Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anthony Rayburn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Anthony, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Considering most of my assignments take me abroad, the ever changing travel restrictions made my work much more complicated. Most of the time these shoots involve a production crew & clients, all traveling from different locations. These trips are thoroughly planned out and on a very tight schedule. Expecting the unexpected and adapting on the fly are pretty standard, but no matter how much you anticipate, there is no way to know if the whole team would arrive at our destination with negative tests. The team is carefully chosen and kept small, as every day of production has a lot of costs associated with it. Any delay, such as a quarantine, ends up not only being a logistical nightmare but a huge financial risk for clients sticking to a tight budget. Nonetheless, everyone is aware of these risks going in and we’ve always pulled it off. Knowing, worst case, you can always make it back to your home country was reassuring, for the most part…
March 2021, I was asked to come to Morocco to document the Rose harvest of a 1,500 acre organic farm in the Northern Atlas mountains. Morocco was one of the few countries that had a full lockdown, no one in or out, no matter where you’re from. If you went in 2020, chances are you would’ve been stuck for over 6 months. I love working with farms & fisheries and will do almost anything for ones that have a cause I believe in. That goes for any client. Not only are they fully organic & zero waste, they hire mostly women in an area where traditionally women are not allowed to work, but they grow a wide range of colorful perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants in a stunning environment. I couldn’t turn this down. So I went, alone, and hoped for the best. Fortunately I took two weeks for a five day shoot, because everything went wrong. All my camera equipment was confiscated upon arrival. Customs thought I was a reporter and I did not have the proper paperwork. After a few days of phone calls and talking to the right people, I went back to the airport, walked past a room full of actual journalists in the same situation, and got my gear back. The next week and a half was non-stop military check points, explanations, & of course mostly bad weather. The shoot was a huge success and although I had a rough start, everyone was super welcoming & helpful, and I made it home without delay. Big risk, big reward, for both myself & my client.
Anthony, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m a Commercial Photographer primarily shooting stills & video for advertisements. I kind of fell into photography by chance as I travel a lot and a camera just gave me much more access & opportunity to meet people. Some say I also have a good eye, so I decided to make a career out of it! Most of my work is for the tourism, marine & agri/aquaculture industries. However, I have a wide range of clients and will shoot almost anything if the fit is right. I recently shot a portrait for Vogue so I never know what kind of work is going to come my way! My services range from photo and video services to all inclusive production and logistics coordination. Sometimes I am simply the photographer, other times I am coordinating everything from ideation & pre-production, directing 30 people on set while shooting, all the way to post production. Every clients’ needs are different and I do everything I can to put the right team together for the ask. Remote locations and rugged conditions are my favorite challenge and somewhat of a specialty as I’ve dealt with all sorts of scenarios in many different environments. My work has taken me all over the globe from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, North and Central America, Oceana, and have even logged a couple thousand miles in the open ocean.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Photography started as a hobby, then a side hustle, and when I decided to take the leap full time, I knew I had to give it everything I had to be competitive. In order to stand out and fund the business I gave up my apartment, downsized everything to 300 lbs of luggage and travelled full time over the course of 3-4 years. With almost not overhead and nothing holding me back, I was able to jump on every opportunity that came my way. Anything a client asked, I could make it happen. This allowed me to build a rather large portfolio & network fairly quickly. I often hear from clients that they are attracted to the candid & genuine nature of my work. I pride myself in capturing honest & authentic images, that is a rule I will always live by. I’ve been extremely fortunate on my journey and have met the most amazing people from all around the world. Luck may be out of our control, but your ability to react to luck is not.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are so many talented photographers out there. What I love about what I do is that two photographers can capture the same thing differently. There is no “best photographer” for the job, it’s about finding the one who’s perspective you resonate with. It’s match making essentially, for both the photographer & the client. I want to work with clients who’s goals I believe in & clients want a photographer that understands their goals & approach. When the right match is made it not only creates a great long term working relationship, but the work flows so much easier over time when you really understand each other. This allows the creativity to flow and that is when great work is made.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.anthonyjrayburn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyjrayburn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthonyjrayburn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ajr-co
- Youtube: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/anthonyjrayburn
- Other: Project video: https://vimeo.com/560073665
Image Credits
Anthony J Rayburn