The Value of Light
Interview with Richard Hume
by Michelle Ryther
Michelle Ryther: Hi Richard. I'd like to welcome you and thank you for participating in our newsletter. I visited www.humephoto.com and really enjoyed browsing your site. The swimsuit photography is especially attractive and really brings summertime to mind. How did you get started in photography? Did you go to school? And how did you find your way into fashion and beauty photography?
Richard Hume: I was a ski instructor in Mammoth Lakes California and used to enjoy photography as a hobby. I am completely self taught. In fact, I was such a gadget guy that I used to enjoy playing with the equipment more than actually shooting. I shot scenics and friends ski racing etc. I had a darkroom in my bathroom and once in a while would shoot something for the local paper. In 1983 I moved to Laguna Beach. My girlfriend at the time wanted to get into modeling and I paid a photographer to do a couple of shots for her portfolio. When she wanted to shoot again for more images I went along and watched. I realized that it was all about lighting, and makeup and hair, so I hired a makeup artist and started shooting her myself. I saved a lot of money and my shots weren't too bad. I then started shooting her girlfriends and developed a portfolio of my own. Once I put a portfolio together I started taking it around trying to get work. I did some work for Orange Coast magazine and some or their advertisers and then landed a client shooting Catalina Swimwear. We would go to Hawaii 4 or 5 times a year and shoot their product line. My next big client was Kathy Ireland. I used to shoot just about everything that she did including her calendars and clothing line. Not too long after that I started shooting the Shape magazine covers. I shot virtually all the covers from 1989 to 2001 when they moved the magazine to New York. I then got a rep in London and started shooting some British magazine covers and editorials. I had a great time shooting in London and around Europe. I even got to shoot in Israel on the Dead Sea. I stayed persistent and slowly managed to get other clients to use me. It wasn't easy but it was sink or swim and I really wanted to make a living as a photographer. The more I shot the the easier it got to envision an image.
MR: What sort of gear do you use in the studio? And on location? What is your favorite lighting tool(or tools) and why? Are there any other "I couldn't live without this" photography tools you'd like to tell us about?
RH: I have always been a believer in having the right equipment to create the light you want. On location I used to use 4x8 sheets of foam core that folded into three sections for travel. They were still bulky and it was a pain. I had a custom case made so that I could travel with them but the case was still oversize and clumsy. Now I have found that I can get the same great quality light from the Sunbounce reflectors. They are actually made in Europe and marketed here in the US as California Sunbounce. I have two white/silver reflectors. They are amazingly light and travel really well. They are very light and easy to set up. The other thing that I depend on is my 1200 watt Hensel Porty power pack and strobes. The Porty is one of the pieces of equipment that I couldn't live without. I usually use it with a ringlight just to add a little fill. I try to balance the light so that the image does not scream flash outside although sometimes I blast the thing and create super saturated dramatic backgrounds. It works well even with a background of clouds. One of the newest things that I am in to is the new Hensel Ringflash Octibox that has about a 36" radius. This is the first thing of it's kind that you can shoot through. Imagine, a type of umbrella that is silver on the inside with two diffuser baffles to soften the light that you can actually shoot through the middle of. I use it in multiple configurations depending on how soft I want the light. I have found it to look really natural on location and really great on cloudy days where I open up the lens and fill just enough to make the subject look real. I am really loving it. In studio I use Pro Foto 7A's with one of two sizes of Mola reflectors or a Elinchrom Umbrella for my key light. I have a lot of variations but the Mola and Elinchrom are what I use the most.
MR: Do you consider yourself a "techie"?
RH: I am a total techie with my equipment and my computers. I have always been that way so when the industry went digital I was one of the first to jump aboard. Anything hi tech or gadget like, I am all over. It's a great time to be alive for guys like me. The world is like an adult toy store right now. And actually a good time in our industry as well if you like technology. No more leaning over a light table editing for hours. No more judging clip or snip tests at 11pm when the lab gets them back to you. With Phase One Capture One software you know when you have the shot, and processing, and capturing the images is amazing. Makes for such a good workflow. I was just on a shoot in the Dominican Republic and with the technology today was able to check and answer my e-mail in between shots.
MR: Would you name drop for me and tell us about some of your clients and models?
RH: I have been lucky enough to shoot people like Christy Turlington, Daniella Pestova, Jennifer Lopez, Haley Berry, Brooke Burke, to name a few. With girls like that it's tough to get a bad shot.
MR: Tell us a good "story"! What was the most memorable, funny or dire photo shoot or other photography experience that you've had?
RH: I have had very good luck and nothing too bad has happened on any of my shoots. I did have a shoot a few years ago where we had a shoot for Danskin at Paradise Cove on a beautiful sunny morning. The ski was clear blue, the ocean was emerald in color and not a breath of wind. It was the second day of a two day shoot. My assistants and I were having a great time enjoying the crystal clear morning, having some breakfast while waiting for makeup and hair. We hung out for a hour and a half until the first model was a few minutes from being ready. I was talking to my client when one of my assistants came and nudged me. He whispered, "where are the cameras? I don't see them in your truck"! My stomach nearly turned inside out because I knew exactly where the cameras where. They were in my house. I had taken them in after finishing my shoot the day before and somehow put them out of site where I missed them on the way out. I jumped in my car and returned, cameras in tow about an hour and a half later. Thank God I had a great relationship with my client. It could have been really bad with some new client that wasn't so amused by the blunder.
The second time I had any real drama was last year going into Cancun for a shoot. I have shot in Mexico at least once a year for the last 23 years with no problems ever. This time we were stopped at customs and asked what some of the equipment bags were. Knowing that I had gotten the usual US Customs forms stamped for re-entry back to the States, I was not worried. The customs officers proceeded to tell me that they had changed the Mexican Laws and that I now needed a letter from the Mexican Consulate to shoot and bring in photographic equipment. I tried to reason with them, offered them money, told them it would never happen again, and then begged and whimpered. But, nothing worked and they said that I would have to return to the US and apply for a letter with the ok to shoot. It was like a nightmare with a four day shoot supposed to happen the next morning I had visions of having to pay for the models, my assistants, makeup/hair, stylist and all the food and hotel rooms in some messy law suit. As a last resort and kind of quick thinking by me (patting myself on the back) I asked "if I could, as a tourist, I would be allowed to bring in a camera". She told me that, as a tourist I could bring in one camera and no more than 12 rolls of film. I told the one female customs officer that seemed to be in charge that since I can't shoot my job, I will bring in my one camera to take photos of my trip. She had me open my camera bag to take on camera and I pointed to my assistants and asked if my two friends could bring in a camera each for their vacation shots. She looked at me through the corner of her eye and said, "just take this bag only and go". I asked if I could just take the bag with the reflectors and gave me a really stinky look and told me to get the ... out of there. I took the hint, grabbed my camera bag and hurried out of there. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I was so glad to get my cameras. I knew I could do something as long as I at least had my cameras. We went to the hotel, checked in and my assistants went on a reflector hunt. I told them to go to Auto Parts stores and try and find those window shields that unfold into white or silver panels. They were gone for a couple of hours and had found a Home Depot. A Home Depot in Cancun! Who would have thunk! Anyway, they brought back two one inch thick pink foam boards used for insulation in the walls of new construction. We covered them with white computer paper on one side and tin foil on the other. We recruited anyone we could to hold our new hi tech reflectors and needless to say, we shot the four days that way and the images looked amazing.
One last story is a thumbs up for digital. I was recently shooting a new national fashion advertising campaign with ads to go into most of the major fashion publications. We brought in a pretty high profile model from Europe for a small fortune. We had set up the computer in the studio for shooting tethered. After two hours of makeup and hair, the stylist got her ready for the first shot. When she got out there and we took on frame just to see how it was looking. The client took one look at the screen and told all of us that we nailed the first shot and for her to go back for her next change. One frame and the client was happy. I insisted that he let me shoot some more and he said "what do you want, we got it"! He even bet me a round of golf that I would not get a better shot than the first one and that this would be one of his ads. I convinced him to let me shoot some more but sure enough, when my client made his final pic's, that same image was one of his favorites and he ran it as one of his first ads. Needless to say I owe him a round of golf! The point is that with digital the client was able to know when we had it. Even if it was after one single frame. It's that simple!
MR: Any last bit of advice for the newbie photographers in terms of equipment or career advice?
RH: A photographer faces unforeseen challenges on just about every shoot. It's sometimes like a puzzle that you have to piece together. The client wants a certain background at the wrong time of day with the wind blowing the wrong direction. It rains when the background calls for a nice sunny day. The motor home generator goes out and the hair person can't do the hair they need for the shot etc. etc. So apart from the creative and artistic side of photography, a photographer has to be a problem solver. So expect the unexpected and have options in your bag of tricks. There are many ways to shoot the same layout. Don't have tunnel vision. You're the creator. With the right equipment, you have the tools to get the shot in almost any situation. Know your equipment, and have equipment that you can count on.
MR: Thanks again for allowing me to interview you!
Based out of Los Angeles, Richard Hume works all over the world photographing celebrities and super models for editorial, fashion, beauty, swim, fitness and major advertising campaigns. His work appears on covers and in major magazines in the US, Europe and Australia.
