"Tamron Recipes" with Tony Shepherd

Image 1

Image 2

Images copyright Tony Shepherd. All rights reserved.

​by Skip Cohen

Like some of your favorite restaurants, the cuisine often changes along with the chef. And just like deciding whether you're going out for Italian, French, Mexican, or American, the comparison from photographers to fine chefs is always on point. In the Tamron Kitchen this month, we're mixing it up a lot and going to a "cuisine" we haven't visited in the new series - abstract fine art. 

Tony Shepherd joins us in the "kitchen" with a well-defined foundation for "turning the mundane" into something special. And just like those favorite dishes by a great chef, each presentation is unique in what's being captured. ​

All around us is extraordinary beauty hidden in the plain sight of ordinary things.
Pixbyshep is a gallery that celebrates the dignity and beauty of the mundane in black & white
(sometimes with a splash of color). 

Tony's another guest "chef" who left me feeling like I've been hanging out with him for years. In this short podcast, with some of his Instagram images going over 20,000 hits, he talks about the key ingredient - reaching out to every visitor. He's built his own community of followers just like a great chef.

Have you ever been to a restaurant where the chef comes around to the table at some point in the evening and asks how your meal was? It doesn't seem to happen as often these days, but from past experience, it always made us want to return to that restaurant again. That's the way I find myself visiting his Instagram page. Tony is all about building relationships.

Based out of Nashville, you'll find Tony out and about, just about everywhere, on regular photo walks. He's like a treasure hunter for the mundane, and I especially enjoy his choice to capture so much of it in black & white. 
​
​There's a quote in business that applies so much to Tony's approach to building his brand...​

"The customer doesn't care how much you know, 
until they know how much you care!
Damon Richards

Ingredients

Image 1:
​Camera: Sony A7ii
​Lens: 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD
Focal Length: 63mm
Exposure: 1/200 sec @ f2.5 ISO100 
Location: Nashville

Image 2:
Camera: Sony A7ii
​Lens: 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD
Focal Length: 59mm
Exposure: 1/1600 sec@ f3.2 ISO6400 
Location: Nashville
 

Tony's an artist with a passion for not only the capture of his images, but showing his appreciation to each follower. He's built a community around his love for simplicity. That quote above doesn't just apply to his philosophy with his followers, but I'm betting everyone he comes in contact with. From my first phone call with him through recording his short podcast - there's a wonderful feeling of a growing friendship. 

Tony needs to be on your radar. Follow his website and his Instagram page. At a time in all our lives complicated by so many forces outside our control - Tony's trips to discover what seems so ordinary is a breath of fresh air and one that simply made me smile.

Tamron needs to be on your radar, too. They never slow down on manufacturing some of the finest performing glass/optics in photography, and the Tamron team is just as impressive. Obviously, they want to sell lenses, but their first focus is always on how to help you raise the bar on your skill set. And, if you're headed to Nashville in January for IUSA, wander over to Booth 823 and check out their complete product line while getting to know one of the finest tech teams in imaging! ​