My training in still photography... was a thirty year career as a nationally recognized Director of Photography (DP.) Working on staff at NBC News, I was assigned to cover the 1976 presidential campaign of Gerald R. Ford, the first to be documented with video cameras. This quiet sea change in network news coverage was, in a real sense, the birth of “electronic journalism.”

In 1987 I left the network to pursue a freelance career, to broaden my range of expertise beyond photojournalism. Within the first year I developed a diverse national client base, mostly documentary, shooting major projects regularly for Frontline, 60 Minutes, PBS, ABC News’ Turning Point,  National Geographic, The History Channel... and I was being asked to DP commercial shoots for Johnson & Johnson, Apple Computer, and Ford.

The artistry and skill needed to work as a successful DP on a national level, are very much the same as those required to work on a similar level as a successful still photographer... the ability to do excellent work, quickly; the talent to visualize a shot that expresses the intended message, imbued with an esthetic that draws in the viewer; and, to be a driving force within the creative process.  I bring to still photography a reputation for decisiveness, exceptional lighting skills, and the visual artistry needed to bring to life that which is born a concept. For thirty years, filming in every genre... with expertise in all... I had my eye in a viewfinder. In 2003 when I realized that I had accomplished more than I thought possible in a field to which I had helped give birth... I sought a new medium in which to express my creativity. Creating images with digital SLRs was a seemingly natural transition... applying the same sensibilities, technical knowledge and artistry... only now I am crafting images that tell stories within a single frame.

The eye that is now in the finder of my Canon DSLRs, is the same eye that has created a considerable body of documentary and entertainment programs over the course of a thirty-year career.  Some of the honors I’ve received for those projects are two national EMMY Awards, The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, three local EMMY Awards, five NPPA second and third places, and commendations by the Overseas Press Club and The White House News Photographers Association.

jeff weinstock / 2009