Red River Pros: Joseph Victor Stefanchik

JVS is a stills+motion photographer whose images have been published worldwide. He was named a Pulitzer Prize Finalist and received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for International Photojournalism. He now specializes in documentary weddings and portraits. Always an innovator, his studio offers moving portraits that use high-definition audio and video as an enhancement to client sessions.

The Client

Private portrait commission.

The Assignment

Photograph six young ladies celebrating a surprise Sweet 16 birthday trip to Paris, France.

The Execution

"My goal was to capture six best friends, looking great in front of the Eiffel Tower, in one frame. Moments after booking this shoot, I pulled out my sketch pad (it's always on me) and sketched this exact frame. Six girls, each with their own off-camera light source posing in front the Eiffel Tower at night."

"This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II using a 24-105mm f/4 IS lens, six Canon 580EX II Speedlites, one Canon ST-E2 transmitter (to fire the strobes). The camera was on a Gitzo tripod with a BH-55 ball head from Really Right Stuff The final exposure was 1/8th sec., f/6.3 at ISO 1000."

Post Production

The RAW Canon .CR2 file was converted to a 16bit TIFF in Capture One Pro 4. The file was enhanced in Photoshop CS4 with "Cinnamon Toast" and "Oh, Snap!" part of the Totally Rad Action set.

The Output

"I have an entire rolling rack full of Red River Papers at my studio and for this particular image I chose LuxArt Satin Rag, one of the sexiest inkjet papers in existence. LuxArt Satin has a unique textured surface that reproduces high contrast and deep saturation beautifully!"

Contact

JVS' web site is at: jvspictures.com. He can be emailed at: [email protected]

Favorite Papers

UltraPro Satin

UltraPro Satin looks and feels just like traditional photo lab paper and features a medium depth luster finish.

Favorite Of: Jim DiVitale & Peter Randall

River Linen

River Linen adds a special dimension to your printed image with its premium quality linen surface paper.

Favorite Of: JVS & Helene Glassman

Aurora Art

Made using fine 100% cotton rag content, Aurora Art White and Aurora Art Natural offers the look and feel of fine art paper.

Favorite of: Marilyn Sholin, Matt Hoyle, Susan McCartney, & Kaitlin Walsh

Arctic Polar Satin

With its crisp blue white shade, Arctic Polar Satin ensures your images will project more brilliance. Its state of the art microporous coating will enhance details and color saturation.

Favorite of: Al Francekevich & Susan McCartney

UltraPro Gloss

Sets the bar for top quality high glossy photo paper.