If the Portrait is the “important” work that I do then the Lifestyle portion is the “fun”.
Standing in a river with my camera so I can get a different point of view, tied to the back of a wake-surf boat, or mounting cameras on a motorcycle are just a few of the fun things I have had to do in the last 20 years. Capturing the action or the lifestyle of a subject involves meeting the technical challenges of good timing and composition while being creative. Trying to juggle those three ingredients while feeding off the energy of your subject is an amazing feeling.
What could be more fun than having a front-row seat at the action or your subject giving you their full attention to do “take after take” for the camera. It’s like being a kid again; telling your buddy to hit that shitty wood ramp, “one more time” and seeing his grin as he pedals like a mad-man destined for glory.
Hanging out with people doing what they love, looking at the shots in between takes, and going away from a fun shoot makes me feel like I am in the groove. Like this is what I was created for. And as my assistant can attest to, it reminds me again and again that this is what I should be doing more of in my life.
