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


Category Archives: Uncategorized

Holy shit it been 8 month’s…..

I cannot believe that it’s been 8-month’s since my last blog post – whether you care or not, I have been collecting a bunch of observations and anecdotes for a while and I am going to sort through them and pick out some stuff to share. In the meantime, this evening, I was motivated to...

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Nahid + Andrew

What can I say about Nahid and Andrew except WOW!  The couple are coorespondents for Time Magazine and live in Beirut – Family came from all over the world to celebrate with them. This beautiful couple had two weddings – on Friday they were married in New York City at one of the oldest churches...

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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...

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8 Weeks of Hell!

On May 16 I was involved in a motorcycle accident and was forced to put a lot of normal activities on the side and try to get better. Learned a lot of lessons from this incident, and for you fellow riders, I do not care how experienced you are or believe you are, you never...

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Beth + Brian | Winterthur Gardens and Estate | September 5, 2009

Another stellar couple to work with – Beth and Brian were incredibly relaxed and fun to work with.  Both of them work in the Theater and it shows – they were all about a good time for themselves as well as their guests. In lieu of the traditional clinking of glasses to get the couple...

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New York City – From The Hip

It is so cliche to say, but I love New York. I really love NYC.  It truly is the epitome of America and all that it stands for. Millions of people, thousands of nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, religions, economic status, gay, straight, bi, TG, crazy, sane,  all essentially living together on a small cramped island –...

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Kevin’s New Career

Got a call a few weeks ago from Kevin who was employed at a large company and was let go during a large layoff effort.  He took something bad and is turning it into something good.  He is now taking the time and is starting a whole new career!  He needed some photos, so we...

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