Comments on: Frank W. Ockenfels 3

By: kimberly

kimberly — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:39:32 +0000

wow! Its nice

By: Kwaku Kufuor

Kwaku Kufuor — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:14:12 +0000

If you are impressed by Frank’s work and versatility, you should take a look at Albert Watson’s work.

By: Josie Dvorken

Josie Dvorken — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:53:02 +0000

Frank W. Ockenfels 3 is photo budda!

By: evanesmen

evanesmen — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:13:10 +0000

he works too on the cover of “the open door” from Evanescence… amazing job!!!!!

By: Emily Ockenfels

Emily Ockenfels — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:48:16 +0000

As Franks sister I guess I am a bit bias but, He IS a genious!!!
I brag about him all the time!!!

By: Martha Retallick

Martha Retallick — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:07:06 +0000

I also plead guilty to being an emerging photographer. It’s been fun to return to something I considered doing as a career back in high school. A lot of life’s waters have flowed under the bridge since then, and I’m glad to be back!

And thanks for posting Frank’s portfolio. Very inspirational!

By: Brooks

Brooks — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 02:03:10 +0000

Wait. Why are we talking about Nadav Kander again?

Anyway, I’ve always been a big fan of Franks, so imagine my amazement when my wife called me a few years ago to tell me that one of the kids in her first grade class has a photographer for a dad. “His name is Frank Ocken…” “Oh my God! Frank Ockenfels?! Soon after that we met and I have to agree that he’s one of the nicest people I know. In one of our first conversations he told me to call him so I could come over to his house and talk shop and he also wanted to come see my studio. I was blown away.

By: Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:34:48 +0000

Massively improved website by Nadav Kander. The old (black background version) was virtually impossible to view. Like a bad video game, or trying to catch a moving thumbnail, similar to shooting those moving plastic ducks at the county fair. This new version clearly shows — the website design DOES matter.

By: Gunnar Mjaugedal

Gunnar Mjaugedal — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:23:42 +0000

wow, thanks for the link!

By: craig pulsifer

craig pulsifer — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:12:21 +0000

[Kander's web article written by Patrick Burgoyne, published Graphis Magazine, 2005; full text found in 'Selected Articles' link on http://www.nadavkander.com ]

By: craig pulsifer

craig pulsifer — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:03:42 +0000

In an article on Nadav Kander’s web site, NYTimes Magazine PE, Kathy Ryan says, “this kind of hugeness of vision, this willingness to embrace all kinds of photography. We’re in a time when photography is becoming increasingly specialised, whether that’s using large format or grainy black and white or whatever, but what I love is that [Kander] does a lot of things and that he does all of them well.”

Nice.

By: Roderick Trestrail

Roderick Trestrail — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:44:25 +0000

@19

When I said “emerging photographer” in my earlier post, I meant myself. Perhaps I posted a bit hastily. Also, I could not agree more with your comment about boredom coming from shooting the same stuff over and over.

By: todd huffman

todd huffman — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:53:11 +0000

#7: Mr. Ockenfels as you well know isn’t an emerging photographer. That comment is giving to emerging photographers to try to get them to focus on something in an effort to perfect it. I think it is fine to shoot many different things in different ways, it just looks weird when you send someone a portfolio with fashion/portraits/still life/architecture, etc. all in the same 30 images, unless it tells a specific story. We all get bored of shooting the same stuff though and find inspiration in shooting things that are a break from the regular. My favorite photographer that does it all and does it in an extremely refined way is Raymond Meier.

By: links for 2007-12-14 | TrentHead.Com

links for 2007-12-14 | TrentHead.Com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:29:16 +0000

[...] A Photo Editor - Frank W. Ockenfels 3 When I think about high level photographers who can shoot anything and are flexible and can problem solve on the fly, Frank (Frankie three sticks) comes to mind every time. (tags: photography portfolio) [...]

By: Pixgremlin

Pixgremlin — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:56:17 +0000

ihave no idea who this guy is, but i am highly impresses with his work!

By: Simon Winnall

Simon Winnall — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:32:22 +0000

Has APE ever worked with Nadav Kander? Love his work!

By: Jonathan Waiter

Jonathan Waiter — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:54:36 +0000

Frank is an alien. I don’t even believe he is human.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:35:50 +0000

Generalist does not mean generic, at least in this case…

By: Erica Chadwick

Erica Chadwick — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:34:25 +0000

wow- nice work.

By: Alan Farkas

Alan Farkas — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:08:29 +0000

@7 -APE said him/ herself, that even though Frank does everything well, APE still pigeon holed Frank on montages. As artists many shooters like to shoot many subjects, stills, people, fashion, whatever floats yer boat with a handful of styles & techniques. But as business people trying to create an awareness in buyers minds, unless you are a brand name, specialization will serve the majority of us well.

By: Chris Walters

Chris Walters — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:54:13 +0000

Very inspiring work. Thanks for sharing.

By: shutterbug

shutterbug — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:30:48 +0000

@8
I think that what would help you understand franks work more is to understand where his is coming from as a photographer. Throughout the 90’s Frank was one of the main goto guys for the record labels. And unlike the expectation that a photographer must have a singular style that is clearly defined and easily recognizable that is so pervasive in the editorial market, the labels really needed photographers that could deliver multiple looks and techniques so they could stretch out the use of a one day session for months. Single cover, publicity, concept art, poster shot. Working for the labels required you to be a “generalist” and expected you to experiment wildly and deliver lots of different looks. Thats not to say that frank doesnt have a distinctive style. He obviously has an amazing eye and is truly one of the greats of today.

By: anon

anon — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:04:03 +0000

but the most amazing “generalist”:
Nadav Kander

By: Sarah Underhill

Sarah Underhill — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:04:35 +0000

Love the website. How fun and creative! Thanks for sharing this…now I have yet, another bookmark.

By: Red

Red — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:46:27 +0000

His range is amazing, but by the same token I find it odd. Imagine a band that could play any kind of music… isn’t there just something inherently weird about that? I personally prefer bands that have a distinct sound…

By: Roderick Trestrail

Roderick Trestrail — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:16:34 +0000

In a time where everyone seems to be telling emerging photographers to narrow their vision down and specialize, specialize,
specialize; hell, even try to define their body of work in 10 pictures,
FWO3 is an amazing inspiration to take chances in many areas of photography and not just be content to [try to make] bank on
one look.

By: Todd Huffman

Todd Huffman — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:59:02 +0000

I think it is to encourage you to call his book in for a “real look”, because an image on a webpage can never compete with a print. Faster loads too.

By: andreas

andreas — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:32:27 +0000

Why do awesome photographers put such teeny weeny photographs on their website? Nice design, too bad about the small size of the imagery.

By: Jeff Singer

Jeff Singer — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:22:14 +0000

Frank will be doing a workshop at this years Palm Springs Photo Festival. Last year’s was a great time with not just a little debauchery thrown in. I’m looking forward to this year:
http://www.palmspringsphotofestival.com/blog/?page_id=157

Jeff

By: STONER

STONER — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:27:24 +0000

Ah, Mr. Ockenfels…I was fortunate enough to work indirectly with the man years ago on a week-long shoot in Mexico. We were the print shooters on a broadcast production that was being run in a less-than-efficient way. Basically, we were covering the two celebrities who were the subject of the TV special for print magazines and it’s a complete understatement to say that I was horribly out of my league.

I’m not a photographer, but there I was – fumbling over a borrowed, aging Nikon on the back of the production truck (long story), strapped into the safety harnesses beside Frank and his assistants. I found myself there because Frank was good enough to me to walk me through such a complicated shoot: car-to-car, on the fly, staying out of the motion picture cameraman’s shots, pulling me back as I cluelessly walked through a shot and extending a hand to pull me up on the shoot-truck’s platform as it pulled away.

Not only was I able to enjoy a sunset from the roof of the truck as we careened down narrow roads (central Mexico’s major highways) following the marks, but Frank hoisted me up there to squeeze off a few lame shots. When I said that I didn’t want to waste choice shot opportunities for him, he told me not to worry–that there was plenty of time to get more and he wanted me to experience as much as I could.

The point is, Frank is not only an amazingly talented photographer (if you get a chance to see the dog-eared journal he carries with him all the time, it’s a chance worth hard-earned cash), he’s a seasoned professional: confident in his talent to let someone like me get in his way (in this particular circumstance), willing to lend a hand–literally and figuratively, and leaving a trail of admiration and respect in his wake.

In my position, I’m fortunate enough to work with some great shooters and Frank Ockenfels III restores my faith in the craft and the craftsmen.

STONER