Introduced to photography by his stepfather, photo journalist Flip Schulke, photographer Joe Toreno was born in Miami and presently resides in Los Angeles. He moved to Los Angeles in 1999 where he spent a year working as an assistant to some great photographers and realized that he was a much better photographer than an assistant. Soon he was getting his own assignments for magazines like Wired, Time and Spin; these days he continues to work for magazines, as well as some ad agencies, TV networks and record companies. His work has been featured in American Photography, PDN and Communication Arts. He lives in Los Angeles with his fiancée, Brook, and his two dogs, George and Capone.
07.28.09
Showing People How They Really Are
If you have a degree in what field is it? I have BFA in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology (I actually had to go look for my diploma to check that).
What was your strangest assignment? I was hired by Rolling Stone to shoot three different porn sets in one day. I learned that listening to eight hours of constant moaning can drive you a little insane.
Which photographer would you like to meet? The people that really inspire me visually actually tend to be filmmakers. I think I would give my left arm to spend the day with David Lynch.
What famous person (living or dead) would you most like to photograph? Probably Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco. I think he’s one of the most important musicians around today.
Aside from your camera and lighting, what item could you not work without? My mustache. It’s a great conversation starter.
Is there anything you would not digitally retouch? I really try not to fix “flaws” in people. As a portrait photographer, I like the idea of showing people how they really are, not over-stylized or retouched; I’m not a big fan of that airbrushed look, where some actress has no wrinkles but she’s 65-years-old. I know it’s required sometimes but I try to avoid it as much as possible.
From where do your best ideas originate? I’m a big observer. I’m constantly looking around for gestures, interactions, locations or situations that I might be able to incorporate later into a photo. Sometimes I’ll take notes in my phone.
How do you overcome a creative block? Walking my dogs seems to help me when I’m having trouble thinking of ideas... it also keeps my dogs from getting fat. It’s a win-win.
Do you have creative pursuits other than photography? It might not sound like a creative pursuit but I’m obsessed with tournament poker. I play two or three times a week. People get caught up in the gambling aspect of it so they don’t realize what a complex game it is. It’s a fascinating psychological mind game, a lot like chess.
What music are you listening to right now? Fleet Foxes are on repeat right now.
What’s your approach to balancing work and life? If I’m working I’m happy.
What’s your favorite quote? “Genius might be the ability to say a profound thing in a simple way.” —Charles Bukowski
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? All of the successful photographers I know have one thing in common—they live and breathe photography. I think making it as a professional photographer means being completely obsessed with it. It can’t just be a hobby or a cool job you would like to do, it has to be the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about when you go to bed. I don’t just love my job, I don’t think I could be happy doing anything else.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I wish I’d gotten a loan and bought all of my equipment right when I started out. I own everything now but over the last eight years I’ve probably given the rental house half a million dollars. If I’d been smarter in the beginning all of that (money) would be mine.