Page 15 - Photoshop User January 2017

KelbyOne Community Who’s Who
in the KelbyOne Community
J.R. Maddox is a photographer in Simi Valley, California, specializing in many areas of photography, including real estate, portraits, retouching, creative compositing, aerial photography/video, and 3D photography.
How did you become aware of NAPP/KelbyOne and why did you become a member?
I first heard about NAPP/KelbyOne back in 2013 from a friend who suggested that, if I wanted to learn about pho- tography, this was the place. I gave the old NAPP website a look, and if I’m not mistaken, at that time I got in on some Kelby Training videos as well. It was a no-brainer for me, as I was tired of just learning on YouTube. I felt I needed so much more and this was it.
At the time I didn’t know where or what I wanted to shoot, so I shot everything. But, from going through the huge selection of videos and tutorials, I was able to find my preferred style and genre. Also, now being able to view the classes on the KelbyOne app and website, both streaming and downloadable, I was able to learn as I sat on my couch. Plus, I’ve now been to a couple of Photoshop Worlds and that was mind-blowing for me. Not just to see the instruc- tors in person but also to meet and share stories and tips with others in the KelbyOne community. I think that’s the difference for me from other training sites. It’s not a hard decision renewing each year!
What made you move toward real estate and portrait photography?
I never intended to be a real estate photographer. I love a lot of different avenues of photography. Compositing and photo manipulation is always my favorite though. Real estate photography was just one avenue I found that I could make a living at. I’m happy being able to support my family shooting homes. With that, realtors need head- shots, so I had to learn studio lighting, which I learned from KelbyOne’s site.
What is the biggest challenge with two such diverse subjects?
My biggest challenge is when I get people who want head- shots. I have no problem doing the headshots; the problem is that I don’t have a studio. Having no studio, I need some- thing I can set up quickly and in pretty much any space available, such as the client’s office. I had the pleasure in assisting Joel Grimes on one of his workshops. He showed me what he uses and it works great for small areas. It’s the X­Drop Kit by Westcott. I use a 50% gray background so
that I can cut them out of the background or add a tex- ture to the background. I love that technique, as you don’t need to buy a bunch of different studio backgrounds.
Who has inspired your photography?
To narrow it down is so very hard. At KelbyOne there are so many great, and I really do mean great, instructors. The two instructors who have helped me more than I could ever imagine have to be Joel Grimes and Glyn Dewis, two of the nicest, genuinely caring, helpful, and encouraging people. I don’t think I’d be where I am today in my career if it wasn’t for them. They don’t teach real estate photography, but I learned so much from them in terms of techniques and just applied what I learned to real estate. They’ve been a couple of the most helpful guys in my career and I’m now happy to call them my friends. There’s one last teacher from whom I’ve learned a lot— Mike Kelley—who has a couple tutorials on real estate photography.
What kind of equipment is needed for your 3D pho­ tography and how has that helped your business?
You have to have a 3D camera, and I have one made by Matterport. This has brought in about 50% more income to my business, so it was well worth the investment. It’s typically only used on your higher-end homes. The end- user doesn’t even have to come to the house to view the home; he can actually walk through the entire house without even stepping outside. The realtor gets more serious buyers, and in most cases gets more money for the house. I had a client the other day say she made $50,000 more on her listing because of the photos and the 3D Matterport images I did on the house. That’s what I love hearing. At the end of the day, good, quality photos make a difference. n
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J.R. Maddox