We first featured Chris’s work with the Pinner family maternity session. The images were so tender, so full of emotion, and essentially perfect from a technical perspective. If possible, we were even more enamored with the images from their newborn session, so we asked Chris if he would be willing to talk with us about his work and he graciously agreed. Enjoy.

The Beginning… Inspired by the fashion work of Peter Lindbergh and Rodney Smith, college student Chris set his sights on fashion and editorial work. He also pursued portrait work during this period of his life. Chris’s portrait work was inspired by German photographer, Martin Scoeller. In true “Martin” style, Chris stopped strangers on the street and created a portrait of them.  Eleven years later Chris’s life has changed from those first few years in photography.  Soon requests for him to photograph weddings came in and pulled him that direction. He has gone from a college student pursuing fashion and editorial work, to a husband and father with a thriving wedding photography business. Even now, he says it is still his hobby. There is little that is higher praise for a job, than to be able to call it a beloved hobby as well.

 

Film, Digital or Hybrid… Although he started with digital cameras, several years ago he borrowed a friend’s light meter and 35mm camera. The prints from that first roll had him hooked.  He says he completely fell in love with film and believes that “film connects you to the moment in a completely different way than digital does”. These days he does shoot mostly film and has a variety of film cameras in his bag including a Contax 645, a Pentax 67, a Hasselblad, and a Leica.  For the Pinner newborn session, he used his Contax 45mm lens combined with Ilford Delta 3200 film. Using a variety of film including Kodak Portra 400 for color and for black and white, 400 speed Kodak Tri-X and Ilford Delta 3200 gives Chris the ability to deliver his signature images.

Encouraging Words for New Photographers… “Learn on digital and get the fundamentals down well – the feedback is quicker so it is easier to see and learn from your mistakes.  Ask yourself if you’re delivering a consistent look across a variety of settings and begin to work on that.”

Final Thoughts…  “As I think about my decade in full-time photography, I’m proud of the hard work I’ve put in to be able to consistently deliver consistent images and the relationships that I’ve built with clients, vendors, and others in the industry. I’m looking forward to growing my business and building even more relationships in the upcoming years.”

 

CHRIS ISHAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Additional Vendors:  Film Processed by | Richard Photo Lab
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