Sean DuFrene

PHOTOGRAPHER - Strategic Communications @ California State University, Long Beach

About

Specializing in portraiture and lifestyle photography, I create photos that visually communicate personalities, brands and ideas. BACKGROUND Born in 1975, I grew up surfing and skateboarding in southern California. I played a lot of team sports, soccer being my favorite. I listened to a lot of noisy and obscure rock-n-roll. I used to be a cook; working 10+ years in the restaurant industry. I love looking at Caravaggio’s work, and am constantly in awe of Renaissance artists. PHILOSOPHY I believe a photograph has a split-second to make an impact, it should seduce the viewer into surveying the image again and again. Photos that make an impact are memorable; memorable images provoke action. This is what I think about when pre-visualizing projects. Quirky human behavior tends to get my attention. Questions ensue which fire up my imagination, the result being ideas for personal projects. Humor also plays a role. We’re all weird to a certain degree, I feel having a sense of humor about it is important. Add in color, contrast and design, and that’s the recipe for my personal work. WORK HISTORY I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography, as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and Communications. I have worked for newspapers, created imagery for local and national brands, and have taught photography at the college level. My pictures have earned awards, hung on gallery walls, and have been featured in esoteric, independent magazines and blogs. Currently I create content for Strategic Communications at Long Beach State University. Click here to review my resume. INSPIRATION Guy Bourdin; Richard Avedon; Helmut Newton; Irving Penn; Steven Klein; Annie Leibovitz; Martin Schoeller; Juergen Teller; Martin Parr; Chris Buck; James Nachtway; Chris Hondros; Damon Winter; Sebastião Salgado; Donald Miralle; Alex Prager; Erwin Olaf; David LaChapelle (90s-early 2000s work); Renaissance artists; Caravaggio; David Alfaro Siqueiros; Maurizio Cattelan; Banksy; 90s skateboard art; Stephen King; Hunter S. Thompson; Tom Robbins; Diesel marketing (90s-early 2000s); Thomas Keller; Anthony Bourdain. I live in Long Beach, CA with Dea and our Blue Heeler “Fig.”

Country

United States

City

Long Beach

Industry

Photography

Skill

Concept Development, Portraits, Photojournalism, Editorial, Lighting, Production, Images, Image Editing, Photoshop, Photo Editing, Environmental Portraiture, Commercial Photography, On Location, Photography, Digital Photography, Art, Newspapers, Photos, Magazines, Editing

Experience

PHOTOGRAPHER - Strategic Communications

California State University, Long Beach

2016-5 - Present · 10 yrs 5 mos

Long Beach, California

Specializing in on-location and in-studio portraiture, lifestyle, and documentary photography, I collaborate with a diverse group people to create and curate photography that visually communicates the university brand. This is a relatively autonomous role that requires multiple skill sets in addition to image capture. JOB OVERVIEW Photographer - Whether the assignment requires ambient light, or setup lights, I am usually responsible for coming up with the best approach and composition to visually communicate a story or idea. Depending on assignment, this may include direction of subjects. Creative Direction - From ideation to completion, I collaborate with teammates and clients to come up with ideas on how to visually communicate stories and concepts for the university homepage, news section, social media, magazines, and other promotional collateral. Photo Production - I am responsible for photo operations within Strategic Communications. This includes a Photo Producer role, such as planning, casting, and photo releases; constantly communicating with teammates, clients, and subjects involved with a shoot. I also manage the photo gear inventory, communicating a need for any repairs, or purchases. Photo Editor - Whether it be original photography or the curation of a gallery, I sort through and select final photos for various projects, making sure the imagery has proper metadata included in each photo. Photo Retoucher - Depending on assignment, I am responsible for various levels of ethical retouching to prepare an image for final presentation. This generally includes colorizing, smoothing out skin, and sometimes compositing. Archivist - I have created and manage an online photo library where all campus community can access, browse, and download imagery at will. In addition, I manage a separate online photo archive of all raw (DNG) image files.

Photographer

Sean DuFrene

2003-1 - Present · 23 yrs 9 mos

Long Beach, California

Specializing in on-location and in-studio portraiture, I collaborate with people to visually communicate Ideas, brands and personalities.

FACULTY (Adjunct)

Irvine Valley College

2015 - 2016 · 1 yr

Irvine, CA

Inspired students to access and expand their creativity, while building their confidence in the technical, conceptual and commercial aspects of photography. Class Taught - Beginning Digital Photography

FACULTY (Adjunct)

The Art Institutes

2013 - 2016 · 3 yrs

Santa Ana and Los Angeles, California

Inspired students to access and expand their creativity, while building their confidence in the technical, conceptual and commercial aspects of photography. Classes Taught - Portfolio II, Photography Design, History of Photography, Photojournalism, Photo Essay, Marketing for Photographers, Web Design for Photographers, Advanced Digital Darkroom and Color Management, Editorial Photography, Location Photography, Photographic Post-Production, Advertising/Art Direction, Business of Photography, ePortfolio, Photography Criticism

FACULTY (Adjunct)

Long Beach City College

2014 - 2015 · 1 yr

Long Beach, California

PHOTOJOURNALIST

The San Diego Union-Tribune

2005 - 2008 · 3 yrs

San Diego, California

I was responsible for capturing news events for a newspaper with a 350,000 daily circulation. - Generated photography stories - Scheduled assignments - Managed strict deadlines