David Finell reviews Don Giannatti

            Don Giannatti is a product and still life photographer from the Phoenix/Scottsdale area in Arizona.  He is also a fantastic instructor and has given seminars on Creative Live and runs Project 52 where he gives weekly assignments to aspiring photographers and critiques them at the due date.  He does Project 52 for free. 

His primary concentration in his work is truly outstanding lighting.  He has a command of lighting that turns the most mundane object into a piece of art.  For his primary day-to-day work he does product photography in the tradition of the greats like Edward Steichen.  In his classes he talks about how the texture and surface characteristics of objects interact with the light.  He talks about lighting high efficiency surfaces by lighting the surroundings rather than the object.  Low efficiency objects require a different approach.  Beyond just being a good instructor and photographer his personality consistently demonstrates a sincere care for the customer, weather they be student, commercial client, or in the case of his art, the general audience.  He consistently tries to improve on what is in front of him in a very positive fashion.  He is quick to complement and is fair in his criticisms.  His style tends to emphasize the dramatic and always draws the viewer in.  His photos are not confined to objects but also include fantastic landscapes and models on occasion.  I can only hope to be able to hone my skill to the point where I can obtain the stunning results Don routinely gets as though they are second nature.