Q: What kind of camera should I buy?
A: I feel strongly about this question because people can get distracted by worrying about having the right gear and it can stop people from shooting altogether. To that point, consider that my highest-selling photograph was shot on an iPhone 5S! It’s a photograph of lonely chairlifts in the middle of a snow storm which we print at between five to six feet high.
If you are after something other than your phone, my advice to everyone is that if you don’t like holding a camera (as in enjoying having it in your hands), then it doesn’t matter what the specs are. You’re probably not going to use it.
Sure, there are some cases where specifications can make a difference. For instance, the Hasselblad X1D medium format camera is so beautiful and nice to hold, but if you’re trying to capture a fast-moving toddler or something similar, your odds of success are quite slim because the camera is unlikely to react or focus quickly enough.
Otherwise I don’t think equipment should be the primary focus. On that chairlift, the phone was all that was necessary and it’s possible that “a something else” may not have made the photograph any more successful or even possible.
So my advice is to find a store where you can try holding a few cameras or that has a lenient return policy so you can field test a few.. Hold it, go though the menus, because if you don’t like the experience and “how it communicates with you” then the megapixels and stuff will have no relevance.
Q: What’s your favorite kind of project?
A: I normally get asked to shoot very specific kinds of things, like motoring, portraits of regular people, or earth-from-above drone stuff, all of which I love. I especially like productions where I get to be many things for the client. For example, I had a shoot where I was asked to fly a drone over the Lower East Side, dangle out of a helicopter over Nayak, and then photograph a puppy and kitten in a Brooklyn studio—all for ConEdison NY. Firing on all pistons is a lot more fun.
Sometimes projects can take on a creative life of their own, where opportunities open up and there’s a sense of improvisation and creative collaboration. Everyone on set feels ownership of these moments and knows they have a hand in creating great work. I like facilitating and being a part of those situations. And the best thing is that you can sense the on-set energy in the work! Everyone remarks on how they like these “hive mind” experiences and how it results in a better product and experience for the client.
They’re like jazz jam sessions, where everyone brings their expertise and unexpected delights happen and are shared by all involved. Those are my favorite. Doesn’t matter the brand.
Q: In your bio you mention how you grew up loving to create things that delighted the people around you. What did you learn in that time that you carry into your professional work now?
A: It’s kind of a secret that I didn’t set out to become a photographer. It came largely because when I left Iran as a child, my memory got fuzzy from the shock of so much change. I started taking pictures as a way to connect to my new environment and to remember things. These images and films I would make, they would become a part of my physical history—kind of inseparable from the experiences themselves. My memories became my photos. And the ones that were repeated developed more meaning.
Later I realized how powerful that is: that even when I’m shooting professionally for a client, we were creating part of that brand’s memory.
I also realized that because I had to adapt to a new culture, I had to become acutely aware of human cues and that has helped me make people feel comfortable who would usually be camera shy.
So I guess I see my shoots as like a responsibility to not just get an image, but to craft an experience for people where they feel engagement. It’s like, life is passing, this may as well be more than just a shoot. It may as well be something memorable, because it’s part of our lives together.
And may as well have a nice playlist too!
