Daily Front Row

2010 August 12

Patrick McMullan's Ex-Pats

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Billy Farrell, Neil Rasmus, and Joe Schildhorn (in spirit), in their new studio.
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(NEW YORK) Star Patrick McMullan snappers Billy Farrell, Neil Rasmus, and Joe Schildhorn are striking out on their own with an as-yet-unnamed agency that will include nightlife photography, weddings and studio shoots. As the trio unpacked boxes at their brand-new Flatiron studio this morning, The Daily dropped by to chat about their new venture.

“We’re excited!” said Farrell, taking a seat on the hardwood floor of the still-empty space. “We’re not seeing a nasty economy—we’re seeing an opportunity. It's kind of bad time to open a photo agency, but we wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t think there was enough work out there for everyone.” The agency’s web site will go live in September (a launch party, likely pre-Fashion Week, is in the works), and the photographers will service all of their photos for free for the first month.

“We don’t want to be dependent on photo sales,” said Rasmus, who clarified that the agency's rates—day rates, portrait rates, et cetera—will bring in the initial revenue. “We'll address sales as we grow, but we don’t plan on depending on it.”

“It will be an additional stream of revenue rather than the primary one,” added Farrell. “We plan to have monthly retainers with online publications and print publications, versus per-picture sales. We’re trying to stay light and lean. We’re not trying to build a large empire, we’re not trying to take away business. Light and lean. That’s really been my motto.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Farrell said, of breaking the news to his longtime boss, the legendary photographer whose legion of party photographers are a ubiquitous presence after dark in New York and L.A., "but it wasn’t awkward, either, because we’ve known each other for so long. Patrick was very civilized, and he reacted the best way he could have reacted. We certainly wish him well. He said, ‘I can’t blame you, it’s America—but I can’t say I wish you well!’”

The much-loved McMullan, who first picked up a camera in the early '80s, and credits Andy Warhol as an early mentor, covers up to 50 events per week. In addition, he has published six books of photography, the latest of which is 2007's Glamour Girls. He is traveling and could not be reached for comment.

According to Rasmus, the new agency’s strength lies in its simplicity. “When you don’t have any other projects, you can focus on the client and ultimately be a little more efficient,” he said. “We’re the ones who’ve worked with the clients day in and day out [at PMc.]” And though Farrell, Rasmus, and Schildhorn may not have the history of a 30-year-old agency, they stressed that this was the right time for them to go it alone.

“What we’ve learned is that it’s not about the agency as much as it’s about the photographer," said Farrell.
EMILY GYBEN