Fletcher-Interview with Craig Mitchell Dyer

 I interviewed Craig Mitchell Dyer, who is a Portland Based photographer who is a true Oregonian.  He is a editorial, sports, and portrait photographer.  When I sent him an e-mail, he was very quick to respond to my request, which showed that he cared.   His questions were very quick to the point, and were very clear.  Here is what he had to say!

Question 1: What is your favorite part about the field?

I love all the people I get to meet and all the places I get to visit that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. 

Question 2: When did you realize that photography was the direction you wanted to take your career?

When I was in high school. I worked on the newspaper and yearbook and loved seeing my photos published. That is what made me fall in love with photography.

Question 3: Were there any difficulties you faced when getting into the industry? To contrast, what came across as easy to you?

Its a tough industry to break into for sure. The challenge is to stand out against the hundreds of others out there. Networking with people is what is easy for me.

Question 4:  What steps did you take to get your name out there to clients and companies?

SEO, In person networking, word of mouth, emails, postcard mailers, etc. 

Question 5: One of the things I really admire about your work is that you don’t just shoot one specific style and medium, you shoot Weddings and sports and portraits and you cover all of the different styles of photography. That’s the kind of work I want to do.  What advice would you give to someone who wants to head in that direction?

My advice would be NOT to do that. Lol. These days it really helps to have a specialty and be the best at that one thing. 

Question 6: If you had the opportunity to photograph any moment in time, no limitations, what would you shoot?

Great question. Im not sure on that one. Probably something historical like during the civil rights movement, or honestly, right now in DC every day is history in the making. We are living in a historic time and I’d love to document more of it. 

Question 7: Did you get support from your family when you told them you wanted to be a photographer?

Yup. I always just kind of did it. There was never a conversation about it one way or the other. It was just “this is what I do” and I went out and did it. 

Question 8: How do you keep the field interesting and fresh?

That’s where the meeting new people and going to new places comes in. It makes every day different and interesting.