livebooks blog

Gustavo Paixão began his career in photography eight years ago while he was in college. The last five of those years were focused in the fashion industry. While growing up, he loved fashion and dreamed of becoming a fashion photographer. Fast-forward to today and he has now achieved his goal of becoming one of Brazil’s top fashion photographers. He truly enjoys seeing the idea of a great photoshoot running through his team. The combination of the clothes, makeup, photographic references, and the concept all coming together is a fabulous idea for him!

To see more of Gustavo Paixão’s work visit his liveBooks 8 website: www.gustavohpaixao.com

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

GP: There are three key words that describe the style of my website: simple, easy, and fast. I was looking for something easily accessible for those who wanted to see my portfolio with a friendly and soft interface. After spending my time looking for web designers, I visited the liveBooks8 website, saw the templates and it was love at first sight. It had exactly what I wanted.

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

GP: As I’m busy with the photography workshops, I’m taking a break from the portfolio actualization. But normally, I update my portfolio monthly.

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

GP: I’m a perfectionist when it come to my work. I choose the pictures that will go on my portfolio according to the quality of the makeup, clothes, retouch and the time they were taken. It’s not good to choose old pictures because a more experienced professional can note the difference in quality from one work to another. Believe me – your work quality may change a lot in 6 months!

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

GP: I love the full customization so much!

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

GP: Pay attention to all the customization options. Although the templates look simple, all of them offer a lot of features to make your website look more professional!

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

Ian Boddy is a top kids fashion and advertising photographer that has worked with clients ranging from Vogue Bambini to Harrods. His works demonstrate an airy-feel and clean colors that pair well with children’s advertising. We are very excited to share his story and how it came together perfectly with the liveBooks 8 platform:

I work with children of all ages from babies to teens. I don’t particularly set out to specialize in that market, I just drifted into it about 15 years ago and realized it suited me better and was a good fit…and I love it!

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

IB: Clean, simple, and easy to navigate

Q: How often do you typically update your website?

IB: Whenever I get a break from shooting, which isn’t very often. I must go and update it now!

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

IB: I rotate every now and again…just whatever is my favorite picture at the time.

Q: What is your favorite new feature of liveBooks8?

IB: I love how easy it is to manage my own content so I can update my site anytime from wherever I happen to be.

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

IB: Keep it simple!

See more of Ian Boddy’s amazing images on his liveBooks 8 site at: www.ianboddy.co.uk

Lauren Keskinel is a photographer based in Los Angeles. Her background in film production, extensive travels through the developing world, and affinity for sports and adventure give her a unique perspective on the people and places she shoots. When not working in the world of sports entertainment, Lauren enjoys partnering with organizations to help document their humanitarian efforts, both domestically and abroad. Her work has been recognized through numerous awards including the APA Awards and PDN’s Photobook Cali. She was also a proud participant in the Eddie Adams Workshop XXIV. To see more of Lauren’s work, visit www.laurenkeskinel.com.

I always say that I took the long road to photography. When I was 19, I got a job on a movie set and spent the next decade going from film to film. It was an amazing time in my life and allowed me to learn the ins and outs of entertainment production, while providing me the ability to travel the world in between shoots. After a while, I started craving something more creative of my own. Photography had always been something I was interested in and I took the opportunity to go back to school and learn more about it. I was hooked.

I was lucky to meet another photographer early on in photography who worked in the equestrian world shooting high level competitions. I had ridden and competed as a kid so it was an easy transition into shooting horses. It was a wonderful way to hone my skills and allowed me the flexible schedule I needed when my kids were young. Now that they are a little older, I’m focusing more on editorial and commercial opportunities, particularly related to entertainment.

Much of my commercial and editorial work is in color and I think certain images lend themselves beautifully to it, but I absolutely love black and white. I am lucky enough to have learned photography when film was still hanging on as a standard. I explored a lot with the classic black and white films and spent a lot of time in the darkroom. Now I love taking those same techniques and applying them digitally. I find that when it’s just me and an image in post, with full creative freedom, I still lean towards black and white.

I consider myself to be a street photographer at heart. I have always been an observer and joke sometimes that I am a professional people watcher. Whether it’s a well-planned, production-heavy commercial shoot or a quick shot with my iPhone, I love to capture that perfect moment that reveals something about life and humanity.

For commercial or editorial work, I will often use a medium format Hasselblad or Phase One with a digital back. For sports and travel, I always use the professional line of 35mm cameras from Canon. Personally, I obsessively shoot with my iPhone. I know it may be blaspheme in some circles, but it has been one of the most creatively freeing tools that I’ve used. It allows me to capture moments that I would never otherwise have my camera for, and helps avoid the wall that can go up with a subject as soon as you pull out a real camera.

If you’re just a beginner and want to get into photographing, I would tell you to take classes. You don’t have to go to an expensive art school. There are so many great local programs throughout the country. I did the commercial photography program at Santa Monica College here in Los Angeles and it was amazing. I think when you first start out in photography, it’s easy to underestimate how much technique and knowledge goes into the beautiful shots you see. You look and think ‘I can do that’ and then you try and it looks like your crazy uncle Bob took it. I think it’s really the technical skills that separate you from the pack these days. I will also give the same advice given to me and to generations of photographer. Shoot. Shoot. Keep Shooting. Then shoot some more. I learn something every time I shoot. Often it’s what doesn’t work, but slowly, with every mistake and failed concept, you get better. I guarantee you one thing about photography, there is alway more to learn. Keep at it.

Want to be featured as one of our guest bloggers? Email us at social@livebooks.com!