Visual Revolutionary

Commercial automotive and car culture photographer, on camera personality, and Canon Explorer of Light Larry Chen joins the show to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in southern California with a passion for cars, to falling in love with photography, becoming a paparazzi, and finally realizing his dream of being one of most recognizable figures in motorsports photography shooting for everyone from the Hoonigan Crew to Toyota.  During out conversation Larry tells me what it was like chasing Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton around in the heyday of paparazzi work, how that helped him foot the bill to chase his dreams of one day becoming a car photographer, what it takes to try and make a name for yourself in the automotive world, the work ethic he always brings to the table, shooting for 24 hours straight at La Mas, and the advice he give to others who have similar dreams.   To Learn More About Larry Chen Visit: https://www.larrychenphoto.com And Follow Him on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/lar

On this episode of the podcast I'm joined by music, editorial, and commercial photographer/director David McClister to talk about how he went from growing up in Knoxville, TN with a love of skateboarding and punk rock, to trying to make his own feature length film, to directing music videos for some of the top artists coming out of the Nashville scene, to shooting still photography of everyone from Johnny Cash to Chris Cornell.  During our conversation we talk about how he found photography and his creative calling at a young age, what it was like making the transition from motion capture to photography and the creative inspiration he gets from both mediums, the change he's seen come about lately in the business, what it was like shooting the Man in Black, hanging with Tyler Childers at Red Rocks, how he manages to continue to stay inspired, why he might walk away from his amazing archive one day and leave photography behind, and the advice he gives to others coming up.   To Learn More About David McClister V

Back with all new episodes next week, but until then enjoy another one from the archives featuring one of my favorite creatives and human beings Jeff Johnson, where he talks about his early years as a flight attendant and lifeguard on the north shore, what inspired him to want to begin to document the world around him, the trip to Patagonia with Yvon Chouinard that would become the basis of the beautiful travel film "180 Degrees South", and his continued work as a photographer, director, and ambassador for some of the biggest named outdoor brands in the world   To Learn More About Jeff Johnson Visit: http://www.jeffjohnsonstories.com And Follow Him On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffjohnson_beyondandback/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

This week on the show I turn to the archives for another "Best Of" featuring renowned fine art photographer, documentarian, and true student of time and light, Stephen Wilkes.  Many of you might know Stephen from his beautifully produced series "Day to Night" which he is still traveling the world working on now and has broken the boundaries of how much time you can capture in a single photograph.  That being said, Stephen has had a very storied career that dates back to his early teens and spans an impressive body of work and a list of clients that include some of the most respected curators of photography there are.  As you look through some of his earlier street photography, documentary work, and fine art photographs, you can really understand how it all culminates into the current experiment and study of time, light, place, and human existence that "Day to Night" is.  At age 12 Stephen first started taking pictures, and it wasn't long before he was diving head first into the art form and the business of ph

Portrait and lifestyle photographer, author, and teacher Chris Orwig joins the show to talk about searching for himself through the eyes of his subjects and how photography saved his life when he needed it most.  As a kid growing up in Northern California with an artist mom and a builder dad, Chris was exposed to a perfect balance of creativity and the legacy of a tangible structure.  Although it took him a while to find his own creative voice and how to express it, once photography came into his life he realized he had something to say.  The rest is history, and Chris has not only gone on to have a successful career as a photographer, but has acted as a teacher and a mentor to many photography students for years.  During out conversation Chris tells me how getting hit by a car ended up introducing him to photography, how he developed his style as a portrait photographer and how empathy and curiosity play into that practice, why he decided to become and teacher and a mentor, and the advice he gives to others,

Respected surf photographer and commercial shooter Todd Glaser joins the podcast to talk about how he went from growing up in Del Mar as a competitive body boarder and shooting pictures of his friends, to traveling all over the world chasing swell for Surfer Magazine and compiling an archive of some of the best wave riders in the world, including his long standing creative relationship with Kelly Slater.  After years of chasing waves as a sponsored body boarder, it felt like a natural transition for Todd as he started holding on to a water housing instead of a body board and learning how to compose beautiful water images of the world he was already very much a part of.  After furthering his education of photography at Brooks Institute, he was offered a staff position for Surfer and began what has already been an amazing career of surf photography.  During our conversation we talk about how he developed his style of shooting both from the water and the land to capture not only the action of surfing, but the li

Street & Documentary Photographer and Fujifilm Ambassador Suzanne Stein joins the podcast to talk about how she stumbled across photography later in life while traveling around Europe with her son and instantly fell in love with the medium and felt a true calling to shoot the people around her and sometimes the people who have been forgotten by the rest of society.  Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Suzanne had her share of hardships that isolated her in many ways, but helped strengthen her character and her determination in others.  After a car wreck left her near disabled in her 30s, she began to experiment with art while trying to physically recover.  She was drawn towards figurative art and began trying for find her way in the art world, but as a single mom it was hard to truly devote herself.  A while later, she found herself really fascinated with photography while traveling and witnessing the people and cultures around her.  The rest is history and she has devoted herself to the medium sin

Many of you might know Kevin Zacher for his work as one of the top snowboard photographers of the 90s, working as a senior photographer for Transworld and Burton, but he's gone on to shoot and direct commercial campaigns for some of the biggest brands on the planet and continues to constantly try to evolve as a creative around the things that inspire him the most.  On this episode of the podcast I catch up with him to find out about the story that led up to chasing his dreams in the snowboard industry and how he made the switch to becoming a successful commercial photographer and director in LA. During our conversation Kevin tells me what the 80s skate scene was like in Arizona, the zine that him and his friend created that led to an early interest in photography and graphic design, how he was able to carve out a place for himself in the competitive world of snowboard photography, what it's been like lately trying to shoot commercial projects in LA during the pandemic, and the advice he gives to others chasin

On this episode I'm joined by executive producer/director, and one of the founding members of Matchstick Productions, Murray Wais to talk about their newest film "Huck Yeah" and how he went from a kid growing up in Seattle with a passion for skiing, to dreams of living in a van, chasing storms, and writing, to meeting up with his future business partner Steve Winter and forming one of the most cutting edge and respected ski film companies in the world.  As a kid growing up in the 80s in Seattle, Murray was introduced to the world of big mountains and heavy snow at a very early age.  He fell in love with the lifestyle and some of the characters coming out of the brand new world of snowboarding.  After studying at a ski academy for a bit, he decided to pursue his love of writing at the University of Oregon journalisms school with dreams of one day following a similar path as some of his literary heroes like Jack Kerouac.  But a small detour to Crested Butte to cover a ski competition would set him on a whole ne

On this episode of the podcast I'm joined by respected music, sports, editorial, and cultural photographer and professor at Rochester Institute of Technology Clay Patrick McBride to talk about how he went from a kid playing in the woods of upstate New York, to living in the South of France studying art, to becoming a student at SVA, to building a huge body of work featuring some the most recognizable faces in the music industry and an amazing archive of the 90's hip hop scene.  Although Clay was surrounded by a lot of creativity from his older siblings and the music world that he was fascinated by, it wasn't until after several years of running wild in the streets of NYC before he realized he needed to channel his energy into something else.  Luckily someone came along and gave him enough validation that he had a creative side that he found a new passion, and the rest is history.  During our conversation Clay talks about what it was like trying to get his foot in the door of some of the biggest music magazine

Architectural photographer Andy Macpherson joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a young surf kid growing up in Cronulla, New South Wales, to working in marketing and sales for a well known coffee roaster, to finally falling in love with architectural photography and working with clients like Dwell Magazine and a huge list of well known architects and designers.  During our conversation Andy tells me about the first image he saw of a home in Seattle that made him realize the art of architecture and the beauty of trying to photograph it, the kind of gear we both have used to approach the type of work we do as well as the way we go about our post production, what's it like trying to navigate your way though the pricing and politics of this niche, and the advice he gives to others trying to chase their own creative path.   To Learn More About Andy Macpherson Visit: https://andymacpherson.studio And Follow Him on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/andymacpherson.studio/ To Listen to his Podcast "B

Sports, music, lifestyle, and culture photographer Anthony Geathers joins the podcast to talk about his most recent personal work, shooting in the streets of New York during the protest, and to tell the story of how he went from a kid growing up in Bed-Stuy, to a Marine, to studying at NYC's famed SVU, to shooting for some of the biggest brands in the world and getting the chance to work with world renowned athletes, musicians, and political figures. Although Anthony had his fair share of challenges while growing up, he was lucky enough to find photography at a very young age and instantly fell in love with the medium.  He attended the High School of Graphic Communication where he began to further hone his skills in photography and video, and then decided to join the Marines after graduation.  After two combat deployments, he came back with a drive to make it in the word of photography and that is what he's been doing ever since. During out conversation Anthony talks about being compelled to try and share the

Commercial, fine art, and editorial photographer Joseph Haeberle joins the show to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in rural Wyoming with a love of horses, to suddenly developing a thriving wedding photography business while still a teenager, then making the decision to walk away from it and focus his camera on the lifestyle and the people that he knew best, working with brands like Filson, Stetson, Wrangler, and many more.  Although Joseph was exposed to photography at a pretty early age and quickly became proficient enough with a camera to begin to make a pretty solid living as a wedding photographer, he wasn't satisfied with shooting something he wasn't passionate about.  After trying out city life in Seattle for a while with the idea he would become an outdoor adventure photographer, he found himself with the opportunity to work as a photographer on the professional rodeo circuit and ended up falling in love with all the things he recognized from his own roots of rural western culture.  During

London based reportage and documentary photographer Arnhel De Serra joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in the country outside of Brighton with an affinity for guitar and Carlos Santana, to finding a camera in his hand and a desire to capture the world around him, shooting everything from the mundane to the magnificent.  Although photography began to help shape Arnhel's life in his college years and began to replace the guitar as his favorite creative outlet, it wasn't until he stumbled upon some books by photographers like Larry Clark and Robert Frank that he realized the true power of the medium and what he wanted to do with his life.  He has gone on to have a successful career, working with clients in the editorial and commercial worlds and developing a very unique style.  During our conversation we discuss his somewhat absurdist approach to documenting the world around him and the idea of comedy in the still image, what it's been like for him tying to translate his work to th

On this episode I'm joined by the head of Clarkson Creative and director of photography for NCAA photos Jamie Schwaberow to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in Ohio with a love of sports and dreams of becoming a journalist, to finding a camera in his hand and covering some of the biggest sporting events in the world.  From an early age Jamie was not only an athlete, but a true fan of the sports world he found himself competing in. When he wasn't playing baseball or basketball he spent a lot of time going through magazines like Sports Illustrated, which led him to the idea of studying journalism in college with the hopes of turning his passion into a career.  But it would  be a chance internship at the olympics in Atlanta that would eventually lead him to chasing a dream of becoming a sports photographer, and later on a meeting with a legendary shooter that would help steer his career into the success story it is today.  During our conversation Jamie tells me how he met Rich Clarkson and ended up t

Artist, filmmaker, photographer, and all around creative human being Thomas Campbell joins the podcast to talk about his newest skateboard film "Ye Olde Destruction" as well as how he went from a kid growing up in the 70s skateboard scene, to writing for magazines while he was still in high school, to hitchhiking around the world, to doing a solo art show in Morocco, to creating amazing 16mm films and so much more. Thomas is one of those  individuals who seems to have been able to build a life and career off just being himself and creating whatever it is he feels like at the time.  From his earliest days of working in the skateboard publishing world, to traveling the world and creating art, Thomas has lived a life in pursuit of creativity.  During our conversation Thomas recounts some of the old stories like accidentally becoming Larry Clark's roommate for a month in New York, what the late 70s and early 80s skate and underground art scenes were like, some of his creative inspirations in life, what made him w

Richard Thompson III, known to some as RVT3, joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in New Orleans with a passion for music, to pursuing an education in the arts at SCAD, to living in LA shooting some of the most luxurious and well designed automobiles on the planet, and forming long lasting working relationships with companies like Mercedes-Benz.  Although he grew up with Art Teacher for a Mom, and was well versed in many mediums at a young age, Richard was inspired mostly by music and the amazing scene around him in his home town of New Orleans.  Even when he left to go further pursue graphic design, and later other forms of media capture in Savanah, he made frequent trips back to work at a music bar and continue to be around the West African inspired funk that New Orleans offered.  But later, while working on a local film set, he realized  that if he really wanted to create his own work it was time for him to move to LA and pursue his passion.  The rest is history, with a long cl

Martin Ander, better known to some as Mander, joins the show from his studio in Sweden to talk about how skateboarding, graffiti, and music shaped his youth and influenced him as an artist that would go onto to create hundreds of skateboard graphics, design  award wining album artwork, and more recently begin exhibiting his work in galleries.  Although Martin's father was an artist and illustrator as well, and all his earliest memories include the presence of artwork, it wouldn't be until he found his own tribe of skateboarders and graffiti artists that he would begin to realize that he had stumbled into the subcultures that would help shape him into the artist he is today.  During our conversation, Martin tells me what the 90s graffiti scene in Stockholm was like, how he got got hooked up with Flip skateboards, what his creative process looks like, and the advice he gives to others who are following their own creative pursuits and wish to make it a career.   To Learn More About Martin Ander Visit: http://www

Sofia Jaramillo returns to the show after her recent biographical episode to talk about working as a photojournalist and storyteller during the Covid 19 quarantines in Jackson Hole for High Country News and how she chose to follow a story of positivity, showcasing her small mountain community coming together to help each other out and show compassion towards their fellow human beings in a time of need.  During our conversation we discuss how she pitched and executed a portrait project given the current restrictions, she tells some inspiring stories of her subjects and their willingness to give back, and talks about what her take away might be from all of this when things start making a return to some type of normalcy.   To See Sofia's Story for High Country News Visit: https://www.hcn.org/issues/52.5/covid19-jackson-whole-a-community-persists-with-an-uncertain-future To Learn More About Sofia Jaramillo Visit: https://www.sofiajaramillophoto.com And Follow Her on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/sofia_

On this episode of the podcast I sit down with Catherine Simard to talk about how she went from walking the runway as a fashion model, to pursuing a career as a stylist and art director, to walking away from it all to live a life of travel and simplicity and chase her passion to become a landscape photographer.  Cath grew up in Quebec and was scouted at an early age by a model agency.  Before long she was booking work and living the life of a model while continuing to pursue furthering her career in the fashion industry as a stylist.  That all changed however when she met her boyfriend who introduced her to a much simpler life of traveling, working on farms, and exploring nature.  When she set out on her own to travel solo for a while, she fell in love with the Canadian Rockies and the power of the alpine landscape in general.  It inspired her to want to share those feelings with others through visual art and she began a journey she continues today as a landscape photographer.  During our conversation Cath ta