Why Joe Seif?

I know the brand intimately, having worked alongside Jim and the creative team for over 12 years, capturing customer stories and photographing the sponsored athletes. I met Jim and Gene in 2008, when I was the in-house photographer and filmmaker at Salesforce and have since developed lasting friendships with Workday's creative production team. Despite the many customer films and internal + sports-related photography projects we've worked on together, this would be my first large-scale ad campaign with Workday.

I crush creative briefs. I take each assignment seriously and personally. I spend a lot of time studying a brand ahead of a shoot to understand how I can best capture its essence. Each brief is an opportunity to collaborate with creatives who care deeply about their work, and I don't take that lightly. I am always striving to bring their vision to life while simultaneously bringing my own voice and style to the table. For this reason, many of my clients keep working with me for many years, even as they move from company to company.

I don't rest on my laurels. I moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to push myself artistically, despite having had a thriving career in the Bay Area. I'm the kind of artist who does not like to get too comfortable! I'm always pushing forward and working on my craft. I work with international brands on diverse and creative photo and film campaigns, and I try to bring new perspectives and techniques I pick up on those shoots to Workday with every project I'm brought on to do. 

I am highly artistic. In addition to the 20 years I've worked in photography and cinematography, I'm an accomplished classically trained pianist with two full length albums. I'm also deep into oil painting, currently training in the Sargent method at an atelier in Los Angeles. I think of all the mediums I work in as channels for self expression, and I bring this mindset to every shoot. Being the father of a 6-year-old girl has also taught me to feel deeply, connect with my subjects, and work with authenticity and purpose, no matter how small the project.

I offer an international perspective. My career has taken me to all seven continents, (yes, including Antarctica!) and these experiences have given me the opportunity to hone my aesthetics with an international sensibility. I am also fluent in French, having lived in Toulouse, France for part of my childhood. I am very comfortable and experienced with working with European crews, and have also captured multiple video and photography projects in countries like Japan, the UK, Argentina, Canada, and the UAE. My many years on the road have led to a fine art photography book that is distributed by the Leica Gallery, and other renowned book stores.

I work with preferred crew. Many of the talented people in my hand-picked SF, NY and LA production crews have gone on to become Workday's preferred vendors. When I'm brought on to shoot a project for Workday, I make sure to hire the very best crew- many of whom we all consider friends now! They are also kind and highly skilled, a perfect match for Workday's best-in-the-business company culture. 

I invest in the best tools for the job. While not exactly a gearhead, I work with top-of-the-line equipment because I want to consistently provide the highest production value possible for my clients. If selected, I would be capturing this campaign with my 100-megapixel Hasselblad medium format system and other high-end equipment from Leica, Profoto, Arri, etc. This would ensure the highest possible resolution for massive prints or billboards straight out of the camera.

I'm fun to travel with. Need restaurant recommendations in Tokyo? A guide to art museums in Paris? Need to shoot on a sailboat out on the ocean? I'll hook you up. I also won't talk your ear off when you're jet lagged and just want to zone out. 

Please feel free to browse the rest of my website if you'd like to see more of my work. 

Thank you for your consideration, Workmates! It looks like a wonderful project with a beautifully designed brief. I would be thrilled to help you capture it if you so choose.

Your friend,

Joe Seif