Introduction

Paul Gero has been a full time photographer since 1983 when he first started as a photography intern at The Chicago Tribune. That led to a full time position six months later and in 1985 the paper transferred him to their Washington, DC bureau. While there he covered the second term of the Reagan administration, the Iran-Contra hearings, political campaigns and conventions in 1988 as well as civil unrest in Haiti.

In 1989 he became a contract photographer based in Washington for the French photo agency Sygma.

In 1990 he left DC and took a position on staff at The Arizona Republic in Phoenix. While there he documented stories on the US/Mexico border and inside Mexico, photographed the Phoenix Suns in their run to the NBA Finals, The Super Bowl and hundreds of other photographic assignments while on staff.

During that time he also did extensive freelance work for Sports Illustrated, People, Time, US News & World Report among others.

In 2002, he and his wife Nicki relocated to Southern California to open Paul F. Gero Photography, specializing in portraits, weddings and commercial work. In addition to his stills work he is expanding into creating video for business and projects in his area.

In 2018, they moved back to a small Wisconsin town not far from where he grew up and continues to work and teach from there.

He is also the author of the book "Digital Wedding Photography", has taught hundreds of students through his seminars, and through BetterPhoto.com and is a Sony Artisans of Imagery (since 2014)!

Nicki and Paul live in Lake Mills, WI along with their two children Kate and Sparky and Lenny the Wonder Dog.

Q&A session with Paul

What is your favourite location for taking pictures and why?

"I love photographing right around home here in southern Wisconsin, but I also love photographing in New York City, Paris, South Africa and in the Patagonian Alps of Argentina.

The California coast is lovely especially in winter and is a great location for family portraits.

Arizona has a varied terrain and climate and is stunning especially in the right light during the right time of year."

What is your greatest achievement in Photography?

"Being able to do this work for a living for over 30 years is the greatest achievement. Being asked and commissioned to document the lives of my clients over the years is also wonderful.

Having a “front row seat” to many events in history has been humbling and fills me with immense gratitude as well as meeting so many amazing people as subjects along the way"

What style of Photography do you specialise in most?

"For the first 19 years of my life, I was a working photojournalist. Those skills stay with you and even though I photograph primarily portraits and weddings, those time-honored skills are used constantly.

Being able to grab moments as they happen, to help people feel comfortable in front of the camera, and the ability to work fast and create strong work are all things one learns as a photojournalist. There’s often no “do-overs” so you have to really get it right.

I now primarily photograph weddings and portraits and do video work and the transition has been fun and challenging. It’s always good to keep growing and this is a new direction and a fun one that keeps me busy."

What is your favourite camera or lens and why?

"I love the 50mm or normal lens because it is such a useful focal length for both portraits and documentary work. It was tough to learn to use well and to appreciate but it is often the perfect lens to tell the story without being on top of your subject. It helps reveal context in a way that longer focal lengths simply do not. If you look at the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, you will see the lens being used to perfection. It was the perfect lens for his street documentation of Paris and other locales.

My second favorite would be the 35mm, a great overall documentary lens for weddings that is not too wide and not too tight. Great for storytelling work."

What is the best picture you have taken using H&Y Filters?

"I use my RevoRing H&Y Filter primarily for video as it allows me to create a larger aperture look in bright sun using the shutter speed set to 1/50th at 100 ISO. While many use for stills, I am still working on growing that skill set primarily with flash on location (to control the brightness of the scene)."