a look behind the scenes
Photographer :: Director :: Traveller :: Business Man
Welcome to a new interview series brought to you monthly by liveBooks. In this interview we learn how Troy made the transition from a studio photographer to a location photographer, the importance of his website in growing his business and where he is going next.
A: Ok let’s talk about the photo of Torrie I shot for Izod. I started shooting for Phillips Van Heusen (PVH) more than 10 years ago. Over the years we have been fortunate enough to travel the globe shooting different brands for PVH. Anthony Trama the Creative Director and Michael Kelly the VP of Marketing at PVH have scoured the earth for some of the most beautiful and exotic landscapes from ice to sand.
On this particular occasion we travelled to Iceland to shoot for IZOD and Bass. The different choices of landscape were stunning. The moss you see in the shot of Torrie ran as far as the eye could see and was several inches thick. Shooting Torrie in the moss was a delicate process as the local production team had told us that the moss takes 100 years to grow to become that thick.
Shooting digital has allowed us to be more efficient and a little more bold in what we attempt since we can review the images immediately. Being able to edit on the fly also allows you to make quick decisions with styling etc. so you can achieve the best results.
The IZOD girl Torrie, in this shot has recently become the new Guess Girl as well as hitting the front covers of some major fashion publications. You can find my IZOD image of her in my online portfolio at http://www.troyplota.com. Once at my site select the Fashion & Beauty Portfolio, the image of Torrie is the first image in this portfolio.
Q: How did you make the transition from being a studio photographer to being a location photographer and director? A: At first I definitely did a lot of studio photography, but I realized that I loved traveling and being outdoors. About 6yrs ago I started trying to get location work and I was turned down. My book didn’t have enough location work in it. So I decided to make this a priority. I did some test shots and I also did some editorial photography as a way to expand my book.
A: Growing up in Florida and working in Atlanta meant that I started in a small market. This meant that I had to be more of a generalist who did not lock into one type of photography or one style. To survive in a small market you have to do this.
When I got to NY this helped me because my agent was able to pitch me for all different types of work editorial, fashion, pharmaceutical, etc. Even with my existing clients I have found this to be beneficial. I have been working with the Van Heusen brands for over 10 years and they have continued to grow through purchases of other brands. Part of my goal is to make each brand look as unique as possible to help the overall company appear diverse. This is a reflection of my abilities as well as their offerings.
Q: What are some behind the scenes tips for being a success? A: First, you have to know how to shoot good photos but that is never enough. In order to be successful you need to have a strong team. I have been fortunate to have my wife standing by me and helping to manage my studio. In addition I have great assistants and a great agency. Without these things there is no way that I could travel around doing what I do.
A: Definitely, I would say that having a great website is an important part of growing your business. For years I spent time learning HTML and Flash.
I even created my own site but that just took time away from shooting. Now I have a liveBooks site and I love it because it is so easy to get my images up, customize my site for art directors, work with my agent etc. I have so much more time to shoot and I don’t have to worry about my online representation because I know it is professional and up to date.
It seems to me that liveBooks is becoming an industry standard. My assistants all know how to work with liveBooks and my agent Janice Moses also uses liveBooks. Since Janice uses liveBooks I can create images for the web once and put them on my site and her site. I don’t have to save images 2 times in different sizes and shapes. This makes it easy for her to represent my current work which in the end also helps me grow my business.
A: Well right now I am really excited about the idea of underwater photography. It is interesting because a beautiful model for a studio shot might not be the right person for an underwater shot, there are definitely some additional questions for casting. That said, for the upcoming Izod collection we will be traveling to Mexico and a part of that shoot will be underwater.
In addition, at my studio in Florida I am creating a permanent underwater studio. This facility will be setup to allow for special lighting in the water as well as different scenes in the underwater environment. I am planning to use this environment to create some fine art photography that I can exhibit in the spring as well as release in a book. The great thing is that once I have this work I will be able to share it immediately on my website by creating a new portfolio in my liveBooks editSuite™.