David Simonson

"LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND THE REST FOLLOWS."

PASSION. As stated above, this is pretty-much how I live my life and weight my priorities. It's not about the money... but the money is always nice.

KEEP IT REAL. My desire is to always use available light, the actual location and the model's natural beauty without excessive post-production work. I do make good use of Adobe Photoshop but only with the minimal editing techniques I feel necessary. This also means... please do not solicit me for retouching my images. I like to do ALL my work... from click to completion.

COLOR IS MY OBSESSION. Color is the best part of life. I see, play, love and live in color. I guess my love of color reflects my heart and soul. I think that the artist John Ruskin said it best... "The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most."

GET OUT AND SHOOT. I enjoy the surprise opportunities and inspirations that are encountered with an outdoor shoot. It is extra work to scout locations, but I feel it's worth the effort. What I appreciate most is the chaos and challenges outside the cocoon of a controlled studio environment.

LIGHTING. Since I shoot outdoors, there's rarely the luxury of relying on extra lighting, so I use available light as much as possible. Maui typically has strong tradewinds, morning to night, and light stands simply blow down or need assistants to hold them. Additionally, when shooting in public places, it's not conducive to having a lot of gear because it attracts too many onlookers. So I only shoot with what fits in my backpack.

I CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE. My camera reminds me of this every day! I never can think of myself as truly accomplished. If I am lucky, maybe it will happen one day. For now, I just do the best I can and push myself to do better.

WORKING TOGETHER. I typically have a clear and defined vision of what I am trying to achieve in a shoot. However, I am always open for suggestions and ideas from the model or client too.

PRE-SHOOT MEETING. I absolutely INSIST on pre-shoot meetings. And not via email or phone either. Collaborating with others, before the shoot, is incredibly important. A pre-shoot meeting only takes 15 minutes... and makes the day we shoot creative and comfortable.

MODEL ESCORTS. My preference is usually no escorts because typically I shoot outdoors, at very public places where other people are, not inside studios, houses or buildings. Since I always insist on a "pre-shoot meeting", I happily encourage you to bring "your escort of choice" to attend.

EXCHANGING IMAGE COMMENTS. The english language has so many wonderful and expressive words. I always try to use words carefully to describe what I like about someone's portfolio, or image, and to also carefully comment in a way that is not only truthful, but accurate to the image and its creators. So, if you leave me a comment, which I deeply appreciate, please try to be creative when you do so. But if you can only find the time, or make the effort, to leave a grunt or an oink... well... then I will always understand.

RANDOM FRIEND REQUESTS. Comment on an image, leave a TAG, or simply say hello with a message. Random friend requests are just senseless acts of drive-by narcissistic networking foolishness!

I Y'AM WHAT I Y'AM. Just like the character Popeye would say! Well, what you see in my portfolio is exactly what I shoot. No hidden agendas and no f'd up fantasies or fetishes. I truly hate head games and drama. I keep it professional and courteous with my models.

Yes, I am opinionated and stubborn, but I am also kind, generous, honest and fair. I know what I want and I know what looks good.... so models that shoot with me... learn to trust me. I am quite clear about what I like... and don't like... and always straight-forward with advice and direction. I am not doing what I do to make friends, but friendships (as long as they are real) are always wonderful. I am just me. What you see with me is always what you get. There are a lot of people I know, but few that I call friends. I reserve friendships for those I can trust. I like who I am.... not in a conceited way... but just as I y'am. I just ain't that "COOL", I am SIMPLY happy being ME.

TF. Yes, depending on the "beneficial aspect", I can consider a shoot without pay. But here is what to expect... The model gets 3-9 selected and finished images. Nope, not every darn shot on the camera card! If that is what you want... then clearly I am not your guy. Anyway... not many quality photographers, that I know and respect, want every frame they "clicked-on" out there in circulation on the web or otherwise. I do not care if you claim to be the frriggin' Gandolf of "Photoshop Wizards" or Kate Moss' or Naomi Campbell's baby sister, this is just the way I work my T.F.I. (Time for Images).

I will always try to add more if it is a stellar shoot. But I guarantee 3-9 professionally-shot, skillfully-edited and highly-creative images, on a CD/DVD, that any model would be proud to have in their portfolio. Oh yah... and I expect photo credits on TF work too... as I always give photo credits to every model I work with.


and If you made it this far... WOW, THANKS FOR READING and THANKS FOR VISITING MY PORTFOLIO!


AVAILABLE FOR...

Aerial Photography - Helicopter Shoots (doors-off) - Always game for those! I have my own Miller certified safety-harness... So I come prepared for any helicopter situation/configuration. No added gear needed by the client or helicopter company.

Outdoor Model/Fashion

Outdoor Glamour/Portrait

Food/Product

Interior or Exterior Real Estate/Architecture

Surfing/Sports

Scenic