Professional Artist Spotlight | Tony and Amy Hoffer

Name: Tony & Amy Hoffer

Job Title/Description: Photographers for Hoffer Photography | Tony & Amy are married and are based out of Downington, PA.

Personal  website: www.hofferphotography.com

What’s your camera of choice?
We use Canon gear. We’ve tried all the lenses they offer for the most part, and here are our favorites. Keep in mind that these are based entirely on our style of shooting as well as the things that we shoot. I’d recommend these and a few things that aren’t on here. If it’s not on this list, there’s probably a reason we don’t use it…

Camera Bodies
2 – Canon 5D Mark II – Supreme image quality and low-light performance
Canon 5D – A slower, cheaper version of the Mark II, with the same (or better) image quality

Lenses
Sigma 15mm fisheye – for cool wide angle effects
Canon 16-35 2.8 – The best wide angle zoom lens for Canon
Canon 24 1.4 – Great in low light and still pretty wide
Canon 35 1.4 – Excellent color and contrast, very fast. Tony’s favorite lens
Canon 45 TS/E – For interesting focus effects
Sigma 50 1.4 – As good as any Canon 50, including Canon’s 1.2
Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II – Great lens for low light versatility
Sigma 85 1.4 – The best 85 out there, included the Canon 1.2
Canon 135 2.0 – Great color and contrast straight out of camera
Canon 100 2.8 Macro – The sharpest lens ever
Lights
Canon 580 EXII
Paul C. Buff Einsteins
Cybersync transmitters

Finish this sentence:
Taking pictures makes me feel... employed... and extremely lucky.

What subjects do you love capturing the most?
I love shooting landscapes and people. I hope that our work is a combination of those two things. But in reality, we'll love shooting anyone that's happy. Sure it can be fun to shoot in amazing places or for amazingly beautiful people, but we get just as much joy shooting locally if we're shooting for the right people. All it takes is happiness. That always photographs the best.

Who are some of your photography icons?
I have a lot of people that I look up to for different things, but I've always been the kind of person that enjoys making art much more than looking at it. I never really enjoyed going to museums even though I really enjoy painting. So I don't really know that I have anyone that I'd consider an icon for me... just some people who are unwilling and unknowing mentors.

Where do you find your inspiration to keep your photography fresh and creative?
There are a lot of places I draw from. Sometimes other photography is the last of them. I think the biggest influence on our creativity is our clients. We listen a lot when we shoot. We try to get a sense for what people want and what's important to them. Our best photos are usually a combination of ideas between us and the client. I like the challenge of producing something in conjunction with someone else. It's fun to try to exceed expectations.

What was your most fun or crazy photography moment from this past year?
The most fun was probably an engagement session in Germany. We spent 5 days traveling around the Munich area, exploring, shooting, and of course eating. It was a pretty incredible trip. The most crazy was probably shooting underwater the day after a wedding in Hawaii. We got up at 5am and caught the sunrise, then went swimming in a pool and the ocean for a few hours shooting under and through the water. It was pretty awesome.

What’s the key to doing what you love AND making a living?
The biggest key is learning to treat your job like a business. The artist in all of us simply wants to do the art and not be bothered by the other things. But the truth is that everyone has to pay taxes, get a business license, etc... The good news is that many artists aren't willing (or don't want) to do those things in order to make it happen. But if you truly want to make a good living, the business almost becomes more important than the art in some respects.