Spotlight on .... Margie Hurwich!!!

If you don't already know the work of Margie Hurwich you're in for a treat today!  I "met" Margie on Facebook (gotta love facebook!) and was very quickly drawn to her images of girls in old fashioned clothing... her creative use of texture and light... and her eye for composition and detail.  As I got to know her better, I learned that Margie's photography has been featured on the covers of books all around the world and I was immediately intrigued!  I think you will be too... so sit back and enjoy!

Name:  Margie Hurwich

Business name:  Margie Hurwich Photography

Website or blog:  www.margiehurwichphotography.com

Tell us where you live? 

I live in a far northern suburb of Chicago.  What do you love about living there?  Summers in Chicago are the best!  But don't get me started about fall and winter...not quite sure why I don't live in Hawaii when those seasons come around!

Describe your photography style. 

A touch of vintage, a touch of darkness, a touch of feminity...with many other little things mixed in.  I love finding and shooting images that have the fewest possible elements to create timeless themes and concepts.

This photo (above) really sticks out in my mind as an all time favorite.  It is a more recent shot.  The tension between the two really shows with the slight distance between them.  And yes, I do intentionally cut off heads as you'll see in another image.  :)

How did you get started in photography? 

Throughout my working career I was required to create presentations expressing different themes and concepts.  I always gravitated towards photographs rather than clip art to portray those.  I finally decided to learn photography and since then it has become a passion for me.

Do you shoot professionally? 

Good question.  I do sell my images.  However, I do not make a full time wage.  Of course to do that, you must work full time in order to earn a full time wage, and I do not.  I work daily at photography, but not a full 40 hours a week.  My images are sold at www.arcangel-images.com.  Arcangel specializes in supplying highly creative photography to the book publishing industry.  Currently I have over 50 book covers in 12 countries.  Describe what you do and why.  Every day I am either shooting or processing photos.  I love the every aspect of photography from thinking of ideas for shoots, actually shooting the images and then bringing them into Photoshop to create a final image that I'm thrilled with.  I firmly believe every aspect is just as important as the others.

What’s in your bag, and what one piece of equipment could you absolutely not live without? 

I shoot RAW with a Canon 40D (although a Canon 7D is in my near future) and use the 17-40mm f/4L lens, the 70-200mm f/4L IS USM AF lens, the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens.  My absolutely not live without...strangely enough...would be my 18-200mm lens.  It is versatile and although some cons mentioned about this lens are vignetting...I love that aspect!

What is your best post-processing tip? 

My best and most favorite post-processing tip is applying NIK's Silver Efex Pro.  Then once I have a b/w image, I change the blending mode of the layer.  Often times Soft Light is the best.  The color comes back, but the subtle contrast of the b/w is still there.

Was there ever an “aha” moment when you knew you had found your photographic voice? 

It was the day I started using layers of textures and colors over my original image.  WOW, what a difference it makes!  By doing this, it added a whole new element of fun and creativity for me!

 

This photo (above) was one of my first truly conceptual images.  It is still very powerful and moving to me and I'm thrilled that it was selected to be on a book cover in the UK.

What is your best advice for those who are new to photography? 

You MUST shoot what you love...first and foremost.  Don't let anyone tell you what to shoot...follow your passion.

If you could spend your life doing anything you wanted to do with no financial concerns, what would it be? 

 already am!  :)  (Oh, and live in Hawaii!)

What inspires you? 

I have many photog friends that challenge me on a weekly and monthly basis.  It is those challenges that continue to inspire me to capture the photos that I create.

Show us your favorite image taken by you!   

How do I choose?  But if I have to I guess my all time favorite is one of my beautiful friend Amy walking up a sandy path.  It offers every element of things that I enjoy shooting.

Be sure to visit Margie's website to see more of her incredible work... and leave her some love in the comments section!  Thank you so much Margie for sharing your incredible vision here on the blog!!!