Archive for the ‘Covers’

Enrique Iglesias for USA Today WEEKEND cover

Miami is a Mecca for Latin music stars. I was commissioned by David Baratz picture of USA Today Weekend to shoot a portrait of Enrique Iglesias who was about to drop a new album for the cover. Glad to share a few workflow tips and BTS photographs.

For cover shoots I normally use my Phase One IQ260 medium format digital back on a DF+ camera body. The capture size is 60 megapixels. Looking beyond that huge file that when opened up in photoshop is 256 megabytes you will see great tonal range and detail. Skin looks great. Ninety five percent of the photography I do are portraits so that is very important. The tripod used is made in California by Really Right Stuff it’s a RRS TVC-24L is made of carbon fiber, light as a feather and stiff as a board and a joy to use. Definitely slows down the shoot in regards to setting it up and such, but the quality gain in having a steady base for the camera is worth it. I never was a big user of tripods before and frankly my old one was made of steel, heavy and a pain in the backside, I can’t count the number times it pinched my fingers…. It’s definitely a different mindset when you switch to tripod mode from handholding, meaning you need to really pre-visualize and know the angle you want rather then finding a nice angle on the fly. A great ballhead for fluid adjustments is the Arca-Swiss Z1. My camera has a quick release plate which allows me to quickly go between handholding and tripod use.

Behind me is a Elinchrom 74″ Octa bank it’s not a “Key” light but an provides a nice fill for shadows, think of it as a huge window with soft light adding just a touch of life to the shadows. My photo assistants hold shiny reflector boards and black flags to shape the light a bit more. I call that putting a bit of english on the light. Anyone can purchase a soft box or umbrella or any of the tons of light modifiers sold, but it’s important that a photographer takes control of his tools which will lead to developing personal style. I call this “layering or building light”.

I use Capture One for consistent and reliable tethering on location or in the studio. In this shoot I was capturing to a 15 inch Apple MacBook Pro. Those bright blue bands on the digital back and lens hood are bumpers, a low cost way to keep your gear looking crisp, available at any sporting goods store usually near the cashier.

For the second set-up I went in close for a tight headshot. When you only have a limited amount of time for a shoot it works well to have several sets built and pre-lit. My goal for this shoot was to shoot against a crimson seamless, then on a black backdrop and finally finish with a wooden plywood set. Each set had it’s own lighting design. On the black I used a single profoto magnum reflector inches from Enrique’s face with a two reflectors for fill.

For the final set-up I used a 36 inch Profoto Octa bank as my key light with a 1 stop net bring down the tones on the plywood background above Enrique’s head. A 4 x 8 white foam core bounced in a bit of light for fill. On the floor I have a small Profoto strip bank to kick a little fill into Enrique’s eyes. You may notice a red table on a 20″ c-stand, its a simply beautiful and function laptop tray made of 1/4 aluminum. I got it from Backstage equipment , they are an equipment company in Hollywood, Ca.

If you have any questions about the shoot feel free to drop me a comment. Thank you for reading.

Allen West “Guardian of the Republic” book cover

When the retired Lt. Colonel Allen B. West roared up to the studio and drove his Honda VTX 1800R retro cruiser inside, my team didn’t know if they should salute or run for cover.

Miami celebrity and portrait photographer Jeffery Salter

Allan West “Guardian of the People” book cover by Jeffery Salter | Miami Florida

When I mentioned to Rep. Allen that I personally preferred BMW motorcycles, it could have been a constitutional crisis, but we managed to get past that by having both grown up as Army Brats, West’s father was a War World II veteran and so was mine. When West was in the military he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas which sits next door to an old Sante Fe railroad depot town named Killeen, Tx. which was named after Frank P. Killeen, a manager of the railroad. And that’s where I grew up, throwing newspapers, working at Taco Bell and shooting photos for Ellison High School year book. Go Eagles. Anyway I digress.

I was commissioned by Random House to photograph the take no prisoners, former paratrooper, master Scuba instructor and former member of the United States House of Representatives Allen West.
We chose a very direct approach to the visual style of the photograph. Hard light, minimal shadows and crisp focus to match the personality and the tone of this straight shooting book which is filled with prescriptive politics…basically giving his views on how to overhaul government.

This is an outtake which I toned differently. It’s funny how with time we feel an image differently.

Allan West “Guardian of the People” book cover by Jeffery Salter | Miami Florida

Photographer: Jeffery Salter
Art Director: Michael Nagin
Stylist: Melissa Kitchen
Groomer: Olivia Senghor

Kass Martin Z-Life Magazine cover for ZUMBA

Zumba keeps Jeffery moving! No sweat, just high energy celebrity Zumba instructors. The great folks at the Fitness and lifestyle company commissioned me to do several spreads for their cool magazine Z-Life.

Miami Photographer Jeffery Salter photographs for Zumba in Miami Florida

Kass Martin, sports fitness model photographed on Miami Beach for Zumba’s Z-Life magazine. Miami photographer Jeffery Salter photographs for Zumba in South Florida

Kass Martin is a superstar Zumba instructor and when she moves, it’s all high energy. She flew in from Utah for her photo shoot on South Beach at Miami. The crew call time was very early, it’s great to shoot on a beach and the art director wanted Kass’s beautiful black hair to be backlighted. That seemed simple enough. But it took a moment for Kass’s vibrant blue eyes to adjust to the contrastly sun baked almost white sand, it guess to be straight, kinda of biege sand on Miami Beach. My team built a light box with scrims to soften the sun light and put a black fabric scrim behind me to help Kass’s eyes adjust. It was a contrasty day, with no clouds to soften the light and the raising morning sun was gleaming off the Atlantic ocean. I wanted to have a soft background, with tones that seem like they were lifted from a Rothko painting or Sugimoto photograph.

Here’s a brief behind the scenes video.

We also did a version of Kass sitting on the sand.

After getting a tan on my permanent tan we went to SplashLight studios. Zumba Fitness has a line of fashion for the gym and for any other time of the day. Valeska from Elite was the model.

Zumba fashion story for Z-Life magazine. Miami Photographer Jeffery Salter photographs for Zumba in Miami Florida

Mario Balotelli cover Sports Illustrated Magazine

Photographed by Jeffery Salter for Sports Illustrated Magazine

It was a hot day in Miami. We set up at 7 am. in a pool at the St. Regis. My four photo assistants donned swimming shorts. You won’t believe how hard it is to keep a 3/4 inch Plexiglass table from floating away with one of the world’s top soccer players on it. Light was harsh, harsh and harsher. The pressure was on. Sports Illustrated’s Director of Photography, Brad Smith wanted an Iconic photograph. Here’s my try.

Mario was cool. A bit jetlagged from just arriving in Miami from Milan the day before. He wanted to do the photo shoot and go to the Mall. He’s a great athlete, who plays classical piano and met with the Pope, but still only 23.

In the deep in end…photo by Brad Smith/SI

Here are a few shoot details, a plexiglass table needs plenty of sandbags on the legs otherwise it will definitely try to float away….. This photo was taken with a Phase One IQ260 digital back (which is wi-fi enabled on a Phase One DF+ camera body) and Profoto lighting – all available from Capture Integration. The wifi enabled Brad to review images on an iPad as I shot. As I mentioned earlier we started setting up at 7 a.m. when the light was just amazingly beautiful…however as these things go…we didn’t start shooting until close to noon. The light was extremely contrasty. However, I was able to capture detail by having a digital camera back which has a dynamic range of 13 stops and flash syncs at an incredible 1/1600 sec. The Phase One camera fitted with a 80 mm Schneider-Kreuznach Leaf shutter Lens that allows you to sync your strobes up to 1/1600, with that I toned down the back ground a bit and lit Mario with a Profoto 5ft giant silver umbrella fitted with a Profoto flash head powered by a 7B battery. Not rocket science, but their was no way in heck that I was going to put anything that needed to be plugged near the pool. Just saying…..

I’ve got to thank my “A” team, Alexander Larson, Redmund Flores, Ray Wadia, Olivia Senghor (groomer), Kristina Kitchen (prop stylist and plexiglass table wrangler) and Leonard Watson for all their hard work. I hope they enjoyed swimming in a swanky pool with Super Mario!

Dwyane Wade cover Ebony Magazine

A serious topic. Best to let the image speak for itself. My thanks to Dwyane Wade and his sons for giving it all.

Photographer: Jeffery Salter
Picture Editor: Dudley Brookes
Creative Director: Ian Robinson
Grooming: Olivia Senghor

LeBron James Cover for Sports Illustrated Magazine

LeBron James cover portrait for Sports Illustrated Magazine

Photographer: Jeffery Salter | Picture Editor: Marguerite Schropp | Art Director: Chris Hercik

I wish I could say we spent hours analyzing slam dunks but all I can say is 48 hours before this photo was taken I was just leaving the Museum of Modern Art in NYC after trying to see the Bill Brandt photography exhibition when Marguerite called and asked. “Where are you?”. My next call was to Delta Airlines to book a 6:30 am flight back to Miami. My second call was to Capture Integration in Atlanta….that’s where my camera was at.

The shoot location was the Grand ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel. It took about six hours to unload the production truck, navigate basement labyrinth under the hotel to make it into the ballroom and set up. My team built a set for a head to toe photograph intending to show LeBron James casually leaning back against a flat nonchalantly holding the 2013 NBA Championship trophy. When LeBron arrived for my scheduled seven minute shoot he was dressed extremely casually….so it was close-up time.

Here is a short BTS of my seven minutes with the King.

LeBron James cover shoot for Sports Illustrated by Jeffery Salter

My hats off to the Capture Integration in Atlanta who flew down to provide digital capture for the shoot. It was amazing when Dave Gallagher brought along two brand new Phase One IQ260 digital backs with DF+ cameras. The LeBron shoot was taken with the “King” of Medium Format Digital cameras and is the first editorial cover shoot done with the camera.

Introducing the Incredible Mr. Motley

Bob Motley a Congressional Medal of Honor winner and the last living umpire from Negro Leagues Baseball.

Why do I photograph? This is the reason. A chance to meet someone who made history. An American Hero. An Icon. A loving Husband. A true role model. It was and still is an honor and privilege to have been allowed to poke my nose and camera into Bob Motley’s life.

My father served in the U. S. Army for 20 years and saw action in the Korean War and Vietnam War. My stepfather had over 300 parachute jumps in the Vietnam War. When HAO commissioned me to do this assignment I began to pack my bags as the art director Jimmy Gonzales spoke to go to Kansas City. That’s where Bob Motley lives.

Bob volunteered to serve during World War II. During fighting in Okinawa, Bob and his fellow Marines were sent out from the water onto the beach in waves. “The first and second waves got wiped out completely. I was in the third wave. We lost half of our troops. We set up the beachhead and dug our foxholes” When he thought all was clear, he put his foot up and was shot in it. “If I had put my head up, I would have been shot in the head.”

While recovering in the hospital, he got bored staying in Bed. He wandered outside, found a softball game that needed an umpire – and found his life’s passion. (see footnote #1)

The last living umpire from Negro Leagues Baseball, Bob 89, made the call for many of baseball’s all-time greats: Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays and more.

After photographing Bob at home with Pearline, his wife of 61 years, we decided to drive over the Kansas City Royals Stadium to photograph Bob in action. But first we had to get to the stadium. Bob rolled Pearline out to their mini-van, gently loaded her into it and said, “meet you at the stadium.” I felt rather strange letting an 89 year old and 79 year old drive themselves to a photography shoot for me……but needless to say. They beat me and my crew to the stadium. By the time I arrived, Bob was dressed in his crisp black umpire outfit standing in the middle of Kansas City Royals stadium. He had rolled Pearline to Royals dugout where she kept dry from the light rain shower. A loving husband.

[Footnote 1. from article written by Andrea Gollin who provided text for the story “Leading from Battlefield to Baseball Field” published in Humana Active Outlook Magazine]

Zumba Cover for INC Magazine

Alberto “Beto” Perez

It’s always great to get the call from an editor with those words, ” Your shooting for the cover”. Your image will be on representing the magazine on newstands and Kiosks all over the country. It puts a smile on my face when I’m hurrying to catch a flight and see one of my images on a newstand in the airport. Anyway. Most people when they think of a Business magazine cover…its always a guy/girl in a tie. Armed crossed. Captain of the Universe low angle shot. Not on this one.

CEO Alberto “Beto” Perez gave me over fifty high jumps without the aid of a trampoline until we both were happy. I actually used my ears more then my eyes for this session. Beto would stomp his right foot harder on the ground as he propelled himself into the air. I have shot ballet before which has its own challenges, but the dance is very choreographed.

His zumba leaps were very free form and each shot yield a different shape. Sometimes the action was great but the expression was off. Or he would jump completely out of the frame! It was air dancing. We shot on three backdrops, white, black and a eye popping yellow. The editor, Travis Ruse wanted an image which leaped off the page. INC got its cover and I got a few Zumba lessons from the man who invented it!

Here are a few technical details. Camera: Phase one DF camera with P40+ back and outfitted with a V-Grip which allowed me to shoot a air dance freezing speed of 1/1250 with a Schnieder 150mm LS lens. Lighting: Profoto bi-tube and Profoto 7 packs.

Steve Harvey for Ebony

Steve Harvey is a multi-talented entertainer, who is successful in radio, comedy, acting and as a host on television with the “Family Feud” show

“June 4th shoot Hey man, are you available on the 4th (next week) for a shoot in Atlanta?” Yes. “Stay loose, I’m trying to make this work. Be in touch on it soon.” That’s it. Thats how this assignment came to be. In this case it’s a portrait of Steve Harvey, a multi-talented entertainer. Dudley Brooks, the picture editor gave me the gig and told me the story was for EBONY’s Black wealth issue. He said to me you are photographing a media mogul. The first image which popped into my head was of a Russian Oligarch sitting in a gold throne between two Siberian tigers (the gold ones or rather ones who would allow themselves to spray painted gold) with four nubile Russian beauties wearing nothing but gold spray paint…..The editor would only okay the “Gold throne”. I managed to get in a shot during the two hour shoot Steve with a gold frame as well.

I’m not an etch a sketch master….a quick reference drawing.

A doodle can move the visual process along. I like the challenge of creating a meaningful image from a few words, sometimes descriptive, sometimes not. Some of my visual tools includes implying meaning through subject expression, lighting, subtle tones and prop choices.

"Larger then life, echoes of Citizen Kane"

This is my slightly surreal take on Steve Harvey. A larger then life gold frame, floating in a sea of red velvet.

Lighting diagrams are a big help. I try to previsualize the assignment as often as possible. It helps when work with a team. Puts everyone on the same page.