Q. What is your role in the Photogen Inc. Crew?
Assistant Extraordinaire.
Q. How did you begin working for Photogen Inc?
Initially everything spurred from an e-mail I sent to Eliesa. I was on an airplane at the time, and they had free wi-fi on the flight, which was pretty amazing, and I was inspired to send out epic emails.
Q. What does it mean to be an assistant?
It depends on which photographer you're working for. For each one, being an assistant means something different. Sometimes your responsibility is just setting up the tripod after the ceremony and taking a few photos here and there. On the other end, it's shooting the majority of a wedding because your boss is the maid of honor ;)
Q. How has being a part of this crew helped you as an artist?
It has really helped me stay inspired. I look at my cohort's work on a pretty consistent basis to see what they've been shooting, how their style is evolving and what their subject matter is.
Q. What is your favorite part about shooting?
Oh man. Everything. I think my favorite part is the relationship with the subject. Connecting with people and taking their photo can be a pretty deep experience. I kind of over analyze though.
Q. What else do you love in life, besides photography?
Music has been a passion of mine for a long time. I've been going to shows constantly since I had my driver's permit, and traveled across the country just to see my favorite musicians play. I really like to read business books. Television and movies are something that really get me going. Someday I'd love to experiment with video projects. I love really dry humor. Another important aspect of my life is my faith. Love me some Jesus. Also, Chipotle. These are in no particular order. Q. How did you start out being a photographer?
In high school I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that people wanted to be photographers, as a profession. Those were my friends who would just take photos of flowers and post them on their Myspace photography page. I'm aging myself here. Anyway, I was working at Circuit City and Nikon had a really awesome ad for the D40 they were just releasing and on a whim I purchased one. From there I started shooting some of the shows I went to. Then I moved to Milwaukee to pursue a career in photo assisting, hung out there for a year & worked my butt off, and a year later I came back to Minnesota. Now I work with Eliesa at Photogen-inc and intern at a commercial photography studio.
Q. What do you think you bring to this team?
I'd say the most tangible thing I bring to the table is the willingness to learn. I'm always up for experimenting and learning new things.
Q. What are you looking forward to the most for the 2011 season? Honing my skill set is definitely my goal for this season. I want to take photographs that will help the couple at hand re-live their wedding day and make others stop and say "holy crap."