PROFILE: JOSE VILLA
written by Robert Boyer
I have written this brief profile and re-written it a couple of times. The problem I was having is that I was far too “gushy” over Jose’s images, his business practices, his philosophy, and his warmth and approachability. I planned on talking with Jose for maybe thirty minutes but I think we spoke for like two hours during which time he ran into former clients while we were talking. I could not tell the difference based on the background conversations and hugs between former clients and family. So let me get the gushing out of the way real quick and then focus on the “filmy-ness”.
If Jose decided to make his images with crayons on old newsprint I am certain they would be fantastic. I am also certain that he would have the same elite clientele lining up for him to shoot or even draw their weddings. Jose is not just one of the who’s who of fine art wedding photographers but also the photographer that the other who’s who’s seek out to photograph their own weddings. His images speak for themselves but it is not just his vision, technique, and dedication. It is his warmth and sincere caring about his clients that has made him so successful. Okay - gushing over - not too bad I limited it to one paragraph.
So what does this caliber of wedding photographer choose for his medium? Someone that could literally shoot with any equipment and any material he chooses and probably get a sponsorship or five by doing so? He shoots film. For the most part Jose chooses to shoot film because it delivers exactly the color and aesthetic that he demands. This is a young guy, not some old curmudgeon like me - a guy that “grew up” with both film and the digital “revolution”. One of the things that struck me during our conversation that I think we both continued to comeback to without ever really articulating it exactly was that shooting film and getting the look and quality that Jose demands is not “harder”, it’s actually easier.
Let me explain that a little bit. Jose likes to use Fuji color negative stock as his main film in medium format. He generally over-exposes it by a stop or so compared to “box speed” from what I gleaned in our conversation. This ensures that he gets fantastically detailed shadows without any need to worry too much about highlights. Color negative film can go for miles and miles and miles in the highlights without ever “blowing” them. It also pops the color and contrast a little bit while delivering unmatched gradation. More importantly than all of that is allowing Jose to focus on the image - it’s the image dummy - not futzing with color temps or histograms.
Moving on to color - Jose has a very close relationship with the Pro lab that he uses and they know exactly how he likes his color. No need to do that yourself or even hire professionals to do it for you - your lab can do it for you. Jose would rather be shooting and using his staff for much more productive endeavors than futzing around with color on every shot. With film this is easy once you have a great working relationship with your lab.
Want to know more about how Jose works, why he works that way, and probably get some priceless information you can’t get anywhere else? That is easy enough - just ask him. He shoots a ton of weddings every year. So many that I could not imagine that kind of workload for myself. Even so he somehow finds time to conduct a limited number of workshops where he shares his knowledge and talent with others. There is one catch - you have to sign up early - just about everyone wants to get at this guy for even a little bit of time. If you do this kind of work - no matter what your chosen medium I cannot imagine a better way to spend a day or two than with Jose. I will bet you will learn more and gain more inspiration for your images and your business than 100 workshops focused on the technology or the latest torture that you can exact on your digital images.
written by Robert Boyer
I have written this brief profile and re-written it a couple of times. The problem I was having is that I was far too “gushy” over Jose’s images, his business practices, his philosophy, and his warmth and approachability. I planned on talking with Jose for maybe thirty minutes but I think we spoke for like two hours during which time he ran into former clients while we were talking. I could not tell the difference based on the background conversations and hugs between former clients and family. So let me get the gushing out of the way real quick and then focus on the “filmy-ness”.
If Jose decided to make his images with crayons on old newsprint I am certain they would be fantastic. I am also certain that he would have the same elite clientele lining up for him to shoot or even draw their weddings. Jose is not just one of the who’s who of fine art wedding photographers but also the photographer that the other who’s who’s seek out to photograph their own weddings. His images speak for themselves but it is not just his vision, technique, and dedication. It is his warmth and sincere caring about his clients that has made him so successful. Okay - gushing over - not too bad I limited it to one paragraph.
So what does this caliber of wedding photographer choose for his medium? Someone that could literally shoot with any equipment and any material he chooses and probably get a sponsorship or five by doing so? He shoots film. For the most part Jose chooses to shoot film because it delivers exactly the color and aesthetic that he demands. This is a young guy, not some old curmudgeon like me - a guy that “grew up” with both film and the digital “revolution”. One of the things that struck me during our conversation that I think we both continued to comeback to without ever really articulating it exactly was that shooting film and getting the look and quality that Jose demands is not “harder”, it’s actually easier.
Let me explain that a little bit. Jose likes to use Fuji color negative stock as his main film in medium format. He generally over-exposes it by a stop or so compared to “box speed” from what I gleaned in our conversation. This ensures that he gets fantastically detailed shadows without any need to worry too much about highlights. Color negative film can go for miles and miles and miles in the highlights without ever “blowing” them. It also pops the color and contrast a little bit while delivering unmatched gradation. More importantly than all of that is allowing Jose to focus on the image - it’s the image dummy - not futzing with color temps or histograms.
Moving on to color - Jose has a very close relationship with the Pro lab that he uses and they know exactly how he likes his color. No need to do that yourself or even hire professionals to do it for you - your lab can do it for you. Jose would rather be shooting and using his staff for much more productive endeavors than futzing around with color on every shot. With film this is easy once you have a great working relationship with your lab.
Want to know more about how Jose works, why he works that way, and probably get some priceless information you can’t get anywhere else? That is easy enough - just ask him. He shoots a ton of weddings every year. So many that I could not imagine that kind of workload for myself. Even so he somehow finds time to conduct a limited number of workshops where he shares his knowledge and talent with others. There is one catch - you have to sign up early - just about everyone wants to get at this guy for even a little bit of time. If you do this kind of work - no matter what your chosen medium I cannot imagine a better way to spend a day or two than with Jose. I will bet you will learn more and gain more inspiration for your images and your business than 100 workshops focused on the technology or the latest torture that you can exact on your digital images.
Here is a sampling of Jose's beautiful work. To view more of his work and learn more about his workshops, check out his sites below.
wesbite
blog
workshops
I usually hate wedding photography, but congratulations, you've shown me that someone, (Robert Boyer?), can do it right. Most of the time, I just cringe from how cheesy and unnaturally posed they are.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant Jose Villa.
ReplyDeleteIt's so amazing to see the beauty that is possible with film!! I was on the fence about whether to switch to film or stay digital and this is definitely pushing me towards film!
ReplyDeleteHi, just came across this online browsing. I believe your facts are incorrect as I have spoken with Jose on this subject before. Jose never really gives his workflow away because just about everyone would be doing the same thing! Besides, overexposing isnt enough. Setting an ISO of 200 on a 400 speed film will not give you the colours he acheives. You can do the same thing by giving a +1 compensation! It doesnt make sense. Much more likely that he pulls the film to the corrected speed. Reason being, he meters the shadows, just like all negative users. Placing important shadows at say -1 or -2 stops. This would mean the highlights going into space they would be so bright. Toning them down during development could help. But over exposing by +1 stop is not what Jose does only...I see this on the web everywhere, it's not correct.
ReplyDelete