Introduction
The fraternity/sorority of photographers who actually make their living taking pictures is unbelievably small, even when you add all of our predecessors throughout the ages. At one point I realized despite my aesthetic preferences, they were all my heroes. I devoured all the stories, biographies & rumors I could glean. Since our history is so short many of them are still around, still making history. I found that as I toured around the world I could look them up in the telephone book & many would give me an audience.
One good friend who observed what I was doing accused me of “collecting photographers”. What’s the harm in that?
"Blood alone moves the wheels of history."
-Benito Mussolini
Today I traveled an enormous distance—from Wall Street to 125th Street—from Downtown to Harlem. Now in the grand scheme of things that is really only 7.74 miles but when you compress such vast differences in neighborhoods I passed through, you end with a montage of rivaling American poetry: from Carl Sandburg to Malcolm X, from show tunes to hip hop. Over two days I emerged to photograph several icons in between: Times Square, 42nd Street, Central Park, etc.
"The oldest subway in the world is London, 1863."
So Many Avenues are opening to Photographers to promote their work and careers. one of the most unique and Revered venues is the brain child of Ibarionx Perello and his blog "Candid Frame." His efforts are one of the best friends to photography. Recently I talked coast to coast over the phone with Ibarionx about my career and views of the future of photography. View and listen to my and other of his interviews with me.
Jones/Ibarionx Interview
Candidframe.com
In the middle of summer 2009's heat, WGBH (Boston Public Television Station) came to the new studio to make a video of my history. The online site "Basic Black" is a companion to the regular TV show. We were approached to be included in the "arts & Culture" section. Ive been interviewed many times in my career, but they are a lot harder than they look. Take a look and let me hear from you.
Video link
There has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding my new book Speedlights & Speedlites. Memorable magazine Rangefinder did a review of it. Filled with excerpted descriptions and diagrams, you get a real feeling for what the book is like.
Look for the magazine out This Month September 2009
or check out the PDF link here... Rangefinder PDF
As a result of the movie Apocalypse Now where Dennis Hopper, playing a grotty photojournalist during the Vietnam War, eyeglasses hang from a string around my 
neck. My grandmother used to wear them the same way & I thought she was old fashioned. But on a schizophrenic actor playing a photographer, it was brilliant. Since his scene-snatching characterization I have never had to waste time searching for better eyesight. I have 20/20 vision but, on the road, so much of photography is close up that my sunglasses & bifocals are always attached to me. I hate the inefficiency of looking for which pocket of which coat I last left them. And that got me thinking about how over the years I have adopted more stuff to an ever expanding list I carry on my person all the time.
More & more I resemble the DC Comics book character, Batman, with his utility belt full of gadgets—but without the cape. Traveling, especially, you feel the need to be self sufficient. Therefore I carry a first aid kit, a corkscrew & extra long underwear in case of emergency. 
Road warriors build redundancy into their shooting equipment so nothing can prevent them from completing their appointed tasks: extra cameras, extra batteries & aspirin. But I am talking about all the things that have crept into my daily routine so I can be a better traveler/photographer.
Cell Phone: Alexander Graham Bell would roll over in his grave. This single item has become the most important implement next to our cameras. Mine works 
internationally. You can reach me 24/7/365—anywhere. Consider it a hand-held computer. It is my office on location. During jobs I communicate with my assistants & clients on set, text messages in delicate situations where I cannot talk & post to my Twitter.com account.
A couple of years ago I got a call while photographing in France at sunset. The new client asked if I had time to talk. I replied that although I was shooting in front of Louvre, “but I have a minute...” I had waited a lifetime to say something like that.
Mini Multi-Tool: My godson made a present of this combination tool one Xmas. I have lost & replaced it three or four times but never traveled without one since. Most “Leatherman” type hardware is too big—too macho. But the smallest one is better & smaller than a Swiss Army knife. Sadly you have to hide it in your checked luggage if you fly a lot.
Mini Flashlight: These come in several brands, shapes & forms. You can squeeze, turn or flick them on. They seem like miniature pyrotechnics in cultures where fire is the primary light source. No way to count how many times it has saved my life: in countries where electricity is sparse or nonexistent, to signal or get a subject’s attention, for reading a map at midnight or a menu by candlelight & to change f/stops & apertures in darkened rooms.
Hand Sanitizer: Travel puts you in contact with all sorts of harmful things, germs not being the least of it. In some places the sanitation & water supply are often unreliable. Cleansing chemicals come in ridiculously small bottles or flat, aluminum foil packets. Not only should you use them after handling animals or communal implements but public bathrooms on the very aircraft that gets you there. Contact with anyone or anything can be a source of pernicious diseases. The woman who taught me this trick surreptitiously cleans her eating utensils under the table before she eats.
Pens: The most egregious error a photo assistant can make working with me is to ask for a pen. Makes me crazy. I carry one with me always. I even have a waterproof version so I can write in the shower.
My father used to wear one of those plastic pocket protectors stuffed with too many pencils & pens. I do not walk in his exact footsteps but I hear his voice every time I need to jot down an idea. I note thoughts & details constantly & sketch layouts for clients--otherwise I would forget everything. I make sure I have proper spellings of locations & pertinent information for the metadata.
Fountain pens were my writing instrument of choice until one “exploded’ on a flight. They cannot take the pressure. Now I always have two. One for me & one to lend. One black, one red—for editing manuscripts on the plane.
Of course, I carry the companion notebook too. Before his death, the legendary portrait photographer, Arnold Newman taught me how he numbers & dates his, binds them & organizes them chronologically.
Rubber Bands: I first discovered the miracle of rubber bands when my mentor maliciously sent me into a darkroom to load 4”x5” sheet film—both black/white & color. Amazingly you cannot tell the difference once out in daylight. I was never without rubber bands again. I wear several on my wrist. I have tied broken cameras together in a pinch, opened stubborn soda bottles in war zones, attached loose PC cords & entertained children who surrounded me in villages. One day I will write the book “100 Exotic/Erotic Uses for Rubber Bands.”
Business Cards: When I first started traveling to Japan to photograph, I was shooting by a hotel pool. A Japanese man swam up to me & introduced himself. After some conversation about what I was doing, he pulled a waterproof business card from his bathing trunks & asked for mine. I did not have one. That action may be a little obsessive/compulsive but right after that encounter I remedied my oversight. In some societies it is an absolute must. It is polite etiquette & just good business.
Jewelers Loupe: This is a holdover from days when I carried a photographer’s loupe to closely inspect the Polaroids we shot to check our lighting. Once in a while an assistant (always blame the assistant) would misplace the magnifier. It was crucial. Still is. Just for other things.
Wrist Watch: Several days into an assignment in a remote part of Crete, I lost two days. Amidst a lot of sturm und drang, I could not account for them anyhow. Missed my flight. Since I thought of myself as an iconoclast/rebel I never wore a watch. (This was a long time ago.) Photographers need correct time to know sunrise/sunset, compass directions & appointment times.
On top of all that add money (hidden in a moneybelt), credit cards (distributed in several different places), keys (attached to a belt loop) & the perennial passport & you can appear pretty lumpy. That dilemma instigates the eternal search for all things small. Now if they could just make the wait for your airplane smaller civilization could make real progress.
On a recent cross-country assignment my assistant & I had multiple delays. We amused ourselves in the confusion at the airport gates. Travelers are searching the arrival/departure monitors for information or truth that is just never there.
Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-immZsZVkQc
Recently at dinner a friend regaled me with stories about his vacation to Europe. He & his wife had a good time but complained about rude treatment in some of the restaurants. Later during the meal he revealed that he always wore his baggy short pants everywhere. “They’re comfortable,” he exclaimed.
In my book travel+PHOTOGRAPHY: Off the Charts, I include a chapter on clothing. What you wear is a very important component of travel. Not only does it declare your nationality but it also reveals your economic class, political viewpoint & sense of humor. Often travelers feel the ability to voyage gives them license to wear the most outrageous garb. Pith helmets, fishing vests, Hawaiian shirts, cruise wear & white belts are just a few of the fashion faux pas tourists have foisted upon the world."It is long accepted by the missionaries that morality is inversely proportional to the amount of clothing people wore.
- Alex Carey"
But the issue is more subtle than that. We all have our personal style & we need to be comfortable. But at what expense? If our apparel insults another’s sensibilities, it not only gets in the way of our picture taking but it can be an impediment to all kinds of social exchanges. Some societies insist that women cover their heads or, at least, not expose their arms or legs. To be a feminist in those situations is your prerogative but you risk offending customs at your own peril. You may have very little recourse if you are insulted.
Years ago in West Africa I ventured tentatively into a cemetery. It was very picturesque. I made sure that people saw me & acknowledged my intentions of taking pictures. A friend happened by & saw me & strode boldly into the graveyard. The reactions to her presence were incendiary. Women, at least, inappropriately attired, were not allowed but she stood her ground & protested. We both were summarily escorted out."A hat is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of feminity. A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it's the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it's the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat.
- Martha Sliter"
To wear clothing that is nationalistic can incite individuals who may hold a grudge. I leave all my clothing that has logos or insignias at home: no New York Yankees
baseball caps, Gucci bags, military surplus gear, college/fraternity decals or Nike sneakers. I shop for things that match my tastes but are more generic.
Covering a heated political rally in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, I was physically lifted up onto the podium by the crowd surrounding me. It was against my will. I spoke no patois but I finally gleaned that my tee shirt read Washington Post. It was a present from my sister who worked for the newspaper. They thought the publication was covering the event. This time it worked in my favor because I got front row access to the action. It could just as easily gone the other way. I never put a logo in my suitcase again."I've got my fishing rod, compass, bum bag and walking shoes - the lot. How geeky is that?
- Hannah Sandling"
Besides the uncooperative treatment from your photographic subjects, you may encounter cold treatment from shopkeepers, restaurant staff or average citizens & you invite being targeted by thieves &/or terrorists.
Stay away from new or hip stuff. Anything that is fashionable in your local neighborhood will be foreign outside it. Even colors are important. I leave my
international orange jumpsuit & fire engine red golf pants at home. I find neutral colors work best. We used to advocate earth tones but that is too easy. You have to learn to recognize the local palette. In some countries the citizenry are famous for colorful costumes.
When I first started to travel a Frenchman educated me by revealing they could tell 
where you were from by looking at your shoes. Try it. Look down. It does not take long to categorize strangers by their feet. This piece of advice initiated my eternal quest for the Perfect Travel Shoe. It is probably as futile as the Quest for the Holy Grail.
Let me be clear. You cannot hide. Natives will always detect you are different. When you enter a large public space, something resembling a shock-wave precedes your movement. Everyone is aware of you presence several meters before you “arrive”. No disguise can prevent it. You can only ameliorate it a little by not drawing additional attention to yourself. It would be difficult enough to take pictures even if we were invisible. We carry so much expensive equipment that further broadcasting is just exacerbating the unobtrusive demeanor we wish to sustain."I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. Everything a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large.
- Charlie Chaplin"
Now do not get me wrong. You should be proud of you nationality. Your dress may be a part of your ethnic identity. You may want to advertise a new piece of clothing. Or you may look good in fuchsia. Just do not be naïve. And be prepared to accept the consequences. Otherwise if you get off the plane & notice no adult males wearing shorts, you are probably not in Bermuda.
Do you ever use a clock radio to wake up in the morning? Music comes on--good or 
bad--& you have that tune in your head for the rest of the day? Despite the abrupt awakenings I have rediscovered several songs years after their initial popularity that way. Just as often a ridiculous jiggle jangles every raw nerve.
Music has permeated my life forever. I cannot remember a moment without it. My mother woke me humming every morning. Church choirs introduced me to my own voice. I watched Elvis Presley wriggle on the Ed Sullivan Show & the Beatles perform on that same stage years later. In an act of love my father bought me tickets to see Van Cliburn right after he won the Moscow Tchaikovsky Piano Competition.
I played jugband music, rock/roll in college &, after school, we formed a blues band. Like so many of us very significant milestone in my life has been accompanied by an appropriate song.
When I first started in this business I wanted nothing more than my lifestyle to closely resemble that of a musician. 
My colleagues & I dreamed of chasing after bands & performers to document their escapades. But soon enough I
discovered so did everybody else. There was lots of competition & I was last in line.
So instead of continuing to follow all my friends I followed my passion. Jazz was my real muse. I chased every well known jazz artist for years. Still do. Dizzy, Bags, Miles, the Baron…. I befriended club workers so they would put my name on the guest lists. I snuck in stagedoors. I called radio stations just to get access.
In the early days musicians said, “take all the pictures you want.” But I was not interested in the low key, high contrast, black/white silhouettes of shiny horns sticking out of the faces of African American performers. I stalked each one & convinced them to let me make portraits backstage, in their hotel rooms, on the street & even in my studio. I made a fool of myself more than once.
Even as the collection grew & I showed the work to dozens of clients & editors, nobody cared. At first I could not give the pictures away. After years the gallery world discovered the ample body of work & I have been exhibiting it ever since.
Recently this quest took me to the Top of the Hub, a club/restaurant which hosts jazz concerts. Friends told me a quartet would be playing there. Between sets I asked the leader if I could take some pictures while he was in town. The next day my assistants set up lights in different parts of my studio. The photographs came out so well Brian McCree, an amazing bassist, used them on his new CD changes in the wind.
My career in music was short lived. But I have surrounded myself with all forms of it by using my art to channel the sounds. Consequently I have had tunes remain in my brain for years like those early morning top ten memories. A few years ago because they haunted me for so long I started to crudely peck them out on my studio piano. Brian wanted to use the images & being a true artist he paid cash for the privilege. But eventually the exchange between us became a trade. He agreed to record my music with his band & I gave him extended rights. So like Walter Mitty I have come full circle & authored my first original opus. I named the first one after my mother who recently died. Mommy Suite. A singer with Gil Scott Heron once told me music is the closest thing to heaven.
On my mind for a long time is the idea that aggression plays in making pictures.
Teaching a workshop in the center of Kuala Lumpur, I was not five feet away when a commotion started. One of my students was involved with a local who cleverly asked to see his camera. Then he grabbed it & threw it to the ground. He was upset that my friend had taken his picture.
Taking someone’s picture is an aggressive action. Despite all the urban myths about “stealing someone’s soul” or being against their religion, including a person in your photography can be misconstrued as an invasion act.
I was on the telephone with Nevada Wier of Santa Fe, New Mexico, an amazing photographer, who specializes in the Far East. She brought up the fact that she did not appreciate the words “shoot”, “take” & “get” as they applied to photography, that they were too aggressive. I compared my experiences playing football.
Several days before a big game, in practice,
I started to assess my injuries: an ankle might hurt & so I could not turn left on it well. As the date neared I would evaluate my opponent. What were his strengths? Could he cover my moves? Was he as fast as me? The day before the game the adrenalin would kick in & the butterflies would occupy my stomach. By the time I hit the field I was so psyched up I was practically frothing at the mouth. The same for when I photographed big events: the Olympics, Democratic National Convention, Mardi Gras, public marketplaces. It is hard to “get” good pictures because of the competition or the environment, if you were not hyper alert & somewhat aggressive. We used to say we had sharpened our elbows.
Nevada said she did not relate to the sports metaphor. Her counter was that she was never aggressive, she was assertive.
I like that.
I first met Paris when I was in college. Paris was already famous. I hitchhiked around Western Europe one summer. I have returned often.
My C+ high school French stagnated years ago. So I can only “throw the first punch.” Anything said after that forces me to resort to pidgin English. But I keep swinging. Paris works. And gets better each trip.
On a recent visit I realized some of the reasons it makes for good photographs. If you are interested in a great location to practice travel photography, there are more exotic, less overexposed & more interesting, but few better.
Paris is Big
One of the largest cities in the world it can absorb millions of tourists without seeming oppressively crowded. (No one would say that after standing in line to get into the Louvre or Notre Dame.) If you avoid the obvious you can sightsee, dine & shop in places where you will rarely see another tourist. More importantly there is an abundance of interesting destinations that will appeal to the most esoteric tastes. With little or no effort you can have unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Under one of its famous bridges I discovered the pleasures of vin ordinaire while singing songs with students & a couple of soldiers of fortune. There was not a common language between us.
Paris is Myth
Reality or not, Paris has been mythologized down through the ages by so many writers, poets, artists & philosophers that it has become cliché. Whoever was put in charge of its public relations should win an award. It is the number one tourist destination in the world. Everybody wants their photograph taken grinning in front of the Eiffel Tower.
I conjured up a photograph of Notre Dame in my sleep. I formulated the whole composition in my mind’s eye, previsualized where I would place my tripod & what time of day was ideal. I really had no idea if it was possible. But my media-driven, preconceived image convinced me it was. Over two years passed before I fulfilled the dream.
Paris is Romantic
How many movies feature couples taking moonlight, hand-in-hand strolls with the city as background: sculpted parks & gardens, manicured boulevards dripping with history, a legendary Seine river? Robert Doisneau contributed to its sensuality with his iconic photograph of the kiss in front of the Hotel de Ville. Isn’t ambiance a French word?
So much is schmaltz but a lot of romance IS schmaltz: flowers, chocolates, music. I can hear Frank Sinatra singing “I love Paris in the springtime…”
Paris is Art
Besides being picturesque, the town fathers have consistently made art, fashion, architecture & design a priority. For centuries Paris has done it right. Venders sell paintings on the sidewalks & itinerant buskers & musicians beg Euros on the subway. Every lamppost is ornate, alleys are intriguing, even the graffiti has an alien charm. It is a photographer’s paradise. Clichés. 
It all makes great photographs. Early in my career a mentor took me to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower. Filled with hubris I told him I was a REAL photographer & I didn’t DO Eiffel Tower. That was for amateurs. For years every stock request I got was for pictures that included the Eiffel Tower. Clichés become clichés because they are often good.
Paris is Familiar
The place is SO yesterday. Much of its charm is its past. If you have never been there you know what it looks like. Our art appreciation classes are full of Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec. We have all grown up with sights & sounds of Edith Piaf & Josephine Baker even if we don’t know it. Travel to Paris fits into the average persons comfort zone. As big as the city is so much is on a human scale. The average citizen still buys food daily from local shops. Dine in any corner café & feel at ease. You still encounter nostalgic gentlemen in tweed jackets wearing berets & cravats accompanying coiffed women with too much makeup (albeit graying).
Paris is Better
Paris is the center of the world. Ask any Parisian, everything French is the best: food, technology, politics, language, love. And that civic pride is what they sell to the world.
Boston West Photography Society
February 6, 2013 at 7:30
St Andrews Church
Framingham, MA
Street Photography in the Modern Age
Using examples photographed around the world, Lou Jones will describe his personal journey in defining a methodology for street photography. He will share a developed lexicon that can be used when taking photographs of strangers in alien environments, including how to address the rules and laws when confronting new subjects. The presentation will deal with comportment, equipment, technique and expectations. Jones will also address common barriers such as language, protocol and hostility when engaging new friends.
No telephones anymore!
I got an email in the middle of the night from half way around the world. Lonely Planet, the travel book company, has been handling my travel stock for the last several years, ever since I published "travel+PHOTOGRAPHY: Off the Charts". Now they were soliciting me to cover my hometown, Boston, for one of their upcoming guidebooks. I have relied on their publications myself. But shooting brought up a lot of new age issues.
Lonely Planet represents some of the best travel photographers in the world & their hard cover books are very impressive, but I have never been all that enthusiastic about the ubiquitous handbooks that you see every awkward tourist carrying in their hands while crawling over the globe. But being assigned to do the whole thing was a “horse of a different color”. I have shot for many travel magazines & advertisements but this had potential.
Firstly, the budget was an obstacle because they “pay by the pound”. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the list of locations was long…over 75. Because money was finite I was, at first not all that interested. But my studio manager enticed me with an idea. Since I knew so many people in Boston or two phone calls away, we could ostensibly get access to anything & improve the level of photography with every institution, large or small.
Secondly, that did not solve the production costs. Architectural or documentary shots of famous Boston landmarks were not enough. Lonely Planet wanted examples of the places being experienced in some way. This was a problem. They use stock photography so often because too much of travel photography is chance.
This past weekend I taught a workshop on Cape Cod. I arranged two dawn shoots. For the first one we had “pea soup” fog. It made for great pictures but it might not be useful for the “always-sunny-while-on-vacation” photography needed in table top books. The second day was glorious but the weatherman predicted it would be bad.
We did not have time to repeat anything with such an extensive undertaking. So we had to stack the deck. After much discussion we decided to enlist the technology of new social media. We sent out calls for models & assistants through Facebook, Twitter & Craig’s List. And we called the placement directors at a bunch of photography schools in the surrounding area.
The response was overwhelming. People of every ilk volunteered to lug equipment in one shot, only to be used as “tourists” in the background of another. However, it was a logistic nightmare; coordinating schedules, shooting before & after many places were closed getting corporate permissions & the right people to sign off.
I was flabbergasted that we only had to tell the managers & owners it was for a guidebook & everyone (eventually) capitulated. Only one school required to see proof.
We were allowed backstage at the symphony, dress rehearsals, sound checks, into the bowels & surrounded by dinosaurs.
Rather than drag big studio strobes everywhere, we shot the whole project with 3 Nikon SB800’s. I recently published a book titled “Speedlights & Speedlites: Creative Flash Photography at Lightspeed” (Focal Press ISBN: 978-0-240-81207-6). I have used them extensively in the past few years, but I really discovered how to utilize them to instantaneously “relight” every frame until I got something appropriate. I was able to play them like a piano & fine tune every shot. We photographed voluminous museums, bustling restaurants, dark, crowded clubs & tight fitting retails stores.
As the deadline drew near we became more & more anxious cramming three & four locations into a day, from 7:00am in the morning for union-controlled theaters to after midnight at jazz clubs. My studio hopes to benefit from the residual sales for years to come. Watch for it in the fall of 2009.
All three Photos Shot while on assignment for Lonely Planets
Subscribe to the blog via RSS (What's this?)
Become a fan on Facebook
Find me on Myspace
Follow me on Twitter
View LinkedIn Profile
My Videos at Vimeo
