Q&A with People I Work With-Alan Barnett-NYC Photographer

At the time of this writing, we are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and many people are out of work. I want to reflect on what work means to us in our community. I will feature people I’ve had the pleasure to worked with and hopefully continue to do so soon. Either, I’ve been able to bring them in on projects as additional support or visa versa they were able to return the favor.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Alan Barnett, a NYC photographer through a mutual client. He always has a smile on his face, a true professional, and produces fantastic work. He does a wide variety of photography on-location with clients. In addition, he runs a studio in Chelsea, Manhattan, which is perfect and convenient for artistic shoots and corporate headshots.

She reached into a body bag, pulled out a lung, inspected it, and nodded in approval, saying to herself, “Yeah, this will work.”

Where are you from? What was it like growing up there?

My hometown is Union, New Jersey, about 25 miles outside New York City. I grew up in a classic 1970s-1980s suburban environment with devoted, hardworking parents and two brothers. As an artistic personality, it was difficult growing up in a school system that focused more on academics and sports, but I did well academically and was on a path toward a career in science or medicine. When I entered college, I saw that there were more options than that and chose communications as my major. That helped to lead me to more artistic pursuits.

How did you get started in the photography business?

I’ve run my own graphic design business since 1992. About 14 years ago, I took up photography as a hobby. The leap to professional photography was mostly a matter of investing in equipment and mastering the technical aspects, as I was already an expert at composition and had lots of experience art directing other photographers. I began offering photography to my current clients, mostly shooting events, and I used the experience to branch out into other fields including portraiture and interiors.

What type of photography work do you do? What kind of people have you worked with?

I’ll photograph anything, but my business primarily focuses on events, portraits, and residential and commercial interiors. With a more general focus, I’ve worked with all kinds of people, corporations, and nonprofits.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I most enjoy the interaction and collaboration with my clients and the trust they put in me to let my creative vision speak for them. 

Describe a project you are proud of? What was fun or challenging about it? How long did it take?

One of the highlights of my year, and an ongoing pro bono project, is that every September I spend three days photographing BRAKING AIDS Ride, a 300-mile fundraising bike ride from Cooperstown, New York, to New York City to benefit Housing Works. It’s the most challenging event photography I do. Rather than taking place in an event space or other stationery, indoor venue, I travel along with about 100 riders photographing them at rest stops, from the road while riding, and alongside them from a moving car, whether out the passenger window, the sunroof, or harnessed into the open hatchback. My photos are used to promote the next year’s ride, and they’re available for the enjoyment of the riders.

Do you have a career highlight? Do you have an interesting work story you like to share?

I was hired to photograph various activities of an extracurricular program for a major medical school. One of them was anatomical drawing, and the models were cadavers. I arrived before the class so the instructor could introduce me to the laboratory as a test to see if I could handle it. Luckily I could. As we were chatting, she was looking for a subject to work on with her students. She reached into a body bag, pulled out a lung, inspected it, and nodded in approval, saying to herself, “Yeah, this will work.”

What are you doing to stay productive during the pandemic? Do you have projects you are working on?

I’m taking long walks around the city with my camera (avoiding contact with others and wearing a face covering, of course). I’ve never done much street photography, and it feels good to get out of my comfort zone and shoot in a different way from my normal professional work. And since I’m used to photographing people, it’s a great exercise to try to make art out of this situation that doesn’t include many of them. At home, I’m recommitting to a meditation practice that I lost track of and reconnecting with my love of cooking which I let lapse. I can’t wait to share my creations with my friends and family when life returns to normal. 

What advice would you give to people wanting to work with you?

Work with a photographer whose portfolio you admire, but as important, a photographer you respect and get along with. I see photography as collaboration between photographer and client, and a good relationship leads to much better photos. Make sure your photographer is as experienced and ethical a businessperson as they are an artist. A person like that is better able to solve problems, charge fairly, and do the right thing if things go wrong.

Any final thoughts?

There’s no telling when or how we’re going to recover from the current pandemic, either economically or socially. With small businesses as the foundation of our economy, I hope we can commit to patronizing each other as soon as possible and climb out of the hole we’re in together.