Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Ishman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a commercial and Fine Art photographer doing work for both editorial and advertising clients as well as showing both traditional and narrative projects in the city. I assisted for about 20 years in NYC, Atlanta, London and Chicago. I lived in Chicago for a little over a year coming back from New Zealand but I was born in New Haven Connecticut and grew up in Cerritos California.
I went to school in Atlanta, Morehouse College and The Art Institute of Atlanta and was lucky enough to have assisted everyone from Arnold Newman to Brigette Lacombe and so many in between. I have been making positive strides with my work since being in Chicago again working with my clients and being on the Board for Filter Photo Festival.
I’m moving in a very related path now directing and creating a reel that directly reflects my still work and have been sought out creatively for my concepts in relation to the final objective whether commercial or fine art collaboration. The focus of my work deals in portraiture and the individual or relationship among those in front of my lens without slighting the technical expertise necessary to make a shot happen whether the budget is high or low.
I feel very grateful to because of my assisting to have great production teams on both coasts as well as overseas and I have been lucky to work with celebrities some whom I still maintain friendships with beyond the camera. My work is my life and I’m lucky enough to have all the essentials needed to survive engrained in me so as to truly be able to express myself and my client when behind the camera.
Anything else just ask, from being a child actor to my study and practice in Martial Arts and meditation I’m an open book.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Even though I made great money assisting money has always been a struggle in the early years as I was shooting film and then making the transition to digital.
People don’t realize, beyond the equipment which rivals the purchase of my own MRI machine the work you start creating for your book which is only good for a short amount of time starts to build up in cost and all this on top of living expenses can take a toll on a person unless you have family help.
When people ask me as a commercial photographer do I miss film I say NO. It’s because of digital that we now have this diversity in talent making great images today.
Please tell us about ISH.
Portrait/Lifestyle – I’m proud of everything I do or else I wouldn’t do it. What sets me apart is that I embrace my feminine side. Having been raised by my mom and grandmother I have no problem oversharing with a subject or understanding what they perceive to be insecure about and then trying to help them overcome those issues while behind the camera.
Sometimes we all must rush to get a shot done and there is nothing to do about that but I always try to stretch that time out as much as possible because as your relationship and conversation grow with your subject so do your images. As you get better at the dialogue the quicker you get your shot!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had the best friends growing up and yes we all had drama but every memory good or bad I would classify as a favorite memory only to be overwritten by my next thought about those relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.frankishman.com
- Phone: 917-204-1777
- Email: frank@frankishman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankishman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frankishman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Frankishman
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankishman/
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