joel plotkin photography bio picture

Welcome to my Blog!

I am a professional photographer located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. I work as a full-time photographer for a Fortune 100 corporation.  My full-time job includes product photography, executive portraiture, editorial work for internal publications, advertising images as well as the occasional event.

In addition to the photography involved with my primary job, I have a successful personal studio that specializes in commercial, corporate, editorial, advertising and what I like to call "special day" photography.

I am extremely lucky in that I get to do what I love everyday - although at times it can get, believe it or not, pretty stressful - I cannot imagine doing anything other than photography.

There used to be a stigma attached with photographing weddings and I am trying to do my part to alleviate the notion that it is a lower form of photography. 
On the contrary, wedding photography has come a long way in recent years.  It has become more creative, and rivals most commercial, editorial or advertising photography out there today.

There are several reasons why I shoot weddings; the most obvious is having the opportunity to share such a special day with people who are genuinely happy. Is there a better situation to work in?

Most importantly, weddings provide me with a way to exercise my brain. They are also an opportunity to prevent me from becoming complacent. Even after 20 years, I am constantly learning and trying to improve my techniques and skills. Weddings keep you on your toes, you need to be able to react in a moments notice, and be prepared. That skill has come in handy more often than not in my daytime job, especially when it comes to photographing executives, celebrities, and just plain old busy people.

About 3 years ago I could not find an option that I liked for my online sales, so I started efotolab.com,  a company created by photographic professionals to serve the online hosting, sales and lab needs of professional photographers across the country. The key difference between efotolab.com and other services is that we are truly a professional lab and understand the need to provide high-quality prints and other products that best represent your work.  Check it out - www.efotolab.com

In my spare time I enjoy working closely with seasoned as well as new photographers by sharing experiences, ideas on style, technique, best business practices and ways to increase business overall.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog - if you have suggestions or would like to hire me , I can be reached at joel@plotkinphotography.com

If you are interested in efotolab.com services and how they can best serve your professional needs, contact sales@efotolab.com, and I will get right back to you.

Cheers,

Joel


Blogging – Cathartic or Narcissistic

I was really good about updating my blog when I first started.  Then as I got busy and I would let it slip.  One month, two month’s, three month’s, then I completely forgot about.

I know having a blog is a self indulgent venue for me to fulfill some strange need to let people know what’s going on with me and my photography – I suspect no one really cares, but I do it anyway.  The world is full of tweeters, bloggers, facebookers, so why do I have this need to put another one out there? Is it my competitive side…be funnier, or deeper than others? Am I narcissistic? I honestly do not believe that I am more important than the next guy. So, I’m not sure, but I believe it’s some sort of new addiction.

I never understood updates from people who  post solely about their children, or worse, their family pets.  I really don’t give a shit if baby Mary pooped in the potty for the first time, or that little Johnny’s baseball team won the East Bum-F_ _k Junior League World Series, or Buttons, the cutest cat in the world, saved a baby bird from imminent death.

I try to post observations and funny (at least I think their funny) photos of things I see. I also like to blog about the really nice people I get to photograph. I love my job as a commercial/corporate photographer, I really am lucky.  As difficult as wedding photography is, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s easy, I love photographing weddings.  If I have to work on a weekend, what better place to spend it than with 200 people having a great time celebrating a wedding.

I think I’m going to continue.  It’s cathartic for me, and right now, at this point in my life, I need catharsis. If I keep all of this in my head, I may explode, or go crazy.

Whether you check-in on me or not – I don’t care.  But if you do, let me know, cuz I need that positive reinforcement ;-)   If you don’t like my posts, well, you know what to do!

J

January 4, 2011 - 8:44 pm Sam Ellis - Great photographs, but I loved the write-up!!!

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