Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Benjamin Parks has lived in Tokyo since 2005, working as a photographer and more recently doing video production as well. He specializes in story-telling: expressing the story of each individual he photographs, and the stories of companies.
He has vast experience with the many facets of photo and video shoots, including scouting locations, casting, doing conference calls with clients and talent, handling logistics, setting up, shooting, and editing the final photos in Photoshop or the video footage in Final Cut. He is equally at home photographing a baseball player, fashion model or a famous CEO.
略歴
カナダはモントリオールのドーソン大学の写真部を卒業後、2005年に東京に移住さまざまなジャンル の商業写真の撮影を手がける。企業経営者のポートレイトや大手企業の広告写真から、静物まで、多岐にわたる才能を示す。東京での三度 の個展を始め、日本や諸外国での雑誌や出版物への掲載多数。
Partial Client List:
- IKEA
- PayPal
- MetLife
- Casio
- DHL
- MetLife
- Brown Brothers Harriman
- Meiji University
- Rakuten
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Economist
Phone: 090-6006-5432
Email: info@benjaminparks.com
Q&A
What kind of photography do you provide?
My typical client is a large corporation that needs one of the following: executive portraits, video interviews, or images for an advertising campaign. I specialize in people – interacting with them, getting great poses, expressions, lighting, in a way that captures their identity and also promotes the brand identity of the company they work for.
How long do sessions last?
My many encounters with famous people – from Tokyo Governor Koike-San to the Dalai Lama – have taught me to work quickly when necessary. Depending on the shoot, the time required could range from ten minutes to ten hours.
What factors influence the fee?
Time spent shooting, preparing, traveling, and editing are all obvious factors. Another one is ‘creative complexity’ – how much art direction and planning is required from my side. And a further consideration is usage – where, how, and for how long the images will be used by the client.
What kind of editing/retouching is possible?
I have worked on many types of projects, some involving a more raw, simple editing style, and others involving more complicated and detailed retouching. On the video end, I have a great deal of experience editing various types of corporate and advertising videos, sometimes under intense time pressure.
Do you work with partners?
Although I typically work alone, it’s not uncommon for me to work with makeup artists, hair stylists, clothing stylists, and a wide variety of video assistants (sound technicians, camera people, producers, etc.).
Can you assist with logistics, for more complex shoots?
Numerous times, I have handled the logistics of a shoot – procuring models, arranging locations, preparing an itinerary, and so forth. In cases where the logistics are too complex for me to handle, I work with partners who are specialists in this area.
What language are shoots conducted in?
My Japanese speaking ability is intermediate-level, meaning that I’m perfectly comfortable doing an entire shoot in Japanese, and communicating with a model, instructing them on how to pose, etc. in Japanese. As an English-speaking Canadian, I’m obviously best at this language.