee, I can add a not-insignificant amount to my bill. The client, who doesn’t have to pay a second supplier, should be willing to pay a decent compensation for that time.
ASMP: Given the success of the project, do you plan to incorporate your experiences from this into the curriculum for your classes?
My classes really don’t dovetail with this subject, but it might be something to consider for the future.
