Visual Revolutionary

Today on the podcast we catch up with photographer Chris Burkard as he drives down a highway somewhere in the American West.  Although Chris does not like to be referred to as an instagram photographer, it was his beautiful feed that first led us to his work and his message of getting outdoors and communing with nature.  Chris' early days as an artist and his love of painting come through when you look at his large landscapes that he captures with his camera.  The layers of light, color, and a well placed subject help put you in the places he gets to visit.  Although he still lives in the small Central California beach town that he grew up in, Chris has traveled the world extensively and has a true gift for bringing the viewer with him to amazing remote locations through his photography.  He has an infectious attitude and an amazing work ethic, which has allowed him to become a sought after public speaker, including his own Ted X talk about the joy of surfing in ice cold water.  Chris gave us two different op

National Geographic Explorer and Photographer Ben Horton joins us on the podcast to talk about shooting everything from fashion, to commercial work, to sharks and his newest adventure of starting his own agency Access Network.  Ben tells us stories of growing up in Bermuda with his brother and his artist parents and what would become the foundation of a very creative and DIY mindset.  His father went from cartoonist to being one of the most respected sculptors in America showing Ben and his brother an ethos of what was possible if you put your mind to it, and what "making it" in the creative industry looks like.  Ben's mother, the photographer of the family, gave him a camera at an early age.  When his parents moved the family to Colorado and he began becoming attracted to the mountain lifestyle, the camera started becoming a frequently used tool.  One summer Ben's parents decided they wanted the brothers to travel the world together in order to build a better bond and soon they were telling stories of advent

National Geographic Photographer and Nikon Ambassador Ami Vitale joins us on the show today, fresh off a return trip from China where she has been working on a project shooting the re-intergration of captive born Pandas to the wild.  Although she is not known as a wildlife photographer, she has been thoroughly tested behind the lens and enjoys the pressure of stepping out of her comfort zone and approaching a new subject with an outsider's perspective.  Ami grew up in South Florida and had a yearning to get out and see the world at a young age.  Even then, she rejected the non stop development of her home town and felt the pull towards protecting the natural environment.  After a stint working for the AP News, she finally decided to take the leap and travel the world with a camera in hand and document the human condition.  During her extensive travels around the globe to over 90 countries, she has established herself as a presence in the world of photography and built a career that many people dream of.  She

When award winning director and producer Kohl Norville first set out to try and create his own commercial on spec, it ended up becoming Heineken's signature piece that they aired during the Olympics.  Not bad for a first attempt.  After years of working with ad agencies, and a background in graphic design and art direction, Kohl wanted the opportunity to try and get behind the camera and help create video pieces to go along with some of the advertising ideas he had in his head. Once he hit the first one out of the park for Heineken, the doors began to open for the chance to keep trying.  Kohl would go on to make many memorable commercial spots for a huge roster of clients and continue to hone his skills not only as a director, but as a collaborator and curator of new rising talent.  Recently Kohl was named the director of content for Motive Made Studios and has had the opportunity to help create and direct content for the last three Super Bowls, as well as work on a new documentary series highlighting the eff

Legendary skateboard photographer, editor, and mentor J Grant Brittain joins us on the podcast.  Not only do we talk about his history with photography, but we talk about the history of skateboarding as a whole, and his ever-present role as it evolved into an industry.  Like a lot of kids who grew up in Southern California, Grant fell in love with surfing at an early age, but when the waves weren't good they would ride skateboards and pretend they were still surfing.  After high school he really just wanted to surf and skate, but started taking classes at the local Jr. College and wondered what would come next.  It wasn't until he took a job at the newly constructed Del Mar Skate Ranch that his life as we know it now started taking shape.  One day he borrowed a friend's camera to try and shoot photos of some of the skaters he knew, and from then on he was hooked.  He began to take photography classes at school, and soon was submitting photos to all the skateboard publications he could. This would lead to the

Photographer and Director Embry Rucker joins us on the podcast today.  We talk about growing up on a farm in Kentucky and his love for exploring the world around him at an early age.  Whether he was riding a horse or his dirt bike, he would roam around their 20 acres with endless possibilities of adventure.  When he was in middle school, a teacher turned him on to rock climbing and quickly he found himself scouring the pages of climbing publications and dreaming of the Rocky Mountains.  After graduating High School he was fulfilling that dream and living in Wyoming, studying English Literature.  He would spend his free time snowboarding and mountain biking and pretty soon fell in love with photography and decided he was done spending so much time trying to figure out what Steinbeck was trying to say.  Before long, and after a couple more moves, he found himself in Oregon shooting photos of the friends around him in the snowboarding community.  It was those early snowboard photos that would lead him into the s

Commercial photographer and mentor Joseph Victor Stefanchick (aka JVS) has been around the block in the world of photography.  From his early years growing up in New Jersey shooting skateboarding, to his many years working as a freelance photojournalist for the Washington Post, he's tried a bit of it all and isn't done experimenting yet.  Whether he was shooting sports, world politics, weddings, or food, Joseph always tried to keep a clean consistent look and embrace the new world around him while listening to what those that would become his mentors had to say.  It was this positive attitude and willingness to learn that led him to work with a large list of editorial and commercial clients.  Throughout all the incarnations of his career, he has managed to never fall out of love with photography and has now devoted a lot of his time to helping others develop their own skills through his company Personal Photo Coach.  In the last ten years, he's had the opportunity to teach seminars all over the world and work

Photographer, traveler, and motorcycle enthusiast Aaron Brimhall has one of those instagram feeds that makes you want to step into his shoes for a bit as you look through the images.  Although he might be a little sick of being referred to as a "motorcycle photographer", it was those early motorcycle images and overall aesthetic that first got us turned on to his work and had us wanting to leave the studio early for the day and go ride.  He grew up in Salt Lake City and had early inspirations of making it as a snowboarder.  After meeting his girlfriend, and future wife, who got him started with photography, he started carrying a camera and trying to document the sport and lifestyle surrounding him.  A couple of years after graduating High School, the two of them decided to move to Guam.  Aaron began surfing and shooting constantly and soon became the personal photographer of the governor.  After a while, they decided to come back to Utah, but the travel bug was there and soon they were off on their next adven

One of the first things I noticed while talking with Fstoppers Co-Founder and Photographer Lee Morris, was that he is brutally honest with himself about his abilities, level of talent, and the validity of any goals he might have set for himself.  He's always been creative, but it took him a little while to figure out where that creativity would lead him.  At an early age, while growing up in the south, he had dreams of being an animator.  When he had the opportunity to pursue that dream however, he made one of his earliest self critiques, and decided that he didn't have the level of talent that some of the other young artists had.  This attitude would continue through several endeavors until he found himself armed with a camera, taking headshots on the college campus.  That soon led him to the world of wedding photography and the slow build of creating a business and an easy going lifestyle based around it.  One day while talking to his good friend and fellow wedding photographer Patrick Hall, the two of them

If you were a fan of snowboarding during the 90s, then you are already familiar with Jeff Curtes' work.  During that time he dominated the pages of Transworld Snowboarding and signed with Burton Snowboards as the principle photographer.  He would go on to produce some of the most iconic images of Burton's elite team of riders for the next 20 years.  He was there to watch as the small sport of snowboarding became an industry and children like Shaun White grew up to be dominate athletes and business men.   Through it all, Curtes was a steady presence of consistent work with an easy going attitude based around the fact that he was just trying to have fun as well.  On this episode of the podcast we sit down and talk about growing up in a small town outside of Milwaukee and, together with his younger brother Joe, falling in love with snowboarding at an early age.  When his brother began to start winning all the competitions, and the sport began to take notice, Jeff decided to focus on documenting the world of snow

When Nikon Ambassador and Adventure Photographer and Filmmaker Corey Rich was in middle school, he won a contest for the most pull ups a student could do with a whopping number of 35.  After seeing this, one of the teachers at the school put the idea in his head that he should try rock climbing.  Shortly after, he went on a trip to try climbing for the first time and it changed his life forever.  Corey was hooked, and he began climbing whenever he possibly could.  Pretty soon he decided he would take his dad's camera out on a trip to try and capture some visual proof of what he was up to. That's when the two passions that would shape his future and his career came together.  Corey would go on to build a huge portfolio as a climbing photographer first, which would eventually lead him it create an ever-growing list of commercial and editorial clients.  As an early adopter of SLR video capabilities, Corey became fascinated with adding motion work to his abilities and soon became just as busy as a filmmaker as he

From an early age Dixie Dixon loved taking pictures and using the darkroom in her parents home.  She had been exposed to photography by her father and it had been somewhat of a tradition passed down in the family.  She split her creative time between a love of photography and a love of music.  She played in a lot of bands growing up, giving her an opportunity to perfect her performance chops that would later come in handy as a public speaker.  Once she went to college, she opted to focus most of her attention on business in an entrepreneur program, but continued to study art and photography as well.  On a whim, she decided to try and apply for a study abroad program in Europe.  She ended up assisting a fashion photographer and learning a lot about lighting, as well as the interaction between the photographer and the model.  Many more opportunities would arise, and soon Dixie found herself in demand and shooting for a TV show that had her traveling the world.  Dixie has gone on to have a very successful career

From a very early age Anson Fogel realized he had a passion for film.  He was a creative kid, living in rural areas of the Rocky Mountains, and sometimes sought refuge in movies and art.  He loved creating things and soon found himself trying to make short videos with his friends in Middle School.  Although that love never went away, Fogel pursued business and engineering for a while and ended up heading a successful company.  It was not until the money started coming in that he realized that it wasn't just "success" that he was chasing after all and he returned to his original love of filmmaking.  He slowly worked his way through the ranks on commercial film sets, from AC to DP to his current role as a Director.  After winning the grand prize at the Banff Film Festival in 2011, he began to meet a lot of people in the outdoor/adventure community and would soon end up partnering with some of them in the formation of Camp 4 Collective.  With his expertise in making TV commercials and his love of narrative story

Peter Hurley has some stories to tell and an infectious personality that keeps you wanting more. From his early days as a competitive sailor on the US team, to his years as a model working with legendary photographers like Bruce Weber, to his current status as one of the country's leading headshot photographers, he's lived a full life and he's not close to being done yet.  Although Hurley definitely had a few lucky rolls of the dice, and some amazing mentors that would come into his life, he has made a career for himself through a serious work ethic and a hunger to keep learning and growing as an artist and an entrepreneur.  Peter gives us a behind the scenes look into the life of a busy photographer and businessman. He has not only had success behind the lens, but has created the largest network of headshot and portrait photographers in the world with The Headshot Crew, and has become a leading voice in photography education.  His honesty and insight into what he feels like has made him successful make this

American Photo Magazine once named Rich Clarkson as one of the top 50 most influential individuals in American Photography.  After talking with him for an hour, we definitely understand why.  From his early years behind the lens, shooting what would become some very iconic images for Sport Illustrated, to his position as the Director of Photography for National Geographic, Rich has had a storied career spanning 7 decades and still going strong.  He currently heads up Clarkson Creative, the company he founded, and leads workshop retreats all over the country featuring some of today's top shooters.  He has seen the photography world grow and change from the early days of film, to the current state of digital technology, and has somehow continued to stay on top of the game and be a relevant voice to a younger generation.  To say the man has some stories would be an understatement.  It's like hanging out with your grandpa, if your grandpa was once shooting black and white portraits of a college aged Wilt Chamberl

At an early age, Melissa Rodwell found herself flipping through the pages of her Mom's copies of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue Magazine.  She quickly became fascinated by fashion and inspired with the culture that surrounded it.  After having the opportunity to see a Helmut Newton exhibition in Paris at the age of 17, she saw the possibility of combining a love of fashion with her new love of photography.   Melissa studied at the prestigious Art Center in California and started learning the craft that would soon take her all over the world.  During that time she found a lot of inspiration from her true love of Rock 'n' Roll Music and the burgeoning punk scene happening in LA during the 80s.  She would go on to take that aesthetic and create a look that would put her into the very pages of the magazines she loved as a child.  After years of shooting, she decided to take a hiatus and ended up stumbling into the world of blogging. This would eventually lead her to create her company Breed, that provides online educa

Adventure and documentary filmmaker / photographer Rob Frost hobbled into our studio recently after going through an experimental new surgery to help rebuild his shattered heel after a climbing accident.  Although his mood was hopeful and positive about the recovery ahead, we got a chance to dive into some of the darkness that exists when you are sidelined from an injury and not able to do the work you love and forced to reevaluate the things you hold dear.  Rob tells us about growing up a young rambunctious kid in the northeast and pushing the limits with his friends even then.  He was a ski racer at a young age, but soon fell in love with rock climbing.  After college, he found himself working as a climbing guide but started to work on a small movie about the local climbing scene that would quickly change his life.  After the movie found it's way to the Banff Film Festival and helped Rob launch a new career path, he quickly began to attract the attention of others and began to travel the world shooting the

When Mike Blabac was called upon to be the photographer to document Danny Way jumping his skateboard over The Great Wall of China, there was no doubt in his mind that he had what it took to get the right shot.  He had literally prepared most of his life for this type of pressure. From the ripe old age of 11 years old, Blabac was shooting with his first DSLR camera and developing his own photos in the darkroom.   The only passion that was bigger, and more time consuming, was his love of skateboarding.  At age 20, Blabac moved out to San Francisco to pursue skateboarding.  Before long his two passions finally intersected, and he found himself shooting photos for some of the sponsored skateboarders he was hanging out with.  The rest, as they say, is history.  He would go on to become the head photographer for DC Shoe Company and have his fingerprints on some of the most iconic skate and action sports photos in the last 20 years.  He has worked with some of the biggest names in actions sports, as well getting the

Although Nick Rosen isn't quite sure how much he remembers of his earliest years of life as the son of "Back to the Land" hippies on a rural commune style farm in Quebec, there is no doubt that some of their radical ideas and behavior rubbed off on him and helped shaped the idealistic foundation that would have Nick traveling the world looking for a revolution of his own.  Nick tells us about living with the Zapatistas in Mexico, about seeing the world trade center go down from the apartment he was living in, about sailing with friends and rock climbing in different areas around the world, and about finally re-uniting with his long time friend Pete Mortimer to help build what would become Sender Films.  After years of writing, Nick would become a very integral part of the storytelling side of things of a film company that was quickly earning respect.  Nick helped to craft character development and story arcs as they documented the climbing world around them, which you can see a great example of in their more

Photographers and Fellow Podcasters Jose Rosado and Stevie Chris have a lot to say when it comes to the younger generation, the lackluster job market, and trying to carve out a spot in the world of photography in an ever growing sea of content.  After failed attempts at trying to sustain a career path, or in Stevie's case, growing road weary after years in a hard core band, they both decided to re-emmerse themselves in the world of photography and to start their own podcast "The Angry Millennial Show".   We talk about some of the trials and tribulations of coming up in the current state of the industry, how to stay current and keep creative with so much competition, and even have the chance to talk a little "inside baseball" on podcasting and being inspired by the people on our shows.  More About The Angry Millennial Podcast: http://www.theangrymillennialshow.com More About Jose Rosado: http://www.joserosadophoto.com More About Stevie Chris: http://www.steviechris.com Original Music By: http://5thdimensioncar