August 09, 2004 - This week, we interview Jean-René Geoffrion from Pixel a Day:

Please tell us a little about yourself:
I'm French-Canadian and although my full name (Jean-René) is absolutely beautiful (when pronounced correctly), I go by J.R. I was born in Montreal, Canada and currently reside in Chicago with my wife Alicemarie and two children Jacques-Charles (born April 30th, 2002) and Natalie-Abia (born October 30th, 2003). I have been capturing images for well over 20 years and have been covering weddings in the US and Canada for more than a decade. I spent many years in the world of strategy and management consulting before deciding to pursue photography on a full-time basis. I have an Engineering degree from the University of Toronto as well as an MBA from York University, also in Toronto. My business and technical background have become extremely important as the world of digital photography and my business continue to evolve.

Wow. Impressive stuff. So photography is big for you then?
Photography has always been my passion. I was always fascinated with the technical side of taking pictures as well as the artistic side of capturing images. My dad worked for Ilford when I was young so I always had ample darkroom supplies which made it easy for me to dedicate most of my childhood weekends to photography. Since turning to digital photography, my interest in photography has grown exponentially. Through experimentation, each day I learn new and exciting ways to capture, transform, and present my images.

What was your first camera?
I was too small to remember exactly how old I was but I was probably 5 or 6 years old when I received my first Kodak Instamatic as a Christmas gift. I remember making Lego and Mecanno constructions and then taking pictures of them. I really enjoyed taking pictures so I began borrowing my dad's Leica before purchasing a pre-owned (the nice way of saying "used" but not abused) Konica T4 with a 28mm, 50mm, and a 200mm. My most memorable moment of this era was when my dad lent me his Leica R3 with a 35 'cron, 60 macro, and 90 'cron for a 5th grade school trip. The bag was bigger than me and the camera cost more than our car (two cars as a matter of fact).

Is this your most memorable photographic experience, or is it another?
Because I love the process of photography as much as I love the outcome, I feel that every moment spent photographing (or sometime just trying to photograph) is memorable in its own way.

But have you had any specific day or shoot that stands out for whatever reason?
Not really. I can remember several instances where I was hoping to capture something specific and very special but where the outcome was even better than what I had envisioned. When I achieve this, it is really memorable. Take the wedding I shot this past weekend for example. The reception took place at a B&B at the border of Illinois and Iowa. It was very, very picturesque. Looking at the decor, I had something in mind. However, when I looked at the back of my LCD, the images surpassed what I was hoping to get - by far. That's exactly what I strive for when I'm photographing - going beyond my expectations and imagination. And to me, that's memorable every time.

What about negative experiences?
I haven't had one yet.

You've never had any problems with a corrupted memory card or destroyed film? Big complaints from wedding couples? No annoying wedding couples (some with annoying kids :-) or troubles with the law and/or people? There has to be something...
Well, there was this one time when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I was shooting my aunt's wedding with my Konica T4 (I was shooting B&W and my dad color) when... I guess... I got overly excited and advanced the film past its last frame - ripping the film right out of its cassette. I had to lock myself in a dark closet to put the film back in its cassette.

As for kids, being free spirited, I find them to be a great source of humour and candor at weddings. As for trouble with the law... well, there was this one time I was [rumoured] doing 140kph in a 40kph zone and a few police cars started chasing us at speeds exceeding 200kph... but that's another story... (Editor's Note: "I wouldn't recommend this kids...")

Do you have other hobbies other than photography?
My favorite hobby is taking care of my two kids who have both become my favorite photography subjects (although my parents still do not think they get enough images of their grandchildren). My kids have provided me with some of my best and funniest photography results! Also, for the last twenty years, I have practiced karate.

Does karate help you in photography at all?
In karate, one either waits for or tries to create a kyo, a "decisive moment". I use the same zen-like approach when photographing.

Do you have a specific shooting style?
I have always preferred to shoot in a reportage style, capturing events as they happen, without any prompting. I find that the images have more meaning when they represent the soul and essence of the subject. Only then, can my images truly tell the story.

So your wedding photos don't carry a story? These shots take hours of planning, tripods, lighting, etc. Yet for your photoblog, you're more of a photo journalist. Do you find it frustrating having two VERY different shooting styles with your two sites?
Thanks for the compliment. The matter of the fact is, I would never have the patience to plan shots for my wedding images. To the exception of family portrait (aka formals [of which none are on my web site]), what you see is exactly what happened on the wedding day. Shooting weddings is 25% photography, 25% vision, and 50% anticipation.

You started out with film... do you still prefer it over digital?
They still sell film? :) Digital. I've been 100% digital for the last three years and have owned a Nikon D1x, Canon 10D, and Canon 1Ds. I now shoot exclusively with two 1DmkII (one with a long lens and one with a wide one).

You've had your wedding site (portfolio) for a while now. Why then did you start a photoblog?
So that I can be interviewed by you? (Editor's Note: "Haha. Ha...") I was trying to find a way that I could see weddings from a different perspective (no pun intended). Because sometimes the best answers are not from within, but from the outside, I decided to start a photoblog to try new approaches to my photography.

What's been the greatest thing about running A Pixel a Day?
Without a doubt, the overall response from viewers. I enjoy receiving emails and comments about how my images are perceived by viewers.

The biggest strains?
Shooting weddings, I typically use series or groups of 3 to 6 images to tell a story when presented together. I use a lot of sequences or action-reaction moments - a little like a book: introduction, body, conclusion. I find that it adds a lot to the moment. When I originally set-up my photoblog, I created it with Flash in order to be able to present a series of images. For example, I had a vision of a time lapse (one picture per 30 minutes) of the Chicago skyline presented in a sequence to show the city over 24 hours. However, configuring Movable Type (my blog platform) to work with Flash was too time consuming. Now that my photoblog is HTML, I have limited myself to a single image per day.

So is having a single image a problem for your photoblog?
With a single image, I have to use a very different approach than what I do at wedding(s). Each image either has to tell a compelling story or has to stand on its artistic qualities. As such, I tend to look for contrast, shapes, forms, colors, and textures. The images I capture for my photoblog are very different than my wedding images - artistically speaking. Another challenge is more of a limitation than a "strain". Because I live downtown and walk from home to capture my images, I am limited by my the type of subjects that are available to me. Although one could take a picture a day for 50 years in downtown Chicago and still have something new to show, I wish I would have access to more "outdoors" within walking distance.

It seems that has photography has been a big part of your life for a while now. This true? Does the same go for your photoblog?
push the envelopeby forcing me to either see new "things" (photographically speaking) or see old "things" in a new light (no pun intended of course). The efforts are paying off as my wedding photography stays fresh and on the cutting edge. Moreover, photoblogging documents the different artistic roads and point-of-views I am exploring.

Do you have any inspirations?
To be quite honest, (and this may sound absurd), but it is the LCD on the back of the camera that is my greatest source of inspiration. Not only does it provide me with a draft image, but it allows me to experiment and eventually capture the image I had envisioned - or better yet - an even better one that I could not have imagined.

Indeed a very different answer. Is this to say you're more of a self-taught photographer? No human inspirations for photography?
You're quite right. Like the song says, [Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann]: "...the race is long, and at the end, it's only with yourself."

Alright, silly question: If you were stuck ALONE on a deserted island, which CDs would you like to have with you?
I'd love to have Bob Marley's Legend as well as Delerium's Karma albums.

Let's extend this to photography. If you were stuck on a deserted island, which [fix] lens (only one please) would you like to have with you?
This is a tough question since I don't know what's on the island except that it is deserted. I'll use a process of elimination. I'll assume that once I got a few wide angle shots of the island, they would all look the same and I would get bored. This eliminates all wide angle lenses. Since I would probably be trying to find food during the day, carrying a heavy lens would probably be too tiring. This leaves me with a light normal to medium telephoto lens. I think I would go with the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro. Quite versatile.

Alright, enough of that... Do you have a favorite photograph?
Because I look at images as a way to tell a story (typically that of the subject but sometimes that of the photographer), there is not one image that I can say is the, "best photograph ever". There are so many great images and photographers that I would need a context to select the 'best image' [for a given context]. For inspiration, I love perusing the Pictures of the Year International Awards and the National Geographic web sites.

As far as photoblogs are concerned, what can make them better?
In my personal case, I would like to see more interactions and challenges from viewers. I would love for the viewers to suggest a theme or a specific challenge, thereby forcing me to think and see out-of-my-box. It's easy for me to do the familiar. It strive to stretch my boundary and explore different artistic avenues. I find that I'm good at what I do and not at what I don't. By forcing myself to do what I [normally] don't, I'm poised to get good at it.

Are you involved in anything else photography-wise other than your photoblog?
Of course. If you would like to see truly amazing wedding images, visit my web site (yup, it's a shameless plug - but you asked). ;-)

Hey no problem. He does have some amazing wedding images, folks. As always, we thank you for both this interview, and for Pixel a Day...
I am always happy to help fellow photographers, so if anyone has a technical or business question, feel free to ask. Short and direct questions get answered first and fast.