Interview with Photograoher Sarah Lynn

An interview with Photographer Sarah Lynn. 

Victoria Steinmetz: What made you want to do photography? 

Sarah Lynn: I don't have an incredibly inspiring answer to this question. I have always loved taking photos of everything and anything, but I never had the drive to do photography as more than a hobby. One day I decided to go out and play around with my camera and I ended up taking some awesome photos of my best friend and I have essentially been booked ever since! I've always been the person that is taking tons of photos of friends, different angles, making people retake them. I never understood that it could be a full time job when I started playing around with my camera! 

Victoria Steinmetz: What’s the best part about being a photographer?

Sarah Lynn: The best part of photography has to be the impact that you make on people. I always leave shoots feeling like I contributed to someone's life in some way. 

Victoria Steinmetz: What’s the worst part about being a photographer?

Sarah Lynn: The worst part would have to be learning as you go. There simply isn't a way to know everything when you start photography. I wish I could just know what to do all of the time! I am constantly dealing with new situations, new editing, new light, etc. It's really a tremendous learning process so it's a worst part, but also a great part of the job.  

Victoria Steinmetz: Do you like your camera brand and would you change it if you could?

Sarah Lynn: I love my camera brand! I use Canon and have used it religiously since I started photography a few years ago. I have actually been contemplating switching over to Sony. The fact that it's so light, so sharp, and has so many focal points is a huge selling point for me. I have never considered switching brands but if I did, it would be to Sony for sure!

Victoria Steinmetz: What’s your favorite photo and why?

Sarah Lynn: My favorite photo is probably an image I took of a model underwater. It was just an awesome picture and I went completely out of my comfort zone to photograph that! 

Victoria Steinmetz: Do you like the  pictures you take or are you your own worst critic?

Sarah Lynn: Oh man. Hitting me with the hardest question out there! Lol. I LOVE the photos I take. I am also my own worst critic. As artists, we don't see what our clients see. We see every single imperfection in the light and photo, whereas the client typically has lower expectations for the technicality of the image and more appreciation for the feelings they get through the image. I definitely haven't taken one image that I've hated. Every single photo I take teaches me new things. 

Victoria Steinmetz: What's your motivation?

Sarah Lynn: My motivation has to be a mix of myself, and my clients. I say myself because I am constantly motivated to be a better version and keep creating better photos each year. My clients motivate me because I get to see them grow every year. I get to watch their families grow, and be a huge part of their lives. 

Victoria Steinmetz: Did you want to go to school?

Sarah Lynn: I actually graduated early from high school and never went to school! I also didn't intend to go to photography school. 

Victoria Steinmetz: Did you grow up wanting to be a photographer? 

Sarah Lynn: No I didn't! I wanted to model and act. This definitely fell into the media industry but I had absolutely 0 idea that I was going to be a professional photographer! 

Victoria Steinmetz: Do you make your own projects on the side? 

Sarah Lynn: Definitely. I wouldn't be able to survive in this industry without doing my own fun shoots. It's so important to do shoots for yourself so you don't burn out on client work. 

An Interview with photographer Jason Hill - By Bri Johnson

What do you think makes a good photograph?

“For me a good photograph can contain a lot of things. I think it's the small details and tone that
really do it for me. It's easier for me to to explain what makes a bad image.”

Tell me about your favorite image and the scenario leading up to it

“All of my favorite images are accidents. Most of them are from me doing street photography and
just being in the right place at the right time and not knowing what I got til I got home. One image
that stands out to me was a few years back I was volunteering for Susan G Komen. I was shooting
an outdoor event and I took an image of 2 brothers and a sister, all young teenagers. At the time I
took the image I didn't think anything of it, but when I got home I noticed they all had t-shirts with a
picture of their mom on it. She had died from breast cancer and they were so proud to be there and
had the greatest smiles. There was nothing super technical about the image but it was a very
genuine moment.”

What made you decide to photograph people and why mainly in studios instead of outside
natural light?

“I shot outdoors, mainly street photography, for years and years, and kind of fell into the studio by
accident and just really got obsessed with portraiture and lighting. I love paintings of people and and
I'm super into studying lighting while watching movies. In a studio I am able to control everything. I
am also very confident shooting outdoors with natural light and strobes. I think being proficient in the
studio just makes me more valuable as a photographer, and as an assistant. Working in a studio really
made my outdoor photography ten times better, I don't believe natural light photographers have any
advantage like this when it comes to studio lighting.”

When you are posting images, what kind of message are you trying to portray with your work?

“There is no big message in my photography for the most part. I love colors and tones and hope I
make interesting images that are eye pleasing. That being said I'm really sick of seeing pictures of
pretty young girls next to a softbox, there also a lot of wedding and engagement pictures that all look
the same. It's super easy to do that kind of stuff. I like to work with athletes and dancers the most.
Actors are super fun to work with as well. For my kind of photography I don't believe in making my
subject comfortable and for the most part I don't pose my subjects. Now if I'm working for a client all
that changes. The message I'm trying to portray in my work is for people to hire me.”

What are your favorite type of images to take during your free time? How do these images
translate into the images you take for clients?

“I wish I had more time to do street photography, that's what I would do if I had free time and that
doesn't translate to client work. Unfortunately, my free time is spent trying to generate business, I
try to, 3 times a month work, with a local model or an athlete from an agency just to keep sharp and
try new things out, this work probably is the most important work for me for getting jobs.”

What kind of advice would you give to an amateur photographer wanting to turn their hobby
into a business?

“Practice, practice, practice and get good at your craft, I mean really good. Know your equipment,
assist photographers and take business classes.”

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the photography business and what
is the story behind that lesson?

“Do your research!!! do research on your clients before you negotiate a price, I don't care if its a
headshot, go on LinkedIn or Facebook and find more out about them. I don't have a flat rate, some
people and companies can afford more than others. I'd rather do something for free that I like for a
good cause than work for 50 - 100 bucks. I did a job for a huge nationwide veterinarian business,
which is owned by a mega candy corporation but at the time I didn't know this. They were being
a*@holes when it came to licensing and I stood my ground and got what I thought was fair. But I
didn't realize they were owned by this mega candy corporation and that mega corporation ended up
using the images as well. So if I would have done my research I would have had a tighter licensing
contract, known who they are owned by, and would've made thousands of more dollars. Also, be very
clear with clients to what exact services you are providing beforehand, communication is crucial.
Itemize everything!!! Reach out for help and pay for advice if you have to. There are people out there
that can help.”

Did you go to school for photography or are you self taught? If you went to school, what was
the most valuable thing you learned during that time? if self taught, what do you think helped
you the most while trying to become a professional?

“So I am more self taught but I did go to school for a bit. I shot film since I was young and I got a
digital 4 megapixel camera in 2003. Around 2010 I got my first real dslr and didn't really know how to
use it and I wanted to get into video and away from photography. So I enrolled in a photography class
with the intent on learning my camera. 5 minutes into the first class the teacher said " if you think we
are going to sit here and talk about cameras and lenses and gear you're in the wrong class. This is
art." There were 20 of us in that class and me and one other person are the only ones who got A's.
We talked about the process and studied photographers from the past and I fell in love again with
making images. I've also assisted photographers good and bad, and from the bad photographers I
realized what I don't want. The biggest thing that has helped me absolutely are support from my wife,
family and friends. Photography is about teamwork, I rarely work alone. I can't stress practicing.
Practice, practice practice. Experiment and keep a journal and write down all the bad things that
happened on your shoot. Your eyes, attention to detail and personality are very important. People
aren't going to hire you if they don't like you and it's super awesome when you have repeat clients
and become friends with them as well.”

Interview with Jake Hanson - by Tasha Bielaga

An Interview with Seattle based photographer Jake Hanson

photo by Andrew Imanka

Jake Hanson is a live event and concert photographer in Seattle, Washington. Besides that, he does a lot of marketing through his own company Bogus Creative, as well as other gigs. Jake's been a huge influence to me, as he's one of the first accomplished photographers who almost took me under his wing and is always ready to give me advice. In this interview, we discuss his start working in PR and marketing, the transition into photography and marketing under his own LLC, and how he manages his time between shows and business. 

You started your career in marketing and PR, why did you decide to get into that work?

Half way through college, I was obsessed with snowboarding and action sports, and was slowly coming to the realization that a career in that field was a realistic possibility… growing up in a small farm town, the idea of a job that was “fun” almost seemed too good to be true. After dipping a toe into outdoor retail and sales for a bit, I eventually met a guy who ran a specialty PR firm focused mostly on outdoor/action sports clients. I was going to school for marketing and communications at the time, with no aspirations as to how I was going to use that education, but I persuaded him to bring me on as an intern. The job came fairly naturally to me, and I couldn’t say no to the opportunities it presented.

When did you decide to start doing photography as well, and offering that service to others?

I became obsessed with photography in high school when I enrolled in my first film photography course. With unlimited film available to me and unbarred access to the darkroom, I threw myself into the first creative outlet that really clicked for me. After going through countless rolls and constantly experimenting with analog throughout my college years, I finally picked up my first digital camera and was exposed to a whole new world of possibilities. Having recently accepted a marketing position with a growing lifestyle company, Coal Headwear, I quickly realized the value of photo and video content for developing brands. Social media was on the rise, camera technology was advancing crazy fast, and there were so many fun moments to capture all around me.

What genre of photography did you start in, and do you have a favorite?

When I was working for Coal, a brand that was largely focused on snowboarding and embodied an alternative culture, I cut my teeth snapping photos of some of my favorite board riders and creatives. Part of my job included further development of Coal's ambassador program, which at the time was entirely comprised of snowboarders – aligning with some relevant bands felt like a natural progression for the brand. I began networking with a handful of developing musicians and quickly found myself attending show after show after show, eventually bringing my camera along. I was always a sucker for live music, and then all of the sudden there was this opportunity to combine two of my favorite activities. So long story short – concert photography is my jam, though lately I’ve been focusing a bit more on artist portraiture.

Do you have a favorite part of concert photography? Top 5 bands you've worked with or photographed?

My favorite part of concert photography is never knowing what’s going to be served up at a show. I’ve gravitated towards bands that bring a lot of energy and antics to the stage since the photos usually turn out super fun and the crowds are wild. Picking favorites is always hard for me, but five bands that I’ve been hyped to photograph recently are IDLES, Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Shame and Murder City Devils (honorable mention to my homies in Monsterwatch, a killer Seattle band that I shoot regularly that always bring the heat).
As you developed Bogus Creative, how did you decide what services to offer?

Starting my own business was a natural progression of the side hustle. I’ve dabbled in web design since middle school, and have otherwise worked in marketing and public relations for the past ten years. Photography was a later addition, but was a great fit with the other services. It’s always great when you’re making a site for a client or helping with a strategy for their content marketing, and are also able to help them generate that content, knowing what holes you need to fill and what will fit well. 

How do you manage your time between all your gigs?

OYE. I don’t know that I manage my time very well, so I’m probably not the best person to ask about that sort of thing. I’m sure I sound like the typical millennial, but burn-out is real and easy to achieve when you’re constantly shuffling gigs, devoting time to an art, trying to stay healthy and making time for friends and family. My biggest recommendation, and something I wish I would have learned long ago, is to learn how and when to turn off your “work brain". Meditation, exercise and enveloping myself with music have been by far the greatest sources of relief.
What's you typical daily schedule like?  What are your ballpark turn around times and do you stay consistent day to day, or does it vary?

Well, I’m NOT a morning person, so I’m usually slumping down at my computer around 10 or so to wade through a full inbox and prioritize my projects. Every day is a bit different, which I love… some days there are photoshoots, some involve client meetings, and others are a bit more lax in an effort to achieve balance (that thing mentioned above that seems constantly out of reach). In terms of turnaround time for photography, I can’t sit on photos for longer than a couple of days without cranking out an edit. There’s just too much anticipation! Plus, when it comes to music photography, the sooner you can get shots to an outlet or back to the artist, the more relevant they are and the more appreciative they are to receive them. 

You can find Jake on Instagram at instagram.com/trulybogus and his website at trulybogus.com

Informational Interview with Tim Kurr Freelance Video Engineer

Interview with Tim Kurr Freelance Video Engineer



Q: What got you started in this field and how long have you been doing it?

A: I started in this field in college and have been working in the field for over 35 years. I just seemed to have a real knack for audio engineering systems and it made a lot of sense to me. I set up live PA systems and interfaced with trucks for TV but I have also set up several audio systems and studios for various companies.



Q: What has been the most difficult part of the job?

A: Well that would depend on what job I was doing at the moment I am currently working as a V1, that’s the lead Video Engineer for the home crew during the regular season for the Blazers, but doing indoor work is usually a lot easier than outdoor work because of all the lighting conditions. They change constantly, from time of day, to clouds moving through the sky it can and often does change the conditions that you need to set for the iris and RGB for each camera to make sure the color temperature matches evenly across all cameras within reason, you will never get them perfect and each Engineer has his own style for how he does it. When you are responsible for 4-8 cameras that are all in operation it can get pretty intense and those are usually the days that are nonstop go go go.

Q: Everybody makes mistakes, can you remember making any? What happened and how did you handle it?

A: Actually just recently I made a mistake of not switching the lens filter in the camera, I forgot to put the stars filter on during the free throws that our director always wants, but thankfully he didn’t notice. To be honest mistakes happen, especially in a live environment and sometimes there is nothing you can do, for me I have only made a couple errors that were large enough to be noticed or caught and of course that is never a comfortable moment but you take your licks learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Q: How have you gotten so many different jobs through the years?

A: In this line of work it all about making good impressions and who you know, I have made various contacts in the industry at many different levels across the country. There are crews that specifically ask for me and each year they come back and resign for another season, but every year is different and now work 6-7 different shows each year, if one drops off I try to find another but I never have just one job.


Q: How much time is set up vs maintenance work?

A: 25% set up 50% maintenance and 25% down time. Yeah you get down time! But it isn’t really downtime so much as time that something isn’t going wrong, you still have to be paying attention to your cameras, half the time I don’t even know the score because I am so focused on my job, something always seems to come up when you least expect it so you need to stay on your toes. Take the last game you were here for instance, we had that interference in the signal that took us about an hour to pin down, and it was just some moisture build up in the triax cable but we had swapped the entire camera before we figured it out, and while you are fixing one thing something else can go out so you have to stay on top of it so you don’t get behind.


Q: What work or job are you most proud of?

A: That’s a tough one because I have done a lot of different work throughout my life, but if I were to pick something I look back and thing most highly of it would probably be working as a Chief Engineer for Downstream Digital. I helped them design and set up their facilities with Avid, Minerva, a film to tape transfer room, Fairlight audio suites, equipment rooms, and Macintosh computer systems for graphics work along with maintaining those systems it was some of the more challenging work that I have done and it was a lot different from what I am doing now, not that I’m not proud of what I do now it’s just a different kind of proud when you build something from the ground up.

Social Media Analysis - Colton Denison

Brandon Larned was a professional competitive video game player now full time streamer He provides content to his followers simply by playing the games he loves and streaming it live on twitch for all to see. He is exceptionally good at games and in general loved by his followers for his positive and humble attitude. He posts content to his stream and to YouTube for monetary gain but he also loves what he does so there is double incentive. He has garnered 660k subscribers to his you-tube channel and 937k on twitch, his efforts have been a massive success. He has been so successful that it hasn’t mattered what game he has gone to play his followers do just that follow him even if they don’t play the games themselves. Some people watch him to learn from him other to live vicariously through him.


https://www.twitch.tv/a_seagull

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaFnEJ5tWlK0TO5PWHqr8Hw

Interview: Michael Henley

Michael Henley      

1)  Q: If you could go back in time, and pick photography as a career again, would you do it?

A: I have no regrets, as to what I’ve done, If I was starting now I probably wouldn't. I do not like the way the Technology is evolving. So if I went back knowing what I know now, I wouldn't.

I’ve actually thought about that some.

2)  Q: (Have you really?)

A: Oh Yeah, when you get to be as old as I am, you get to thinking about things. You know, Did I screw up everything?!?

I intended to be a teacher, with history, but on the sidelines I wound up being a photography instructor. So I still got to teach, It worked out fine, and I’m pretty happy over all.

There’s some things in the “business model” I would have done differently.

3)  Q: (What are those, what would you have done differently Business wise?)

        A: Welp, maybe I wouldn't. I never made “making money” more important than being able to meet with people. I didn't want my clients priced out of the market for good photography. Because of that, I probably didn't maximize the amount of money I could have made. But, when I look back now, I’m really fine with how things worked out. Can't complain.

4)  Q: Going back in time again, Do you remember the first photo you took  that you super proud of?

   

   A: Wow, that would have been in high school. I’m not sure I remember a specific one. But, because I was working for the yearbook, I got confident enough where I could go out and do a project knowing that It would be successful.

5)  Q: Do you have a favorite project that you've worked on?

     A: I don't know if I have one, It's really whatever I’m doing at the moment. I find the process more interesting than the end result. I like to solve the problem, make all the pieces fit. To me the problem solving is the most fascinating part of the entire thing.

With people, the problem is gaining their trust. A commercial job, the problem is usually more technical.

I’m the lighting guy for Art Wowlfe. I’m not creating the photos, just making it work for him. Once I understand what he wants I light it and I find that very satisfying. Problem solving and getting to a solution is the part I like.

That's also why I like teaching. Explaining to someone a new skill in a way they can understand and also utilize it, that's the challenge.

6)  Q: this is so basic, but how would you put your own personal style, as a photographer, into words?

A: I was afraid you were gonna ask that. I can’t do that. Because it’s not a verbal thing it’s visual. But I tend to be more interested in details. I prefer the pieces that make up the overall thing, rather than the actual thing.

7)  Q: Can you tell me about one of your first major projects/Jobs you worked on?

   A: 40 years ago? Yeah! I remember one I’d screwed up on.

8)  Q: Can you tell me about that one?

      

    A: Well, I kind of screwed up on it. It was for a company that made business machines, which they have a very specific colors and shades, that all the machines are. So when I shot, I forgot to do a reference for each color, like a gray card or something. I had to go back latter, unscrew a side plate, and take that to the color printers so that they could match it. Never forgot a gray card after.

9)  Q: So, you told me about your first screw up. Could you tell me about one of your first successes?

    A: Yeah, I can. So this was back in the late 60’s, Portland was tearing down huge cast iron Victorian era buildings. Basically my group was salvaging building parts/ cast iron facades. The architect I was working with was writing a book called “The Grand Era of Portland Cast Iron Architecture” so I got to go around photographing old buildings and their rubble for his book. It was a labor of love, all volunteer, so that was pretty cool. Very rewarding.

10)  Q: As a new photographer, is there any advice you could give as I start this new journey in my life?

    A: You really just need to stay true to yourself. If you start losing who you are and your identity, then your craft will go away as well. How you see, view and put emotional investment in this world is import. Because what makes you a good artist, is you.