Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sam Gehrke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sam, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Over the past 10 years I’ve been able to fully transition into living off of full time creative work. Initially photography was a kind of hobby- a sort of release outside of work. I’d gone from college straight into a 9-5 as a video editor, which hadn’t proven to be as fulfilling as I’d imagined during school. I’d usually take my camera over the to the local skate park in Eugene, and photograph people there. Back then, at least in my mind, I had a very structured, compartmentalized view of work vs. pleasure, and didn’t ever consider what I was doing in my extracurricular time as something I could turn into a profession. Photography was simply a release from the monotony of the office.
After a couple years of shifting to portraiture around the skate park, I started getting a few offers here and there to do headshots, shoot events, and put together promo images for musicians. In the beginning I did a lot of work for free, and it wasn’t until I felt like I had enough shots to put together onto a website that I felt confident enough to actually start charging. As much as the idea of “free work” may sound insulting to a creative, that work proved to be really valuable in being able to take that next step into monetization. The practice was good for me- both on a technical side and in terms of confidence. Besides that though, it helped me realize that any opportunity to be seen, especially as a creative, was built in networking. Going out with your camera and just talking to people is the most important form of advertising, and developing that ability (being a very shy person) was instrumental in gaining a wider clientele.
Eventually I was making the equivalent to my monthly at my full time. It felt good, but I definitely felt like I’d hit a ceiling living in Eugene. I’d started volunteering doing concert photography for a Portland-based music magazine called Vortex. While it didn’t pay, it opened up a lot of doors in a bigger city, and provided access to shows. I found something I really loved- like beyond loving taking photos. Music is a huge part of my life, and photography eased a lot of the social anxiety I had attending concerts. At some point I was hitting 3 shows a week. I’d get off work at 4 or 5pm, drive two hours up to Portland, shoot a show, and drive back the same night. With that came more opportunities in Portland, and about a year later I decided to just move there. After moving, I spent 6 or 7 months struggling for some consistency, coasting off of my savings, and getting out whenever I could to shoot anything I could. It was one of the scariest things in my life- having no safety net, no monthly check, total accountability and total unpredictability. Eventually I applied for a job at Willamette Week- an alt weekly in Portland, and got a job as a freelancer. That was definitely a turning point towards more a sense of stability, and a good way to meet new people from all sort of walks of life and professions. Through shooting for the weekly, I started getting more gigs, which translated into even more gigs, which translated into more income. Never underestimate the power of photojournalism, even if it isn’t your end goal. It gave me a more esoteric idea of what photography could translate to as both an art form, and work. The key to longevity, at least for me, was to get good at a variety of types of photography. At one point I was shooting concerts, weddings, corporate events, head shots, street photography, product photography, press packets and pet portraits.
Over the past 8 years, my creative work has fallen into that kind of rhythm. The biggest difference is that I’ve been able to shrink that spectrum of skill application into the things I enjoy most, without sacrificing income or quality of life. I did, like many many others, take a huge hit during the pandemic, and pulling out of that forced me to kind of start at square one. I took the downtime to work on personal projects, but the prolonged alone-time really hurt my ability to be social, so coming back to shooting with other people was hard. Work came back, but in a significantly reduced form- partially because of the larger consequences of COVID-19, but also in part due to my own anxieties and way of existing in isolation.
Another huge turning point came in Fall of 2022. I’d received a short email from someone at Amazon Music, saying they’d seen my website, and asking if I could jump on a quick call. They were interested in hiring me for concert photography, mainly associated with events hosted by them, as well as live-streamed shows televised on Amazon Prime. There was a good 2-3 weeks when I thought it was fake, but eventually I signed a contract. Since then I’ve been able to travel and photograph concerts and music festivals everywhere, as well as have a stable income that’s allowed me to take some major steps towards life goals (or at least the ones traditionally engrained in our society haha). Moral to the story- always update your portfolio and website, because you never know who’s looking.
Looking back at my career thus far, there are some ways I probably could’ve moved things along more quickly, or at least saved myself a lot of worry and stress. I probably spent too much time in Eugene, when I really just wanted to be in a bigger city. There’s nothing wrong with Eugene- it’s a lovely city, but didn’t offer a lot of opportunity in terms of what I wanted to pursue specifically. It was a really comfortable town, and easy to get by, which can really suck you in. When I was 22 I don’t think I really wanted to be comfortable, and my time there out of college became pretty detrimental to my mental health. If you wanna go for something, go for it! It feels good, and you won’t have to think about all of those “what ifs”.
I probably should’ve gotten a therapist at some point.
The only other thing I really regret is putting a lot of financial stuff on the back burner while I worked on my creative endeavors. There was a point where there really wasn’t room for it- all I was thinking about was survival. Later on though, I probably could’ve sat down and really developed a plan for everything, including my future. I’m really thankful I can make a living doing photography, but I despise the money side of things… I hate numbers and math in general. I’d be perfectly happy just taking photos and forgetting about taxes and chasing down clients for payments and all of that. C’est la vie. I’m doing just fine right now- but I do often worry about the future, and I know eventually I’m going to have to buckle down and figure all that out. I’ve been having a pretty good time though without a plan, and feel more fulfilled than I ever have in my life, so I guess I’ll stick with it while it lasts.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name’s Sam Gehrke. I’m a photographer working in the greater Portland area, and all over the country. I got into photography first through my father, who did the same thing. I’d always done it passively, but only really started getting serious about it when I began second guessing what path I wanted to take out of college. I’d graduated with a BA in film studies and video production, but wasn’t very happy with its application in the real world, or at least the job I was working out of school. It was too structured, and I didn’t really like working on a team where I was pulling together a bunch of different pieces as an editor. Photography became a creative outlet for me- a way to unwind from it. I could do my own thing and go wherever I wanted and photograph whatever I wanted.
Over the years I’ve provided a lot of different types of services in the larger scheme of what you can do with photography. Locally I produce content for business, big and small, do headshots, weddings, events, product photography, and a lot of commercial work, but my main focus now is concert and music photography. A lot of live music stuff and backstage/BTS photos. I’ve moved from a lot of different freelance jobs into a more solid contract position, and travel a lot for work photographing shows and music festivals.
I set myself apart from a lot of others in that I tend to curve towards a more naturalistic or “real” approach to photography, in pretty much every branch of my profession. I don’t like overly produced, glossy, traditional imagery, and always manage to find a way to apply my own style to whatever I’m doing. Like I know what a client wants, but I can find ways to subvert expectations and make something approachable and tangible.
My brand is an “anti-brand”, which ironically has become a brand if I think about it. I emphasize interaction over everything, especially with portraiture and events. For me, being approachable and genuinely interested is the key to taking a good photo- beyond any technical know how or artistic ability. There’s something about taking a photo that contains a mutual trust or acknowledgment that just hits different. I want sessions to feel like hanging out with a friend who happens to have a camera- even with my corporate work.
Beyond that- I never want to be put first and foremost. The subject comes first, and being willing to hand some sort of creative control to whoever I’m photographing is far more gratifying, and surprising than forcing my own creative ideas onto whoever I’m working with. Art of all forms is so intertwined with a projected character, or relatable personality that usually manifests itself in social media- it’s like you have to perform for everyone as a collective idea of an “artist”, and then actually be an artist. I find it exhausting. I like my work to speak for itself, and it’s just a bonus if any viewers can glean a piece of my personality from it.
Lastly, as craft goes, I don’t delineate art and advertising into mutually exclusive categories. There’s a bit of art in everything, just as there’s a bit of advertising in everything, and I like to keep those two ideas balanced together when I work.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Definitely feeling like my own person- setting my own schedule, and just taking time for myself when I’m feeling horrible or depressed. Specifically within photography, I like the sense of being able to create something at any moment. There’s an unpredictability in my day to day that’s exciting and keeps me going.
There are things that are stressful at the same time. Nowadays there’s a more pronounced pressure bubbling below the surface that, at times, makes me feel like I need to be creative all the time, or at least have something to show to others as some proof or validity that I am indeed being creative. There’s also a certain type of invisible expectation to do something meaningful with your creativity or art that ties into a bigger picture. There’s definitely nothing wrong with that- but being an artist can be purely selfish as well. There aren’t any rules, and sometimes the things I create that are purely for me can connect to others in ways I don’t expect. That’s probably the most rewarding part of being a creative- connecting with others over something that is unequivocally “you”.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Oh photo books all the way- no words or instructions, just images. Growing up I remember there was this brand called Upper Playground. It was kind of like an umbrella company that tied a bunch of artists in all different mediums together through books, clothing and art pieces. I got this book from a shop they used to have Portland. I forget what the book was called- but it was an assortment of shots from different artists. No real cohesion, just cool imagery. Anyways, this one guy Estevan Oriol stood out to me so vividly. His work was all black and white for the most part, shot in East LA, all on film- documenting gang culture, low riders, family, musicians, and everyday life. I think that was one of the first times I really fell in love with photography. It was so raw and honest, but beautiful at the same time because of that realness. Most of all though it represented a culture and lifestyle that was so far away from my lived experience. Seeing his work woke me up not only to how photography could provide windows into so many realities and walks of life, but also how that type of imagery could subvert preconceived notions of the subject matter, and create a huge shift in how people accepted it. I have all of his books- “L.A. Women”, L.A. Portraits” and “This is L.A.”. Beyond the work- Estevan as a person is so laid back and normal. I had such a set idea of what an artist was and how they acted stuck in my head, but he’s just like this regular dude that likes to shoot beautiful photos of the things around him. Reading interviews with him totally destroyed my preconceived notion of “The Artist”, and made me feel like I could do that too in my own way.
Other books that really inspired me are “NYC Street Photography” and “Oh Snap!” by Ricky Powell, and “Belgrade Belongs to Me” by Boogie. I gravitated towards all of these guys growing up cause they were such big chillers and had this unassuming genius mixed with street smarts. They showed me other worlds, and that made the prospect of being a photographer seem like a world of endless opportunities to document and learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.samgehrkephotography.com
- Instagram: @samgehrkephotography
Image Credits
Noyel Gallimore