We were lucky to catch up with Bren O’Malley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned photography years ago when I was in high school. I signed up for a photography summer school class and was hooked almost from the start. This led to supporting the high school I attended by photographing events and life at school which was shared with others through the school paper and the yearbook at the end of the year. My teacher was terrific and really challenged us to learn the basics in regards to aperture, composition, film sensitivity or ISO, and all the other basics needed to understand photography.

This led to a job as a photographers assistant where I supported the photographer when shooting on location and in studio. He was a fashion photographer and though he didn’t really “teach” I learned about lighting, composition, and what made an image “good” when he went through proof sheets which is made from developed film cut into strips then exposed to light on a piece of photo paper. My day to day was keeping the gear clean, loading film, positioning lights, panels and reflectors, cleaning lenses and filters, loading film and scouting shoot locations.

I really learned composition from him though he never really spent time teaching. I also learned how to pose models and control light which also helped but, composition is key. You can control and manipulate light though lightening and darkening an image in development but, you couldn’t really change composition back then, a model could be slightly manipulated in development but, if the composition or “comp” was bad, then this led to a reshoot which is never good and re-shoots meant lost revenue, time, and future jobs.

The biggest obstacle for me was the photographer simply because he was not a communicator until things went wrong. Since this was his name and business, he strove for the best from everyone around him while working but would not provide direction to reach the outcome he wanted. He just yelled… a lot during shoots especially but also during development and when reviewing proofs from a shoot. Towards the end of my time working for him, I was spending more time cleaning up things and consoling models because they would get very upset during a shoot and due to his demeanor, it was understandable. It got to the point where agencies would send minders with the models who would protect them from his outbursts but after a while, agencies just stopped supporting him. I left around this time and later heard he had to close his business, mostly due to his temper.

I learned a lot but the two biggest are composition and communication. Composition is key to every image and if it off, the image doesn’t provide the viewer a mental response. An image has to engage a viewer, invite a look and moment of their time. If composition doesn’t provide an “invitation” then no reason to print it.

Just as important for me though is communication and I do this however I can. As a landscape photographer, I communicate with myself and family while developing plans for a trip to photograph a spot. I research a location as much as I can and learn weather patterns, tides, shooting locations, and areas of concern that may develop during travel to a location. Once I have a plan developed, I share it with others so they know where I’ll be going and return but I also share the plans in detail so I can get different perspectives which may be beneficial in the long run. A fresh set of eyes or different perspective is always beneficial.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a photographer who has worn many other “hats” in his life. I got into photography years ago, in the days before internet and spending the summers at home meant one thing – summer school. One year I decided to take a summer school class in photography and, I was hooked. From then on, I almost always had a camera in my hand and really enjoyed expressing myself through the lens. This led to becoming a photographers assistant for a fashion photographer who worked the coast doing beach wear, bikini’s and other fashions related to water sports. This is where I learned about lighting, composition, and a bit about the business and fashion photography which ended up not being for me. Basically, the guy I worked for was not a very nice person and would berate others while working. Due to this, I was eventually spending more time helping the fashion models than I was helping with the photographer.

Due to this experience, I ended up leaving photography for many years and took up my other interest which is the aviation field, especially flying. I flew for a while in our military, then went to college and got a degree in an aviation field. This choice has allowed me to provide for my family but, photography was always in the back of my mind.

I decided one day on a whim to buy a camera bundle at a big box store and see what I could do with it. It was wonderful to once again be behind the lens, trying to develop images for others to enjoy. The first years were rough and incredibly humbling. I had to learn everything from scratch simply because when I left photography, everything was film but had since moved into the digital world. It wasn’t easy to make this jump but, I enjoyed photography more and more and decided to pursue it professionally a few years ago.

I started my landscape photography business in the beginning of 2020 which ended up being a rather challenging decision due to the world events that happened shortly thereafter. During the time at home, I decided that rather than running around the world and taking pictures, I would focus on improving my editing skills so I worked on editing for about a year or so.

After that time at home, I had the basics in hand, I just had to really embrace the digital world, the editing, and at the same time, develop my style which I have done but, is constantly evolving. As the world returned to something close to normal, I started going out and photographing the area near where I live and have recently started traveling and photographing the world as I encounter it.

I am a landscape photographer which means I photograph the world as I see and encounter it. I prefer the quiet of nature as I work and am drawn to areas and setting where water and earth meet. I am fascinated on how both interact and are dependent on each other.

My greatest happiness is when others see my images and they pause and really take in what’s in the frame in front of them. That is when I get something back from the viewer as I watch people pause in front of an image of mine and point out spots and discuss certain things of the image. These are my moments of quiet feedback that bring me a lot of enjoyment and I truly am thankful to witness them.

That being said, I try to limit photographing people in both nature and the studio. I have been asked many times to photograph families or do head shots but, that is not something I pursue. I have recently done a few head shots for friends but the passion for me is not the same as when I am photographing landscapes.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I really enjoy interacting with others as they look at my art and how they take in an image. It is such a human experience to watch people as they walk by my art on exhibit, pause, and just stare at something I put on canvas or paper.

A while ago, I had a walking fitness group drop by unexpectedly as I was setting up for a street fair. The street was crowded with people, overhead shelters being put up, artwork, jewelry and other bits and pieces were being gathered for the event and this group was just walking through and chatting among themselves.

I had just set up with most of my work on display and I heard behind me “Oh hon, look!” I naturally turned around and I had a group of people looking at an image of mine that I had hung up near the entrance. I could see them pointing as they discussed my work and critiqued what they saw.

This soon turned into all ten of them in my seller space as they pointed and whispered, looking at my art. I do not like to interrupt people as they look at my work so I tried hard to stay out of their way until one person asked “Did you do this?”

I naturally shook my head yes, which led to a bunch of questions from all ten of them. It was during that conversation, I had the opportunity to hear what they saw as they pointed out spots in many of my pieces and asked questions. I answered them and we talked more, discussing my work. We all laughed with each other, listened, and just talked, not only about my art but, what they saw and in some cases, what they felt or imagined. It was a wonderful experience.

As they continued to look over my art, I had a chance to watch a couple of people from the side and I could see their eyes move about an image of mine, as their fingers pointed out certain things they discussed with each other.

The wonderful thing is these folks didn’t buy anything but they did enjoy what they saw and we had a wonderful time together. We laughed together, they asked questions, it was for me a perfect moment and one I never thought I would experience. As an artist, I naturally want folks to buy my work but this interaction with others as we talk together is my reward.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am pivoting in my life right now and though it hasn’t been easy, it has been rewarding. I am an engineer in the aerospace industry where I support our customers around the world. My job is to help our customers fix problems that are affecting the availability of the aircraft and my team and I help them fix the problems, no matter what the problem is or where they are.

Now I am shifting, moving away from my current position and starting to focus more of my time and energy on my art.

To do this, I am working on my technique, skills, and making them better.

I am also establishing connections with people that can help my business sell my work which I do after my normal work hours and weekends. So far, I have made some terrific connections with groups and individuals who are helping my on this which, I can honestly say, I gave up on many years ago.      

Contact Info:

• Website: brenomalley.com (This is being updated)
• Instagram: instagram.com.bren.omalley.photography
• Twitter: @BrensPhotos_
• Other: Vero: @brenomalley

Image Credits
Image Credits: Bren O’Malley