All photographs © Jeffrey Hirsch

Pilatus, Switzerland

"Images from the Industry" is a feature in which we highlight the work and photography of a person who works in a photo-related field, but is not a full-time, professional photographer. If you know someone who is deserving of the spotlight, please contact us at editor@photoworkshop.com.

Although I have attended photography seminars and purchased photography supplies, at Foto Care, I had never spoken with one of its owners and President, Jeffrey Hirsch.  Recently, our mutual friend Jay Tanen, whom I interviewed last year, introduced us, and I got a chance to learn about Jeffrey’s own imagery and the work he does for other photographers.

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Robert Schaefer: Tell me about your background.  Where were you born and raised?  Were you involved with art when you were growing up?

Jeff Hirsch: I grew up in Freehold, New Jersey—a small town at the time, best know now as Bruce Springsteen’s hometown. But pre-Bruce, it was Small Town USA where one was known as so and so’s son or daughter.  It was a great place to grow up and explore, day or night, the life of a town and the farmlands that surround it. My family home bordered 400 acres of farmland, and today one of my childhood friends still works his family farm.

My interest in art is rooted in my exposure to painting and sculpture provided by my father. As a young teenager, my attempts at painting were awful, but I loved buying the paints and brushes. The tools seemed exciting; however, I was not able to successfully execute the task. Nevertheless, the idea of capturing and creating something became important to me.


RS: When did you become interested in photography?  Did you study it formally?

JH: In the mechanics of photography, I discovered a competitive streak and a desire to excel. Then I found an old adjustable camera that my mom had in college. It was a Kodak Vigilant 620 that used 620 film and had a fully adjustable shutter. Luckily, the local library had a sizable collection of photography books, both technical and artistic. I eagerly read nearly every book they had that involved the art of photography, and I photographed my family, our farm, birds, bugs and close-ups. All of this occurred before I was in the 7th grade. At that time, I received a film developing kit from my grandfather, and it was downhill after that because I was totally hooked.

Swiss Countryside from Train

An enlarger soon followed and the camera never left my side. My Dad and I build a darkroom together, and we both shared the thrill of making prints— black-and-white film ruled the roost.  During the time I was in high school, I bought a Nikon F and shot for the school newspaper, as well as a few private jobs. I discovered that I could make money doing something I loved and which I was confident doing. I photographed the local winos as well as my friends at play.


RS: Was there a teacher who was important in your development?

JH: During the summer of my third year of college, my mom gave me an advertisement she had cut out of in the New York Times for a photo workshop that was opening in a nearby town put on by a former Life Magazine photographer. I had never heard of him, but my dream was to become a photographer for Life, so I took a ride that changed my life. I met Bernard Hoffman and his wife Inez. Bernie was one of the original four Life photographers, and he was eager to share his experiences as well as listen to me discuss the stories behind the 20 prints I had brought along. They treated me like a grandson. Soon afterward, I decided that I would become a professional photographer. In my junior year at Boston University, I chose journalism as my major with a minor in art.

Next, I met Lee Lockwood, who is an important journalist and photographer. He taught me for two semesters, and thereafter, I became his full-time assistant. Lee taught me what it takes to be a competent professional photographer. The most important thing was to be consistent. Clients don’t like the unexpected unless they’re hiring you to create surprises.

Giaconda

RS: Which photographers or other artists have been particularly inspirational to you in your imagery?

JH: Lee Friedlander, Andre Kertesz, Atget, Mary Ellen Mark, Bruce Davidson, Gilles Peress, and Robert Frank.


RS: Did you become interested in working in the equipment branch of photography as a result of your previous involvement with photography?  

JH: I grew up in a retail family. Very early in life I learned at the feet of my father and grandfather how important good service is, but the work hours are long. I loved my family, but wanted nothing to do with the family business. After college I found myself drafted into the business because it was failing. Eventually, it closed in 1977, and I found that I had to make a living from my chosen path. In early 1980, the owner of the photo store where I shopped asked if I would be interested in working on Saturdays. This soon turned into a full-time job. I continued to shoot professionally, but after a few years passed, I found that I enjoyed the daily contact with people who loved to make photographs, and I had a chance to share my understanding of the craft of photography.   
 

Streetlamp, Hoboken, New Jersey

RS: How has your work for Foto Care affected your own photography?  

JH: I have less time to make photographs, but I traded that for my chance to help and learn from some of the greatest photographers in the world. I have the ability to make a difference in the lives of image-makers who are new and trying to make a difference in the world.


RS: What have been some of your most memorable moments in photography?

JH: I fondly remember driving Jimmy Carter to his hotel in New York City after spending a day photographing fundraisers with him in New Jersey in the summer of 1976 and wondering how this mild-mannered guy could become the next President. Everyday at Foto Care is memorable—especially the friendships that never would have happened had I not decided to work there.


RS: Where do you see the future of photography going?
 
JH: More of the same. More mega-pixels, faster shooting, lower noise and on and on. Unless engineers can make something better, faster, and smaller, they are out of a job. Don’t count on that. Cameras are no longer designed to be a standard for ten or more years.  

Mary Ellen Mark & Chuck Kelton

RS: What does the future hold for your own work?
 
JH: More free time to photograph and support the efforts of photographers  attempting to make a difference in the lives of others. This is the 40th Anniversary of Foto Care, the roots of which go back to 1963 when Norbert Kleber opened the Underground Gallery as a photography gallery.  He came to New York from Switzerland and worked as a distributor of Swiss products, such as Bolez movie cameras and Sinar large-format cameras.  In 1968 Norbert opened Foto Care as a retail business that catered to the needs of professional photographers, and in 1990, he sold it to investors who asked me to manage it with the opportunity of buying it from them.  I am now the President and owner of Foto Care, which strives to deliver the best products and service to professional photographers.  We try to help professionals, amateurs, students, artists and a movie star or two achieve what they dream about creating with their cameras and lights.


Jeffrey can be contacted at: jeffh@fotocare.com

Check out Foto Care at: http://www.fotocare.com

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Robert A. Schaefer, Jr. is a founding member of Photoworkshop.com, and has been a photographer for over 30 years. His work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York as well as the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris, France.  Most recently he had a one-person exhibition (November 10, 2007 to January 8, 2008) at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama. This work is a body of documentary images of a farmer in North Alabama where Schaefer grew up. He writes about photography for Double Exposure and The Photo Review in Pennsylvania.  He teaches photography in the Department of Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University. His work is represented by the Domeischel Gallery, Ltd. in New York City and the DeFrog Gallery in Houston,Texas.
 
Robert can be contacted at rasjrpro@earthlink.net  and www.schaeferphoto.com

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