up close and personal with phenom photography

*amazing interview by our very own, Natalie

This month we are going up close and personal with an amazing San Antonio based photographer named Reggie Campbell.  At first glance, you would not take him for a wedding photographer, he looks like he should be at the NFL Combine ready to be drafted for next season but the photographer is a gentle giant.  His passion for photographer and catching all the special moments of your big day totally shine in his work.  Don’t take my word for it; check out his Snow White shoot just published on www.weddingchicks.com or his website www.phenomimage.com.

I met up with Reggie on a Sunday morning for coffee at Starbucks for a little Q & A and a mini photography lesson.  I learned a ton about him and how to take a better picture.  Here is what he had to say.

NH:  What inspires you?

RC:  Wow, that is a good question.  My dad and grandfather were both photographers, I get my passion from them.  My dad was a photojournalist; he worked for a little newspaper in Houston.  The coolest assignment I went on was when I was 14; he was documenting a homeless shelter.  He sat there and took portraits in black and white of all the homeless people.  You could see the stories in their faces. 

NH: When did you know you wanted to be a photographer?

RC: Well, actually I didn’t want to be one.  I wanted to play football; I played middle linebacker at the University of Houston.  I fell back in love with it when my football career was over.  My dad told me it was time to put a camera back in my hand.  I got a Nikon D70- in 2006. 

NH:  What makes shooting with film more exciting and interesting? 

RC:  I shot film with my dad.  It has a different look, like a texture, tonalities of skin tones are much better.  I can shoot in broad daylight and not have anything in the picture blown out (It doesn’t lose highlight details).   Every time I send negatives in, it is like Christmas- I can’t wait to get them back!  It makes you a better photographer because every picture you take costs money so you’ve got to get it right the first time.  I shoot 120 so you get 16 shots per roll.  I shoot Kodak Portra 800 the most.  I strive for the best skin tones above all else.  The view finder on my camera is so big you can see the picture as you take it so you can see if you make a mistake or someone blinks.

NH:  Do you have a muse?

RC:  It’s a tie between my wife and my dog.  I like taking pictures of her but she can’t stand it!  I like taking pictures of him but he is a dog on crack, always moving. 

NH:  How much do you edit your pictures?

RC:  I only edit close up portraits or pictures.  That is the other good thing about shooting film, I can over expose it and it makes the skin really creamy and takes away the blemishes.

NH:  Who shot your wedding?  How did you choose them?

RC:  I wanted Ben Christmas and he was already booked so I didn’t pick.  I let my wife pick.  We have two totally different ideas of what wedding photography is.  We got that kind my wife likes and I was not happy at all.  We just got our album and our wedding was three years ago, and the album was terrible.  The pictures were warped.  The guy went out of business and went to Louisiana.  I think to be a wedding photographer you should be certified or something. 

NH:  What is your all-time favorite picture you’ve taken? 

RC:  My favorite shot is from last year. The bride is holding a flower and the flower girl is standing there looking up at her.  You can tell she is dreaming about that being her one day.  I could tell the bride was thinking about giving the flower to the flower girl so I just sat there with the range finder until the flower girl looked up and click.  Catching a moment is really tough.  Sometimes you see it coming but you have to wait to capture it.

NH:  What is your favorite picture someone else took?

RC:  There are two. One is by Ben Christmas- an Italian Wedding.  The bride and bridesmaids are on the table dancing and drinking.  He is awesome at catching the moment.  The other is from Jonathan Canlas.   It is of his son; it’s an awesome portrait.  If I have a son or kid I want to take of a portrait of them like that.

NH:  Are you really critical of other people’s pictures?

RC:  I am only critical if they ask my opinion.  I don’t look at the flaws until they ask.  I look at them and try to see what they are seeing.

NH:  What is your favorite subject to shoot?  

RC:  Weddings bar none!  I’m not a catch all photographer.  You’ve got to be good at one.  You can shoot a bunch of things mediocre but you can’t be good at all of them.  You have to pick.

NH:  On the Snow White shoot, what inspired you that day?  How did you prepare for the shoot?  Did you have preconceived ideas and images you wanted to shoot that day or did it just come to you as you went?

RC:  I never try to figure out what I am going to do before I get there because you can get stuck in your mode.  Pinterest was my inspiration.  I wanted to give it a fairy tale kind of look.

NH:  Do you like more organic settings or more styled settings?

RC:  Organic.  I love styled shoots but if it is truer to life I like it even more.

NH:  What is your favorite time of day to shoot?  What is your favorite lighting?

RC:  About 30 minutes before sunset.  That is when you get the most beautiful light, real warm.

NH:  What is the weirdest photography request you’ve ever received?

RC:  Oh, god, I don’t think I have gotten one. 

NH:  Describe beautiful?

RC:  My wife when she sleeps.  I sit there and watch her.  It is kind of freakish, kind of stalkerish!

NH: Describe ugly?

RC:  Ugly is self-indulgent, disrespectful people.

NH:  What tips would you give a bride and groom to prepare for their wedding pictures?

RC: I would say, don’t take it serious and have fun.  When you’re uptight it shows in the pictures.  Everything shows in the pictures!  I think sometimes they think they have to be someone they aren’t- very serious and not smiling.  On engagement sessions I suggest getting together for a drink first to loosen them up.

NH:  Have you ever been disappointed with pictures you’ve taken?

RC:  Every single shoot! Hahahaha!  I am my biggest and worst critic. I always find flaws after the fact. I always love a shot while I am doing it and hate it when I get it back.  It never fails.  I think it has to be like that or you don’t learn and grow.

NH:  Do you carry a camera (not an iPhone) with you at all times?  

RC:  I sure do. I have a Contax G2 with a 35 mm lens.  It is an awesome camera.  It is my take anywhere camera.  It shoots film.

NH:  When do you do your best creative thinking? 

RC:  While I am shooting.  I usually tell my clients I am scatterbrained and just go with me.  When you are in the moment it just happens.

NH:  Do you keep a journal or a photo journal?  What do you write about or what pictures do you include?

RC:  I have a personal blog called M.I.l.F.  It is pretty much most of my daily stuff I shoot, my favorite pictures from a wedding or a vacation.  I try to do a lot of personal work.  If you shoot personal work, it makes you better.  You shoot things you see every day but in a different light.

NH:  Is photography your only creative outlet or are you artistic in other ways? 

RC:  I want to say it is.  I used to draw a lot.  I help my wife bake cakes. 

NH: What’s your favorite color?

RC:  It’s like a blue turquoise color. I don’t see it anywhere or the bright orange in my logo.

NH:  Is photography therapeutic for you? 

RC:  Most definitely.  I try to shoot something every day and it is calming for me.

NH:  Can I see your Bernie Mac impression?

RC:  Have you seen Kings of Comedy?

NH:  No.

RC:  I will send you a clip of the part I do and next time I see you I will do it.  That way you can compare the two. 

Who doesn’t want a photographer that can talk football with the groom, make you and your skin glow in your pictures, and make you laugh! 

Part II is coming soon so stay tuned.  See how my photography skills have transformed. Ha!

- Natalie