"Sexy and edgy": that’s the theme that keeps emanating from EyeCandy Images, the coolest photography company of the decade. Formally launched three years ago by BJ and Richeille Formento, it is a business that successfully rides the economic waves by keeping one foot in the assignment business and one foot in stock--the niche is so alluring that it seems to be recession proof. More importantly, the work is creative and inspiring while telling a story.
BJ has been a photographer for twenty years and Richeille was an art director in the stock and fashion worlds. Their chance meeting while working together for DigitalVision created an instant soul mate bond, fostered by the same creative vision and love for the work they do.
What makes photography sexy and edgy? A sexy image is a powerful image that dominates the scene, and according to BJ, “It starts with a deep connection between the subject and the photographer. We must feel at ease with the other party, offering free rein to creativity in the sequence of shots.” BJ looks to evoke emotion, to connect with his audience, to create images that are timeless. To do that, it’s important to build a lifestyle situation that tells a narrative; use of lighting especially creates body shapes and a cinematic feeling. “The point of my photography has always been to challenge myself. I make a planned photograph seem fresh and dynamic.”
The couple produces what they call a “collection” a week--that’s a fully produced shoot. Constantly traveling either abroad or in their Airstream they take advantage of unique locations and beautiful women all over the world, and since most of their time is spent on location, the couple doesn’t bother with a studio overhead. Instead, they illustrate that a change of scenery is “good for the creative juices.” They don't mind the never ending work schedule either, and BJ claims, “I live to work. That’s my motto. Most people work to live.”
Averaging about 100 images per shoot, by the end of the year they’ll have 25,000 images in their stock collection. Four of these “collections” were completed in one week in Hawaii, setting a record for productivity. The couple outsources all their post production as their goal is to keep shooting, and they keep their budgets lean and mean by street casting and launching the careers of top models, working with them when they are starting out. According to Richeille, “We shoot in a narrative or story, not a shoot list. We make the day like a documentary and look for the in-between moments. We are able to be experimental, and are never turned down for being too “over the top.” We create a message and stick to it, being careful not to veer too far off course.
With stock agents, all their work is non-exclusive and it covers both RM and RF licensing models. For distribution, they go right to the source - the art buyers, magazines, design companies and ad agencies. According to Eyecandy: "We see our work in many major campaigns, allowing us not to give up a percentage to the agents. However, we do work with all the major stock distributors. It's a lot of work being the photographer and the marketing director, too. You need aggressive guerrilla marketing techniques."
It’s clear that the team focuses on toeing the line where “fine arts meets commerce.” To this day they continue to experiment in 4x5 film usage, and to create work appropriate for galleries. As Richeille says, “No one should forget where they came from. It’s sad that the industry has become so mechanical. People have become so caught up in the technology, that they have lost the creativity. It’s one thing to go crazy with technology, and it’s another to make use of the technology.”
“What happened to setting a page on fire? People are so afraid with their big overheads.” When questioned about what the future will bring, Richeille says, “Things can’t get any cheaper, and the market is diluted with mediocre stock images. There’s only one way to go and that’s up.” The couple agrees that this kind of sea change weeds out the weak: “You create a great forest from a forest fire. If you stick to your guns and do what you love, you will come out the other end a winner.”
Next, motion is coming to the Eyecandy collection. Their footage is called Eyecandy Clips, and BJ claims he always saw himself enjoying a natural progression from still images to cinematography. His narrative will feel like actual moments in real life – the things that happen when you aren’t looking, shot from the hip, unstaged. The Eyecandy team is very excited about the opportunities for the future and advises everyone to get their own creative juices flowing again.
For more please visit www.eyecandyimages.com
Pat Hunt is a writer and workshop leader for the stock photo industry, and Managing Director of Huntstock.com in Boston, a lifestyle image production company. pat@huntstock.com
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