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Have you ever stepped back in your career, whether you’re a visual creator or not, and thought, “Well, shit… is this it? Is this really as good as it gets? Is this what I want to be doing for the next X years of my life?” Don’t worry, that’s a positive thing (despite however dark night of the soul it may feel like in the moment) And, you are definitely not the only one feeling that way.
In the business and corporate world, (yes I know a lot of you will bristle at the very mention of that word, but here me out) there’s a really common expression or phrase that so encapsulates today’s episode – “When you get to the top of the ladder you may find it is propped against the wrong wall.” Today’s episode is all about examining your ladder and things aren’t feeling right, knowing how to jump to the right ladder to take you to the top.
Paul Gero is a portrait and wedding photographer and has been working professionally for over 35 years.
Prior to creating a portrait and wedding business he was a photojournalist for two major metropolitan newspapers (The Chicago Tribune and The Arizona Republic)
and photographed thousands of assignments from pro sports, business portraits, documentary stories to general assignment work. His images have been published in magazines around the world during his career.
He has been a Sony Artisan of Imagery since 2014 and speaks often about Sony mirrorless cameras at professional gatherings.
He and his wife Nicki run their business from their home base in Lake Mills, WI (his home state) after nearly 17 years in Southern California while raising their two children Kate and Sparky. Documenting their lives is his favorite and most personal photography project.
In today’s wide-ranging and beautifully encompassing episode, Paul and I explore his photographic career and transition from staff photojournalist to freelance business owner, how moving from California to Wisconsin taught him about the power of truly local visual storytelling, what mistakes younger photographers are constantly making, and how he created a beautifully simple execution of a personal project safely in the midst of a global pandemic.
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So, this is an episode I’ve been wanting to share for such a long time. Like seriously probably a solid year when I heard about this concept for interpersonal connections and growth that clicked in such a profound way for me when I was able to tie it back to places in time of my own creative journey.
Alright, so what is this Plus, Minus, Equals concept and why does it matter?
Put simply, a key way to ensure you’re growing in your career (or really ANY area of your life you could apply this principle to) is deliberately creating connections with people way ABOVE your level, way BELOW your level, and RIGHT AROUND your level of (insert skill or proficiency here). You might hear all that and think, “Well, duh? Of course you want to have a variety of folks in your circle”. Well, obviously yes, but think RIGHT NOW to your closest connections in a particular space (say your department, one of your hobbies/passions outside the office, or even just close friends). And tell me honestly how many of those circles truly contain a variety of skill levels? Chances are pretty slim that’s a damn near homogenous group.
If you’re one of the many photographers listening to this episode, for example, do you really have any newbies or photo students in your close contacts? Or vice versa, how many world-class, awarded photographers could you honestly say is a connection you could call upon? If you have trouble answering either of those questions, trust me, you are so far from the only one. As we settle into our careers (creative disciplines, media or otherwise) we aggressively run the risk of our networks and connections becoming calcified into “people like me” who “think and do things like I think and do” (The brilliant marketing mind Seth Godin has a word for that – CULTURE)
Okay, I say that a bit tongue in cheek, but it’s true. The farther along in our career and and personal lives we get, we fall into ruts of what we do and who we spend time with the most (not all in a bad way, but far more often and even a little insidiously, in a mindless, unintentional way).
So, let’s break down the three elements of the Plus, Minus, Equal philosophy of connections and how it can make such a difference in your own growth and development.
PLUS:
While the word gets bandied about way too damn much for anyone’s liking and has nearly lost the gravity and importance that it used to have, PLUS in this model of connection and growth is really referring to the concept of Mentorship – or at the very least, learning from individuals in your field who have objectively created and achieved more than where you’re currently at (no shade here, it’s just a fact that you’re always going to be outpaced and outachieved by plenty of people. Just the same way you’ll outpace and out achieve plenty of folks in turn, but more on that later).
In my mind, the key benefit of connecting and communicating with folks above your weightclass as it were in your field or in the particular skill you’re looking to grow in is this: hard learned lessons minus the struggle. As the old saying goes : “Only a fool learns from their own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others”.
Now there’s nothing quite like the teacher that is failure/struggle/pain/etc., but connection with an advanced figure in your field is a damn close second. And more often than not, can help you illuminate the “unknown unknowns” and pitfalls one couldn’t possibly see coming. The trite analogy would be the idea of summiting Mount Everest. Instead of learning lessons yourself (cough, frostbite, cough), wouldn’t you rather start on a solid foundation of learning from those who had come before in place of reinventing the wheel so to speak.
Realistically however, each of these kinds of connection do come with a handful of pitfalls and the PLUS category of individuals can be one of the most sneakily detrimental to growth if you’re not careful.
Put simply, you’re going to get rejected, shot down, and ignored by folks farther along in career or skill level. A LOT. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that (they’re leading busy, accomplished lives and most won’t have the time to connect on a cold email/phonecall with a junior person they may never have met). On top of that, if you as the reacher-outer don’t approach it in the right way, you’re going to set off all kinds of alarms in the mind and inbox of the PLUS you’re trying to connect with – Hot take, if you use the word “mentor” or “mentorship” explicitly or throw out a phrase like “pick your brain”, you’re going to have a BAD TIME. Second, another pitfall of connecting with PLUS folks is objectivity. And what I mean by objectivity is this – The tendency in all sorts of industries or skills is to view the folks at the proverbial “mountaintop” as larger than life. As such, the real thing to avoid is any and all kinds of HERO WORSHIP. You can see through that kind of insincerity a mile away. If the kind of person you’re reaching out to needs you to butter them up to build a rapport and to open the door to learn from them, they are NOT the kind of person you want to learn and grow from. We’re all multifaceted beings and to distill them down to the pinnacle of their career or skill is not only super reductive to them as an individual, but once you lose that objectivity, how are you going to be able to think critically about the lessons and insights you might get?So where do you go from there with the PLUS folks on your connection quest? Make a list of 20 people in your industry or skill that you would want to connect with and, for each, nail down EXACTLY what the scope of that learning would be – specific and relevant enough that they’ll be able to understand why you reached out to them in particular. Better yet, do you have any mutual connections who might be able to reach out and make a no-pressure introduction? From there, if you’re fortunate enough for one or two folks to respond, you can try to build that relationship OVER TIME.
(and just as a cheeky aside, there’s a really big part of the photo forward podcast that grew out of a need for more PLUS folks in my circles through interviewing brilliant visual creators, through the magic of technology, all around the globe that I may never have the chance to meet in person)
MINUS:
Alright, now that we’ve cleared out the hero worship and fawning over the greats, let’s move on to what I think is arguably the most important group to build connections with – the MINUS folks. Like I mentioned on the PLUS group, there’s nothing inherently negative or problematic with talking about a MINUS population who aren’t as skilled or far along as you. Just facts. So why would you want to grow connections with those who are objectively less skilled than you?
In my mind, the true benefit of building these kinds of cross-skilled relationships is both a little counterintuitive, but super obvious when you spell it out. TEACHING (or as it’s been coined referring to teaching folks only slightly behind where you are “The Protege effect”. One of the most brilliantly simple and effective quotes that typifies this is the old (possibly) Albert Einstein adage “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” What makes a teacher a teacher is their ability to understand complex topics in such detail and with such alacrity that they can translate that domain-specific knowledge into lectures with students who know relatively far less. And not bore them to tears in the process.
Once you yourself cease to be in the group of complete newbies on a topic or in a career field, you really do owe it to the world to give back to the collective knowledge and growth of the “next generation” in your area. I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the achievements I’ve gotten without learning from those above me, so to actively neglect that to those less far along than you is hard to describe as anything less than unwise (if you’re being generous) or (let’s call a fucking spade a spade) selfish and gatekeeping.
So what could possibly go wrong with getting a deep understanding of your skills and teaching the up-and-comers? Well, in my mind, there’s really only one potential downside to over-indexing in the MINUS group of folks for connection and growth. It’s definitely possible to extend yourself too far in this direction and end up spending a disproportionate amount of time being the PLUS for new folks in your field that you end up not keeping pace with the EQUALS or learning your own lessons. If you’re constantly teaching, your’re probably not spending enough time building your own experience and run the risk of stagnating a bit in your own endeavors.
Now when we get to action steps, this can be a bit trickier because so many of these interactions require a bit more serendipity and responding to MINUS folks that reach out to you personally. But it doesn’t have to be quite so passive! How you might ask can you manifest these connections into existence? This is where the beauty of Web 2.0 comes into play. If you have a lesson to share, there’s pretty much an unlimited number of ways to get that out into the world through blogs, LinkedIn posts or *wink wink* just start a podcast and put out episodes like this. And more than anything, don’t feel like you have to be a know it all to know enough to teach – You don’t have to have read the entire book, you just need to be a chapter ahead of the students.
EQUALS:
Last but certainly not least we’re left with the final group in this connection and growth concept – the one we always think of first when you think of networking and skillbuilding your EQUALS. While it’s kind of a duhh section to include in the episode (“Yeah Ben, real fuggin insightful to suggest that you should CONNECT with people who are CLOSE in skill level to you. Eye Roll.”). But stay with me here. I think there’s gotta be particular reasons WHY you’re collaborating with and with WHOM you’re working with to make these EQUALS connections actually valuable. From my experience over the last decade as a photographer and cinematographer, I think when it comes down to it, there are three big factors that transform a good EQUALS connection to a great one – Aligned Values, Productive Collaboration, and Candid Communication (oddly enough, as I write this out it’s really hard not to super impose these onto what it takes to make a healthy and successful romantic relationship or partnership. *accidental mind blown*
Now, your EQUALS connections don’t have to have all three of these characteristics or even excel in a single one of these (there are tons of people and connections that are extremely valuable without needing to “optimize” your growth and development to death and prune out people that don’t hit these themes). But I’ve found that a mindful approach to who you’re close with and defining why you’re close with them (think Napoleon Hill: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”). Speaking specifically in the field of photography/visual media, finding people with Aligned Values ensures you’ve got a shared language for your work and similar motivations and goals that you’re reaching towards. EQUALS folks that you can actually have Productive Collaboration with ensures that you can sustain working together over days/weeks/and months together and not just falling into the trap of the creative jerk-off that can be talking about projects and bouncing ideas off of each other and not actually MAKING ANYTHING and taking it to the next level of growth. And deeply connected to that, if you can’t really, and I do mean REALLY, honestly share your input, ideas, and world with an EQUALS connection, you don’t actually have one. If you feel like you can only be real with them if it’s what they want to hear or you’re only giving them positive feedback on their work, change that shit quickly. You shouldn’t feel like you need to cut them out of your life entirely, but there does need to be a “come to jesus moment” where you get real with each other and come up with a plan to fix that. (Or maybe you notice that you’re the one who’s only getting positive feedback and praise from your EQUALS and YOU need to have your own wake-up call and reflect on why that is). As the great executive coach Jerry Colonna breaks it down: “How am I complicit in the creation of the conditions in my life, that I claim to not want.”
Again this is sort of a category I don’t need to beat a dead horse on when it comes to identifying practical next steps for you the listener to grow your EQUALS group. Honestly, like I mentioned before, it’s almost more about building (and then pruning) your existing connections to deliver the desired outcomes, creative collaboration, growth and problem-solving you want.
So with all of the demands on your time in our busy world, when you think about creating the connections and relationships to grow, just remember: Find your PLUSSES, Teach your MINUSES and collaborate with your EQUALS.
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Do you as a photographer ever feel like you’re just not connecting with the right clients? Or that you keep getting assignments/work that just doesn’t light you up or bring you any creative joy to work on? Well, you are so very far from the only one. But it is avoidable, by honing your creative style and making work that draws people in. Put simply, Post eye-catching photos, get eye-catching assignments, put up a generic portfolio – get generic work. Pulling from the world of marketing, there’s a great principle that all photographers can take a cue from and it boils down to this. It’s effective to be better, it’s intriguing to be different, but the best creators of all meld these two facets into their work and are both better and different – That’s what catches the eyes of the public, editors, and art directors and gets you hired.
Adam Glanzman is an independent freelance photographer based in Boston and is available for photography and motion work worldwide. He was a Staff Photographer at Northeastern University in Boston where he worked for four years before leaving to expand his own photography business.
Adam's work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International (POYi), the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), the Boston Press Photographers Association (BPPA), the University Photographers Association of America (UPAA), and College Photographer of the Year (CPOY). He was also selected to attend Eddie Adams XXIX.
In today’s episode with Adam Glanzmann, he and I go through the development process for his eye-catching style, break down how he made the transition from staff to full-time freelance, and walk through one of his memorable personal projects and how that translated to future paid work assignments. Alright, time for me to get out of the way and let you guys into today’s conversation with freelance photographer. Adam Glanzmann.
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Hey Photo Forward listeners — It is the winter (slightly post-holiday) season! A time to step back, reflect on the year behind us (what goddamn wild one…) and look forward to the future and how your photographic work can and should evolve. And yeah, there’s that whole giving of gifts thing… And as my present to you all, the podcast is back delivering weekly episodes on photography, creativity, and making a living as a visual storyteller. Yes, finally at long last after taking a while away from the podcast during 2021 following the unrest in the Twin Cities and examining how to make the show more inclusive, the Photo Forward Podcast is back and will be better than ever. We’ve got some incredible interviews lined up for the coming months and experimenting with new content on the show (Q&A segments/episodes are going to be HUGE, but more on that after the bulk of todays show. Thank you all so much for your patience.
So, without further ado, let’s get into this week’s episode on my curated list of five of the best pieces of reading material for you, the photographer, or the visual storyteller in your life. (With a bonus item on the list that should just flat out be required material for every fucking human that’s sufficiently old enough to read it)
Hello and welcome to the Photo Forward Podcast, the weekly show where we explore the stories behind some of the greatest photographers and visual storytellers the world over. From their photographic origin stories, to finding work-life balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, cinematographer, or multimedia creator — we uncover what makes them tick and their shutters click. I’m your host, Ben Brewer.
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One of the core questions I’m always looking to find answers to on this show is “What makes a brilliant visual creator?” Is it the grasp of technical aspects like lighting, composition, and moment? Or a personal skill or special gift of connecting with individuals in your images? There’s obviously a nearly infinite number of talented photographers out there, so what gives certain shooters a true “visual voice”. Well, today’s guest is such a brilliant example of forging that visual voice, that photographic identity, that brand... by melding artistic influences to create as Aristotle so brilliantly said “A Whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Chris McDuffie, born and raised in St. Paul, MN, is the founder and visionary behind Chris McDuffie Photography. Chris became interested in photography while studying Business and Marketing Education at the University of Minnesota, which ultimately led his entrepreneurial spirit to start his own photography business shortly after graduation. He’s since been fortunate to land jobs with companies including: Activision, Cargill, Fairview, North Memorial Hospital, Minnesota Timberwolves, Target, TCF, ESPN, Nike, Bumble, GQ, and the New York Times. WHEW. Chris has been recognized by the MN Fashion Awards in 2015, and the Beautiful Humans Award in 2017.
Since beginning his company, it has been his mission to bring creativity, honesty, and humor to both consumers and commercial clients. Being a life-long artist, his creative taste and aesthetic eye has been shaped by a rich tapestry of music, galleries, and theater in the Twin Cities. When not engrossed in work, Chris loves to spend time with his illustrious wife, Vanessa.
In today’s episode, Chris and I had such a perfect back and forth about creative inspiration, what it means to constantly re-examine and hone your craft, and so critically building genuine relationships and networks across skills, across genres, and across creative styles to uplift the whole creative community. Time for me to get out of the way and into today’s beautiful episode with commercial and editorial photographer Chris McDuffie.
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It’s only been a few short weeks since our last episode, but it already feels like the entire world has been flipped on its head. We all saw and were outraged beyond words at the murder of Goerge Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Soon after, my city responded to a collective pain, sadness, and anger with protests that engulfed the Twin Cities in the days after Floyd’s death. The message was and is clear: Now is the time for change. Now is the time for justice.
I’ve been slow to publicly respond because I wanted to ensure I shared this message as deliberately, clearly, and compassionately as possible. The photography and visual creator industries have long tip-toed around the issues of race, gender, and representation in our visual medium. But to continue on in this podcast and in our communities at large would be a tonedeaf mistake to our reality. Now is a moment and an energy we should not choose to ignore.
While it feels strange to say, this podcast and the small community of followers I have online is a platform. And with that comes a responsibility to share, promote and connect with a more diverse group of creators. And though the podcast is still in its infancy, I’ve failed at that. In no uncertain terms, I support the Black Lives Matter movement, inclusion, and justice. And I’m a firm believer that if you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
That is why I’m going to be taking a brief pause from the podcast to connect with a more diverse group of creators to hear their stories, unpack their perspectives, and share their wisdom for all of us – and in so doing, make this podcast and those we serve with it comprise a much larger range of voices.
As a person of great privilege in my own life, I’ll keep this short — it’s time for me to talk less and listen more ; More action and less words. So again, I want to thank all of you listeners and subscribers for your patience as I sought to find the words and the actions to be a small part of the solution to dismantling institutionalized racism in our communities. I should have done better months or years ago, but I didn’t. And I apologize for that. My goal for the Photo Forward podcast going forward is to ensure our community of photographers, cinematographers, and multimedia creators is one of inclusion, one of diverse voices, and one that lifts up all members our beautiful visual medium.
I look forward to meeting that challenge in the months and years to come on Photo Forward. As always keep seeing, keep clicking, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. Cheers everyone.
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To be honest, I didn’t plan on releasing this episode until later on in the summer, but with everything going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, this seems like honestly the MUCH MORE relevant and timely episode to be releasing to you all, the listeners of Photo Forward.
These days, being stuck in isolation, a lot of us are being forced to grapple with the question “If I’m not taking photographs, am I still a photographer?” (or insert your applicable verb and profession here). We’re all trying to figure out WHO we are rather than WHAT we are or WHAT we do. That’s a painful process for a lot of us creatives, myself included. And it’s the self-same journey today’s guest has been on for years in, around, and through the photography world — and has some mindful wisdom to share from her experience along the way.
Courtney Perry is a photojournalist based in Minneapolis, MN. Formerly a staff photographer at the Dallas Morning News, she now freelances for various local and national clients while based in the Twin Cities. Her home is filled with a spouse, his children, their dogs, and much love.
On today’s episode, Courtney and I explore how to enjoy photography without basing your happiness on your work, how she’s been able to build a stable and healthy client-base as a freelancer, and why having a “dark night of the soul” moment in your creative career can be a game-changing event to sharpen your focus as a photographer or multimedia creator. Without any further ado, today’s beautiful and timely interview with photojournalist Courtney Perry.
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Well, this is certainly not a podcast episode I thought I'd have to make but it's one that ought to be made. In this time of incredible uncertainty and confusion surrounding Coronavirus and COVID-19, I just wanted to provide a little bit of respite for all of you photographers all of you videographers, with just a few things to keep in mind and ways to come out the other side of this better than when you started.
Which I know sounds pretty much impossible right about now. This episode's gonna get into seven ways that you as a photographer or a visual creator can really make the most of this time of social distancing as we try to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. And on top of that,
I want to provide some ways to help out some of our freelance brothers and sisters in the visual community, so today's episode is gonna touch on a little bit of all of that.
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Today’s episode is all about connections. Not in the smarmy, LinkedIn Request, crap networking sort of way, but in the genuine engagement and empathic authenticity that you can only achieve from true photojournalism greatness. Who better to learn from than a photographer would you self-proclaim to rather be a good person than a great photographer, building meaningful connections with the individuals and building a rapport through words before ever picking up a camera to capture images, today’s guest, Alyssa Schukar is an excellent resource to learn from for any working photographer.
Alyssa Schukar is a Washington, DC-based documentary photographer and educator. In her personal work, she is most interested in documenting how the environment and public policies affect communities.
She believes photojournalists advance and improve the industry by supporting each other. In 2019, Alyssa and two colleagues launched Prism Photo Workshop, which provides support and advocacy for young photographers of diverse backgrounds (which we’ll get into all the details of in this week’s episode) She is also a returning faculty member of the Missouri Photo Workshop.
In this weeks’ episode, we explore the process of transitioning from a staff position to freelancing work across the country, how to deeply connect with the individuals in your photos, even in a fast paced news scenario, and why the art of the personal project (and sharing it with editors) is the ultimate fast track to getting your work seen and being hired for similar jobs. Without any further ado, today’s killer interview with photojournalist Alyssa Schukar.
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Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock in the photography world, you’ve likely heard the quote attributed to Robert Capa “If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.” Well, as it so happens, there’s some science behind the photojournalist great’s piece of advice.
So, you’ve clicked on this episode of Photo Forward and you’re wondering – what in the hell is “Proxemics” and what could that possibly do for growing my photography career? Let’s dive in and learn a little something about the science of personal space in photographer.
Coined way back in 1963, anthropologist Edward T Hall describe the phenomenon of Proxemics as “The interrelated observation and theories of humans use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture.” That’s a bit of word soup, so let's break down the whole system.
Essentially, when you're interacting with other folks in your normal day-to-day existence, there's four “ranges” of space between any two people (from farthest to nearest): Public distance (12 to 25 ft), Social distance (4 to 12 ft), Personal distance (1.51 to 4 ft) and (bow chicka bow wow) Intimate distance (1 in to 18 in.)
So, while we talk a lot about what lenses we mount to our cameras and what a particular focal length does to our subject matter, we don't often think about the Proxemic effect of the distance we place ourselves as the photographer. Just the same way that the proximity of me to the microphone changes the tone of the audio, the proximity of you to the subject of your photography changes the tone of your image and what it's trying to suggest. Sure, you might love the 85 mm focal length because of how it flatters the human face, but depending on the framing you might be shooting for, the Proxemic effect might be subconsciously telling your viewer something completely different entirely.
Let's do a little thought experiment here just to describe what's going on with Proxemics and photography: Let's say you get a call from a client asking you to spend some time shadowing a local business owner (How about a cobbler to keep things interesting!) And capture some lifestyle and editorial images of Chris the cobbler at work. Before you ever set foot in his shop, ideally, you're thinking critically about what you want your viewers to think and feel when they see these images in the article. Regardless of what the shop looks like or what the lighting situation might be — but keeping in mind what your editor wants and needs from a design perspective — you want to put the viewer into the appropriate Proxemic zone- photographing Chris The Cobbler in the public distance of 12 to 25 ft is going to make the viewer feel distant and emotionally disconnected. Or conversely, as friendly as this cobbler might be, there's no editor in the world that wants a photo from the intimate distance range of inside 18” away.
But, in a completely different assignment, say a dramatic portrait series focusing deeply in the emotions in gestures of the subject, you'd want to push the limits of the personal distance range around 2 ft to push the limits of your audience and what they can tolerate in their comfort zones. So, we've been diving on deep on how the proxemic distance that you choose regardless of the lens choice can make your audience feel the right emotional connection or disconnection when they see your photos. [Which, as an aside is something that the movie industry knows intricately. Take a look at the side of any cinema lens and you'll see they've got a detailed distance scale to make sure their precisely hitting their optimal subject distances, and obviously getting repeatable follow focus poles along the way.]
But back to where I was going before... Studying Proxemics for your photography is going to make a huge difference in another big way in how the individuals that your photographing feel when you are taking the photo. For example, does the subject in the frame have a strong enough level of trust to have you inside that 1 and 1/2 to 4 ft personal distance? Or by photographing in that public distance, or you confusing or alienating the individual as to why you're not engaging in that social four to 12-ft distance?
Of course, the caveat all of this is that wall these distances and Proxemics are formed from a number of auditory, haptic, and neurological cues, these distances and ranges vary by culture. So your mileage may vary depending on which state region or country you're listening to this podcast from
So, what's the action item that you can take from this episode? Well, besides being aware of the Proxemics in your photography here's a fun experiment to analyze your work... Well I would love to tell you guys that Lightroom or PhotoMechanic has a great feature to sort by subject focus distance. But, it looks like they took that feature away, honestly because of how wildly unreliable these figures got embedded into the photo exit data. Womp womp. So, my task to you on your next shoot is to lock your lens in manual focus at the crossover distance between Proxemic ranges like 18 in, 4 ft, and 12 ft and think mindfully about what crossing into one range or another does to your image, your subject, and yourself as a photographer and how you approach your world.
As much fun as creating this series in a vacuum and pushing content out into the void is… I want to hear from you guys! Are there topics or guests that you’d LOVE to get on the podcast here in 2020? Or are there some BIG NAGGING QUESTIONS you’ve got on photography or video production that you want me to cover on one of these solo episodes? Hit me up @BBrewerphoto or drop an email to [email protected] . I want to make 2020 a much more collaborative, community-focused season of the Photo Forward Podcast and can’t wait to keep creating with you all throughout the year. So, as always — Keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. LATER!
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everybody listening to this podcast probably knows either from practical experience or just intuitively that crafting a career as a photographer or other visual creator is no small feat. From staving off burnout to managing finances, freelancers have to DO IT ALL. So why is it then that freelancers so often fail to actually break out of the vicious cycle of feast or famine workloads?
Well, our guest today is the perfect example of how to make it happen as a freelance photojournalist by diving in headfirst into new locations and experiences and figuring it all out along the way. Lauren Justice is a freelance photojournalist currently based in Madison, Wisconsin. Trust, intimacy, and time are cornerstones of her work and believes in using photography as a tool for education, awareness, and understanding. Clients of hers include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and NPR just to name but a few. Lauren has attended the Eddie Adams workshop and the New York Portfolio Review (where we start today’s conversation – so if you’ve been pining after getting that invitation letter, we talk about everything you’ll want to know going into it). Lauren and I talk through her strategy as a two-time NYT portfolio review invitee and how in-person meetings with editors have led to far more work than cold emails or pitches. We then get into her career as an independent photojournalist and the path that took her across the country from Ohio to Flint, Michigan, Nebraska, and finally to Madison, Wisconsin and the visual stories she crafted along the way. And finally we go in deep on her recent incredible portrait series featured on the NYT Lens Blog ‘What Would I Have Done if I Would Have Killed Her That Night?’ and her process for long-term storytelling.
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Picture this: It’s late 2018. Feels like a lifetime ago, right? Like the whole damn world’s changed since then. Enter me: Freelancing pretty regularly, working at a past desk job and feeling creatively TOAST — I wasn’t happy with the quality of the work I was producing, but without any buffer time in my life to practice my craft and grow as a photographer. What would you do? Well, if you’re crazy like me, you’d respond emphatically with… start a podcast? Yep. That’s right.
Hey everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Photo Forward Podcast, where we explore the stories behind some of the greatest visual storytellers in the world. From their photographic origins, to finding work-life balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, videographer, or multimedia creator — we uncover what makes them tick and their shutters click. I’m your host, Ben Brewer.
It’s become pretty trite to even say anymore but, back in 2018, the social media and digital world was changing in a big way. (Remember again that January 2018 marked the beginning of Facebook openly and frankly saying that they were going to radically de-emphasize commercial content in the news feed and favor “friends and family” content over “brands and pages”) And in that creative TOAST that I described earlier, I was feeling more and more disconnected from my visual creator brothers and sisters even though we were all connected and sharing on Facebook, Instagram and the like. So it hit me — as a freelancer, the way to actually feel connected to a community of photographers, cinematographers and more wasn’t to drop my work off the cliff into the news feed. What I needed to do was start to create a community myself through teaching and learning from some of the most knowledgeable, talented, and creative visual storytellers out there – the kind of creators that you’ve seen their byline and their work, but you don’t yet know their story.
It’s now been a full year of creating content for the Photo Forward Podcast and, whew, I finally feeling like I can call myself an honest to goodness podcaster. And yes, that does sound as weird to me saying it as it probably does hearing it if you’ve discovered this podcast from my photo and video work. So with that, I wanted to share a little bit of Insight And some lessons learned From my first year creating this very photo forward podcast for you guys who may be considering doing the same (which I would highly recommend anyone start a podcast if you have a pulse and think you have a message to share with the world) So without any further ado, let's get into my biggest lessons learned starting the photo forward podcasts in 2019.
#1 – Podcasting forced me to expand outside of my normal skillset as a photojournalist.
Immediately, upon telling people that I was going to start a podcast, I had to field questions like – “What do you think you’ll talk about? Do you think that photographers really want to sit down for an hour-long interview? Have you done this kind of thing before?” These threw me into a fair share of tailspins as I started to do the legwork to get the podcast off the ground and interviewing the first few guests in person and over Skype. Sure, I'd recorded audio on set and interviewed people for documentaries or content marketing pieces, but nothing quite like that ultra-real, authentic face-to-face (or Skype) podcast interview connection with no cameras, no lights, and no crew in sight.
There's something to finding that extra level of vulnerability and deeply connecting with your guests face to face, eye to eye in person. Us visual creators often use our cameras as a shields of sorts. Sure we can capture beautiful, moving cinematic images, but we often do so at the detriment of actually experiencing those moments firsthand. Or maybe if we're experiencing them, we're not truly feeling them. So that's one of the things that really drew me to the format of the long-form interview podcast.
#2 – Podcasting WILL, I repeat WILL, enable you to communicate more clearly in everyday life.
It might sound like apples and oranges, but being a better private speaker makes you a better public speaker. You might be crammed into your jankily soundproofed bedroom closet makeshift studio on microphone recording your interview introductions, but it FOR SURE translates into being a more deliberate and confident public speaker. Because you’re able to get immediate feedback on your speech (Did I stutter through the delivery of that sentence? Why do I sound so sad or angry when I’m trying to make my voice sound happy?) you can directly correct those accidental mannerisims that we mindlessly move past in everyday speech with colleagues, friends and loved ones. Hearing and truly LISTENING closely to your voice is an incredible way to make sure you’re sharing the best version of yourself to the world.
#3, Closely related to #2, but unique to creating a podcast in the space that you work in – Podcasting coaches you into being able to talk about your work in a deliberate, cohesive way. Again, like I mentioned earlier in the episode, us visual creators often don’t have to practice justifying our work or explaining why we did what we did. We sort of chalk up certain creative decisions to “going with our gut” or “thinking rationally” on visual projects. The act of asking another visual creator about the technical style of their work or even talking through their career trajectory forces you as an interviewer to be precise in your creative language to get beneath the surface level (where did you go and which gear did you use).
#4 Creating the Photo Forward Podcast allowed (and required) me to dive back into the memory box of history and put myself in the place of a new, emerging visual storyteller. As I’ve talked about on the show before, when setting out to create the Photo Forward podcast, I had a few major goals for new listeners and creators in mind — Share the stories behind visual storytellers the world over, give new photographers a repository of lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid, and provide critique coaching and mentorship as we grow the audience and following. (We’re still working on that last one, but this year, that’s going to be a big focus going forward). So in order to make sure that the interviews resonate with both emerging and established visual creators, I had to hop in my photographer time machine and really think back to those, if I’m being honest, dark days of my early career wondering if this photography thing could ever actually allow me to provide for myself and maybe one day a family. The questions and doubts do change, but they never truly go away so putting myself back into the shoes of a new creator ensure we can create the best quality content.
#5 Podcasting WILL grow your network outside of the folks you’d normally interact with.
Sure, as I was pulling together an initial list of guests to have on the podcast, I leaned more heavily on both people that I knew personally as well as folks with some industry recognition. But as I kept completing interviews, more and more, I would chat with guests after we’d finished and see who they think would make a good guest for the show and who would have some wisdom to share. This is another beautiful thing about podcasting, the more episodes we create, the wider array of guests we have on, the more the network effect of 2nd and 3rd degree connections grows — essentially my theory at the beginning of the podcast that, the way to actually feel connected to a community of photographers, cinematographers and more was to intentionally create a community myself through the show. We’re just getting started, but I’m already reaching out to creators I never even knew about before getting started that I guarantee will bring you all an immense amount of knowledge and value in the months and years to come.
So, there we have it, the top five Lessons learned from my first year as a podcaster creating the Photo Forward Podcast. I didn’t really dive into the technical side of producing the podcast and lessons learned. And that’s on purpose. Because honestly, I think the gear, gadgets, and programs that go into producing the show are so secondary to the personal and professional work necessary to create this show each week. But that being said, if any of you are interested in hearing more about the technical hurdles and lessons learned from the technical and production side of the podcast, shoot me a DM on instagram @BBrewerphoto and if there’s enough interest I’ll put together a quick primer.
As much fun as creating this series in a vacuum and pushing content out into the void is… I want to hear from you guys! Are there topics or guests that you’d LOVE to get on the podcast here in 2020? Or are there some BIG NAGGING QUESTIONS you’ve got on photography or video production that you want me to cover on one of these solo episodes? Hit me up @BBrewerphoto or drop an email to [email protected] . I want to make 2020 a much more collaborative, community-focused season of the Photo Forward Podcast and can’t wait to keep creating with you all throughout the year. So, as always — Keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. LATER!
Thanks for listening to today’s episode everyone. You can find a full transcript of the show with shownotes, links, photos and more at photoforward.media/podcast
Enjoying listening to the Photo Forward Podcast? Want to hear more thought-provoking, engaging discussions about photography, business, and creativity? Well, this is where you come in. We want to get the word out as wide as possible about Photo Forward and reach as many listeners as possible. And the best way to do that is through reviews and recommendations on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you consume your podcasts. If you want to support more engaging and intimate conversations with photographers, videographers, and storytellers the world over, head on over the Photo Forward page and drop a review, or even a rating. It means a ton to growing the show and I personally read through each and every review to make this show the best damn visual storytelling podcast out there. Thanks for listening, and see you all soon.
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Hello everyone and welcome to the Photo Forward Podcast, where we explore the stories behind some of the greatest visual storytellers in the world. From their photographic origins, to finding work-life balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, videographer, or multimedia creator — we uncover what makes them tick and their shutters click. I’m your host, Ben Brewer.
When you hear the word “photojournalist” – What comes to mind? A warzone or conflict photographer? A sports shooter lugging a few supertelephoto lenses around the sidelines of a professional sporting event? Or maybe it’s the fly on the wall, spending countless hours following a singular subject, telling a singular, poignant story with images? Well, in my mind, it’s ALL of that and NONE of that. Let me explain
These tropes exist for a reason, they are often true. But today’s episode gets at the heart of photojournalism– applying our craft of using photos and videos to tell the most authentic, human story possible, visually. Photojournalism is everywhere and today’s guest shares her mindste and outlook as a photojournalist and editorial photographer AND how that’s helped her position herself as an expert in her craft, no matter her location.
Ruthie Hauge’s roots are in photojournalism and art. She received a scholarship to attend Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where she majored in photography and minored in drawing. She was hired as a Staff Photographer by Sun-Times Media in Illinois where she worked for almost 7 years and earning 18 State and National Photojournalism awards. In the summer of 2012, Ruthie gave up her staff position to focus on her business and her new role as Mom. According to her bio, Before a long day of photography Ruthie's pre-game ritual includes 8+ hours of sleep, a burger, a playlist of Hall & Oates, and an iced white chocolate mocha. On assignment, Ruthie is usually doing whatever is necessary to get the best possible photo, whether it be sloshing through a ditch, balancing on the roof of a skyscraper, flying in a blimp or standing in a bathtub and She loves EVERY minute of it. Ruthie goes above and beyond for her clients while also capturing as much personality, life and storytelling in her images as possible.
In today’s episode, Ruthie and I dive in on treating your creative work as a business, how to get connected in new locations and building your tribe, and the importance of finding a partner who shares your values and complements your skills. Shownotes for today’s episode can be found at photoforward DOT media SLASH podcast. So, without any further ado, my interview with Ruthie Hauge.
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Hey everyone and welcome to the Photo Forward podcast, where we dive in deep each week on the art of visual storytelling, exploring the stories behind some of the greatest photographers in the world. From their origin stories to finding balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, videographer, or multimedia creator – I’m your host, Ben Brewer
So, this is a special little in-betweenisode, introducing a new ongoing series on this show. Now, one of the biggest reasons I’m undertaking this show was...well...thinking about my own work. Let me explain.
When I started out in the field of photography and photojournalism, interning at whatever newspaper would take me, whatever freelance outlet I could get my grubby little photographer hands on… I was so fuckin’ lost. (Not to say that feeling has subsided over the years to where I’m at today, but it’s certainly evolved in different ways)
I say “fuckin’ lost” because, as a photographer just starting out, I was missing FOUR big things:
Exposure to the world of professional photographers (This was 2008, after all)Foresight about what pitfalls and mistakes to avoidCritique of my workAnd a true, honest-to-god coach and mentorSo, part of what Photo Forward sets out to do, and what I think the format has excelled at is really the first two – sharing the visual storytelling community and enlightening the photographic world… in the words of Otto Von Bismarck “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”
But where we really haven’t gone yet are those critical last two points, critique and coaching. Arguable the most impactful way I’ve grown as a photojournalist. That’s why I’m so excited to share a new feature on Photo Forward, a segment I’m calling “Push|Pull” (All you film buffs out there will appreciate that reference)
"Push|Pull" is a periodic Q/A or AMA (ask me anything) style segment where I’m going to do real, unscripted critique and coaching taped podcast episodes with YOU Photo forward listeners.
Want an honest critique of your portfolio or recent photo project you’ve been workshopping? Or maybe you’ve got questions about your photography career and where you want to grow as a visual creator? Or maybe you’re a freelancer feeling a bit isolated from the photo community and just want to shoot the shit with a fellow visual storyteller and talk shop for a bit. Wherever you the audience want to take "Push|Pull", Let’s go there.
So here’s how this is going to work in real life: Because I want to give everyone a fair shot at getting featured on "Push|Pull" and to have their questions answered, we’re going to run this through Instagram. Start by following my Instagram page at BBrewerPhoto. And, when I go live (instagram story?) on Instagram Stories and start talking about "Push|Pull", just send me a Direct Message with your Skype ID or email. The first THREE people who send me their deets on each IG story will get to be the lucky few for that Month’s "Push|Pull" episode (as long as you agree to have us record our conversation. Duh.)
And that’s really all there is to it! It’s kind of an experiment for this show, but I know it’s got the potential to help out a lot of photographers who might be feeling a similar kind of “fucking lost” that I’ve been through over the years.
So, to recap, make sure you’re following @BBrewerPhoto on Instagram and keep your eyes peeled for IG stories on "Push|Pull", and when they come up, hit me up with a DM to get coaching!
Anyways, that is all for today my Photo Forward people. I hope you are as excited about this expansion to the show as I am creating it. We’re gonna do some awesome shit, I know it. So, as always: Keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your Best Photo Forward. See you all soon.
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Hey Photo Forward listeners — WE ARE BACK. Yes, finally at long last after a brief hiatus of me moving to Minneapolis-St.Paul, the Photo Forward Podcast is back and better than ever. We’ve got some incredible interviews lined up for the coming months and experimenting with new content on the show. Thank you all so much for your patience. So, without further ado, let’s get into this week’s episode on the beauty of SMART goals for creatives.
Probably the majority of you all listening this right now would classify yourselves as creatives of one sort of another. And if that’s the case and you self-identify that way like I do, you’ve probably been fed a similar popular wisdom throughout your lives — creatives (photographers/artists/writers/you name it) produce their best work when they are free, unencumbered and left to their own devices, following their creative spirit… while businesspeople/entrepreneurs and the like need structure and analytical thinking to thrive. Well, quite frankly...we’ve all been fed the same lie. It’s time to get SMART and set some goals.
Hey everyone and welcome to the Photo Forward podcast, where we dive in deep each week on the art of visual storytelling, exploring the stories behind some of the greatest photographers in the world. From creative inspiration, to finding balance as a creative professional, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, videographer, or multimedia creator – I’m your host, Ben Brewer.
When you hear “goal-setting” or “tracking your performance”, you probably want to lace up your shoes and run, having flashbacks to meaningless professional development classes or filling out TPS reports at a past nightmare job… But stay with me here.
I want to pull back the curtain on a concept from the realm of project management and personal development that I all but guarantee will help focus the planning, creation, and exposition of your creative work–whether it’s for your overall growth as a creator or on a specific photo or video project. They’re called SMART goals. And no, it has nothing to do with the intelligence of your ideas or their execution.
An acronym coined back in the early 80’s by management consultant George T. Doran, the letters of SMART goals correspond to: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and (probably the biggest crutch to executing creative work) Time-Bound.
The best creative work needs to keep this shit in mind from beginning to end. Obviously things might change throughout the course of creation, but it’s important to not let inattention waste quality creativity. Let’s break down what each of those mean. Say I’m pitching a photography project to an editor. I better damn well exactly know the Who, What, When, Where, and Why (that priority matters, read some of Simon Sinek’s work for some perfect examples of the importance of “Starting with Why”. Is it a solo project or will it require a crew to fulfill your creative vision? What is it? When are you going to start it (but seriously, WHAT DAY)? Where are your shoot locations / Where are you going to edit and post-produce the work? And last but clearly not least, WHY should this work exist? In other words, be Specific.
Now, if you’re working on a piece of long-term project, it can be super, super easy to fall into the, well, HUMAN, trap of not spacing one’s content creation out appropriately or arguably worse yet, not keeping track of how a project is progressing. I can actually hear my inner monologue working on the script for this episode going: “I wrote SOME of it tonight. I got SOME of my ideas down. That’s a successful day of writing, right?” Think about the last creative project you worked on that DIDN’T pan out as well as you’d hoped. Did you keep track of how MUCH you were producing along the way? Did you write X words, take X photos, sketch X drawings this month like you said you would? Now obviously, things happen. Life has a funny habit of getting in the way of finishing projects. But knowing how MUCH you should produce does wonders for keeping a Specific project on track — The goal has to be Measurable.
Now, we’ve nailed down what the first part of SMART goals stands for. But take a good hard look in the mirror for this next one. Do you have the skills to reach your goals or deliver on your creative projects? What good is a Specific and Measurable goal, say creating photography work on a compelling subject three times a week...that you want to see published this year in National Geographic... if you’ve only been a working photographer for a few months? All the busting ass in the world can’t make up for the fact that skill and mastery take time. Making world-class work in your first months as a photographer simply isn’t an ATTAINABLE goal. Your goals, projects and personal development as a creative need to INSPIRE you to action, not demotivate you to getting stuck in the status quo.
So, for the penultimate letter in SMART goals, we’re looking at essentially the meta-goal of your creative project – RELEVANT – does it make SENSE for you to be working now on THIS. You may be able to create a beautifully cinematic demo reel of your travel videography, but if your bread and butter (economically speaking) as a creator is your portraiture or corporate work, it MIGHT not make sense for you to commit time and energy into editing that reel. There are an infinite number of endeavors we CAN spend our time on, so we as creators need to be highly mindful on the RELEVANCE of the work we’re producing. As an aside, I struggle with this constantly as a freelance photojournalist; Even spending time on this podcast seems at times like it isn’t my “ONE BIG THING” that I need to be spending time on, but I know that the long-tail outcomes of producing and interviewing brilliant creative minds justifies the time it takes — i.e. Creating a visual storytelling podcast is RELEVANT to my goals to thrive as a freelance creator because it’s a learning opportunity and a means to reach a wider audience with my work.
And last, you guessed it, Time-Bound. Now, practically all of us can think back to an experience in high school or college where you were given a big essay or project due in a few weeks. And probably some of you were what we call “forward-thinking” or “organized” and got ahead on the project and whittled away at milestones or drafts along the way, making the last few days before the due date simple. Or were you were more like myself and maybe...neglected...to work on projects as much as you ought to and left the bulk of the project for those last few days before it was due? Well, I’ve got good news for you. Regardless of which group you might fall into, what’s important here is that sneaky little due date. That’s really the most basic example of a Time-Bound goal. So on your creative projects, whether it’s a daily goal, weekly or monthly one, or even a big audacious five-year one, keeping the project bound by time makes sure it gets done.
The real beauty of SMART goals isn’t just by following one or another, it’s how they mesh together. The art comes together when you combine Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. SMART goals get projects started, they keep content on track, and they get you results on your creative work. So, now time to get working and get SMART.
What part of SMART goals do you guys struggle with the most? I’d love to hear more by connecting on Facebook or Instagram @BBrewerPhoto or email [email protected].
Enjoying listening to the Photo Forward Podcast? Want to hear more thought-provoking, creative visual storytellers? Well, this is where you come in. We want to get the word out as wide as possible about Photo Forward and reach as many listeners as possible. And the best way to do that is through reviews and recommendations on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you consume your podcasts. If you want to support more engaging and intimate conversations with photographers, videographers, and storytellers the world over, head on over the Photo Forward page and drop a review or even a rating. It means a ton to growing the show and I personally read through each and every review to make this show the best damn visual storytelling podcast out there.
This has been another episode of Photo Forward, produced and edited by me, your host Ben Brewer. Music featured in this episode was recorded by Phil David and Kyle Preston, licensed through the AMAZING music site – Artlist.io. All the original, royalty-free music you could ever want to use in your creative projects for a super reasonable price. For an extra two months FREE, check it out and follow the link www.artlist.io/Ben-8800
And, as always, keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. See you all next week.
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Hello everyone and welcome to the Photo Forward Podcast, I’m your host Ben Brewer. Today, as you might have gathered from the title and a bit of irregularity in the schedule recently is more an announcement and some housekeeping than one of our usual deep-dive interviews with photographers, videographers and visual creators.
So, as some of you might have known, for the past 6 years, I’ve been based out of Madison, Wisconsin. And as much as I’ve loved living in the Cheesehead state, sometimes it’s simply the right set of life circumstances at the right moment to make a leap of faith and relocate geographically. So, spoiler alert: I’ve moved!
I’ve made the decision to move back across the border to my home state of Minnesota to continue to grow my freelance work and if I’m being honest, take some steps to grow personally.
So what does that mean for Photo Forward. In short, it’s going to be pretty much business as usual. The Podcast will continue with a renewed focus on bringing on exciting, creative, and inspiring guests...with one caveat. As you all I’m sure are aware: Moving on its own is a long, stressful, and time-consuming process — and adding in relocating a business and home office doesn’t make it much simpler. So for all of you that have been Jonesing for new Photo Forward episodes this last month, I wanted to apologize for the lack of updated content. This podcast project has meant a hell of a lot to me this past year and your support and listenership has been a huge driving force along the way.
So, in short: New Photo Forward episodes are ON THEIR WAY, but you’ll have to be a bit patient. I’ll be giving plenty of updates (be sure to follow @BBrewerPhoto on the socials) as we “re-launch” the podcast in my new state. I can’t wait to keep producing the series and look forward to having you (and all your friends) along for the ride in 2019 and beyond.
So, as always — Keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. Cheers everyone.
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Okay, show of hands. Who here, when you were starting your photography career or just getting into taking pictures said, “I want to be a music photographer!” or “I just want to go shoot photos at concerts!”. I think I can safely say that, at least, the idea has crossed the minds of most visual storytellers at some point. There’s something entrancing about the being a concert or music photographer — maybe it’s the spectacle of the lights and showmanship, maybe for the more video-centric amongst us the purposeful, natural blend of audio and visuals, or maybe it’s something about being part of the concert “experience”. But shooting concerts for free doesn’t put food on your table. Photo credits don’t keep the lights on. Like being any type of photographer, to truly “make it” as a music photographer you have to niche down, achieve a unique style, and find your creative vision that makes you different – not just better – and create work with value.
Today’s guest is a perfect example of focusing down in your work and honing your craft, but never losing sight of the real-world practicalities of making photography work that makes you a living.
Nate Ryan is a Minnesota-based photographer and filmmaker, capturing editorial and commercial imagery with a journalistic approach, telling visual stories with integrity. An avid cyclist and active outdoorsman, Nate loves to capture the stories and environments of the natural world. As the staff photographer at 89.3 The Current since 2010, he’s captured photos and video of the countless studio performances with bands that visit the station, as well as many live performances at venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In today’s episode, I get an inside perspective on what it means to be more than just a concert photographer, how Nate pushes himself on every assignment as a photography team of one, and how he creates work for himself that fires him up to get PAID by national clients to shoot that kind of work for them. You can find show notes with photos and links online at photoforward.media/podcast/Nate So, without further ado, my behind the curtains conversation with 89.3 The Current Photographer, Nate Ryan.
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I know you’ve always heard this old adage: “Think Outside the Box” . It’s often used as something like a motivational poster, acting as a pseudo-metaphor for creativity or innovation. But let’s take a step back to examine that: Think OUTSIDE the box. Think outside the BOX. That assumes there’s a box, some bound on creative output (more on that later). But it makes a critical assumption that I’ve got to say I disagree with: That substantial success only comes through side-stepping constraints, especially creative ones.
Hey everyone and welcome to the Photo Forward podcast, where we dive in deep each week on the art of visual storytelling, exploring the stories behind some of the greatest photographers in the world. From their origin stories to finding balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, videographer, or multimedia creator – I’m your host, Ben Brewer
Now, I’m not some genius of Creativity, but I can speak to what I know working as a photojournalist. Along all my assignments, all my projects, all my editorial work — I know this much: The only way I’ve been able to succeed and grow into a better photographer is through limiting CONSTRAINTS.
Yes. That’s right. Aspects of my job that actively constrict my photography have improved my work the most. How so you ask? Well, I see it growing me in four big ways from four kinds of creative constraints.
Work with what you got (LIGHT)
No Do-Overs (ONE CHANCE)
No option but to produce (NECESSITY)
Deliver your work to the world, FASTI can pretty comfortably say, there aren’t a whole lot of professions out in the working world, like a photographer, that share this unique blend of limitations AND expectation for visual creativity, i.e. ART. I love it, I feed off exploring the box that I’m constrained in. And making my best work inside it. Sure, I can break the mold and innovate outside the box like that old adage, but not until my skills grow, making me the champion of the box I’m in. Let’s break these down:
So, first: Work with what you got (LIGHT). Aside from portrait shoots and some of my video work, almost all of the photo projects I’m on, I shoot with all available light. This is DEFINITELY not a dig against photographers that integrate flash into their creative style. That’s their deliberate choice and honestly, their work kicks ass. Check out the photos of a friend of mine, Phillip Montgomery to see some truly unique, amazing visuals, shot with a speedlight (@PhillipMontgomery on Instagram)
When I’m making these images on assignment, I don’t get to complain my way into having better light, fewer flickering fluorescent bulbs, better matched color temperatures. Nope. And because of the ethical standards that we as photojournalists hold ourselves to to capture the world as it is, there are absolute rules to how much I’m allowed to tone images in post-production editing. Capture creative angles on fleeting moments, no matter what light I have, or don’t have. So, next time you’re shooting photos, play with the light you have. And I do love that word PLAY here, exploring joyfully how you can use it — not complaining that there isn’t enough or that it isn’t quite right.
So, the second constraint on my work is really one of the defining characteristics of photojournalism. Take a look at all of these images of transformative visual moments in history. They’re staggering, they’re arresting, and they all happened in the blink of an eye and then gone, passed, over and done with. What makes the photographers so damn talented, comes from their ability to capture these split-second images. And that, right there, is the essence of the second constraint — No Do-Overs — and as a result of that, Capture Authentic Moments (Though honestly, everything that goes into the ethics of photojournalism, that’s really its own videos worth for a future episode).
So, what makes this constraint so powerful on photography? Think about it this way. When you’re forced to create the image you want, the first time, no do-overs, you have to make it happen in three big ways: planning, intuition, composure. You put yourself in the physical place you’ll need to be, making sure your equipment will deliver exactly what you need it to. You visualize the shot you need to make, following that gut feeling and anticipating peak action or fleeting moments of humanity. And finally, you stay composed and focused on making those anticipated images regardless of the circumstances going on around you, no matter how hectic, emotional, or “hurry up and wait” the situation may be.
And this dovetails right into the third instance of constraints on my photography — Necessity. Part of what comes with being a professional photographer or any professional creative for that matter, is that when all the of that planning, intuition, and composure come together, you HAVE TO deliver your visual creativity ON DEMAND. When I agree to cover a news event or making a portrait image for editorial clients, I commit to delivering for them. No excuses. Sure, extenuating circumstances come up, but those are the exception not the rule. Often times, I may be one of the only still photographers on location at newsworthy events and, if I don’t make that memorable image happen, it’ll never happen. When your clients depend on you to deliver, that necessity is a constraint that drives me CRAZY. It pushes me to create on a totally different level.
And when you create memorable images for the world, as the Reuters photographer on assignment or the designated freelancer for the New York Times, MINUTES MATTER. At events where the big TV news agencies are on location, by the time the live feed cameras stop rolling, still photographers are already behind, already fighting against the breakneck speed of information, 24/7 news culture. It’s definitely not unusual to see a pack of still news photographers hauling ass back to laptops to download, caption, edit, and file off images to our photo editors or assignment desks. And it’s not just good exercise in a physical way. It’s exercise in creativity and visualization. I feel like I’m practically downloading in my mind the full set of images on the card— which angles/positions worked, when you nailed focus and exposure and when you DIDN’T, and when specific moments of emotion or peak action clicked, all in the name of shaving minutes off time to deliver these images to the world. In the words of photographer Chase Jarvis, founder of Creative Live — “It’s Chaos; just the way I like it.”
And there we have it, those are the constraints, the walls of the box, that I work within as a photojournalist. I’m constantly learning to find the walls...so I can eventually break outside of it. These limitations and challenges stay attached to me, even when I’m not on assignment. They challenge my way of thinking in every aspect of my life . Because not having all the light, not having all the equipment, not having all the opportunity and time in the world… that’s what drives innovative, transformative work.
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In past episodes of Photo Forward, we’ve looked at a ton of different topics in visual storytelling — from creating a long term documentary project to how to pitch that work to editors in the wider world. And in all of those stories, it’s been typically centered around solo operators, freelancers, and individuals. Well today is breaking that mold ENTIRELY.
Crafting a successful freelance photography career is NO SMALL FEAT. From accounting to marketing to insurance and everything in between… It’s ALL on YOU. Now imagine adding an extra personal wrinkle: Your photography partner is also your LIFE PARTNER. That’s the story for today’s amazing guests – Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber.
Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber are a husband and wife team based in Minneapolis, MN. You will almost always find them working side by side, which has been the case since grad school. They enjoy the collaborative nature of being a tight-knit team and pushing each other to create images that sing. Their goal on every assignment is simple - evoke emotion and authenticity in every image they make to advertising, corporate and editorial clients. They pride themselves in being storytellers and work to create a narrative in every photo they take.
Their work has been honored by the Communication Arts Photography Annual and Advertising Annual 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, American Photography 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 PDN Photo Annual, Review Santa Fe Center Project Competition, Photolucida’s Critical Mass, Inge Morath Award, Magnum Expression Award, POYi, and many others. Their most recent documentary film won an Emmy and they were named a McKnight Fellow and to PDN's 30 Photographers to Watch.
In today’s interview, Jenn, Tim and I tackled a ton on the nature of crafting AUTHENTIC visual storytelling work, getting through those “scary” times building a creative business, and how crucially important open communication is for growing a collaborative partnership. -
We humans, big hairless apes that we are, have become proficient over millenia at a great many things – crafting tools, harnessing nature... you get the picture. But we’re also adept at something you might not even actively think about: HABITS. For better AND worse, our big human brains are very, very good at linking stimulus, response, and reward through connections in our brain called neurons. And, through a wild process called myelination, the neurons that “fire together” end up “wiring together”, making that connection stronger over time.
Basically, if your brain activates in certain areas at the same time enough times, it wants to save energy and make it easier the next time those neurons fire at the same time. There is some really incredible research going on right now on how this process of strengthening connections shapes diseases such as depression and anxiety, but we won’t go too far down the rabbit hole on that.
You’re probably wondering, what the hell I’m on about and how I’ll bring this back to photography. Stay with me. So, what does myelination have to do with habits? Like a neuronal pathway, the more you follow the action of a habit (again, both good ones and bad ones) the stronger that connection gets over time. The same holds true when we’re taking photos – how we shoot drives and dictates how we’re GOING to shoot in the future.
Now that isn’t to say that one should reinvent the wheel every time you pick up your DSLR or your camera-phone. Keeping a consistent look and overall feel in your work is a must as a professional (more on that in an upcoming article). What I’m really trying to stress here is to not switch over to autopilot, and unconsciously, habitually capture photos. Your brain is basically subconsciously going: “Well, I’ve shot in this venue before with this lens and gotten this result … so why don’t I play it safe and do the same this time.” I know for a fact I’ve been guilty of this exact thought process.
Just a few months back, I was on assignment taking a portrait of a U.S. Attorney working here in Madison on human trafficking. While I was waiting around for the individual to arrive for our brief portrait session, I scoured the area to think of a good way to capture her image in a short amount of time. My mind first, habitually, gravitated to the front of the building at 35mm and frame her between the two major pillars of the Courthouse building. Essentially, where my brain went right away was myelination in action. With the benefit of hindsight, I can look back at countless quick portrait assignments where I took the same tack, and went to capture the photo that SAME WAY.
So what did I do next. Here’s the really critical part: I stored that photo idea away, mentally labeled it the “safe shot” and proactively did everything in my power to come up with two other portrait ideas/styles that bore ZERO resemblance to the safe, habitual choice. The first alt angle I took was to go into a unique location. I wasn’t able to shoot inside the building, being a federal courthouse and all, BUT, there wasn’t anything wrong with shooting inside the revolving door of the building. And after tweaking my positioning to avoid being directly in the reflection of the glass, I was able to get this really stark portrait of Attorney Pfluger.
So, what other things can we do to get away from our silly brain’s tendency to take the energetically simplest route and follow our photographic habits? Well, as stupid and corny as it sounds, knowing is half the battle. Seriously. Think about it.
Now we know from learning about myelination that we are literally in direct control of changing and adapting our brains, changing real life outcomes. The best way to break out of old photo habits? Break those “wired together” neuronal pathways and DO SHIT DIFFERENTLY. Ever shoot portraits with a 400mm telephoto lens? Ever walk up to a total stranger on the street and capture their image? Ever get uncomfortably close to the subject of your photos? You’ll never wire new connections if all you do is think through it. Different and better results come from taking action.** It’s your brain chemistry; don’t let it get in the way of you creating your best photography.**
As you might have noticed, neuroscience/chemistry/all that holds a pretty special place in my life, even now as a professional visual journalist. I’m working a number of other episodes that look at some of the scientific principles behind photography and making meaningful creative work. So, if you enjoyed this and want to see more, let me know in the comments!
So, my question to you all to wrap up today’s episode is: What’s your worst photo habit? Tell me in the comment section or tag your Instagram Story using the hashtag #photoforwardmedia and I’ll share some of my favorite responses!
- Vis mere
