There is such depth and love passed back and forth between Eleanor and her mom. It was simply a joy to watch.

There are no secrets to photography, or to finding clients, or to taking a good photograph. All there is is life, and passion, and relationships. Getting invited to honor Eleanor’s spirit was an honor, and it was easy because everything was all right there in front of me- a bond, two beings, and genuine emotion. That’s all a photographer can ask for.

Here’s one of my favorite out-takes from Eleanor’s many Instant Doggie Photobooth sittings. A rare moment when she wasn’t blowing drool-bubbles.

My solo exhibit ‘American Sporting Heritage’ opens at The National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg, Virginia next week. My team and I have been working very hard getting the 15 large color photographs printed perfectly, matted, and framed in my San Francisco studio. It’s been a really rewarding few days getting to see this series come together- the prints are large, the colors are dreamy and true to the magical film profile of the Kodak Portra 400, and I know the curation team at the gallery will install the series beautifully. It’s a real treat as an artist to have such a reputable gallery invite me to exhibit such a big show, and to get such personal attention from their curator and team. I can’t speak highly enough of the National Sporting Library and Museum.

I’ll be doing a closing lecture at the gallery on Sept. 5th 2013- if you’re around, please stop by and say hello.

More information on the gallery here: http://nsl.org

I had to make custom mats for all 15 pieces- something I do for all my fine art dog photographs, but since these were a unique size I had to get the pencil and scratch paper out and design new templates for my archival mats. Math is hard.

You may know that I like doing creative side-projects. You may also know that sometimes those creative side-projects blow up and take over the internet (see: The Doggie Gaga Project), the newspapers, the television, the blogosphere, etc. There have been a handful of other private series done in my San Francisco pet photography studio, but now it’s time to welcome the dog world to my new Los Angeles photography studio. Click the link below for details:

Irresistable: Dogs With Food Names Photography Project/ Los Angeles

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: LOS ANGELES AREA
Do you have a dog with a food-related name? If so, we want to meet you! You may have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive photography project by award-winning dog photographer Jesse Freidin in his new Los Angeles studio. This photography series is all about dogs with food names (i.e. ‘Pancake,’ ‘Hamburger,’ ‘Meatball’). Participation is free, and all participants will receive an 8×10 print of their dog signed by the artist, as well as a digital reproduction scan of the artist’s selected image.

To enter your dog for consideration:
Please email the studio at: STUDIO (at) JESSEFREIDIN (d0t) com
You must include in your email the following information:
1) Your Name
2) Your Dog’s Name
3) Your Dog’s Breed
4) Your Email/Phone
5) A Photo of Your Dog

I can’t wait to hear from you! We’re booking private studio sessions for our selected participants Summer 2013.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions.

In order to turn a negative into a print, the photographer must interact very closely with the image. It is not just a ‘click and print,’ or an ‘apply pre-made Photoshop filter’ or ‘convert to black and white’ and ‘send to printer’ etc. When I make a print I am talking to the viewer through every choice I make- specifically where I put my contrast, how my tones flow through the image, where there is crispness and where things fall off. It is as if I am pulling a story out of each negative, and placing that story on paper. That is the magic of a printed photograph. The story is told from negative to paper, and then sealed forever onto an object that can be touched and cherished and interacted with, full of the intentions of the artist. It is the final piece in the dialogue between artist and client.

What does a CD full of small digital images have over a true photographic print? To be honest- I’m not really sure.

Thanks for your help! I can’t wait to see what everyone says.

Our new studio is in the heart of the Los Angeles “Artist’s District,” which makes us feel right at home. With it’s gritty, industrial feel, yet vast creative and entrepreneurial network, it feels just like San Francisco’s “Dogpatch” neighborhood- where my SF studio is. The Los Angeles studio is flooded with beautiful natural light, an open feel, and wonderful area for private client meetings and presentations on the big projector.

My San Francisco studio is still going strong, of course. I will continue to remain dedicated to my San Francisco dog photography clients and community, and will be splitting my time between San Francisco and Los Angeles equally. The San Francisco dog community has supported and inspired me for so many years, and I will always be honored to have a studio in San Francisco.

It’s going to be a very busy year, but I couldn’t be happier. Getting to do what I love in two incredibly ecclectic and creative cities is a dream come true.

You can learn more about my Los Angeles fine art dog photography studio HERE.

And in case you missed it:

BOOK A LOS ANGELES FINE ART DOG PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION IN 2013 AND SAVE $850
*valid in LA only
*expires  July 1st, 2013

This is not a joke. Tell your friends!!!
Schedule a Fine Art Dog Photography Session in Los Angeles, and we’ll waive your Creative Fee (this covers your Creative Consultation, Photography Session and Presentation). That is a savings of $850. Call us crazy. 
TO SCHEDULE, CLICK HERE. 

And here are a few favorite Hollywood (ahem…. celebrity) photos of my time in LA over the past few years. I sure do meet some famous people:

That’s me and ‘Pam’ from “True Blood.” I had never even seen the show before. She was such a fan of my work, and a real pleasure to hang with.

I hardly even watcth TV, so I never know who’s who. Getting out in LA and meeting celebrities is a lot of fun, but getting them to open up about why they love their dogs and share stories with me is the real fun. Looking forward to doing it a lot more in the new LA dog photography studio!

There wasn’t much competition over which new medium format film camera I’d settle on. The answer was always very clear- the Contax 645. This is an equally gorgeous, massive, clunky and powerful camera system. Instead of square negatives (like the Hasselblad), the Contax 645 creates a fat rectangular negative – similar to 35mm but much much larger. I love it, and though my camera bag is now massively heavy- it is stocked with the perfect pairing of medium format film cameras to create the best, most emotive, sharpest, stunning fine art dog photographs possible.

As I’ve been getting used to my new Contax 645, I’ve realized how much I enjoy getting perfect exposures. It is a science. It is an art. A perfect exposure must be seen and felt before it is even realized in camera. The Contax 645 has a wonderful in-camera metering system (unlike the Hasselblad which requires an incident meter) that I’ve been having a lot of fun with- and is giving me creamy smooth exposures.

But- this makes me think of so many other photographers of all sorts who don’t even know how to use an incident meter, or how to properly expose their subjects, or use natural light. Instead- what they rely on is their camera’s AUTO settings to give them a poorly executed general exposure- which results in flat light, blocked up shadows, and blown out highlights. Then, these poorly exposed images get pushed even farther on the computer- by adding ‘actions’ and ‘filters’ which automatically coat the digital image in a generic set of color adjustments and tonal range. There is no thinking required in this approach, no originality, and certainly no understanding of photographic concepts or desire to take control of one’s images. I look at some imagery online and simply see Photoshopping tricks, NOT the actual image. The composition, mood, and texture all get abandoned – the importance becomes poorly executed post-processing. When digital post-processing becomes more imporant than creating the image in-camera — your work is no longer photography, it is digital art. Also- it’s bad.

Shooting with the Contax 645 fills me with an excitement about photography- it is mine, and I can do with it what I please. I would never sacrifice my power to make creative decisions for a quick digital shortcut.

With all the hustle and bustle of the end of the year, and with a very exciting new development in my studio (details to be announced soon, we promise), I didn’t have time to talk up the annual BayWoof ‘Beast of the Bay Awards.’ Typically, I’ll post links to the fun contest, so that everyone can vote for their favorite dog stores, dog walkers, dog food, dog products, dog doctors, and of course, dog photographers. For the past 3 years, I’ve been handed the ‘Best Dog Photographer in San Francisco’ award from BayWoof, and it’s always a huge honor. This year, without even asking friends and fans and clients to vote, I won AGAIN for ‘Best Dog Photographer in San Francisco’ (runner up)!! I was shocked to hear the news. It’s a real nice feeling when, without even trying or advertsising or asking people to get involved, they simply give you their vote of confidence on their own. Even though this was a runner up title, to me- it’s so much more.

So, thanks everyone! And don’t forget to take a look at the other ‘Beast of the Bay 2013′ winners in all their ecclectic categories: Beast of the Bay Awards 2013

Photographing Casey the Golden Retriever in San Francisco was such a pleasure- she greeted me with a vigorously wagging tail and a huge stuffed hedgehog in her mouth. Our Photography Session was relaxed and playful, the way a fine art dog photography session tends to be. Though I did give her a few suggestions of where to go – since we had beautiful San Francisco light and I knew my black and white film would pick up some great indoor and outdoor textures – I mostly just gave Casey and her human a chance to be together and honor their bond.

Casey is a 10 year old dog. She has grown up, matured, loved and bonded with her human every day for the past 10 years. And that connection was so apparant and vibrant. Creating emotional images for both of them was easy. As an observer and an artists- I was moved by their quiet yet playful bond. Watching them I could see their years of history together, their stories, the way they cared for each other simultaneoulsy. It was a beautiful bond.

We curated a great collection of fine art dog portraits at my San Francisco studio. Looking at the work from our dog photography session together was powerful, and made each of us tear up. Maybe we all just knew that Casey’s years are numbered, and felt relieved to have been able to capture her at her best. Below is the feature image, which will be installed in the entry way for all visitors to enjoy as they walk in:

I love teaching my photography students about ‘shooting through the moment’- a technique that allows the artist to truly be present and aware inside each image they create. Because photography is not a static medium, the idea of ‘snapping’ one frame and getting it right is simply ridiculous. Not even the best photographers can do that, and they certainly would not encourage that technique. When observing living/breathing things (people, animals)- I use my camera simply as a tool to observe and record moments. For each moment I observe, I expose a series of frames knowing that the perfect moment (a mix of focus, exposure, emotion, expression, texture, and composition) will fall within one of the many exposures. Here’s an example of why shooting through moments is so powerful: the image on the left is a winner, the one on the right is not.

Here are some my favorite images from the visit. And here’s how to schedule your own appointment at Pier 24:

Pier 24 The Embarcadero
San Francisco CA, 94105
Open By Appointment
Monday – Thursday
9am to 5pm
Phone: 415.512.7424
Fax: 415.512.7456
email: info@pier24.org