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Readers' Showcase: Gene Smirnov

Published Sep 5, 2015 | Allison Johnson

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Readers' Showcase: Gene Smirnov

Ryan Ashley Malarkey for Inked magazine, 2015. Photo and caption by Gene Smirnov

Gene Smirnov is a regular DPR reader and a working photographer based in Philadelphia. As a music photographer he's photographed over 300 bands, and now mainly shoots portraits for magazines. He's got years of professional experience under his belt, but it all began with a Nikon FM10 and a portrait gig for his college newspaper. See his work and learn more about him in our Q+A.

Tags: photography, readers-showcase

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Comments

Total comments: 48

Another interesting story of a street boy becoming a top photographer; truly inspirational:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34090145

0 upvotes

Thumbs down!

This DPR post is about Gene Smirnov. No need to steal his thunder and post a link to a different photographer. Uncalled for imo.

0 upvotes

Of course you are entitled to your opinion.
My fault is that I did not explain myself in the original post.
I put it here out of compassion. I was touched by this young man's story.
It does not steal Gene's showcase in anyway.
Gene's has been there for 3 days before I posted the link, and most likely all the regular DPR readers have viewed it.
I also waited for the comments to trickle down to almost zero.
Gene is well-published, and his showcase is more popular than I (or you) can steal it.
I was also hoping that DPR would pay attention to this young man's case, and perhaps give him a chance at showcasing his work.
Thanks for pointing that out so I could explain better.

1 upvote

great set and mix of images.

0 upvotes

+ for not another landscape photographer
- strange mix of different genres

1 upvote

> strange mix of different genres

Hmmm... That's actually a positive in my book.

4 upvotes

@ Martinka
I'd rather see a "strange mix" than the boring same old same old photos I see everyday on photo sharing sites.

@ vadims
+1

0 upvotes

It's nice to see DPR posting Reader's Showcase that's not just more landscapes or inanimate objects. Subjects that can emote, have body language, and create a sense of narrative is far more interesting to me.

2 upvotes

Inspirational. love it

0 upvotes

Liking #8 a lot. Great work!

0 upvotes

nice not to see the usual long-exposure-landscape-shots, the popsicle shot is great !

1 upvote

Some great shots in there - number 5 really stands out for me because the photo has real depth and captures a lovely moment.

2 upvotes

Excellent work.

0 upvotes

I like the ice lolly... My kind of shot :)

1 upvote

Beautiful work Gene! I also shoot a fair of amount of bands and artists and I like your approach with lots of energy, life and vitality that I dig.

1 upvote

Excellent photo series, im not a fan of portrait and people photography but photo #2 is an Excellent and very unique photo

How often do you use flashes for your music/band photography and street photography?... In my case, i dont like using flashes even when im shooting macro

0 upvotes

A diverse range of subjects, and all well executed.....This photographer oozes serious talent, well done!

0 upvotes

Another great artist and photographer.
Another proof that great work do not need to push the 6 stops for the shadow.

Comment edited 19 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

#2 looks like a movie poster.

FANTASTIC.

Thank you for sharing.

5 upvotes

I think these are awful rubbish😴

14 upvotes

No, I'm pretty sure you didn't think, you just typed and posted and then got back to a busy day of losing at Candy Crush.

12 upvotes

You've got bad taste then

4 upvotes

Everybody's tastes are different. Most of these photos are a bit 'artsy' and some people can't appreciate such photos. My mom saw the band photo with them in silhouette and she was like oh you can't see their faces.

Look at landscape photographers or people photographers. You will see more comments on such photos as people are drawn to colorful sharp photos.

These photos however require a certain mindset to appreciate. I do but a lot of people don't.

3 upvotes

I wouldn't say rubbish, but nothing really impresses. A kind of art that some find interesting, some don't.

0 upvotes

Yup, the usual self-indulgent rubbish DPR post here as an excuse for excellence. I wouldn't dream of posting stuff like this, it's too poor

Comment edited 19 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Not rubbish but nothing special at all. Not inspiring one bit. Taste...

0 upvotes

Thank you for the feedback everyone! I'm happy to answer questions if you have any.

3 upvotes

Was 5 (Ex Hex) perfectly choreographed or just a lucky snap while heading to the planned location? Strong picture either way.

0 upvotes

Thank you. This was a moment in between setups where you find everyone being the most themselves. You can see more shots from that day here:
http://www.genesmirnov.com/EX-HEX/1/caption

0 upvotes

Some interesting work there! How was #2 created? Thanks!

Comment edited 15 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Thanks. I'd like to hear your theory.

0 upvotes

some nice work here. especially #8

0 upvotes

I love 2, 8, and 10. They are creative and unique (esp 2). 1 & 9 are well executed. 3 is odd. 4 is rather mediocre. 7 (busy) and 12 (nothing special; a bit distant) are not so good.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I like picture#1.

0 upvotes

Great work very creative.

1 upvote

Very good stuff!! Very creative. I liked them all

0 upvotes

Very fine work I'd say... A number of the photos have a very casual quality, with some elements out of focus, not 100% sharp, etc but this doesn't diminish their power. I believe that sometimes photos can be less than perfect technically and still be very strong images. In fact sometimes it's this technically imperfect, on-the-run quality that can give a particular image immediacy... which I believe is the case here. This might be a minority view here on DPR where sometimes it seems that technical perfection is valued above all else...

This portfolio for me has far more energy and originality... is far more compelling than so many others portfolios I see that are very technically perfect but full of really static, rather obviously composed landscape vista type shots

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 8 minutes after posting

7 upvotes

Enjoyed them but isn't no. 5 backfocussing?

0 upvotes

Thanks. The girl in the back is in focus, but there is some motion blur and you can't really see it in a small file.

3 upvotes

Suggestion:
Why would you not publish two (2) SHOWCASE per weekend, one fir Saturday one for Sunday?

0 upvotes

I really think that would be an Excellent idea...so many great and talented photographers around the world. I never get tired looking these type of showcase, no matter what type of photography is been represented. It shows a refresh and something different for a site that is more oriented to technology and gear like dpreview

0 upvotes

Interesting eclectic group of photos.

4 upvotes

I think it is a mixed bag. For some, you just need some interesting friends and some props. But, e.g. 3, 8, 10 and 12 are not bad at all IMHO.

0 upvotes

Some really great images there.

0 upvotes

I like the freedom popsicle best.

1 upvote

#2 and #10. Fantastic.

3 upvotes

Love the last one.

0 upvotes

Great work!

1 upvote

Total comments: 48

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