Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandon Showers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brandon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started out graduating from college with the intent to be an editor. And I actually did that for about a year and half for billion-dollar, mundane, industrial supply company. I made safety videos and internal propaganda with their franchises and share holders. Needless to say that by the end, my boss came in with a 6 inch stack of papers listing my browser history of job websites trying to find a different career, which led to my pink slip. A blessing in disguise because it was what prompted me to move from my sleepy midwest town to Los Angeles. I worked for The Simpsons for about a year and half as a writers PA until I felt that photo could carry me and then I split from there and delved right into the photo world. I started photo assisting to make extra money and from there I just absorbed into the industry until I became one of the top assistants in town and worked some some big names, on big shoots.
From being an assistant in Los Angeles and working on everything from cars to Kardashians, I learned how to do all of the technical work which then just led me to harness my own creative energies and find clients of my own. At this point, when you hire me for a shoot, you don’t just get your vision realized, but you also get a decade of technical experience that can solve any kind of situation and still deliver an amazing product even in the toughest of situations. That’s’s what a lot of my advertising clients rely on me for, is my ability to not only bring their ideas to life, but to also exceed them and deliver imagery that they didn’t even know was possible.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I didnt go to college to be a photographer. I actually took a night class after I had earned my BFA, just because I was bored. So I didnt have a formal education in photo. As I started assisting in Los Angeles and I became very adept at the technical process, I developed an ego that was extremely hard to get over. I’m a competitive person which comes from my sports background, so I ended up getting really disenfranchised when I would have to work for other photographers who technically had no idea what they were doing. Yet i was expected to make a fraction of their salary. But I felt like I could run circles around them in terms of creating an image. One day, after burning a few bridges, I took a step back and I humbled myself. I said, “Yo, Brandon, why are these other photographers getting jobs that you could obviously do a way better job at technically?” So I had to calm myself down and really observe what the other photographers were doing beyond just lighting and pushing a button. That’s when I started to notice the interaction and direction that a lot of these photographers were doing on set. There was a psychology and a connection to the subject that transcended all of the technical aspects of the image. I slowly started to realize that there was more to an image to just lighting it. There was a feel. There was a life. There was a connection to the viewer that the subject would create with the photographer. And that’s when I realized the importance of direction. If there is anything that tI have most been complimented on besides my lighting, it is my direction. More often than not, from high fashion models to regular sports athletes, I get commended on the direction that I give them. Because thought my observation of working with so money other people, I learned how to connect with a subject and really get them to deliver the kind of look and feel that I want. It took a long time., but through trial and error, I learned to be able to walk into a situation, evaluate a personality, and figure out how to interact with a subject to get the kind of imagery that my client needs.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Around 2010, I wasn’t really working a lot. I had met a girl who was a costumer designer and was called to take a job in Vietnam for 6 months. We had been dating prior to that so I went over to visit her a few times. IN that period, i shopped around my portfolio to some of the agencies there and got some really great feedback. Once her movie was finished we came back to LA and were living together. It was about that time that we found out that she was pregnant. So I suggested the idea that we go to Vietnam for the summer and see how everything would work out. I felt confidant that from my short experience there, that I could make a good run at it and make some money for us. So she agreed and we went back fro the summer. That summer turned into two years. During that time I wolfed with all of the global ad agencies there and had a billboard up in Saigon for the duration of our stay. I worked for Coke, Pepsi, Microsoft, Dasani, Sprite, P&G, Unilever and a plethora of local brands. Also during the time I accepted a position as creative director at Harpers Bazaar Vietnam, as well as Cosmopolitan and Esquire magazines. Needless to say, it was a whirl wind of jobs and experience there. We eventually had our first child in Vietnam and then after the first year, decided it was time to come back to our family and friends in LA. But if I hint taken that chance, to just go over and experience another country on a whim, I would never have had that amazing, lifelong situation unfold.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brandonshowers.com
- Instagram: @brandonshowersofficial