Kesler Tran is a photographer based out of Los Angeles and New York specializing in fashion, editorial and beauty. Of the three, one will probably find his beauty work resonating the strongest; it teems from every pore of his images. His eye for light and shape, as complex and trained as it is, seems effortless when one browses through the images on his tumblr. With the sheer amount of content, it's also hard to imagine him ever taking a break. Thankfully, he took one for us.
Can you tell us about yourself and your photographic background? I've been shooting for about five years now.
What got you started in photography? Nothing really, I just bought a really expensive camera. I started shooting import models (like most Asian photographers), then eventually here I am :)
What kind of gear would we find in your bag? My 5D, speed light, Elan 7, 5-10 rolls of film. Thats my standard.
Do you prefer strobes or natural light if so what kind? I prefer natural light, no reflectors or anything.
Where do you find the majority of your inspiration (both inside and outside of photography)? I visit a lot of blogs, social media, etc, etc.
What is your mental checklist before a shoot? Bring bug spray.
What is your thought process for location scouting? When shooting studio, how do you approach it differently? I don't really have a process for scouting, I just go. Studio requires a more "creative" approach - mainly because it gets old quick. You always have to think of new ways to shoot something.
What is your favorite subject to shoot? Female models.
What is your favorite thing to shoot for yourself? Editorials with a full team. It's rare, but I would like to shoot more FASHION :)
What do you do on your down time? I'm an avid knife collector, shopaholic and play a lot of video games.
What has been your most memorable moment in your career so far and what was your breakthrough image? Hmm, there are many. I would say, either the helicopter shoot for Treats! magazine early this year, the mud shoot a few months back, or the Yacht shoot last year - mainly because they are concepts that I've always wanted to do.
How spontaneous is the process for you? Do you do a tremendous amount of pre-planning or prefer feel it out on the day? I'm pretty spontaneous, and it scares a lot of people who are used to the planning process. Obviously this is not something I would consider "normal." I do, however, try to plan things out as much as possible, but shit happens.
Can you explain the expressions or emotions that you are looking to capture or present in your images? I prefer emotions that are translated through the photo instead of model "expression." This greatly relies on my ability as a photographer than the models ability to "move" and allows me to work with a lot of less experienced models.
How important of a role does post production play in your work? Postproduction is part of my job, although I shoot a lot of film which still requires postproduction (scanning, adjusting and color correcting). Aside from color toning and blemish removal here and there, I try to do as little as possible. I want my photos to look as natural as possible.
What is the one thing you wish you had more of in your work? Fashion. I'm so picky about wardrobe and styling in general. I think this is because when I look at high-end fashion editorials for inspiration, I can't easily accept lessor concepts.
What is the one thing you wish you had less of? Free time. With too much free time, I tend to overspend on things I don't need… i.e $1500 knives, $2000 jackets, $500 shoes, etc.
What defines the decisive moment of your photographs? When I capture a shot that expresses beauty, timelessness, joy, sorrow... something that makes people stop and think.
View more of Kesler Tran's work on his website. Follow him on Tumblr.
lol yes Miguel Antonio,
DeathNTexas is the ultimate GWC + P guy with camera plus photoshop, so he can now and then photoshop faux camera flair over naughty bits and call it "high hipster art." lol.
The subprime, student-debt fueled, soulless "professor" states that just as long as one gets a model to sign a release from, it is then moral and good for the tumblr billionaires to profit off her boobies for all of eternity, without ever anyone paying her a penny.
That is what he is teaching his students as he places them in massive, unprecedented debt, gleefully ejaculating his pop-psy sexual sermons in their faces each and every class.
the faux-photographer "hipster professor" calls his class "Fashion/editorial/art/beauty/business 101."
"business" with no profit nor compensation.
"fashion" with no clothes.
"editorial" with no editors/fashion tear sheets/clothes/fashion magazines.
"beauty" with no sense of the sublime but oh so many bootiful boobies in mud and what not to boot.
"art" because, well, you know, since there are billions of boobies on tumblr run through hipstagrammed filters just like this, well, that make it art of the highest order. you too can join the "artistic" renaissance soon, by buying the DVD for $199!
seems this is the standard fstoppers GWC+P business model. guy with camera + photoshop which is, long story short, a front for showing and seeing boobies while profiting off of teaching everyone to upload boobies/naughty bits for free to tumblr/blogs, without compensation, as "it is the right hipster thing to do! and fstoppers will give you a shout out for your service to the greater good of all higher clothes-free, editorial-free, compensation-free, art-free "fashion/editorial/beuaty/art" run through all the proper presets we sell here for $199, as Real Artists Use Hipstagram Presets so as to achieve that blown-out hipstagram look, which always leaves one guessing what they're hiding/masking, as after all, they are showing the boobies. lol
"Yeah you have, because one person's experience is not the same as everyone else in the world". EXACTLY! So just because some photogs dont pay their models, doesn't mean Kesler Tran doesn't. You have to make assumptions, and its not fair to criticize him because of your unfounded assumptions.
and this guy.. going on about logic... psh. Im pretty sure assumptions without evidence isn't a principle of logic.
You've been agreeing with stacy this whole time, and her statements are based precisely off these assumptions. But fine then, what exactly is your problem with his work then? Illuminate the situation with your problems with Trans work since its apparently not what Stacy has been rambling on about this whole thread.
I said its not fair to criticize his work *because of unfounded assumptions*. Thats not the same as saying "its not fair to criticize his work", just that your criticisms better have some backing to them, mr. logic.
josh, tell us please. how much do models generally get paid for TFP shoots for tumblr? is it around victoria secret campaign numbers?
Are you afraid you got ripped off. How much did you get paid?
Im not conjecturing anything. I didnt say a brand or magazine sponsored any of his work. I am acknowledging that we dont know, so any criticisms based on this lack of knowledge unfounded. I believe the key words were *may or *MAY NOT.
No i dont think you can label something not art without acknowledging some form of definition. (This is also a principle of logic, surprised you didnt know this one since your such a pro). Thats different though from saying this work sucks, thats would be a 100% subjective *opinion*. Nothing wrong with that, so long as we acknowledge it as a non-definitive opinion.
hey josh,
how many major brands/fashion magazines sponsor work and pay for it and then allow said work to be uploaded to tumblr/fstoppers with no logo nor citation? what--do you think these are all outtakes from victoria secret catalogues where they're modeling the new invisible lingerie line? or do you think they're all playboy models, and playboy said, "yeah take the playboy logo off and upload them to tumblr--have at it!"
obviously you have never shot an editorial nor campaign nor ad for a magazine nor fashion campaign nor brand, and thus are right at home here at fstoppers. hell, you could be president! :)
Factice comes to mind. And a lot of indie mags operate on a submission based model from photographers. Although I'd guess you wouldn't consider them fashion either, on account of all the boobies. Plus a lot of the more indie magazines themselves are pretty active on tumblr. Its just changes going on in the industry. Theres more to it than big names like vogue and victorias secret.
oh yeah! Factice and all those indie mags posting on tumblr are raking it in due to the fact that they can't sell any subscriptions nor adevrtising on tumbler! the indie magazine probably paid the models tens of thousands of dollars for tumblr photos which they can't even sell advertising around and which they give for free! problem solved! you probably got a finders fee too, so you can buy the next fstoppers DVD! The next Fstoppers DVD: "The Art of the Boobshot: the hipstergram approach to clothes-free/fashion-free/magazine-free,TFP, compensation-free tumblr-bound "fashion editorials." "
Dearie, Only exclusives require logos and permission from the magazine. Try to avoid exclusives. They cost you money.
Dont_Be_A_Dickie
How many major brands/magazines allow you to post copyrighted work for hire they commission without any citation? lol Dont_Be_A_Dickie, i have a DVD to sell you:
The next Fstoppers DVD: "The Art of the Boobshot: the hipstergram approach to clothes-free/fashion-free/magazine-free, tumblr-bound "fashion editorials." "
Act now and receive it for $199!
"fashion" with no clothes.
"editorial" with no editors/fashion tear sheets/clothes/fashion magazines.
"beauty" with no sense of the sublime but oh so many bootiful boobies in mud and what not to boot.
"art" because, well, you know, since there are billions of boobies on tumblr run through hipstagrammed filters just like this, well, that make it art of the highest order. you too can join the "artistic" renaissance soon, by buying the DVD for $199!
"business" because others profit off your boobies without you getting a penny
Yes! Finally JensenB!
What are they thinking? I mean we can see the photos! We see boobies and butts and butts and boobies (T&A as Jensen states) until the cows come home, and very little or no fashion/clothes/editorials!
The models they shoot are not famous, nor well-known names. They are not in Vogue nor in Victoria Secret catalogues. I don't think they are even in Nylon. Some are lying in mud and showing their boobies/butts, and one must wonder, how much were they paid for this and by whom? Vogue? Victoria Secret's invisible lingerlie line?
You don't see Kate Upton doing this for tumblr/fstopper-bound shots, hoping to be "found" by fashion editors/directors.
What I think all this is about is they're laying groundwork for the next Fstoppers DVD which will be shot by Chris Knight and feature "fashion/editorial/beauty" photographers Lucima/Kesler Tran, titled: "The Art of the Boobshot: the hipstergram approach to clothes-free/fashion-free/magazine-free/compensation-free-TFP, tumblr-bound "fashion editorials." "
TF is wrong with you people?
Wow!!! What a huge circle jerk of irrelevant opinions.
Sorry, don't do workshops, DVD's or forums(a FB friend put me on to this nonsense and I couldn't resist) And this thread is why.
Put up or shut up time, Post a link to your work. Show us all what "real" art looks like.
Tredgg... websites put up comment areas for readers to comment. Don't be surprised when they do. As for theirs being irrelevant opinions... says who? Says you? What makes your opinion of theirs anymore valid or relevant? And if you want people to prove their artistic merits before commenting by "put up or shut up", then lead by example. Let's see how good or "relevant" your work is before you whine about others here.
I am now convinced that Stacy and Miguel are the same person.
Or maybe they're lovers. This is the most flirting I've ever seen in the comments of any article.
thanks
Fstoppers: The National Enquirer of photo blogs.. Bravo, classy new direction guys...
I love Kessler Tran's stuff. Some of the most beautiful sexy images out there. I can always tell its his work when I see it. Thank you for sharing man!
seriously doug? i can only tell they are his if i know i am on his tumblr. have you ever been on tumblr? as stacy said below, "there are billions of boobies on tumblr run through hipstagrammed filters just like this. . ."
check out tumblr sometime! and then the rest of the internet.
and sexy? really? nekkid girl after nekkid girl after nekkid girl posing like meth heads and showing a boobie is sexy to you? it gets tiresome!
sexy is jennifer lawrence or natalie portman or kiera knightly in a black dress, or lingerie, or jeans. not some model showing a boobie lying in mudd looking like a meth addict.
think about it. get out and explore and broaden your horizons. liberate your mind.
HAHA I love how I post a positive comment about a photographer whose work I happen to enjoy and the Fstoppers trolls attack me for it! Last I checked, photography is subjective and I am allowed to enjoy the visual candy, post production style, mood, and tone of a photographer's work. As for opening my mind, I shoot international advertising and fashion campaigns with the best of the best modeling talent for a living. Feel free to google my name. My mind. Its broadened. Although, thank you for visiting Fstoppers and being active on our site.
doug writes, "I shoot international advertising and fashion campaigns with the best of the best modeling talent for a living."
do you also shoot lots and lots of photos of their butts and boobs? do share! links please! i would like to see noodies of the best modeling talent, not just kesler's models. thanks!
Thats not my style of shooting. Not much nudity in my work. Just doesnt fit my stylistic content. Doesnt mean I cannot appreciate another photographer's work. Aside from your distaste for boobs, disagreeing with the labeling of his style of shooting, why do you have such a chip on your shoulder that you would even attack me just for writing something nice. Last I checked, people are allowed to have opinions
PS. Boobs never get tiring to me. Never. Keep doing what you do Kessler.
yes that is fine. but boobs/T&A is not "fashion/editorial" photography as fstoppers tries to dishonestly sell it. it is GWC+P photography. :)
Hello Gretta, please note that Doug works for fstoppers.
I bet that Doug has his words on his business card, "Boobs never get tiring to me. Never." - Douglas Sonders, "shooter of international advertising and fashion campaigns with the best of the best modeling talent."
Doug says, "I shoot international advertising and fashion campaigns with the best of the best modeling talent for a living." What? Is he dreaming? I googled and couldn't find any of the "best modeling talent" nor any models with names.
Doug works for fstoppers, so of course he has to toe the corporate "bottom" line and try and pass off butts & boobies as "fashion/editorial." fstoppers probably makes more money from selling butts & boobies as "fashion/editorial" than they do from their tepid work. And I imagine Doug is collaborating on the DVD they have in the works for all the GWC+Ps: "The Art of the Boobshot: the hipstergram approach to clothes-free/fashion-free/magazine-free/compensation-free-TFP, tumblr-bound "fashion editorials."
On the DVD cover it will say,
"Boobs never get tiring to me. Never." - douglas sonders of fstoppers fame who works with the world's "top models" who you've never heard of.
I know he says he shies away from it, but maybe Doug will shoot one the boobs and butts of one of his "world class models/best modeling talent" for it so as to justify the DVD's $499 price tag?
Much of this style came from European Vogue, etc. where they use a similar style to sell clothes, jewelry, perfume, etc.
Might make a good comparison article for f-stoppers.
I actually like the models' emoting in Kesler's work. It's hard to find models that can do that. And I don't think it's an "on meth" look :-P
ummm, no.
google images of "european vogue."
hundreds of hundreds of images will come up, and there are no fully naked women, not one, showing butts and boobs. and there are none with faux methhead hipster expressions lying in mud.
what you will see is world-class models, exalted fashion, and artistic photography form great talent, as opposed to hipstagrammesque fstopper fanboy T&A/boobies & butts sold as "european vogue fashion editorials."
maybe the models really do believe that they are shooting "european vogue fashion editorials" when they are taking off all their clothes and lying in the mud showing butts and boobies. but the fact is, they are not shooting "european vogue fashion editorials." perhaps someone should tell them this?
they are probably not paid as much as the models in "european vogue fashion editorials," and too, whereas "european vogue fashion editorials" end up in vogue, the methhead noodies end up more often on tumblr/fstoppers, instead of vogue.
uuggghh. I cant believe you missed such an obvious point. It almost hurts. Your so bent on propping up your own view as "logical", your bias disallowed you to see the clear point i was making.
Of course logic cannot define art or creativity. Thus being unable to define art poses a problem to anyone attempting to categorize something as "not art", (stacy). Its a difficult task, one i highly doubt stacy is up to.
Also, in your comment, you say you can. Then you don't outright say, but seemingly infer, in a rather sarcastic manner that science/logic hasn't/cant define art. Well which is it? You so readily criticize other views but are incredibly ambiguous about your own. Even when i asked you to outline your problems with trans images earlier (directly, not through your bff stacy), you failed to do so, and waited for the next opportunity to label everyone else as "illogical", twisting words, and comments to your self serving bias all along the way. Im starting to think you dont even have a view point here, and are just a troll.
Dear Stacy,
I'd like to start off by thanking you. Thank you for striking the nerve that made me get off my lazy butt and write a comment.
Holy smokes! I don't even know where to begin! I can wholly appreciate and understand why you detest the hoards of hipstamatic/instagram-esque images that we're bombarded with on the daily. I do to, as they are disgustingly boring. That being said, I am way more disgusted by your commentary and your egregious use of the term "naughty bits". For Christ's Sake! Grow up! I don't want to attack you personally, just your comments, but I'm sorry, usage of the term "naughty bits" is so out-of-control retarded! I'd rather comb through six million seven hundred thirty three pages of sub-par super-hipster-tumblr images than to read the word "naughty bits" again.
Now on to your commentary...
It's wholly apparent that you did not read the flipping interview before you commented and that you have ABSOLUTELY NO UNDERSTANDING of what fashion photography is or is not. Kesler Tran does shoot fashion, editorial, and beauty. If you would have read the flipping interview you would have realized a few things. Most of which negate your ridiculous comments out of the gate. First off, as per the interview, Kesler never says that he is shooting fashion. Instead, to paraphrase, he says something along the lines that he wishes he could shoot more fashion but that he is just way too picky when it comes to styling.
Your assertion that all of the Kesler Tran shot images appearing on fstoppers alongside this interview are (to paraphrase) "unpaid tfp shots made for hipster consumption on tumblr" is absolutely ludicrous!!!!! Again, if YOU READ THE INTERVIEW you'll notice that Kesler mentions that one of his favorite shoots to date is the helicopter shoot he did for Treats! magazine. Last time I checked, that counts as EDITORIAL. Again, all of you have done is underscore your total ignorance and lack of understanding of fashion photography.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the countless times you suggested that Kesler's work has some sort of instagramesque filter applied to it... well again, IF YOU READ THE DAMN INTERVIEW you would know that Kesler shoots a lot of film, which naturally looks instagrammy depending on how its scanned, and he even said that he doesn't like to post-process too much! How the hell do you know if he applied an Instagram type of filter or not? pretty much everything you write underscores how ignorant you are when it comes to fashion photography and photography itself. I mean, you do realize that Instagram filters are based off of REAL LIFE effects that can be achieved in camera or in a darkroom using traditional photographic processes right?
Now to address your comments about the models... I appreciate and share your concern for them. I'd like to hope that your concern for them stems from a good place but I am convinced that you're way more interested in putting down photographers you don't like than genuinely interested in the well-being of all the models who show their "naughty bits". That being said, you do realize that the VAST MAJORITY of the models he shoots are SIGNED models right? That's right, they're repped by agencies and have agents who are looking out for their financial well-being as it is directly tied to their own financial well-being. Again, if you had any semblance of knowledge about fashion photography or the modeling industry, you would understand that THERE IS NO WAY ON EARTH that these signed models would be showing their "naughty bits" if they or their agents didn't think it would benefit them in one way or another, either explicitly financially or through "exposure". I'm pretty sure that neither Kesler nor the model (and mua/styling team) got paid very much if at all to shoot an editorial for Treats! but I know that they'll get good "exposure" from it as abstract as that may seem. Hopefully it leads to good solid paid campaign work for all the parties involved. It's not a perfect system by any means, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE for the LOVE OF GOD Stacy try to have a better understanding of what you're commenting on before you open your trap. Hell, YOU MIGHT EVEN TRY READING the article/interview your commenting on before you write anything that makes you look like an asshole.