There’s a photographer inside all of us. Some are just better than others. Sam Javanrouh is a photoblogger. And yes, he’s better than “others”.
About one month ago, my friend sent me pictures from my wedding. My wedding was two years ago! They were on his digital camera for 2 years! And sadly, this is what happens to a lot of us.
This doesn’t happen to Sam and his daily photoblog Daily Dose of Imagery. Sam posts a new picture every day of the year. He just loves what he does, and he does it well. What’s even more inspiring is that he’s not a professional photographer. It’s not his day job. You couldn’t tell that from his ridiculous camera equipment bag (I’m so jealous).
Sam lives in lives in Canada, loves Toronto, and is the owner of the 2005 Bloggie Award for “Best Photography of a Weblog”. His prints are available for sale, and he just released a book of his photos. And if you want to see/hear him in person, I suggest watching Amber MacArther’s CityNews.ca interview with him - it’s short and very interesting.
For I guy who admittingly only gets 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night we are very happy that Sam took a few moments of his time to answer our questions about what makes a good photographer, how does he price his work, and photography in general.
Name, age, and when you sleep at night you dream about…?
Sam Javanrouh, 399 months old. I still have nightmares about my final math exam in grade 12!
You’ve been nominated/won various photo weblog awards. What is it about your photography that draws attention?
I honestly don’t know! I think part of the reason for that could be the fact that I’m still considered a newcomer in my hometown (Toronto) and my photos exhibit that fact. Another reason could be because of my constantly updated photoblog with a new photo everyday. And last but not least, although I post one photo everyday, I still work a lot on every single photo and I rarely post a snapshot straight of the camera. But at the end of the day I thing I’ve been very lucky!
What’s most difficult for new photographers to understand about the art of photography?
I think finding a new idea and a unique style is extremely challenging these days. With the explosion of digital photography, there are countless number of people around the globe taking pictures, but how can we divide people who take pictures and photographers? It’s very subjective, but even with millions of photos taken and posted everyday, you can still tell when you see a good photo. I believe the most difficult thing for new photographers is to get past the point of imitating and following other photographers and find their own voice.
How do you find the time to post a photo a day - and not just any regular photo, but a quality photo?
I spend an average of 3-4 hours a day to work on my picture of the day. But there are days which I have absolutely no time, since I have a full time job as well. So I usually try to spend many hours in one pass from time to time, for example over a weekend, to prepare a number photos so I can use them on those days. Pretty every free time I can find I’m either taking pictures or processing them! It hasn’t been easy maintaining my photoblog in the last 3 and half years but it’s been worth it so far.
When did you first realize - I’m good at this and I want to do it for a living?
Actually photography is not my job and I don’t do it for a living. It’s a side project for me but a very serious one. I work as a creative director at an animation and visual effects company. So to answer your question, I’m still waiting for that moment!
What separates a good photographer from the avg joe/jane point and shooter?
I believe it’s the eye. It’s the way a person sees what’s around him/her. It’s the difference between “seeing” and “looking at”. A good photographer is always on the lookout to find a new and better way to see and paint his vision (photography is in fact, painting with light.) The equipment a person use is of little significance in my opinion.
Explain to us your thinking process when finding your shot? What are you looking for, what are you seeing? (the question isn’t as dramatic as it read, but I know when I’m shooting I have an instinct (good or bad) for “my shot”)
I carry my camera with me almost all the time. Since I have to post photos daily, I’m constantly looking for opportunities for photos. It can be a photo I take while riding the streetcar from work to home, or a shot I take from a moving car while traveling or an architectural scene in downtown I see when walking home I have to believe there are always photos to be taken, and I just have to find them. So after a while you find an instinct when you encounter that moment, that subject or that light that you know would make a good photo.
I’ve seen what I thought was terrible photography priced at rather high amounts. How do you price your work?
Actually I’m terrible at marketing and selling my work! I price my work based on the usage and requirements of my client. I don’t have an exact price list to work with.
What software do you use for managing and manipulating your photos?
I use Capture One and Photoshop for processing and manipulating my photos. And I use Photo Mechanic and I-View Media Pro for managing and cataloging them.
There are various photo sites out now, and have been for awhile. Flickr really brought the “social” element to photo sites versus your older shutterfly and ofoto sites. What photo sites do you use, or at the very least enjoy using when friends send you links, etc?
My number one choise would be flickr. If flickr was available when I started my photoblog, I might not have had enough motivation to make my own photoblog! (I started “ddoi” in July 2003, flickr was launched in february 2004)
I also check luminous-landscape, dpreview, photosig, and flickr blog to name a few.
Site you must visit every day?
If you could photo shoot anyone in the world who would it be?
Martin Scorsese.
You love photography why?
I love good movies and specifically good cinematography. My main inspirations are from the works of cinematographers I admire. In my opinion the major difference between photography and cinematography is that photography can be much more personal and that could be one reason why I love it.
You recently released a book of your work which sold out very, very quickly (dang it!). Talk about the book, inspiration for the book, and when can we expect more copies available and possible another book in the future?
I currently received my new shipment of the book so I have more copies available. It’s a print-on-demand book so I have to order batches based on the orders I get, and that’s why I was overwhelmed by the response I got when I announced the book. The idea behind it came from my viewers demands. Many people asked me why I don’t make a book and I thought I’d give it a try. After the very warm receipt I’m thinking a little more seriously about my next book.
You’re very active in the Toronto scene and for those who don’t know there’s a very active and creative design/interactive scene in Toronto. What should people know about the community in Toronto and what are some sites we need to check out?
Toronto is an amazing city in the art scene and is actually one of the top (if not number one) city when it comes to photoblogging. And the reason is definitely the people involved. People like Mathew Blackett of Spacing Magazine who’s a great supporter of bloggers, people behind uTOpia and Rannie Turingan of photojunkie.ca are great examples of people who make this city great.
Thanks for your time Sam.
