Jain Lemos » Photography and Publishing

Lighting Essentials for Photographers is building their article archives about all things lighting. I like the tech sheets section. Their recent interview with photographer Daron Shade mentioned me and I’m happy to reciprocate.

Daron said, “By chance meeting, I met portfolio consultant Jain Lemos and happened to have a few prints with me. She saw clear consistencies across a number of very different images, helping me realize and refine my own style. She really set me on the right path to redefining myself.”

Daron gives a good reminder to keep some type of portfolio with you at all times.

About eight months ago, Los Angeles-based photographer Stephanie Diani hired me for one of my super-duper Comprehensive Brand Reinvention Consultations. Stephanie’s portfolio was solid. Her notable list of clients and awards told me she was established.

But now, Stephanie was ready to kick her profile up several notches. We made a plan! To begin, I wanted to know:

1. What makes Stephanie tick? What makes her rattle? I put her through some fun (but not overly woo-woo) exercises.
2. Which words “fit” Stephanie? We came up with a big list of concepts that more accurately introduce Stephanie and her work to clients.
3. Did Stephanie’s existing images fit these concepts? I analyzed her various portfolios. Armed with our new “idea” of Stephanie, it was clear to see what was working and what wasn’t.
4. How would her portfolio benefit if we pulled it apart, reorganized the mix, and applied stronger sequencing to her best images?

Once we had the essentials together, it was time for action. I helped Stephanie complete two new self-funded projects for her portfolio. Here is one of the images from her “Man Made God” study:

"An Ending" from the series, "Man Made God" by Stephanie Diani.

During this process, positive things started happening for Stephanie.

Stephanie’s second new project, “Scenes from a Marriage,” immediately received recognition and won a Jurors’ Selection Award in APA’s  2009 “Tell us a Story” annual photo competition.

We obtained credentialing for Stephanie to continue shooting on her project, “Dames: Legends of Burlesque.” She was hired for new shoots, foreign publications licensed her images for excellent fees, and she’s been approached by top-tier agents for representation. Her phone is ringing.

Ta da! Stephanie’s new website is launched and looking terrific.

As we start on the next marketing phases, expect to be seeing and hearing a lot more about Stephanie and her work!

Santa Monica Pier Outing, Photo by Jamie Williams

Last fall, I worked with Tucson photographer Jamie Williams on a new campaign for promoting the California Travel and Tourism Commission. Jamie is featuring some of the California images on her website as well as sending out a series of email promos with behind-the-scenes antidotes of our project. Here is what she wrote in her email today about one of our locations:

California Tourism: Behind the Lens
20 days, 30 locations, 1500 miles, 12,000 images

Santa Monica was probably the most challenging location for this project. At 9:45 pm the night before our 5:00 am call time – one of the models canceled. In 20 years of being in this business I’ve never had that happen. My amazing producer had a new model booked within 15 minutes.

That situation was incredible, and I got a lucky break. We had just returned from dinner and I decided to check email. Jamie didn’t mention that this was on ELECTION DAY! And we were staying at THE hotel in Century City hosting the celebration party. The place was mobbed and the Fire Department was on overload. Obviously, the model we had booked (I had reconfirmed with her around noon that day) was out celebrating Obama’s win! She didn’t even have the decency to call or text but instead sent a brusque email: “Sorry, I can’t make the shoot tomorrow, my agent has me booked on something else.”

I called Jamie in her room and she couldn’t believe it either. I know better and should have had back-up talent on stand-by, but I didn’t this time. I went back to my casting files to look at the other final candidates for this scene. I closed my eyes and said a prayer asking for help to choose the perfect replacement. At 10PM with a 5AM call, this beautiful Goddess Walking the Planet, Mylinda Royer, answered my call and arrived to save the day . It was one of those happy-ending crisis. Jamie had the best day with Mylinda and Sharif, as you can see here!

Photographer Marcela Taboada is a finalist in this year’s Photolucida Critical Mass competition. Her work is among those pre-screened out of over six hundred entries. This image from her photo essay, “Women of Clay,” was included in her entry (see Portfolio 1 on her website).

As reviewers, our job is to look at all the finalists and rate each on this scale:

NO = “Someone may be interested in this work but it’s not me.”
YES = “I’m glad that I’ve seen this.”
WOW = “I can’t wait to show this to someone.”

For me, Marcela’s images for this story are so rare and authentic I want to give the photographer a prize. Moreover, once I read her essay and artist’s statement I became a bigger fan because she shot these in her own backyard in her state of Oaxaca. Many photographers feel they must travel great distances to find extraordinary subjects when they would have done better to look right around the corner.

I’ve been on a great project with photographer Jamie Williams producing new stills for the California Travel and Tourism Commission and their agency Mering-Carson. We covered dozens of locations in three weeks including Saint Helena, San Francisco, Big Sur, Hollywood, Joshua Tree, Newport Coast, La Jolla and Coronado.

Along the way we had fun, a little rain, very long days, the pleasure of working with wonderful clients, talent and crew members… plus the chance to cover incredible places. Being busy is a good thing, except when it comes to keeping up a blog. Thanks for missing my posts just a little bit.

Lately the catch-phrase is Stay in the Now. But I hear the American Past calling. Last week, an editor from DK told me she was looking for global titles. I didn’t have one in my back pocket to show her.

Photographer Paul Mobley and Lena Tabori’s Welcome Books will issue American Farmer: The Heart of our Country this fall. I have recently mentioned two other noteworthy new projects: American Cowgirl and A Journey Through Literary America.

When the present moment of our country appears so bleak, I understand how preserving noble bits of our nation feels urgent and important to do. There is a surge or an urge or a purge happening. Though American stories may not be a fit for big One World (but in the meantime, pick-your-flag) publishers, on this day I see a need to document What It Was Like, What Happened, and What It’s Like Now.

Welcome to the American Recovery Group. I am an American, and my name is Jain.

1. I am waiting to receive a set of Corbis Brain cards.
2. Jamie Williams sent me a handmade card with my favorite photo!
3. Head Examined won the poll.
4. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup tonight. Just as their splash page predicted, I might add.
5. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since I posted new headshots.
6. Someone fixed the bio on David Cohen’s book, plus he bought me lunch at BEA.
7. A mystery reader sent me “Clue: The Card Game.”
8. We’ve confirmed how disastrous keywording has become after testing Flickr and Photobucket shows.
9. May’s Mentoring Assignment is still in the works, further proving that keywords are useless in many situations.
10. Your notes of encouragement to keep blogging are sweet. Thanks, everyone .

A Journey Through Literary America is thoroughly presented in both electronic and print form. Their booth had a great blend of promos to showcase the project. They worked very hard and as a result, received solid interest from a half-dozen publishers. I am sure they will be on press very soon!

I was planning to write more about the show Saturday. Instead I will save news and views for later. Also, I read this damper in a Publisher’s Lunch report after the show wrapped:

As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Bob Hoover wrote, “There’s nothing to get excited about this year. Publishers’ staffers, who understandably ask and get anonymity, say they’re smiling through the boredom.”

I guess my no plan plan helped keep my enthusiasm above the flat line.

Go with the flow without a plan was my plan for BEA. That was more effective than trying to do it all which is impossible. I have a pile of notes and many interesting reports! On Friday, David Cohen and I crossed paths at the moment he was ready to buy me a surprise lunch . Thank you, David, for sharing fries and friendly, relaxed conversation. We chatted about the debate over content vs. information. We decided we have no trouble separating the two, though many see advantages in blending them. Earlier, I wrote about his new book, What Matters. David now has a flashy new website including how you can help.

The Lonely Planet booth was full of hugs and news from the gang. They should be Popular Planet. I know I’m biased, but their booth is so welcoming and happy. Their Pick & Mix digital downloads are ready when you are.

Next was reconnecting with David Carriere at the Glitterati booth, out with a new book, Publicity 7 Steps. I took a snap of him with publisher Marta Hallett and uploaded to Flickr for the Publisher’s Lunch instant blog. Glitterati’s great mix of photo titles coming this fall is a reflection of Marta’s expertise in acquiring books and her commitment to showcasing photography and narratives from different walks of life.

After the show, my mentor/agent and I ditched the parties and went down to Santa Monica for dinner and a stroll through the 3rd Street Promenade to decompress. There was a long queue for the “Sex and the City” premier and these lovely ladies in their matching tees posed for a quick snap. Their lighthearted camaraderie was revitalizing, especially after listening to Jeff Bezos earlier that afternoon droning on about the Kindle, which, by the time I got home exhausted I was calling the Kermit, because the names seem equally silly.

My Saturday report will follow after a beach break.

I just finished a new marketing piece for a boutique stock agency. The lead photo was a departure from the look of their past ad campaigns. They wrote to me:

OK, Jain, we’re going to trust you on this one and go with your recommendation. As you mention, we’re trying to reach out to a different market and show them that we have a range of images.

The promo was sent to a list I developed of roughly 2,000 ad agency art buyers and corporate designers. I am glad my client trusted me.

Promoting and licensing stock images is something I have been doing for a long time. A very large percentage of photographers I talk with want to make more money in stock, but they complain about one thing or another when it comes to their agency or the buyer’s terms.

About six years ago, a small, successful photo agency was acquired by a media company. When the owner called to tell me the news he said, “I sold my soul to the Devil.” Some of his photographers were happy with the new deal; some bailed. I mention this because there are many in this business with a snobby attitude toward stock agencies and stock shooters. Yet they are the same ones who, behind the scenes, want the big ad agency stock sales.

Tim Turner is really organized. I hired him for this cookbook project ten (gulp) years ago. Watching Tim pump out shots in his well-oiled Chicago studio topped sampling the dessert chapter.

I noted how Tim effectively used the calendar technique, blocking time for every category: testing, proposing, networking, vacation time and so on. Even with many assistants, only he touched the schedule.

The Only Handle It Once (OHIO) technique is my personal favorite. The truth about organization is that only “you” can organize “you”. I have helped many stranded people find methods to manage their own madness.

Thanks for voting, gang, and for your notes (I really thought I was easy to find). Anyway…for everyone…the doctor is in….

~ That cracked me up. I answered slowly and with all honesty, and ended up with what so far is winning the race: Head Examined. I figured if I said yes to “all of the above” it was the same!

~ Jesus Jain. I have been trying every which way to Sunday to find out how to talk to you. Can I call you tomorrow?

~ I’m just not as effectively ORGANIZED as i should be. Like most one-person operations, I leap from project to project, bringing to bear all the guns that i happen to have at the moment. That means sometimes I’m a’blazing and other times, I’m barely locating the target.

I’m currently consulting with a photographer/author team on their book project. With BEA (BookExpo) in L.A. at the end of May, they needed a solid plan.

I feel their concept has heaps of potential. This is their first book. However, they both work with the production/printing end of bookmaking, which gives them some special advantages.

Here are a few of the topics I covered:

After our meeting, here was their feedback:

“Thanks so much for meeting with us! You were absolutely fantastic! … and exceeded expectations!”

“It was great meeting you. And thank you for all of your advice. I can see that we have a lot of work cut out for us but I feel like we have a much better chance of success thanks to your help.”

I’ll be sharing more about this project once it is ready for prime time.