Red River Pros: Carl Juste

Carl Juste has been a staff photojournalist at the Miami Herald for more than 15 years, shooting several thousand domestic and international assignments and deeply touching readers with his dramatic images. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide and he has won many prestigious awards. He is the co-founder of the Iris PhotoCollective, a specialized photo agency created by and for communities of color.

The Client

The Miami Herald

The Assignment

Cover the funeral of the Rev. Gerard "Jeri" Jean-Juste, the Catholic priest who transformed and galvanized Miami's Haitian community in its fight for political and social equality.

The Execution

"The daughter and father were about thirty feet away and positioned between several rows of people. My Canon Mark III was set to ISO 2000 with a -1/3 exposure compensation and I knew I could retrieve a good quality image, though the lighting was not ideal, but there was one problem- distance. My Canon 80-200mm zoom lens was not going to do the trick, so I switched to the 300mm with stabilization control."

"The indicated exposure was 1/80 sec at f/2.8. Keeping the camera as still as possible, I braced it close to my face and captured the image by releasing the shutter three times when their faces were optimal for visibility. This is the best shot of the three."

Post Production

"The image was captured in color and converted to black and white. Since the lighting was so poor and the content so strong, I felt the image was more effective minus color so I removed all the saturation from the image so as not to loose any information from the file and made some other minor adjustments. By stripping the image of all color, the emotional content became more pronounced, it read much quicker, and gave the eye direct access to my original intent."

The Output

"I printed this image using an Epson Stylus Pro 4000 with Epson Ultrachrome Ink on Red River Paper's 60lb. Polar Matte paper. After making some quick adjustments to the original file and printing profile, I was surprised at how well the paper kept true to the original image."

"The blacks were rich but not too dark, while my highlights kept plenty of detail. The 60lb. Polar Matte produced the right balance of contrast and detail even with a file that was captured at an extremely high ISO setting. Polar Matte gives me the results I need under extreme lighting conditions. It is my paper of choice. "

Contact

Carl can be contacted at: [email protected]. More of his work can be seen at www.irisphotocollective.com

Favorite Papers

UltraPro Satin

UltraPro Satin looks and feels just like traditional photo lab paper and features a medium depth luster finish.

Favorite Of: Jim DiVitale & Peter Randall

River Linen

River Linen adds a special dimension to your printed image with its premium quality linen surface paper.

Favorite Of: JVS & Helene Glassman

Aurora Art

Made using fine 100% cotton rag content, Aurora Art White and Aurora Art Natural offers the look and feel of fine art paper.

Favorite of: Marilyn Sholin, Matt Hoyle, Susan McCartney, & Kaitlin Walsh

Arctic Polar Satin

With its crisp blue white shade, Arctic Polar Satin ensures your images will project more brilliance. Its state of the art microporous coating will enhance details and color saturation.

Favorite of: Al Francekevich & Susan McCartney