can do this. I refuse to get down and I just keep working at UPS
for money and shooting as much as I can,” he says.
Knowing that he could not find the focus that everyone was
telling him he needed, he called me.FINDING THE FOCUS“My goal was to try to get better, I didn’t know what to do
to, I wasn’t sure what it meant, to focus more. I had heard that
Selina was the person to talk to, so I called her,” he states.
Lou and I had an initial portfolio review. I was absolutely
blown away by the talent displayed in his work. I loved his
images. His work was composed of environmental portraits
and moments. His subjects were everyday people. There was
no production value evident, yet his images were extremely
powerful and serene at the same time. I found this dichotomy
quite interesting.
Lou used the street, the subway, alleyways, and low-lit
apartments as his backdrop. His images were graphically
composed and striking. The most compelling element, how-
ever, was that he created moments that I could feel. I could
literally sense the energy in the room the minute the camera
clicked.
As I looked through his visuals I realized that he had a ton
of work but that many images were a bit repetitive, so we took
inventory and tightly edited the initial group.
Lou and I discussed the types of people he might consider
photographing to round out his portfolio, and I then gave him
direction and assignments to shoot, noting the specific types of
images we needed. We ended up with a final list of about fifteen
images that would need to be added in order to complete the
first round of shooting.
Knowing that Lou had a day job and that money and time
were tight, I fully expected all types of excuses and reasons why
he would not be able to meet the assignments I had given to
him. Instead Lou said, “No problem. I’ll be in touch when
I have the work.”
Months later Lou called with news that he had the images
we had discussed and he was ready for another review date.CHAPTER25 / STARTING OUTLOUROOLESTYLEChapter 25.qxd 6/25/07 7:24 AM Page 161