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I tumbled into photography while I was struggling to stay in New York after arriving from India with less than a dollar in my pocket and a visa that only lasted a month. In 1968, my plans were to become a fold singer; New York City was full of hippies and music was everywhere. This lady was listening to me sing in the village and asked me if I would come and audition at the United Nations’ choral group. I got the part and she got me a job as a messenger and took care of my visa problem. I won the grand spires in a photo-contest that led me to a job in the United Nation’s Photo Unit as a darkroom technician.

I had worked for 20 years as a photojournalist and I had a nervous breakdown after my coverage in Rwanda in 1994. At that point, I wanted to turn my camera towards nature and wildlife. Since I come from India and tigers are endangered, I decided to turn my photography towards documenting the tigers. I am also very fond of cats.

This tiger documentary was a coincidence. Mary Fereira who is a United Nations Television (UNTV) documentary producer approached me and asked if I would be willing to share my tiger images and let them follow me while I was in the jungle in India and film with me. So last year they did the filming in India. During the 30 years I worked with the United Nations, I was a photojournalist covering crisis around the world of less fortunate people who suffered during wars and natural disasters. So to be featured as a wildlife photographer was a challenge and thrill.

I want people to be aware of the delicate situation of these tigers existence in our ever changing world and needs. I want people to realize that we all have an obligation to protect our wildlife and the land we live in. There is an ancient saying that this Earth is given to us on loan and we must take the responsibility to nurture and safekeep it for our children and their children.

Even though I have retired from my regular job as a photojournalist, I still work everyday in my studio in Yonkers. I make presentations at universities, schools, conduct workshops, and teach photography. As I am writing this, I am getting ready to leave for China on an invitation to make a presentation to 1,400 students in Beijing next week.

To see more of John Isaac’s work, visit his website: www.johnisaac.com

Gretchen Bell is a wardrobe and prop stylist based in Seattle. Her client list includes Kraft, Levi’s, Target, Chevrolet, Amazon, Omni Resorts and Tommy Bahama. To see more of her work, visit: www.gretchenbell.com

In some ways, I feel I was destined to become a stylist. As a child, I was always wearing fashion trends before anyone else and modeling in local fashion shows. When I was about 13, I remember reading an article in Seventeen Magazine about the woman who was the stylist for The Cosby Show and thinking that would be my dream job, little did I know!

Photograph by: Christopher Bell

In college, my major was television Communications, so my career began working in video production as a production assistant and doing graphics for the news at the NBC station in Minneapolis. I then spent several years working as a modeling agent, before taking a job as a studio manager and producer for a successful advertising photographer, Craig Perman. It was there that I began styling commercial photo shoots for many large national and international clients and really learned about all aspects of production. So my whole career has really been about seeing things in a visual way.

Photograph by: Greg Montijo

In a great photograph everything matters, the color of a shirts, the kind of coffee cup, the style of the shoe, the position of the elements to one another. Everything in a photograph is helping to convey a client’s message or tell a story and that is my job. That is the fun and the challenge of being a stylist. What is going to make a photograph funny or moody or nostalgic and how are my props and wardrobe going to help do that? People don’t realize I might spend hours looking for just the right underwear that will be funny on teenage boys or searching for the perfect feathers for a still life shoot because it all matters. That is why stylists bring so many choices to the set for every shoot, so we can figure out what best helps tell the story.

Photograph by: Christopher Bell

It is very much a collaboration to tell a great story and it’s not always successful. Everyone is bringing something to the table at the shoot and when we all have a clear and concise vision, I think then it makes for a great photograph. As a stylist, I am coming to a shoot with my interpretation of what my client wants, but also run through a filter of my personal style. If a client wants playing cards, there are lots of playing card options out there. It is really fun to see a shoot come together successfully and see how elements from each member of the crew helped create that moment.

To me being a stylist is really about being part of a team; I can’t do my job without the rest of the crew. My props and wardrobe are only as good as the talent booked for the shoot, the lighting, the photographer, the makeup artist, the vision of the client and the layouts. Again, everything matters.

Photograph by: Melissa O’Hearn

Goran Kosanovic is a commercial, advertising, and editorial photographer in the Washington, DC area. We are excited to share his story and a bit about how his career and liveBooks 8 site came to life with you today:

I am originally from Serbia, and while growing up, my father was in charge of taking our family pictures with an old Czechoslovakian camera. Back then, black and white photos were only available in a format size that was a little bit bigger than a business card. I always wondered: “Can they be bigger and in color?”

Once I came to the US, I chose to change my studies from mechanical engineering to photography. I went to the Brooks Institute of Photography and moved to Santa Barbara, CA. While in school, I managed to assist many great photographers from the LA area. This experience being with commercial photographers while watching them create amazing images was priceless. Back then, everything was on film, so there was no margin for error. Everything was done in camera – lighting, composition. That was the way I learned and is how I continue to create my images.

Upon graduating, goranfoto was created, and I slowly started developing my brand with a website, business cards and a logo. As I love to cook, food was a natural subject choice for me, so I focused my work mostly on hospitality and food photography.

I currently call the Washington DC area home, where I live with my family. It was the perfect place to expand my hospitality and food photography business. The city offers cuisines from around the globe, and for me, it was not very hard after leaving the West Coast, except the weather of course!

See more of Goran Kosanovic’s fantastic images on his liveBooks 8 site at www.goranfoto.com.

Q: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website in three words?

GK: Easy to use. I always knew that I needed something very simple.

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

GK: I do it very often. I try to update it every week, either with new gallery images or with some blog type of news.

Q: How do you choose the photos that you display on your homepage?

GK: I try to rotate images that will attract jobs and potential clients. My greatest hope is that visitors to my site will understand my style and what I am all about.

Q: What is your favorite new feature of liveBooks 8? 

GK: Simplicity. I do not want to waste my time creating and re-creating pages and pages of my website. In today’s world, it should be simplified so the time used is minimal for me and for the viewer.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone designing their website?

GK: At this point, I think picking the right images, while making your site easy to navigate are the major things to having a great website.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com.

Lou Bopp is a talented photographer, director, and producer that is currently based in New York City and St. Louis. Recently, Lou has worked to craft a new director’s reel. With years of experience in the field and wonderful insight, Lou details the struggles and successes of creating a great production below. 

To see more of Lou Bopp’s fantastic portfolio, visit his site at www.loubopp.com.

It’s all about the croissant.

My new director’s reel is long overdue. Creating fresh work and sharing it with prospective clients is vital. Curating said work is not the easiest – I would much rather be shooting. However, I work with awesome people and having others to bat around ideas with, from the perspective of great editors, makes a world of a difference. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, The field cannot be seen from within the field. 

When it comes to my directorial approach, whether I’m working off a creative brief, a board or run & gun, I’m always on the lookout for serendipitous moments. As I am often hired to shoot both motions & stills, I direct in a manner that compliments one another. The train of thought and overall conceptual vision are about the same. However, the implementation is a whole other ballgame. Screw it up, and you risk losing the brand message and the project becomes discombobulated. Finding the right DP is paramount and pivotal. Same with producers, location managers etceteras even the catering. Because at the end of the day, no matter how great the final piece is, the client may only remember a stale croissant. Great producers are key.

In this reel, you’ll see projects from Hershey Chocolate, The Aalsmeer Flower Auction in Holland, which is the busiest floral market in the world, Mississippi tourism, a disaster mitigation firm, CSpire, a telecommunications firm, a company called USG that probably made the ceiling tile that you’re sitting under, Traders Point Creamery, FM Global, a huge solar farm on the Mexico border and more.

I’d like to thank the awesome folks at rukus post who were instrumental in making this cut. I hope that you enjoy!