Visual Revolutionary

Award winning ski and action sports photographer Reuben Krabbe joins the podcast to talk about his most recent celestial ski photo and the newly released short film "Nebula" (links below) that traces his journey to capture a skier in front of the Orion Nebula, as well as take you inside some of the creative process on what it looks like to chase after such an elusive photograph. Growing up in Calgary, Rueben was always attracted to the mountains that were so close by and the lifestyle that went with them.  But when one of his friends got a hold of his Dad's SLR camera and they started taking pictures of each other on their ski and mountain bike adventures, Reuben began to dream about a future as an action sports photographer, and all the adventures that might entail.  Before long, after a short stint in photography school, he was living in a van in Whistler chasing that goal with a drive and work ethic that would soon enough pair him with the right athletes and companies to start making the images he had imag

Award winning photojournalist, documentary photographer, and filmmaker Sebastian Meyer joins the show to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in New York, to spending ten years living in Kurdistan, co-founding the first Iraqi photography agency, and his beautiful new book that documents the journey and the people called "Under Every Yard of Sky".  Although Sebastian had a similar experience as so many others that have been on this show before of getting the chance to learn photography in a high school class, it wouldn't be until years later during college while he was studying abroad in France that he would truly fall in love with it.  After seeing some of the photos he was taking during his travels, a friend turned him on to the field of photojournalism and gave him a book on Magnum photographers that would change his life.  Soon enough Sebastian was chasing his own dreams as a photojournalist, and even ended up as an intern at the Magnum photography agency.  After moving to London to try and establi

My good friend, and bad ass photographer, Emily Polar returns to the show to have an honest conversation about what it looks like to truly value and honor your time, the issues she has with the conventional model of the the role of an advertising photographer, what it was like to live and study in Nepal for the last three years, the influence Buddhism and daily meditation has on her life, how she manages her money and lives with almost no overhead in order to stay on the move, and the plans she has going forward with her career and her personal life.  Make sure to check out Episode #4 from the way back machine to hear Emily's first appearance on the show where she discusses her backstory and how she got to where she is today.   To Learn More About Emily Polar Visit: https://www.emilypolar.com And Follow Her on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/emilypolar/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolut

Documentary photographer, respected photojournalist, and educator Glenna Gordon joins the show to talk about how she went from a kid growing up in suburban Orange County, to living in West Africa covering everything from Boko Haram to Muslim women who write romance novels.  Although Glenna was raised in a loving home and in a sheltered community, she was no stranger to stories of tragedy and hardship and was brought up with the intimate knowledge of what true suffering and sacrifice can look like.  She knew from a young age that Irvine was not the place for her and she had dreams of living in New York and seeing what else the world had to offer.  After studying art history at UC Berkley and then getting a job that would move her to NYC, she realized that she wasn't creatively satisfied and wanted more than sitting at a desk full of paperwork.  She attended journalism school at Columbia and then decided to go visit her older brother who was living and working in Rwanda.  On a whim, and full of youthful courage

Editorial and Commercial fashion/lifestyle photographer and educator Clay Cook joins the podcast from his studio in Louisville, KY to talk about how he went from years on the road as a guitar player in a popular hard rock band, to shooting fashion editorials and commercial campaigns across the country.  Although Clay was very influenced by movies at an early age and loved trying to create his own short films, at 16 years old he joined a band that would alter the trajectory of his life and send him out chasing the dream of stardom and touring the country for the next 10 years.  Music became everything to him during that time and his band put out an album that attracted the attention of some in the music business and became the foundation of so many of the stories he has from the earlier part of his life. During all those years of touring, Clay started doing graphic design work to supplement his income, which led him to finally picking up a camera in an attempt to create his own stock imagery for design purpose

Action Sports and Commercial Filmmaker, and one of the co-founders of Anthill Films, Darren McCullough joins the podcast to talk about the crew's latest film "Return to Earth" and how he went from being a kid growing up in the small town of Lions Bay BC to becoming part of a filmmaking team making some of the most cutting edge mountain bike films available. As a kid growing up in a small town with access to both the mountain lifestyle and the ocean, Darren had an early love for skiing and outdoor adventures.  So it was only natural that after his older brother started getting him involved in photography and filmmaking in High School, that he had created his first ski film before he even thought about the prospect of college or the future.  Because of those early tastes of creative success, and with his older brother's mentorship and encouragement, Darren began to pursue what else could come from what seemed to be a fairly natural eye for shooting.  After years of working for others in the commercial realm and

On this episode of the podcast Matt Porteous drops in to talk about how he went from creating a successful business as a stone mason to becoming one of the go to portrait photographers for the Royal Family, building his own successful commercial studio, and creating a staggering amount of personal photography and film projects as well as multiple outlets to showcase them in.  Matt grew up on the small island of Jersey in the U.K.  It was there that he fell in love with the ocean and the culture that surrounded it.  He spent most of his days surfing and dreaming of one day traveling the world in search of better waves.  At an early age his mother remarried and Matt found himself not only introduced to more disciple in his life, but also to the many new adventures that his stepfather began taking him on that would shape a lot of his adventurous attitude for years to come.  Matt had also become fascinated with photography during his younger years thanks to a small underwater camera that he constantly carried aro

On this episode of the podcast I sit down with automotive and lifestyle photographer and commercial director Jeff Stockwell to talk about how he turned a professional career as a rollerblader into becoming a sought after photographer working with some of the biggest car companies in the world.  Growing up in San Clemente Jeff always felt like an outsider because the things he was most passionate about seemed to be outside the norm of those around him.  Although he lived in a beach town, he had little interest in the ocean, and while surrounded by skateboarding, he gravitated more towards rollerblading and quickly began to gain recognition in what was then an exploding sport.  Through competing, video parts, and team sponsorships Jeff traveled the world and began to form the foundation of what would later become a visual aesthetic that would serve him well.  Although he was one of the top pros in the county, roller blading wasn't quite cutting it for paying the bills and so Jeff stayed close to the industry of

Renowned celebrity portrait photographer, documentary filmmaker, host of the popular show "Off Camera", and man of many creative pursuits Sam Jones joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in Fullerton, CA with a focus on skateboarding and punk rock, to creating a very successful career as a photographer and filmmaker.  During his younger years Sam always had a lot of outlets for creativity.  Whether he was playing music in many of the bands he was in, drawing cartoons for his school newspaper, or riding his skateboard, Sam was beginning to shape the way he viewed the world around him. During his third year of college he decided to take a photography class, and with the encouragement of his good friend Neil Blender, start creating images of what was around him.  Although music was still the main goal, Sam began to work as a photojournalist for his school paper, which quickly lead him to becoming a stringer for national news outlets.  Before long he found himself on a plane to New York

Adventure photographer, director, filmmaker, Canon ambassador, and all around bad ass Krystle Wright returns to the podcast to talk about her three most current short films "Chasing Monsters", "In Perpetual Motion", and "A Restless Peace" (Links Below).  Make sure to check out Krystle's original appearance on the show back on episode #52 to hear the story of how she got started.  During this conversation we discuss what it was like trying to create three new films for Canon over the course of three years, putting together creative teams and knowing how to let them help guide her in expressing her own vision, what it was like chasing storms through "Tornado Ally" with the most recent guest of the show Nick Moir, trying to create films that have more space to breathe and interpret the imagery instead of always needing to let the audience know what you are saying, her thoughts on the current state of "like driven" content on social media, and what's next for her as she continues to evolve as an artist.   To Lea

Award winning photojournalist and renowned storm chaser Nick Moir joins the show to talk about what it's like facing down every type of severe weather you could imagine and how he has continued to evolve as a photographer, journalist, and creative after years in the field working with the Sydney Morning Herald.  You can get a brief glimpse into what the fast paced world of storm chasing looks like in Krystle Wright's new film "Chasing Monsters" which features Nick and his work.  Growing up in Sydney's Blue Mountains, Nick was inspired at an early age by the natural beauty and power of the storms and bushfires that were part of existence in that landscape.  As the son of a political cartoonist, art and creative expression were also a part of his young life and soon he would find his voice through the lens of a camera.  He became fascinated by the lifestyle of the newspaper photojournalist and began working his way up the ranks.  During the early 2000s, he set out with another photographer to document a devasta

On this episode I sit down with Jonathan Mehring to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in a holler in Virginia in a log home his "return to the land" parents built with no concrete in sight, to a skateboard enthusiast and one of the most well traveled skateboard photographers in the world, and finally the way that would lead him to working with National Geographic on his book "Skate the World" to help spread the global message of skateboard culture.  As a kid growing up in a rural town with pretty adventurous and outdoor enthusiastic parents, skateboarding wasn't necessarily the first thing that you would assume would become the driving force of Jonathan's life, but while driving around one day, he got a glimpse of a skater airing it out over a privacy fence of a backyard ramp and that scene would stick with him and alter the direction of his life.  Once that passion was paired with a high school photography class, his future was suddenly becoming more clear.  He would go on to study photography in

Commercial, action sports, and fine art photographer Jussi Grznar joins the show to talk about growing up in former Czechoslovakia and watching the fall of communist leadership and repression, and how that led him to chasing his dreams not only for himself, but for his parents that never had the same opportunity.  At an early age Jussi's parents always encouraged him and his sister to let themselves be influenced by travel, music, and whatever other culture they could absorb.  At age 10, when communism fell, Jussi remembers starting to finally get his hands on skateboard and snowboarding magazines, and hear some of the music that had not been allowed before.  It would become the spark of a dream that would eventually lead him to North America and through a ton of random jobs before finally picking up a camera to document the mountain lifestyle he had fallen in love with.  While living in Whistler and attending the pro photography showdown, Jussi told his close friend that one day he would stand on that stage.

Mike Lewis, aka @mike2swim, joins the show to talk about how he went from being a collegiate swimmer, to working at the executive level for the Olympic Canoe/Kayak and Water Polo teams, to finally deciding to focus on photography and find himself back in the pool with the athletes he knew best.  Growing up in southern California, Mike gravitated towards the water at an early age and quickly became an accomplished swimmer.  It would become a sport that would help him have a drive and focus throughout his high school years.  During that time, like so many others that have been on this show, he found photography and fell in love with the process.  Throughout his years as a swimmer, and then later on in his professional life working with olympic athletes, the camera was always close by and gave Mike a meditative and creative outlet that he became more and more focused on becoming proficient at.  When one of his close friends started  Swim Swam, which would become one of the biggest swimming media outlets in the w

Award winning photographer/director Joey Lawrence (aka Joey L.) joins the show to talk about how he went from photographing his musician friends in high school, to shooting portraits of celebrities like Robert De Niro and Jennifer Lawrence, to traveling the globe extensively in the pursuit of some of the most ambitious personal projects ever discussed on this podcast.  Although he's now old enough to not be the youngest person on his sets anymore, Joey L. is still a young face in the industry, but at age 29 his portfolio is packed with work most older veterans could only dream of.  During our conversation we talk about how Joey found photography and the work ethic and drive that had him shooting professionally at the age of 16, and how he continues to evolve as an artist.  Although Joey has had no shortage of interviews and press throughout his photography career, the true testament to his talents is that he hasn't slowed down a bit.  Over the years he has continued to hone his craft and blur the lines betwee

Filmmaker, Commercial DP, Photographer, Adventurer, and man of many talents Steve Rokks joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in Long Island with a fascination for jazz drumming, to  dreams of a Navy Seal career, to working as an engineer, to a job in the music industry in Dallas working with labels like Def Jam and artists like Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, to editing videos on the side for a filmmaker friend, to finally finding himself behind the camera focused on his current career of commercial DP and documentary filmmaker.  From his earliest years that he can remember, Steve was always inspired by the work ethic and DIY attitude of his father.  It's a thread he's taken through his own life of "when a door opens, go through it and see what you can make of it".  He applied it through his younger years of making music, through the opportunity he was presented to work as a sound engineer, and finally to working as a filmmaker.  We talk about what goes into that mind set and where it co

We finally made it to episode 100 of the podcast, and to celebrate I'm joined by special guest host Kenna Klosterman to help lead me through telling my own life story.  You might know Kenna as the host of Creative Live, or from her own great photography podcast "We Are Photographers", so she seemed like the perfect person to come in and take over hosting the Visual Revolutionary Podcast.  Kenna has also been a guest on this show before so make sure to check out Episode 64 to hear her story.  Believe it or not, I've had several requests over the last 99 episodes to tell my own story, so during this episode you get to learn more about me.  Therefore if you are one of the people who have commented that I talk too much, it might not be the episode for you.  During our conversation I tell Kenna about what it was like growing up in a small town in Kentucky, how skateboarding was the impetus of so much creativity and rebellion in my life, what it was like traveling on tour with the Grateful Dead, my stint in life as

My good friend Sean Boggs returns to the show to talk about his recent personal project working with the Ninash Foundation, where he traveled through India to document people from all walks of life and captured some of the amazing changes Ninash has made in their lives and the lives of others.  During our conversation we talk about taking on personal projects and giving back by donating your services to non profit organizations, how he went about planning and executing this project, the logistics of creating environmental portraits in all types of situations, and the way others have received the work thus far.   To Learn More About Sean Boggs Visit: https://seanfboggs.com To Learn More About the Ninash Foundation Visit: http://www.ninash.org To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: http://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/    

Celebrity and lifestyle photographer Jeff Lipsky joins the podcast to talk about how he went from working as a fly fishing guide in Telluride, CO and trying to see how many days a year he could snowboard, to shooting some of the most well known celebrities in the world and working on ad campaigns for companies like Verizon, Eddie Bauer, Warner Brothers, and many others.  Although Jeff was turned on to photography at a fairly early age, it would be his passion for skiing and snowboarding that would get him to move from the east coast to explore the rest of the country.  He fell in love with mountain life and spent 10 years in Telluride, CO until photography came calling again and he rekindled his passion for shooting.  Before long he moved to LA with big dreams and a drive to make it in the very competitive world of shooting fashion and celebrity work.  After putting in his time as an assistant with some of the most well known photographers of the time, he finally took the plunge to try and make it on his own,

On this episode of the podcast we are joined by outdoor photographer, director, writer, creative director and the co-founder/editor-in-chief of Modern Huntsman magazine Tyler Sharp.  Tyler takes us through his story of growing up outside of Austin Texas, studying photography and filmmaking at USC, and how that would eventually lead to him living in Tanzania filming Safari expeditions as his first job out of college.  After developing a taste for travel, expeditions, hunting culture, and an outdoor lifestyle, Tyler continued to pursue work in that field and before long was traveling the world with famed hunter and media personality Jim Shockey, filming a television series for the outdoor network.  Before long however, Tyler found himself back in the states and the grind of daily life expectations and work.  He started to become burned out on shooting before returning to what had generated the most passion in the first place.  Through a creative approach to marketing and networking, he soon found himself workin