Visual Revolutionary

Renowned music photographer Jay Blakesberg joins the podcast to talk about  40 years of music photography, photographing everything from years with the Grateful Dead to the birth of Alternative Rock. Raised in New Jersey, Jay was a product of the 70s youth culture, spending his time partying with his friends and seeing concerts. But it was when he borrowed his Dad's camera at age 16 to shoot pictures at a Grateful Dead show that he would get a glimpse into what the future would hold.  Combining a love for photography and the Grateful Dead, Jay set out on tour and began cataloging a huge archive of photography of the band, the fans, and the scene that evolved around both.  Although Jay had run-ins with the law, and some questionable decisions at an early age that could have derailed his dreams, he stayed focused on his passion of photography and music. Jay is probably best known for his work with the Grateful Dead, but he has had a career that spans years of shooting almost every musical genre you could think of, includes countless work and covers with Rolling Stone Magazine, more album photography credits than could be listed here, and intimate shoots and stories with Rock Royalty.  During our conversation we get the chance to hear how it all started for Jay, what's changed in the world of Rock photography, how he created his own publishing company, and what's in store as he moves forward.   To Learn More About Jay Blakesberg Visit: http://www.blakesberg.com/html/index.html To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

Photographer, chief creative officer, and advertising master mind Jason M. Peterson joins the show for an interesting conversation about where advertising is heading and what that means for creators of all types.  You might know Jason from his popular Instagram account where he showcases some of his beautiful black and white compositions, but he's had a long career in the creative world dating back to his early days in a punk band and leading to a successful run in the ad world.  Growing up most of his life in Arizona after his parents were divorced, Jason found the hard core punk scene. He not only fell in love with the music, but the DIY ethic and art surrounding the community that would resurface in the next chapter of his life as an art director in New York.  Years later, on a bet with his friends, Jason joined Instagram and created an account that has attracted over a million followers and earned him praise from much of the photo world.  Jason has worked on, and created, many memorable ad spots over the years, but has now focused his energies on where he feels the future of that world is headed and begun incorporating his own skills behind the camera into the package.  During our conversation we talk about what he looks for in emerging talent as a hiring creative director, how established photographers and filmmakers have to adapt to the budgets and faster moving workflow of social media, and the advice he gives to those coming up in the world.    To Learn More About Jason M Peterson Follow Him on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/jasonmpeterson/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

My friend and fellow local commercial photographer Sean Boggs stops by on this episode of the podcast to talk about building a business and a brand in a small market.  Although I might need to get rid of the word "shorts" in this new series, as I have trouble not ending up talking for almost an hour anyway, I enjoyed this conversation where Sean and I dove in to a topic that rarely gets explored.  We discuss the difference in a small town market compared to a larger market and how he went about building what would become a national identity as a photographer.  During our conversation we talk about whether or not to be a specialist in a certain genre, creating a sustainable price structure, saying no to low paying work, and being willing to learn and evolve from criticism.   To Learn More About Sean Boggs Visit: http://seanfboggs.com To Help Him Achieve his Goal of Working with and helping the Ninash School Go To: https://www.gofundme.com/seanfboggs-india To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/    

Snowboard and action sports photographer Scott Serfas comes back on the podcast to talk about the issues he has faced with clients not wanting to pay advertising rates for social media images, what that might mean for the future of his niche in photography, and where we go from here.  Make sure to check out Scott's original biographical episode to hear his backstory (Episode #36).  During this conversation we talk about what we've both seen with clients wanting to use images for free on their social media platforms, factoring in a future archive when you are shooting what is around you, and what the future of making a living as a snowboard photographer might look like.   To Learn More About Scott Serfas Visit: https://www.scottserfas.com/index Visit Visual Revolutionary At: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/

Photographer and Creative Director Dano Pendygrasse joins the show to talk about a successful career as a snowboard photographer in what many would consider the golden age of snowboarding (the 90s and early 2000s), and his eventual transition into more of a creative director's role. Growing up in Vancouver as a skateboard kid and ski racer, the transition to snowboarding during the early years of the sport was a no-brainer. After graduating high school and moving to Whistler, Dano found himself at the center of a bourgeoning scene that would soon become one of the epicenters of the snowboard world. Although he had sponsors as a snowboarder and dreams of writing, Dano took the advice of an editor at Snowboarder Magazine to start taking pictures. He quickly realized that the camera was his tool of choice. He landed a job as a senior photographer for Snowboarder and before long found himself shooting with the biggest pros in the business. Over the next couple of decades Dano continued to thrive as a photographer in the snowboarding industry, but soon started to realize he was burning out and needed a new direction. We discuss that transition and what it's meant for his photography. During our conversation we not only get to trace Dano's career, but we get the chance to explore some of the history of the Whistler snowboarding scene in the 90s and the explosion of the snowboard business that he was very much a part of. We also talk about facing burn out, reinvigorating a love for photography, and making a new career transition in a later stage of your life. To Learn More About Dano Pendygrasse Visit: https://danopendygrasse.photoshelter.com/index To Learn More About Perennial Plan Visit: https://www.perennialplan.com   Visit Visual Revolutionary At: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

Adventure sports, travel, and landscape photographer Michael Clark returns to the show to talk about gear and the future of photography that new technology might be leading us towards.  Although it's rare I ever bring up equipment on the podcast, I wanted to bring Michael back on to talk about the current state of photography gear because of his background in physics and his early career working with some of the tech that lead to where we are in digital photography today. During our conversation we discuss some of the positive and negative aspects of what is most likely on the radar and how that might effect the world of professional photography careers. Make sure to check out Michael's original biographical episode as well to hear his whole backstory (Episode #42) To Learn More About Michael Clark Visit: https://www.michaelclarkphoto.com To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/    

Photographer, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and all around inspiring guy Jeremy Cowart joins the show this week to talk about a successful career as a celebrity and commercial photographer, what inspired him to step into the world of humanitarian work, and his newest endeavor of starting a chain of boutique hotels with a message of purpose.  Growing up in Nashville, Jeremy became an unfortunately common statistic of a child that was not operating well within the confines of the traditional educational system.  His grades suffered and he really didn't see a future in what others seemed to think was the right career trajectory.  He knew he loved art though, and with his parent's advice to maybe study graphic design, he pursued an education in design that would slowly lead him to finally picking up a camera.  After walking away from a design firm he had built to pursue photography full-time, Jeremy had a fairly quick rise to what many would call rock star status.  He has worked with some of biggest named celebrities in the world, was named by Huffington Post as The Most Influential Photographer on the Internet, recognized by Ad Week as 10 Visual Artist who are changing the way we see the world, and even nominated for an Emmy for best commercial campaign.  During our conversation we talk about stepping into your fears and chasing your dreams and goals, the practices he uses to avoid burn out, and the advice he gives to those coming in the current era of photography.   To Learn More About Jeremy Cowart Visit: https://www.jeremycowart.com To Learn More About The Purpose Hotel Visit: https://www.thepurposehotel.com Visit Visual Revolutionary At: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And follow along in Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

Adventure photographer Alex Strohl returns to the show to talk about his new photography workshop course, how to set yourself apart and find your own point of view as a photographer, using other photographer's presets, pre-production planning in the world of adventure travel photography, and what it means to be a brand as a photographer today.  Make sure to check out Alex's original full length biographical episode (#50 of the podcast) to hear his complete backstory.  But for now enjoy this shorter conversation exploring some topics that many of you need to hear.   To Buy Alex's new Adventure Photography Workshop Visit: https://workshop.alexstrohl.com ** Use the discount code VISUALREV at checkout for $100 off  Learn More About Visual Revolutionary At: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

Legendary magnum photographer, teacher, and friend of the show David Alan Harvey returns to talk about not overlooking the surroundings of your own local environment while you wait to photograph dream destinations, dealing with gear acquisition syndrome aka G.A.S., and how he's managed to keep a child like wonderment of photography after all these years.  Make sure to check out David's original biographical conversation (episode #38 of the podcast) to hear the complete backstory of his career, which has remained one of the most popular episodes to date.  During this shorter conversation David continues to push the message of having something to say with your photography, sometimes simplifying your gear and getting out of your own way, and some of the common mistakes he sees younger photographers making.  Check out David's work at https://www.davidalanharvey.com To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

Skateboard photographer and filmmaker Fred Mortagne, better known to many as French Fred, joins the show to talk about what it was like growing up in Lyon France, the early European skate scene, and developing a still photography aesthetic that would set him apart in an ever growing industry.  Like many people that have been on this podcast, Fred fell in love with skateboarding at an early age and was creatively inspired by the scene around him.  He realized that no one was really capturing the French skateboard community and he set out to make skateboard films of what was going on around him in Lyon.  He was quickly recognized by companies like 411 and Etnies, and soon found himself traveling to the states and around the world to shoot the thing he loved the most.  Although many might know Fred's skateboard films like Menikmati,  it's his ability to capture skateboarding so uniquely in a still photograph that made me want to talk to him the most.  Through his years of filming, Fred carried a still camera with him as well and would use small windows of time to shoot a very personal side of skateboarding that he felt wasn't represented and probably wasn't very commercial.  After many years of dedication himself to that vision, Fred has compiled a body of work that is timeless, unique, and visually stunning.  During our conversation, we discuss what it's like to spend years developing a personal project, remaining true to your vision as an artist, and his beautiful book Attraper Au Vol.   To Check out Fred's Work Visit:  http://frenchfred.com Or check him out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/frenchfred/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram at:https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/