Judy Host has elevated the art of portrait photography with her unique talent for capturing the innocence and trust that lies within the heart of each individual. She is also acclaimed for creating superlative, brilliantly composed images in the ballet, travel, fine art, and advertising genres that have been internationally recognized for their innovative style and masterful technique.
Host was included in an elite list of “Today’s Top Children’s Photographers” by Rangefinder Magazine, and her incisive images have been exhibited in the Valade Family Gallery in Detroit, Michigan and the acclaimed Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. In addition, her work has been selected for national exhibition by the prestigious Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and she has received PPA’s coveted Masters of Photography and Craftsman degrees. Host has also been honored for her outstanding environmental portrait photography, and has earned multiple Kodak Gallery Awards that are bestowed upon “photographers who excel in creativity and the pursuit of excellence.”
Now based in Atlanta, Georgia, Host is a world traveler who spends much of her time giving seminars and workshops in environmental portraiture and specialized image processing. She is also one of an exclusive group of seven Sigma Pro photographers honored by the Sigma Corporation.
And for Host, the artistic instincts have been in her life from the very start. Host came from a family of artists, but didn’t think she fit into that mold.
“Then, when I was 15, my grandparents took a trip to China, and surprised me with the gift of a Nikon camera when they returned home,” she recalls. “I’d never thought much about photography or my place in it, but I was willing to give it a try.”
So she took a photojournalism class in high school, found herself loving it, and discovered she had a natural ability for capturing compelling people pictures.
When Host graduated from high school and was mulling over which college to attend, she briefly considered applying to the renowned Brooks Institute of Photography, but despite her talent, she felt very insecure in being able to earn a living as a photographer. She opted instead to go to a state university and graduated with a degree in speech communications.
“After graduation I went to work for Bank of America, then Citicorp, installing ATM software,” Host recollects. “I was earning a pretty good income as a Senior Project Manager and traveling constantly between San Francisco and New York. Then I woke up one morning and couldn’t remember which city I was in. I decided at that point it was time to do something else.”
Photography was clearly Host’s true passion, so she quit her job, sold her home and car, and spent the next five years building a profitable business in Northern California.
“I was often broke, but very happy,” she says with a smile. “Fortunately the business grew, and for the next 15 years, life was good. I started teaching and lecturing and educating photographers from all over the world. It’s been a great ride. I recently moved from California to Atlanta and had to reinvent myself as a photographer. I’m now doing commercial and editorial work for clients and modeling agencies, but I’m also working on my own personal projects with my ballet collection. For me it’s essential to pursue my personal and professional work at the same time in order to maintain my creative edge. Maintaining a fresh eye is what keeps my work relevant – and marketable.”
How does Host see her mission as a photographer? Her motto could well be summed up in 3 words: “Keep it real!”
That’s why she loves it when clients or commentators describe her photography as “emotional.” Whether she’s shooting portraits or creating commercial or editorial images, she’s constantly striving to capture authentic emotions and convey them to the viewer.
“My mission has been, and always will be, to capture who people are, not necessarily what they look like,” she observes. “I shoot from the heart.”
In 2018, Host will mark her 25th anniversary as a professional photographer, but she has always been a pro in whatever she put her mind to. She spent 20 years in the corporate world before starting her business, but never lost her passion for photography. And since she quit her “day job,” she’s never looked back.
How did she acquire the necessary skills to become a top-tier photographer?
“While the photo classes I took in high school and college gave me a basic foundation I didn’t really get any formal training until I started my business and joined Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in 1993,” she observes. “As for inspiration, I’ve always admired the work of Herb Ritts, Annie Lebovitz, and Bruce Weber. They were my idols back then, and they still are.”
Not surprisingly, Host sees herself as essentially a portrait photographer, but it’s evident that the captivating images she creates transcend conventional categories.
In terms of equipment, Host relies on a Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 camera body, a Sigma sd Quattro H camera, and pretty much the entire line of Sigma lenses, both the Global vision/Art lenses and a selection of long-focal-length Sigma Contemporary and Sports lenses. Her kit also includes a MeFOTO Tripod, SpiderHolster, ProFoto lights, and a number of Think Tank bags.
“All of my equipment has been tried in the field to make sure it gives me exactly what I need,” notes Host. “And I’m very fortunate to be associated with Sigma, a company that offers some of the best lenses and most innovative cameras on the market today. I’m also impressed with the performance of the ProFoto, Think Tank, and other products I use, and you can rest assured all of this gear has been battle tested!”
“At the end of the day, photography means truth to me,” Host concludes. It’s sort of a religion. I love what I do and I love working with people and making them feel good about themselves. There isn’t enough of that going around these days and I love being a part of it.”
A Closer Look, in Her Own Words
Fascinating stories behind four images in Judy Host’s portfolio:
The Atlanta Skyline
This image was created at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. I was looking for a location that would showcase how beautifully the Sigma sd Quattro H mirrorless works as an infrared camera. The setting seemed so perfect with the clouds in the sky, the angle of the sun back-lighting the leaves in the trees, and the mix of urban and natural elements.
Turning this camera into an infrared camera is easy. The IR cut filter is located behind the lens, so you remove the lens and simply use a pair of tweezers to snap out the IR filter. Setting the camera to monochrome gives you a monochromatic infrared look. I also used a Tiffen 87 filter on Sigma’s 50mm f/1.4 lens.
The Sad Bulldog
I was recently on vacation in Crete, walking along the square of the beautiful little village of Chania, when I came across this adorable dog waiting not so patiently for his “parents” to finish lunch. So with his parents’ permission, I got down on the ground so that my angle would be the same as his and captured this wonderful animal. His expression says it all.
Steven and the Red Wall
Every so often I get an assignment that lets me create in a spontaneous fashion. In this case my client had hired me to show “men in their favorite shoes.” I had several different locations selected and many different outfits for my subject. We had pretty much completed all the places on our list when we came across this amazing wall as we drove back to the studio. I just had to photograph my subject against this wall even though the lighting was less than perfect. Steven, my subject, got out of the car while still on his phone and started to walk across the street. The image was unrehearsed and not directed and it ended up being the cover image for the pamphlet we were creating.
Liza and the Gray Turtleneck
Liza, who is 15 years old and a professional model, was recently signed by one of the top agencies in Atlanta. This was my first time photographing for them and I was blessed with a fabulous crew including a stylist who was on the same page as me in how we wanted to portray this beautiful young woman. One minute she could look 15 and the next 25. My job was to show the agency all her different expressions and poses in less than 20 different images. This image was by far my favorite and most representative of my photographic style. Having a great lens to work with also made a huge difference.
To learn more about Judy Host and to see more of her outstanding work, go to:
www.judyhost.com, judy.host on Instagram, JudyHost on Facebook. “My website is always changing as am I,” she adds.
