23. Guy Fattal | Active Lifestyle and Action Sports Photographer
In this episode, Marshal speaks with Active Lifestyle and Action Sports Photographer Guy Fattal. Guy's lifelong dream was to become a Photographer, and this aspiration led him to win an action sports photography competition despite joining at the eleventh hour and being the youngest contestant.
However, Guy's journey hasn't been without challenges as he shares the sacrifices he made to finance his passion, including working various odd jobs. He also discusses the winning formula on how you can start and build connections as a newcomer. Ultimately, he stresses how important it is to be active in creating personal works that you're truly passionate about to any up-and-coming photographer, videographer, or artist. Make sure to stay tuned until the end to know the exact formula Guy took to kickstart his career — let’s dive in.
Episode Highlights
1:24 Getting to know Guy Fattal
6:30 The Start of Everything
12:43 Making a Living Out of Photography
18:04 How to Sustain Yourself Financially while Following Your Passion
23:32 Formula to Building Relationships in the Industry
40:30 Art of Connecting with Other People
51:26 Where does the Money come from in Action Sports Photography?
1:01:06 Processes and Systems
🔗 CONNECT WITH Guy Fattal
📸Instagram | @guyfattalphoto 💻Website | www.guyfattal.com
🔗 CONNECT WITH MARSHAL
📸Instagram | www.instagram.com/marshalchupa 💻Website | www.marshalchupa.com 👥 Linkedin | www.linkedin.com/in/marshal-chupa-99a7921a8
📄 SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT
Visit the website for the transcript and highlights from the conversation - www.shotlistpodcast.com
🎙 ABOUT THE PODCAST
This podcast is all about helping emerging cinematographers, photographers, and directors navigate the challenges of making a life and a living behind the lens. From workflow to personal growth, creative vision to marketing, finances to production—every episode is packed with a wide range of topics to support visual storytellers in their pursuit of building a business and growing a career they are proud of.
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📱 GET IN TOUCH
You can also drop me a DM instagram @marshalchupa or email marshal@marshalchupa.co
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction and Welcome
As freelance photographers and creatives, we can't rest that work is just going to come to us, right? At any given moment, you have to be out there showcasing. your value, right? And proving your ability time after time. And if you can do it in a personalized way for a specific brand, I want to say that can go a long way.
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the shot list podcast, where we talk about how to make a life and a living behind the lens. I'm cinematographer Marshall Chupa. And today I'm speaking with active lifestyle and action sports photographer, Guy Fattel. In this episode, Guy and I dive into how getting accepted into a photo competition last minute and winning it led to kicking off his career, his formula for shooting personal work with athletes that has led to paid brand work and campaigns, Where the actual money comes from in photography when working in the action sports world and a few of the systems he uses to connect with clients and referencing mood boards in the field.
Guy is not only a great photographer, but a genuine human. And it's clear to me why clients and brands would be attracted to choosing him to shoot their next campaign with his good vibes and collaborative energy. I'm excited to share this one with you. Let's dive in.
Meeting Guy Fattal
Well, Guy, thanks so much for coming on the shot list podcast. I appreciate you being here. Yeah. Thanks so much for having me, Marshall. Let me start off by saying, since I discovered your podcast, I think it was about six months ago. I've been quite the fan and enjoyed listening to a lot of the episodes and genuine conversations with your guests, especially I might say during photo editing sessions.
So thanks for having me on. I'm, I'm really excited and. on it to be here. That's awesome. I appreciate that you're finding some value in some of these conversations. And I think that is a great thing to throw on on the road or while you're editing. That's yeah, I'm glad there's going to be some educational content to dive into.
Well, I think we've been in each other's orbits for a few years now. You're in Whistler, I'm in Squamish, you know, we're both playing in the outdoor branded content world. But most recently, I bought a Nikon Z9 tiptoeing back into the stills world myself and you invited me out for a day of shooting mountain biking, which was a bit of one of your sounds like arranged a bit of a passion project or just a reason to get out and be creative.
And we actually got to hang out for a day in person and to shoot side by side, which was super fun. So thank you for having me out. That was a lot of fun. And yeah, I know, like you said, we've been kind of in each other's orbits and stuff for a few years, kind of in the same industry, so to speak. And when I saw that you got your Nikon Z9 and been dabbling, um, again with photography, it was just kind of an exciting opportunity to, to connect over that shared passion.
And, um, Yeah. And it was fun just to give our listeners a bit of background. I put together a mini mountain bike shoot in Squamish, and it was a few weeks ago, pretty much mid February. And I can't say that I've ever shot mountain biking, which would be more of a summer activity in the middle of February, but thanks to a pretty low snow years that we've had here in the sea, the sky on the coast, that opportunity kind of came and it was fun to just Connect and, um, shoot and see how we work a little differently, but also get inspired from what we were doing.
I kind of had my mind on the action. You had your mind on the portraits and the light coming in through the, through the trees in the forest. So it was just fun playing around. And I think as photographers and creatives, something I've realized is we don't. Collaborate enough, it's kind of each to their own, right?
Almost like lone wolves out there sometimes, and it can get a little lonely. So just to be able to connect over purely just a fun passion photo shoot, you know, with no money or brand on the line, just for pure creativity and share that, that was just super fun. Yeah, and I appreciate you said something a lot about your character to just like, I mean, you'd set up to shoot, you know, you'd found the athlete and set up the idea and then you're just like, hey, do you want to come along?
And often I think, you know, it's a bit of a competitive world as well. So a lot of people don't want to be like, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Also like sharing their tips and tricks or secrets or all the work they've put in, but you're just like, Hey man, let's, let's go have some fun. And, and I just, yeah, I just really speak something to your character of just like how open and collaborative and warm and welcoming you are.
So I appreciate, appreciate you for that. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. And I think that saying about letting go a little bit of that ego and competitiveness, it's a work in progress. I can't say that I'm perfect or mastered that aspect because I definitely have that competitive aspect and you know, social media, you're seeing other photographers doing this and doing that and some things you, you kind of want to do.
So I'm not free of that competitive nature, absolutely. I'm definitely practicing kind of. Letting go a little more, letting people more into my way of things and just being more open. And I think I would say kind of the same about you with this podcast and putting some of this wealth of knowledge out there with a lot of the guests you've had. Right. And I've been fortunate over the years to seek advice and a bit of mentorship from photographers and creatives that I really highly look up to. I'd say the one thing in common with All of those photographers is their willingness to be open and not feel threatened by, you know, kind of a young gun coming for their work and their jobs.
And I think that's just something I'm trying to do my best at. Carrying forward, so to speak, yeah, that's awesome. It's a great way to look at it. Ultimately. Yeah, that is what I'm trying to do with this podcast is break down those walls and barriers because like there is no rule book to this stuff. And the guys who are playing at the top of the, you know, the food chain, they had to figure out how to get there somehow too.
And so, yeah, I just really would love to share How do we do this? There's you know, it's such a crazy wild ride to make a living from behind the lens. And, um, I mean, that kind of segues perfectly.
The Start of Everything
And I'm curious, how did everything begin for you? Were you always dreaming of being a photographer? What did you do before photography?How did you stumble into all this? Yeah, I guess it's a good time to give the listeners a little bit of background about me. So yeah, my name is Guy Fatale. I am a professional photographer, stills photographer, and I specialize in the outdoor active industry. And when I say that, I think the thing I've been most synonymous for is for shooting action sports.
You snowboarding, and winter pretty heavily. In summer, it will be a mix of trail running, mountain biking, a bit of climbing, hiking, of course, and just anything to do with the outdoors. So for me, my kind of journey to photography and getting here to Canada is probably a little bit. Different to a lot of other people.
So I'm originally from Israel. I grew up in small town in the Jerusalem hills. And as a kid and teenager, I was a pretty shy kid, not even too outdoorsy. I did play some sports, uh, some soccer or as we call it over there, football. But I wasn't very outdoorsy and pretty shy kid. And at the age of 13, I stumbled upon photography and it was actually through a small digital cameras of my youngest sister received as a, I think it must have been like a birthday present from one of our uncles.
And. I swear she never picked up that camera once, but I did because she wasn't using it and I just kind of discovered this whole world for me to express myself and I would photograph with my friends. I would photograph anything really that I could. And I was so passionate about it. I find, I think I found at the age of 13, the first thing that I was truly so passionate about, and I really wanted to explore that further.
A year later, I actually convinced my parents to sort of make a little investment into me and we split costs on a used DSLR. At the time it was a Nikon D50. Nice. And I was so stoked about it. I think my parents less so because they thought it would just be kind of another phase of, well, kind of get flushed out like a PlayStation.
Yeah, here I am many years later at the age of 32 today, still playing with cameras. And I'd say it was a pretty good investment on their part to split costs with me. But yeah, for me, I would photograph a lot of street photography at the time. I would go to these vibrant markets that. we have in the country.
And as a teenager, I actually ended up discovering my passion for action photography. And I ended up going to mountain bike downhill races and motorcycle races or windsurfing and kite surfing in the ocean. And I just, you know, Filled that natural connection and passion to capturing the elusive moment of action sports and human element combining with nature and the landscape.
And that's something that really drew me. And to kind of fast forward a little bit, I skied a few times as a teenager. Again, one thing that I sort of stumbled upon when I probably accumulated three weeks of skiing by the age of 21, which is not much, but I knew like, okay, this is something I really want to do and want to explore.
And yeah, at the age of 21, I decided to grab my stuff and go spend a winter season in Europe, in Andorra of all places, a tiny country landlocked between Spain and France in the Pyrenees. And I just start set off on this journey of photographing skiers and snowboarders, kind of reaching out to anyone and everyone I could with this goal of one day having my photos published in ski and snowboard magazines all around the world and competing in contests and just being Being able to experience and photograph with some of the best action sport athletes in the world.
And that was something that really was an incredible drive for me and led me to Whistler, which as I like to describe it is basically the heart and soul of the outdoor. Industry in surely in Canada, but also in North America too, when it comes to action sports. And I like to say, it's kind of like, if you want it to be an actor, you would get up and you would move to Hollywood.
And this place where we live Whistler and to see the sky as a whole, right? Like Squamish included is, is sort of a hub for, These type of activities and this industry that we that we work and play and yeah, that's cool So where was the tipping point for okay? You've see fell in love with photography back home You realized action sports was kind of the direction you wanted to take things You decided to plunk yourself in Whistler now, I mean I know how hard it is to make a living from action sports, especially still photography.
And in fact, that's kind of my background is like, and my secret is that like I gave up on kind of the path you took eight years ago when, you know, I was scraping by a part time living, you know, had been published in a handful of magazines and that stuff in the action sports world. But I didn't know how to.
make a full time living at it, and I saw video as the way to do that. So that's when I made my transition and, you know, bought the, you know, Sony FS7 and didn't look back as a, as a DP. But I'm curious, what was the piece that allowed you to step into this?
Making a Living Out of Photography
Like where was the leap of faith moment where you're like, okay, I can start to make a living from this, probably scraping by in the beginning, but what was that tipping point for you?Yeah, that's a good question. And I, I think it's, I mean, I can put my finger on a few Moments that were definitely very significant in me deciding to pursue this. But I think a big aspect for me was Not really giving myself any plan B ever. It was just, I'm pursuing this. I've never wanted something so much more in my life.
Like I've never wanted something so badly in my life. There just is no option B. And I really, when I look back at my journeys, there really wasn't an option B. Now. I can share that it's not, it's not just that many things go into it. And I think I have had a few moments and events, like I mentioned, one of them would be that I competed, I believe this would have been in 2015.
I competed in a photo contest in the Italian Dolomites called King of Dolomites. And the way this contest goes is that 13 pretty renowned photographers from Europe and. the world invited to compete in a format where you have each photographer has two athletes that they can bring along. You have 48 hours to go out and shoot the absolute best photo you can all across the Dolomites.
And I applied initially to compete in this, in this competition and Was denied. I didn't get in. I was pretty bummed and I believe it was about a week before the contest. I suddenly get an email from the organizer asking if I'd still be interested to make it because one of the photographers had to pulled out.
I think he got injured and You know, without thinking twice, I was like, absolutely. I'm, I'm going to be there, uh, in the dollar mites a week from now, tell me when I'm, I'm going to be there. And I show up at this contest, just honestly, at that moment, I was by far as the youngest, you know, The youngest competitors there.
And I was just excited to, to be there, soak it in, you know, network a little bit, meet other photographers. I mean, there was some photographers from Canada, all around Europe, from the U S it was, it was pretty exciting for me just to be on that stage. And it was an intense 48 hours, you know, shooting all day long, editing into the night, just to capture and put out.
My absolute best work and to fast forward, I actually ended up winning that competition. Oh, wow. Yeah. And I mean, I was so excited and I couldn't believe it, but it was definitely a moment for me that was like, okay, maybe I'm actually onto something. And it gave me that confidence to, to keep pursuing.
Cause I think that was. a point in time that was a junction in life for me where I'm like, okay, I've kind of been doing this winter thing for a few years. I even had a few successes. I've, I've already been published a few times in, in magazines by Zen. I've experienced some incredible moments and opportunities traveled all around Europe, but am I really going to be pursuing this and turning this into a life, into a career, into some form of.
income. I don't know. And and that moment was was huge for me because it gave me that boost of confidence and belief that I think I needed at the time. And another part of it is that it was for me an entrance into Canada because the winner of that contest was actually invited to compete in a in a similar competition that's Well, not anymore, but it was held in Whistler for many years, a pretty lucrative competition in the ski and snowboard industry called Beep Winter.
Right. So I actually got invited for winning that contest to be Come and compete in Whistler. And I was flown out here the next winter season in, uh, 2016. And I ended up spending a month in, in Whistler. And that's how I discovered this place and never really looked back from then. I had my mind set on coming out here and just making it happen without much of a plan B.
Yeah, that's super cool. That's a great story. And obviously it's almost like fate was pulling you over here. And yeah, like, I mean, the order of events that have to happen, right? You know, you're disappointed because you didn't actually get, you know, a chance to compete in this competition. Last minute person hurts themselves, you get slot in and then you end up winning it.
I mean, what I, what I, what a classic, you know, story arc there. It's beautiful. It's almost like that's. You know, that is the story arc that everyone is hoping for. So it's so cool to hear that you did that. And then, and that's what what plunked you in Whistler. And now everything's taken off from there. So that's, that's really rad. I'm curious in those times when it was like lean and you're just starting to figure out, can I make a living from this? I'm getting published a few times.
How to Sustain Yourself Financially while Following Your Passion
Like, how are you able to make money during those times? Or was there a second job going on? Was there like, how are you funding that time in your life?Yeah, to look back at that time in my life, I mean, photography and that pursuit was always my priority now, just to go back to my days in Europe, I was actually working with with a travel agency company based in Israel that basically sells photographs. Vacations to, to Europe, ski and snowboard packages.
And I kind of had a bit of an agreement with them. Well, I was their in house photographer for a couple of years and in charge of a lot of their media operations and production. But then I actually ended up kind of working for them part time whilst being able to travel around Europe, pursuing the, the, uh, imagery that I actually wanted to pursue and connect with the athletes and the crews I actually wanted to, to get out and work with.
So that kind of helped me cover a lot of my costs. And then when it comes to Canada and moving out here, I was definitely pretty much doing a bunch of part time works to pay bills, um, from casual banquet work, the Fairmont serving back in the time to working as a barista. And, um, well, the best story for you is actually when I moved to Canada, surprisingly enough, my first Stop when I, when I moved out here for good, wasn't Whistler at all.
I actually went to no else than Saskatchewan, the province in the middle of the country, in the prairies. And I was working an entire summer. As a door to door salesperson, selling alarms and smart home systems to, uh, residential and business clients all across, all across Saskatchewan. I've, I've pretty much been named a small town, uh, across the province, and I've probably been there knock on their door, Exactly. When I look back at that. experience. It was, it was unbelievable because it's still to today, one of the most challenging mental things I've ever done in my life. But I actually believe that it gave me a lot of tools for success as a freelance business owner in a believing in myself. B is seriously just being able to connect with people and human beings from all walks of life.
And also, of course, uh, the sales aspect and the self marketing aspect, which is so important to what we do as freelance creatives and as a photographer. And during that summer that I spent in Saskatchewan, I actually managed to earn Quite a decent amount of money doing that work. I ended up being fairly successful at the job. And so then when winter came around, I moved to Whistler and was actually able to still feeding off my. My earnings from that summer, I was able to fully concentrate for an entire winter season on purely my photography and take every opportunity I could photographing skiing and snowboarding. And I think that was really, really important for me to be able to do that and set my mind a hundred percent on my photography pursuit, but I definitely think it goes to show that it's not all.
all roses. It's not that photography and clients and money just landed into my lap because I decided that I'm going to be this action sports photographer. Suddenly it came with a lot of other things along the way and still does to an extent, right? Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to get into is just kind of breaking down.
I know for everyone's journey is so different. And yeah, to hear that, you know, you're knocking doors in Saskatchewan, you know, playing salesmen, like we all have these stories. We all have to. Do what we got to do to make it work. So that's why I want to dig into that. And I think it's really cool because I mean, that is such a big part of what we do and is not talked about is the sales part, the communication part, the relationship building part, which as a door to door salesman, like you actually have to be really good at all that.
To to make a living. I'm sure that was probably commissioned commission based job early. Some of it was commissioned. So all of it was all of it. Okay. Yeah. So you're highly incentivized to be have great communication skills, be able to connect with people like, you know, be able to build rapport quickly.
Like all of that stuff is so relevant. In what we do, in fact, it's not relevant, it's necessity. And it's a big skill that I think a lot of people lack. And as creatives, because we're introverts, and we just like to make photos and hide behind our lenses. And so the fact that you came from that and combine that, I mean, honestly, that's what makes the difference. And I think in our industry is when we can find both sides, you know, there's the business and then there's the creative and you do need to understand and be able to flex both muscles. So super cool to hear that you, that was your trajectory and little did you know knocking doors in Saskatchewan would like warm up your sales skills to be a successful professional photographer.
Formula to Building Relationships in the Industry
So that's awesome. That's amazing. And on that same note, and I'm curious, how did you start to build relationships then in the photo industry in the beginning? Because I think it's a big question for a lot of people when they're getting started out is like, cool, I want to shoot for X big brand. Like, where do I even begin?
So yeah, how did you start to build relationships? Yeah, so I think that's a question that comes up all the time, especially from aspiring photographers and creatives, right? Is how, how did you get in? How did you make those connections and relationships? And it's great. I'm glad that we're diving a little further into this point.
And I think we can share quite a bit of insight here because, you know, I think a lot of creatives and, and I'd say myself included when you're starting off, you think, well, it's all about it. The photography or the video work or art that you're creating and that's going to carry you forward. But you realize along the path that the personal connections and the networking and interactions that you have are, I would say, not even just as important.
I believe. Over the years and with the experiences that I've had, I actually think that the networking and connection side is actually the most important aspect of what we do. Now, of course, right, you still got to be able and doing and creating beautiful and great and inspiring work. But if you're not able to really create those connections and relationships, then you're most likely not going to get to where you want to get to.
So. With that background, I can touch a little bit about kind of my journey with that. And as an action sports photographer, I get to work with athletes from pretty much all disciplines and walks of life and really incredible people that mostly when I started off, I was just reaching out to in all ways possible.
I mean, before social media, I was. Either going to events and speaking to people in free ride competitions, telling them how on a day off, I'd love to shoot with them or sending out emails. And honestly, now with social media in the mix, it's pretty easy to just reach out to people that you want to be shooting with and getting out and creating content and imagery and video together.
And so when I was starting out, I was able to really kind of, you know, hustle and meet as many athletes as I possibly could. And I would say yes to every opportunity I had to photograph and work with these athletes. And then the next stage is by creating good work and imagery that the athletes are stoked about.
That's actually the Icebreaker and the intro into the brands, because a lot of these athletes are actually working with sponsors in the outdoor industry. Right? So whether that be an outerwear company or a gear company for skis and snowboards or mountain bikes, or whatever it may be, they actually.
Served as my intro into the brands. So kind of when I was starting off, I would get out and shoot with pretty much anyone I could get my hands on any athlete that would agree to photograph with me, and then I would ask them, well, if you like these photos, would you be willing to share some of these with your sponsors and maybe introduce me to them?
And if they're interested in. Either buying a few of these images, licensing them, well, that would be fantastic. And maybe they would even be interested in planning a photo shoot together if they're stoked on the work we did. And for me, that has been the formula. So I can kind of. Speak and recommend that aspect to anyone who's trying to get into an industry that is really human based and athlete driven, is being able to really connect and network with the athletes, create amazing work together.
And basically break the ice and get introduced to the brands. Yeah. And what I'm hearing from you is the foundation of everything is personal work. Yes. Yes. Is getting out and photographing because at least for me, that was always the drive when I was starting off. You know, I wasn't even thinking at the early stages about how am I going to make money or living out of this?
It was just like this pure almost too pure perhaps Drive to to get out with with athletes and create incredible imagery that I'm stoked about and get out in environments that I want to photograph and document skiers and snowboarders doing some of the most incredible riding in front of my lens and amazing mountains and amazing light. And it was really purely driven for me by the creation and by the art at first. And I think that is something that helped me along the journey is that people that I was spending time with. Really kind of took to that passion I had to the, to the creation and to the craft and really just for wanting to, to spend time together and, um, create something special together.
So I think to that point, I can't stress enough how important it is to be active and creating personal works that you're truly passionate about and know that the people that are around you are going to want a piece of that, right? Like I think. Leading by passion and energy. It's, it's something that human beings are naturally drawn to and want to be a part of, they want to play a role in it.
And, and I, I can't stress enough how important it is to be leading with your creation to any up and coming photographer, videographer, artist, leading with your creation through passion and high energy. It's definitely gonna. Be the way that gets you to where you're hoping to get to. Yeah, that's such an important piece of the puzzle. And I think, you know, someone who, like myself, having done this for eight years, I've watched myself kind of lose that spark, I guess you could say, in that, like, oh, if I'm not getting paid, then I'm, what am I going to shoot? You know, am I going to put all that effort and energy in to go out and do this thing?
So that's where I'm finding myself. And now, and it's interesting to hear again, it's just like, that's why actually I. I bought the Nikon Z9 and diving back into stills because I'm looking to spark that energy that yeah, that started for me in the beginning before all of this became a business before all of this came about like paying, you know, having a mortgage and floating the business and all these other big things you do and it has to involve money and spreadsheets and accountants and all the things but trying to remember why the heck I started this in the beginning and I think yeah, what you're speaking to is the purity of just that creative drive and that energy that That spark that all where it all began.
And so, yeah, I encourage anyone who's in that rut right now to explore how to refine that spark and, you know, create work for themselves, because I think that is such a. Important piece of the puzzle. And you're, you're speaking directly to that and saying like, that is literally the formula for how you have built your living.
Is that right? Yeah, exactly. It's definitely what got me a seat at the table and got me to where I'm at now. I can also though fully relate with what you just touched on, which is essentially that life catches up to you and. You know, passion is something that you have to work on to, to maintain and keep that creative for what it's worth.
Keep that creative flame still burning, right? Because I, I think early on that creative flame, it's burning, it's burning hot and eventually life sort of tends to catch up to you and suddenly you're thinking, well, how am I? How am I going to make money through this and how am I going to pay my bills or, or mortgage in your case and, um, and, and you start looking at your work and your creation through that lens.
And I actually think that's an unhealthy. Way to look at it, but it's a way that we all go through. I think it's something that naturally happens. And, and I myself have been going through that in full transparency. Now I think I'm definitely kind of coming out of that cycle, but it's something that I, that I was going through probably for the past. Two, three years where I'm a little too caught up about, well, is it going to make sense for me to be shooting this, this athlete or. Going on this trip, they're going to make me as much money as I'm hoping to, or is there going to be enough exposure for the work or all of these questions that I never really had in that version of myself that said absolutely yes to that competition in the Dolomites.
Just tell me where and when, and it's funny, right? Like I, I kind of laugh when. You look back at the version that of myself that started off and that was leading by passion. And I think that I have also realized by getting a little too comfortable and through my work. And, you know, I, I think it naturally happens to us, right?
Like I end up with, with a few clients that have. Paying me pretty well. I can, I can pay my bills and suddenly your foot comes off the gas a little bit. Exactly. Exactly. The foot comes off the gas a little bit and suddenly you're not hustling as much for more work or you're like, well, I've got these shoots and contracts and now it's good.
I can, I can kind of chill and not worry too much about personal projects and just getting out and being creative. And I've. come to realize that that isn't sustainable and that as creatives we have to stay true to what actually got us into all of this in the first place because that passion for the creation And photography is what got me personally to where I got to. And by letting the foot off the gas, I'm not staying true to that version of myself. And that's something that, again, it's, it's a work in progress and to kind of. Take a full, full circle to the shoot that we did together a few weeks ago in Squamish. It's all a part of that. It's just about kind of sparking that creativity and doing, doing something fun, you know, and not worrying too much about, well, is it going to make sense for me to shoot this?
And am I going to make money from this shoot or this opportunity? You know, sometimes the best thing to do is a necessary thing to do is let go of that. ego because in the end of the day we're, we are creatives and we have to stay true to that. So I don't know if that kind of helps the listeners perhaps, but um, I think it is really important from, I guess we kind of feel the same.
On that through common experiences. And same as you, you mentioned you've been doing this fade years. I've been in Canada doing this fade years as well. And I think there's kind of a life cycle in, in the industries that everyone. goes through and you end up battling some of these, these emotions. Yeah. And I think that is just part of the creative freelance rollercoaster, whether you're a director or a producer or photographer or DP, like any of this, I just constantly have these discussions with friends.
And I think that's why also this podcast exists is to bring light to the, you know, the behind the scenes of what's actually going on because yeah, it looks really rad when you're posting on Instagram, all your, you know, screenshots from this project and you know, happens all the time. My people, I post some stuff I shot like a year ago because I'm, there's no work going on.
I'm dead. I finally have time to post and I'm feeling depressed and yet everyone's messaging me like, man, you're working so much. It looks awesome. And it's just like, guys, this is a facade. Bye. Bye. You know, you gotta, you gotta step back and for it's like, that's what the podcast for is to speak to the realness of what we do.
Obviously there's the allure of, you know, our social presence and the work we push out and we need to constantly be marketing ourselves. So that's all part of it, but it doesn't mean that everything's roses and rainbows all the time. Oh, absolutely. Right. And, you know, you, you've been. In your own right, incredibly successful in this industry. And still you touch on, on that aspect of it's not all roses and that's true. And, and I think this is something I appreciate in the conversations you hold through this podcast is, is sharing the real true aspect of it. Freelancing is one heck of a rollercoaster, right? And it's something that I think many people struggle to balance those emotions because one moment you're.
On top of the world, right? Like one day I'm shooting out of helicopters on the most incredible mountains one could ever imagine for some of the biggest brands and the coolest athletes in the, in the industry. And then suddenly like the next week, I'm like, holy moly, like where is my next job coming from?
And, and, and it's an absolute roller coaster of a ride. I think that the thing that is important is to always be, again, it's kind of touching what maybe we already discussed, but it's always being active and putting yourself out there in your creation, right? Like by just sitting at home, waiting for the phone to ring, that's what I think puts me in a dark place. And it's just by getting out and being active, shooting photos, trying to get inspired, even just going and engaging in the activities that I love to do, whether it be mountain running in summer or skiing in winter, even without the camera, and just getting inspired by being out there. In terrain with, with friends and looking at spots being like, Oh, that would be a great photo.
Maybe, maybe I should come back and try and shoot that at sunrise or sunset or something like that. It's just always being active and holding these conversations too, right? Like. Even look at how it ends up that we're chatting today on the podcast, right? It was just through putting together a little fun, personal photo shoot, and we get to connect, have a good time.
And here we are chatting about all this stuff and. Yeah, I think that's really important in, in the element and aspect of how we put ourselves out there as well for work and in the creative industry, right? Whether it's speaking to creative directors, producers, marketing people in, in brands and places and stuff that we want to work with, right? It's just kind of. Putting ourselves out there in, in this genuine way, as opposed to like, here's my website, here's my Instagram. I think we could do some rad photos together. Let's, let's do it. You have to work with me, right? I wish it was that simple, but the reality is that it isn't. And, and just by being out there and active and engaging and connecting with people.
Um, that's kind of the way a to business and, and also to creative success, I think. Let's dig into that a little bit, because actually I'm remembering this conversation I had with a photographer friend who's, you know, you know, not fully giving it a full time go. Um, but he, you know, I think he was talking exactly to that, like, Hey, you know, I'm sending people my website and you know, my work fits what they're doing, but you know, they don't open my, you know, they don't respond to my emails or the energy gets lost.
Art of Connecting with Other People
And so. I think that in itself is such an art, the art of connection, the art of building a relationship, the art of communication. Is there anything, like you just said, you can't just show up and send them a website and say, Hey, let's work together. Like, so then what is the alternative? How do you actually do this? Yeah. I mean, that's a great, a great question. I don't know that I have a formula set for this and a way it has to be done. Again, if, if there is a way, please. Please do share it with me, but yeah, I'd love to know as well, exactly. But okay, let's say right now I'm working in the outdoor industry. Sure. It's a big industry, but it's also not such a big industry at the same time.
And you have an ability to. Either meet in person or if not in person, network and connect with people who are working in brands or tourism destinations or magazines that you want to be engaged in working with and whether it be going to social. Industry events, for example, right? Like we'll have here in Whistler, a handful of cool events throughout the years that kind of bring the outdoor industry community together, whether it be movie screenings or photo or video competitions, that is a great place to just meet and connect and, and kind of link up with people and just chat.
And I think that's something that's important. Um, not always the easiest as. A lot of us are probably introverted people and don't love going out into, you know, intense social events, but that is part of the, it's part of the job and it's a vital part of the job, right? The other thing is with every interactions that we have or opportunities that we have, whether it be with athletes, I want to put my best, the best version of myself.
Forward. I want to showcase myself as someone that would be great to work with again, going back kind of to leading with the passion that is so important. And like I said, people are drawn to that and that definitely leads to opportunities. Now, another thing that I can touch on something that I've been trying to, to really make a point of emphasis on is.
Because in the end of the day, we're always going to be in situations where I've still got to. Cold pitch a brand or like get myself out there, but I don't necessarily have the warm introduction through an athlete or friend or colleague. So I'm still always going to be in situations where I'm trying to cold pitch brands.
Now. Yeah, I won't lie. The, the, here's my website. I'd love to work to get the pitch. It's a tough one. I can probably count on, um, One hand, if, if at all, the amount of times that's actually led to something. So as creatives and business people, freelance business owners, it's upon us to try and figure out the angle and the aspect that we're going to Approach this interaction.
So I can kind of give you an example from, um, something that I tried to do this summer with a brand that I've, that has definitely been on my radar for a few years, and I haven't had an opportunity to work with, nor did I have a warm introduction to, so I basically connected with the marketing director, this brand on LinkedIn, which is a fantastic platform.
Um, Really trying to invest more time on there as well. Cause it's a great access point to a lot of the people we'd want to work with. That would kind of be my two cents on playing around and trying to figure out LinkedIn, but I connect with this marketing director and I basically. Pitch him on this idea of doing a personal spec photo shoot that I want to do.
And I have come up with the concept. It's going to be a two day photo shoot. I'm going to arrange for the talent and all I'm asking in return is to borrow some of your product, some of the outerwear that this company creates, and I would love to shoot this on my talent for this project and showcase some of my abilities and Maybe we can use some of this project to perhaps serve as, um, kind of break the ice and maybe it leads to us working together down the road.
Um, right. Kind of maybe call it an audition. Yeah, exactly. That's kind of the way I was Looking at it. So as opposed to here's what I can do. I'm, I'm the greatest, best outdoor photographer you've ever met. You have to work with me. I'm actually approaching like, look, I'm, I'm actually going to create something.
With your gear, with your product, and if you like it and you feel like we could work together in the future, well, that would be awesome. It's going to be kind of the start of our perhaps working relationship together. And by doing so, you're actually bringing value to that marketing director as a brand and puts a work quality aside.
Right. Look at it from that marketing director's lens, right? What they see is A photographer that's coming to them that is being basically like proactive and say and showcasing, like, I can put all these pieces together, right? Not just that I can take a good photo. I can also produce this shoot. I can also bring together the talent.
I can also direct this photo shoot and I'm creating this with your brand in mind as well. Right? So now, right, that was kind of an experiment by me. Some things that I want to experiment with. Much more moving forward than the way I approach new clientele. But it also comes from the place of. Getting out and like pounding the pavement, a term I like to use during my door to door sales.
Did you actually pound the pavement? Did you get on the ground and pound the pavement? Probably when you didn't get any sales that day, maybe, but Yeah, exactly. On the tough days, I was definitely pounding the pavement pretty hard. What I'm trying to say is that as freelance photographers and creatives, We can't rest that work is just going to come to us, right?
At any given moment, you have to be out there showcasing. Your value, right? And proving your ability time after time. And if you can do it in a personalized way for a specific brand, I want to say that can go a long way now in full transparency, I haven't actually worked on a campaign shoot with that brand since it was a great interaction and, you know, a great way to start and get that relationship going.
But. You know, don't be disheartened if these sort of actions don't lead to to work the very next day because we got to think longer term, right? You got to think bigger picture. It's by being active and taking these steps. It's, proves that it's a belief that good things are going to happen, the work is going to come.
But the point I'm trying to get across is how important it is to be active and not rest and saying that as a photographer, I hit this certain point of success and fame, so to speak, that, you know, I get to hang out on my couch and the phone is just ringing with, with jobs and offers, right? Because Yeah, maybe some of that happens and that's great, but it's not something you can rely on.
You got to be out there and And just being active because action leads to work. Yeah, and I really appreciate that point because I mean, even though that that opportunity hasn't led to work yet, so to speak, I mean, showing up with value. I think that's that you gave the answer that I was hoping for, you know, and instead of just like, Hey, here's my website.
This is who I am. We should work together. Like, that's kind of like walking up to a girl in the bar and just being like, flexing all the things and then being like, do you want to marry me? It's like, it doesn't really work like that. You have to slowly build rapport and prove yourself. You know, it's the same, same as it is.
And I think in business, isn't that if you're showing up and adding value and you're like, Hey, look, I can take, uh, yeah, all I'm asking for is a bit of your equipment. I'm going to show you all the things that I can do with, you know, for you. And I just think that's such a, um, you know, Gary Vanderchuck in his book.
You know, jab, jab, jab, right hook. It's like give, give, give, ask. Like, you can't just show up and be like, that's what essentially you're doing if you're showing up with a website and then an email saying like, Hey, this is who I am. What can I get from you? Um, versus the other way around. Whereas you show up in the conversation on LinkedIn and say, Hey, by the way, uh, I have something I want to give you.
Would you like to go? Would you like to see what I can do? And if you continue to do that, I think there's like the rule of reciprocity at the end of the day. Like when someone keeps giving, giving, giving, like eventually you're like, Oh geez, like I want to help this person naturally. So then, then it begins that energetic exchange.
But I, again, I think, yeah, you're doing such a great job of explaining as like showing up, add value and then let the rest of life do what it needs to do. So yeah, I appreciate that comment. Yeah, exactly. No, I love that. And you kind of stressing this, this point it's leading in these engagements by firstly asking myself, how can I create value for this person on the other side or this brand on the other side?
What can I bring to the table that other people are not bringing? And again, to say that it's all simple and roses, no it isn't, but it's pretty much the way. you have to take. I really do believe in that. So I definitely think we were able to kind of get that point across of creating value.
Where does the Money come from in Action Sports Photography?
And so just to dive into let's say money, I think that's a big one.And especially in, you know, action sports world, where does the money come from? Because I mean, sure, getting published in a magazine is nice. And that's what I experienced, you know, in my early twenties when I was getting into this, like, I'm like, wow, like four page spread in this, like, you know, the snowboard magazine and.
It feels incredible to walk into like Chapters bookstore and save on and see your magazine, you know, magazine sitting there, open it up and see your work in it. But like, I couldn't feed myself, you know, like, so I'm curious to break it down for those who don't quite understand where the money comes from, especially in the action sports adventure space branded content world, like not to get So specific, but just from from, uh, break it down from a lot of perspective, like, obviously, there's like, there's the marketing campaigns, there's social media, there's magazines, there's, you know, if you were to look at, like, what pays the most money licensing fees, like what, what, from the top down, if we're to go, yeah, most making money to least, what would you, how would you rate things?
Yeah, sure. I'm glad. You brought this up and we can dive into it. And I actually think the other week we started talking about this and then we said, well, let's save it for the podcast because we can dive deeper into it. So that's great. I'm excited to chat about this because again, one of those questions that comes up is like, well, how, how do you actually make money from any of this?
Okay. So there's a few. Elements and there's a few directions where, uh, work and money can come from. So if I were again, to list it from sort of top to bottom, you would have at the top, the campaigns that in my case are a few contracts that I have. Year round or, you know, let's just for the simplicity of it, let's concentrate on, let's say my winter season, right?
So as a top of it, I have the base of two or three, um, photo contracts that I'm creating, um, for tourism or a couple of brands that I work with. And that's a great base that pays at the top, right? I need to provide X amount of photos, with this creative directions, these are their photo needs. And It's on me to provide that.
Then you have kind of work with brands, which is a bit more opportunistic. And a lot of that stuff for me happens through the athletes that I work with. So kind of. Let's say throughout a winter season, I get to connect with, um, athletes. Some are new to me working and photographing with, some I've worked with before.
And throughout our work, there's an opportunity either to sell photos to their sponsors or to put together a package of images that we will create as well for them. Kind of a specialized package. I guess I would refer to that as. A mini campaign said the next level. And then after that you have, I mean, little jobs that kind of come and go small local opportunities, there's not a ton, I guess, to touch on.
And then at the base of that is the magazine and publication work, which has actually been a big. Part of my work, less so on the income side because the money there isn't great, but it's kind of being a great foundation for me to get my imagery and my brand out and to get noticed. So that's been really good because in the end of the day, although you're seeing less and less publications and magazines and editorial.
out there, um, which is a shame. It's something that I absolutely love, but I also get the business aspect of things. And why is it less of that? It still holds a lucrative aspect in the industry, right? So no matter what, if you end up scoring a cover of an esteemed magazine or a spread or story or feature, it still carries weight.
And being able to get yourself out there through that and share that with. My audience, um, it's still really important and still something that I love doing. Although one could argue it's not worth the effort you put into it, how much money you're actually making, but it's a great way. to brand and market myself.
So that's really important as well. Now, kind of touching on how it breaks down, right, is imagine right in the outdoor industry, at least kind of in my business model and what has worked for me through working a lot with athletes, it's perhaps a little less so like an exclusive photoshoot campaign and more so trying to put together all of these pieces to make and accumulate the income that I'll make through for a job.
Right? So put it this way, right? Like, imagine there's all of these. Jobs and opportunities out there, and it's my responsibility to piece them together as a photographer and as a producer to make sense for me because in winter, for example, there are only so many great days that I could be photographing and shooting and creating that a level imagery that if I was Committed only to one brand or job or athlete on a single day.
It's, and just working via a day rate model, it wouldn't really work. It wouldn't be sustainable. So what I tried to do is kind of piece a few of these things together to make it make sense and come together as a whole. So I can give you an example, right? So a couple of years ago, I was invited to go on a trip for a week to One of the best, um, heli ski operations and lodges in North America.
Of course, I was really excited, but the important thing about this is that it's actually a barter deal, right? So to explain that I'm not actually getting paid to go to this heli ski lodge. I'm just getting the trip covered, which is still an incredible fun experience and opportunity. And they're covering an extremely expensive trip for me. But. I still, it's upon me to Figure out how am I going to make money from this. Right? So I had the ability to bring with me free, free athletes that I could choose and bring with me. And so I started figuring out, okay, who could I bring on this to get the most exposure and get work from? Right? So one of the athletes that I brought with me was skiing for a brand that I have, um, I winter season retainer with, right.
I was doing a lot of their in-house photography and it just made sense that I would bring one of the athletes that I'd be working with anyway, so we could go to this incredible place and contribute photos from this trip towards this contract. And as an athlete that I brought, I was able to connect through her to her outerwear sponsor, and we put together a package of.
imagery for them again with this kind of sales point of look, the trip is already planned. You don't need to assume the risk in paying all this much for heli time and all of that, right? And we're going to create the imagery for you. So they went and that actually led to more work with them later in that season, which was great for me.
And then there was another, another small job through the third athlete that I. brought on board. And then along the way, I also pitched a photo essay to several publications and actually put together a really cool story from our trip that got published as a photo essay in two different magazines. All right guys, just had a little technical difficulties there, uh, the power went fully out of my office for a solid 30 minutes there, left Guy on the hook and apparently he went on a great rant and was questioning his, um, his validity, what he was saying, because I was giving him no response.
So thanks for, for the rant and whatever, however, this is going to cut together, it's going to cut together, so give us some grace here with technical difficulties. But, um, thanks for, uh, hanging on the line guy. Yeah, thanks. I hope the listeners enjoy my rant because I was kind of laughing. Like we had a bit of a technical nightmare here and you disappeared, but I didn't realize you had disappeared.
So I was going on and on. Um, Probably for like a good five minutes and you were giving me no feedback, no like, yeah, interesting. Hmm. So I was like, is he not happy with what I'm saying here? I'm just going to go on and on. So I hope the listeners enjoyed my repeating myself a little bit over here. Take it lightly.
Yeah. And, uh, I'm sure my mic is going to change. I've switched to headphones here now in my truck too. We're just making it happen. This is the art of freelance and, uh, you know, we're just used to making it happen, make it happen. So let's jump back in.
Processes and Systems
I think something I would love to dive into, uh, we know we're nearing the end of the podcast, but I'd love to dive into any of the processes and systems that you have found really useful for you.
That could be anything from the technology you're using, like the, the software to, to the system of, of like, Hey, an email lands in your inbox and says, Hey guy, you know, we want to shoot a campaign with you. Like, what are your step-by-step processes, or is it maybe, maybe there's something from a business perspective that's helped you, but I'm pretty nerdy about like organization and flow and all that.
So I'd just love to hear if anything comes to mind that you kind of religiously go back to. Yeah, I definitely picked up from hanging out a little bit together that you love nerding out on the kind of technical and organizing aspect and systems. I definitely have a few systems in play, but I think for me, I guess on the aspect of communicating with Clients and, uh, emails when I am in those interactions or receive an email of interested in working, working together or licensing photos or something like that.
Um, I don't have a specific this is what. I respond, but for me, I guess my system is quickly and early on trying to understand what it is that this potential client is actually interested in. What is it actually looking for? Whether it be that they're hoping to plan or chatting about planning, uh, a photo shoot for.
A few days or a campaign, what it is that we're trying to achieve together. Trying to understand that pretty early on is, is key for me, or if they're interested in licensing photos. So for that, I definitely have a system when it comes to the licensing aspect. Cause that's a pretty confusing. One for a lot of photographers and a lot of creatives still again back to the point of work and process, but I've been able to simplify that when engaging with clients with free tiers of licensing that I like to to offer, and it's pretty much like a tiered price, um, of what they'd be able to use with the photos from the top of exclusivity and universal usage with them.
pretty much anything that it wants the usage for to dropping it down to the bottom one being basically just um web usage and social media advertising on non exclusive so that's definitely a system I have in place for that but kind of I guess a tough one to answer because At least for me, it's very much case by case.
I've been enjoying, um, putting together for photo shoots and projects and productions, basically like kind of working with a checklist and a space to organize thoughts. My partner, Charlotte, who's a very organized person introduced me to Notion. So I'm trying to. work a bit more with that just for even writing down ideas or steps and checklists for photo shoots, right?
So if I'm going into a, to a project and a production, just writing down, okay, all of the steps that need to happen pre production and then putting together shot lists, um, I can do that there obviously. And mood boards, um, that's another thing that's definitely a system for me when going into photo shoots is.
Putting together inspiration and mood boards that I can work off of, um, during the photo shoot and go back to, because I love working off references. I think that's really, really important. So I'll try and put a good amount of research into, um, imagery that inspires me that is within the realm of what I'm planning to go out and shoot and kind of work off that, get inspired by it.
If I'm feeling a little stuck during During a shoot during the day, and it's always great to like put together a designated folder on the phone and I can pop that out at any given moment. Or if I have someone with me like assisting or just, just with me on the photo shoot, we can kind of go back to that and use that as reference. I guess that's kind of my systems on the sort of business interaction with clients and the pre production and photo shoot execution side of things. So let's say you're keeping these photos on your phone. Do you save them in your notes folder? Or is it in notion or what, what is kind of like the exact software process you're going like for, for at least for the mood board part?
Oh, for the mood boards, I actually just ended up putting together a folder and it's saved in my, uh, in my photos library as a designated album for a specific photo shoot. So I'll have like all of these albums saved on my, on my phone there also on my computer, but. I just airdrop them, create a folder with a name, for example, um, trail running, um, photo inspiration.
And that is just, honestly, it's just on my, on my phone and I can scroll through it. Pretty simple. Yeah, no, that makes sense. I think the less barriers, the better, because I'm always toying with like, Oh, do I create, you know, the inspiration part in notion? Or do I put it in the notes app if it's quicker? Or, you know, I'm always like, where does what go where?
And I'm always trying to make that workflow more efficient. So I'm always curious how people are doing it. And I would have never have thought to just put it in my iPhone. Photos folders. So like, yeah, again, the less, I mean, it sounds simple, but the less resistance, the better, I think on a shoot, because I noticed, for example, like, well, notion is really great for processes and systems and spreadsheets and data stuff.
There's like a few more steps it takes if you're like. Let's say out of reception or reception is bad and you're trying to open that there's like, you know, there's a delay and maybe you're just want to quickly like get your brain juices going again. And so I think that's an important point is just having that like quick mood board. There's no time delay. It's right there in your pocket. Like, Oh yeah, that's exactly what I needed to re spark myself. So it's a, it's a good little point. Yeah. When I'm out shooting in the field, like you want it to be as effortless. So again, there's no magic. way, right? Like this is just what works for me.
It's simplified. And I recommend anyone just kind of find a system that works well for them. For me, it's creating the album in my photos folder. I'll use notes on my phone. Sometimes I'll even if there's like bigger checklist or, or kind of shot list, like I'll even go to literally taking a screenshot from my computer with that and popping it into that same folder with the mood board.
Less barriers. It's right there. I can probably quickly on my phone. I don't need internet or anything like that when I'm out there and simple. No, I think that's a good point. And it's something that's obviously overlooked is those little steps. And in our workflow, I'm always a little bit more nerdy with that than other people.
So thanks for sharing that. Yeah, I can nerd out a bit as well, but I just, for me, what works is, is Simplifying things. Yeah, 100%. Well, yeah, cool to hear about those processes. So one thing that I do, and I'm curious maybe you do it, is just like, I've got really into like voice noting, or using voice notes to be speedier with communication as well as just using, I guess maybe that's something we could dive into, but Just to touch on like your post production workflow and I know that's a little bit different for everyone and for me is definitely different in video world, but one of the communication tools I'm just going to throw it out there to the audience that I use quite a bit is called loom and it's just a screen recording software and I often just jump on there and I actually did it the other day with like a creative producer like I put together an invoice or a quote rather and then I went through jumped on.
And this did like a recording talking through line item by line item, um, what's going on and why I've done what I've done. And I find that's just like a little, I don't know, just like a cool way to like make clear communication happen. Totally. And another way I did that as well as I was talking about, Just doing a creative passion project. I jumped on and zoomed in on a mood board. I use Milanote for creating mood boards and, um, which just is more of a collage type thing is actually how I do these podcasts. I write out kind of quote unquote sticky notes that I want to talk to you about. And then I kind of put them in order and Milanote and look through it.
But I find that if I jump into loom and I can show a creative director, like the mood board, um, while talking about it in real time, it's just like, so how do I say it takes way less time than trying to write this like email and type it out. Line by line and maybe you miss some stuff, you know, so definitely highly encourage people to be using, um, yeah, like find less barriers to the workflow.
Totally. I just took note of that as well. I definitely worked with. Loom before, but actually what you just said is really inspiring. And I'm going to take a note of doing just that because I think by you jumping onto Loom in what you were sending to the creative director, as opposed to just writing, typing out this, this email, you actually bring in that personal touch.
And that creative director actually gets to. No, you a little bit better. I mean, I don't know if you worked with said creative director before, but yeah, like you're just bringing in your personal touch. So I'm actually taking, taking that as inspiration because I really liked the usage of that in that aspect.
That's, that's great. I'm definitely going to be. Yeah, and I think it allows you to also show your clear communication as well as like how you speak, how you think, and that also demonstrates how you're going to be on set. So I think there's a level of professionalism that I think comes across from something like that.
So hot tip. Loom. Absolutely. Yeah. The secret's out of the bag here. Yeah. That's it. Well, we've been going, I think this podcast is, has got some length to it, which is great. And I appreciate everything we've spoken about so far. I'm really excited. Maybe before we wrap up, just give me a little bit idea of like your post production process that you kind of go through.
Are you editing photos yourself? Are you outsourcing that? How quick are the turnarounds sometimes? What programs are you using? That kind of stuff. Yeah. Absolutely. Sure. Yeah. So my system is probably a little bit different because I'm going to shock the world. I don't use Lightrooms that much. And that's again, it's just because that's how I've sort of been doing it and what works for me.
I still do all of my editing myself. Definitely doubling and interested in outsourcing some specific editing work for a couple of spec projects that I have in mind with a bit of a different style and a touch on them that I'd be curious to, to get out there and see what outsourcing to an editor could add, um, value to which I'm sure it can.
So I'm definitely going to double with that, but yeah, up until today, I've, I kind of have my own, System. So I've discovered, um, actually pretty recently, which has been a game changer for me in my workflow. I've started working with this program called Fast Lore Viewer, and it's a desktop program very similar to the way you would go through. your images and make selections on Lightroom or Adobe Bridge, however you'd want to do it. It's just a very simple, quick program that shoots out low res previews of the images. So if I was out and photographing 3, 000 photos during a photo shoot day, uh, which happens, especially with the type of fast cameras we're using today, it can really be a nightmare going through so many photos and have them load and buffer.
And it's just, it had become a pretty slow process, just making the selections pretty frustrating. So, I mean, I'd urge anyone who's kind of struggling with that, um, and is interested in cutting time on workflow to check this, uh, this program out. Fast war viewer. Very simple to use. So I've been making my selections through there.
And then I'll pop my photos into camera or through Photoshop. So basically, it will do the exact same thing and all the exact same options as, um, as Lightroom does. But it's just what works for me. And I've worked through that. And I'll, I'll edit through there. And, um, It's fun, like recently I've actually been trying to get inspired with some different styles of editing and adding few unique touches and stuff into my workflow of, of editing.
But typically I kind of have my, my base presets that I'll try and see what works for specific photos. It's about. 20 presets that I created and use as a base, and then just kind of edit from there. So that's pretty much my workflow. It's a two stop these days between Fast Raw Viewer and Camera Raw in Photoshop.
And of course, if I do need to extend things, um, into Photoshop for a bit more comprehensive cloning or stuff like that, or specific removals or, or things like that, Things like that, then I'll pop it into the Photoshop itself, but yeah, it's pretty, pretty straightforward with that. I mean, we can touch, I guess my backupping system is, could probably be a little better. Using, I've definitely stacked four terabyte hard drives over the years. But I'll basically have a system where everything has to be double backup and I have one big desktop hard drive so everything will be double backed up and then the selections of the edits will be Backed up a third time, plus go on to the cloud as well for the selections, the final edited photos.
So that's pretty much my, my system of editing and backing up. Well, four terabytes. That's, uh, that's about how much I shoot in one day on the red Raptor. So I know good for you, Mr. Still photographer gets, yeah, it gets a little, yes, I'm not, I'm not jealous of, uh, my friends like you probably spend much more money on that.
Yeah. Backup devices and crazy hard drives. Well, yeah. Well, thanks for sharing that workflows. I appreciate that. And everyone got a different, especially in post production different workflows. So yeah, curious to yours. It sounds pretty simple. So simple is good. Yeah. I mean, it's simple. That works for me. I won't, you know, I won't lie and say, um, Zmos, I've got like the most crazy post production workflow and backup system that you've ever heard of.
It's simple and it works for me. Right. I have. Colleagues and friends that have a much more complex and perhaps better for them system. But in the end of the day, this is what works for me. And it's been tested and true for, for enough times that I feel like, you know, you can add new ideas and new elements, but the base remains the same because it's what works for me, there's no right or wrong way of doing it.
Totally. Well, I appreciate you sharing all that information. And like, yeah, I really loved, um, a lot of your journey story in the beginning and, and hearing about just how, how one last minute competition led to, you know, you arriving in Canada and Whistler and falling in love with this place. And then, you know, just that fire and drive you had to build a career.
You know, and that's our game as, as freelance entrepreneurs is how to create something from nothing. And it just, it goes to show, you know, from you door knocking in Saskatchewan, you know, to now being able to take those sales skills into your, your day to day life. Now as a professional photographer, it's, it's super cool to hear, you know, your full spectrum of the journey for you.
And, um, yeah, I appreciate you coming on today and sharing some of that wisdom with our guests. And I'm curious if people want to find you, where's the plus places to find you? Yeah, so best place to find me would be, um, obviously on the social media on Instagram, you can find me at Guy Fatale Photo. That's my handle.
Um, feel free to shoot me a message as well. Any questions I always enjoy trying to help and answer up and coming photographers and creatives. It's, it's just fun to kind of engage in those conversations and try and share a few tips. And you can also find me on, uh, on LinkedIn. on my website, which I'm sure you can add direct links for these, but it's pretty simple.
It's just guy for doll. com. That would be my website. And, um, yeah, feel free to get in touch and Marshall. Thanks so much as well for, for having me on here. I know we had a technical difficulty, but, but it's been, yeah, it's been an absolute pleasure kind of chatting some of these points and it's fun to speak it out loud.
It gets you kind of thinking about that. And yeah, Also fun to share a bit of my journey along the way and kind of hear a bit of points and a bit of insight from you as well and take a bit of value as well from our conversation. Yeah. Thanks so much for coming on the podcast. I really appreciate you and, um, look forward to see where you take things in the future.
Okay. That was active lifestyle and action sports photographer, Guy Fatale. Guy continues to bring such good energy to our conversations, and it shows me why he has been able to carve out a career for himself in such a competitive industry. I encourage you to check out some of his work at GuyFatale. com or on Instagram at GuyFatalePhoto. In future episodes, I will be speaking with photographers, cinematographers, directors, producers, reps, and anyone who has decided to take this ambitious leap of faith in the I'm making a life and a living behind the lens. Stay tuned and subscribe to the channel on your favorite podcast app. And if you're open to it, take 30 seconds to leave me a star rating or review.
If you hear something of value, I encourage you to shoot me a DM on Instagram and encourage me to keep going. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on shot list.
