Snapshot
Stylish images from a photojournalist's perspective.

Point of Focus
The best moments happen when people are allowed to be themselves.

Cameras
D3, D700

Favorite Lenses
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D IF
AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D

Why
"The D3 for its response—not just low light, high ISO performance, but performance in any situation. I can make pictures I could never make before, and I think about pictures I never thought about making. The D700 is D3 Lite. It doesn't leave my shoulder the entire day. I put on something fast—the 85 or the 50—and it's with me even when I'm shooting with the D3. It's a grab camera.

"My 24-70 is a staple. I tend to use it on the shorter end. Incredibly sharp, great contrast. It's my favorite dance lens and a great reception lens. Overall, the appeal of a wide-angle is context: where the people are, what's around them, what they're interacting with.

"The 85 is my beauty lens—classic, straightforward portraits of the bride. The 70-200mm is the overall portrait lens for the bride and groom. I can give them the privacy they deserve, and keeping my distance keeps them natural."

Non-Photo Essential
"Chocolate."

A One-Picture Story
After the recessional the couple picked up some flowers and went out to the cemetery in the churchyard. Cliff followed. "I had no idea where they were going or why. They walked toward a gravesite. I kept my distance. They took some time there; they talked to one another. He placed flowers, and he broke down and cried.

"I later found out it was the gravesite of his grandparents. I gave them the photos I took. The bride wrote to me about one of the pictures. She said, 'Words cannot describe how this picture has moved us. It brought us back to that very private moment right after our wedding ceremony....[Bob's] grandparents meant the world to him, and the picture shows it. Thank you for giving us this undeniably intimate moment which we will hold dear for our lifetimes.'

"I was a photojournalist for 15 years before turning to weddings and events, and that photograph is the story of every journalist's inquisitive nature. And for the event photographer it says don't discount the rest of the day. Just because the recessional is over doesn't mean something amazing isn't about to happen."

Recent Project
"The Cliff Mautner Lighting and Skillset Bootcamp. It's a workshop that covers everything from working the camera to adapting to any lighting condition. My idea is to show how to create texture, dimension and mood in any situation."

Advice Received
"I was preparing to go to Liberia for a Philadelphia Inquirer story. I was explaining to the photo editor what I was planning, mentioning specific images I was seeing in my head. He said, 'Stop. Why would you think of specific shots before you even got there? If you have preconceived ideas you won't be open to anything that might strike you; you won't be creative or spontaneous. Open up to what's really there.' "

Advice Given
"If you're aspiring to get better, learn what compression does for your imagery. A normal lens can't hold a candle to a longer piece of glass when it comes to impact. Most times when you see a cool image and can't figure out why it's cool, it's because of compression, the isolation of the subject and the image's concentration on simplicity."

More About Cliff Mautner
www.cmphotography.com

Cliff Mautner has been an NPS member since 1987.