WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD

What Makes You Feel Good Family man and commercial photographer, Josh Letchworth, talks with us about shooting your passion and combining film with Replichrome to "shoot what makes you feel good." Read on to learn more about Josh's work.

Tell us about yourself, both personally and professionally. How long have you been making photos? How did you get started?

Forty-one. Married. 3 kids. Love the outdoors, fishing, surfing and doing yoga. Learned on film. Still shoot film. Love film. But like many of us…I’ve adapted to the digital age. My goal was always to find a way to combine my passions with what my profession. I took b/w photography as an art elective in college, fell in love… here I am 20 years later. I started to shooting a lot of editorial water sports and made my way into the commercial world .

What are your favorite subjects to photograph? What types of images are you drawn to?

I love capturing people doing the things they love. I enjoy finding those moments when they forget the camera is there and they are truly in the moment. And sometimes nature is my favorite subject.

You shoot a lot of advertising work. Can you tell us how you approach these shoots and how you make great images for your clients while remaining consistent to your own unique style?

I’ve always carried the same energy into my commercial work that I have had with my personal work for the past 20 years… I like shooting real moments. I like seeing people love what they do…then there is not much directing. Sometimes the more you put your hand in something, the less authentic it feels. I remind myself to let things happen. I’ve always felt that your style will stay consistent as long as you follow your instincts and shoot what makes you feel good. And if you’re doing that, then you’re doing what the client has hired you for.

The images you’ve shared with us are edited using Replichrome. Can you walk us through your approach to post-processing?

Yes, they were. I was super happy to have found Replichrome. As a film shooter growing up, I’ve definitely spent my time trying to replicate that look with LR styles. Replichrome is provides a great starting point with many directions to take it in. My post processing style is pretty “light” I’d say. Since my style represents words like authentic, raw and gritty I’ve always made it a point to keep my images looking the same way. I start by finding a look that best represents how it felt the day I shot the image…was cool, dark and moody or was it bright, airy and warm? I have quite a few presets that I’ve developed over the years, so many times I’ll start with one of those that feels like a match and then make adjustments from there. Some days i just don’t want the colors to shift that much. There really is an interesting art to the post process and I’ve always treated it the same way as my photography…a solid dose of instinct and what feels right in that moment.