Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Swainston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you 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?
The journey as a photographer never ends. I first started in SLC, Utah with skate photography chasing the dream to work in the Skateboard industry. But it wasn’t until moving to Los Angeles did I fall in love with fashion and commercial work. My first introduction through this kind of work came out of an internship with MILK Studios, that turned into a full time job for a couple of years. Working there I learned so much about equipment, lighting and what the high end of professional photography looks like. From there I made connections with photographers and lighting assistants that helped me transition into a full time freelance lighting assistant and digital tech. I worked in these lanes for about 6yrs with photographers and teams from all over the world, NYC, LA, London, Australia, Denmark ect.. It help me to learn about the production and logistics on these big sets, how to manage a crew, speak with clients, fine tune my lighting skills and develop my own creative voice with photography by experimenting with new ideas inspired by the people I had been working with. After about 6yrs I ended most of my ties with assisting / teching jobs to open my own small studio and focus completely on photography. Though, I do still pick up lighting and teching jobs from time to time. There is just something about working with the community of people on set. Everyone brings so much great energy and inspiration to set from HMU, styling, producers and PAs.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I first got into photography through skateboarding and an art elective in high school. At the time I was obsessed with skateboarding and the community were my people. We were the outcasts, degenerates, rock n’ rollers, who were anti establishment rebellions. I was never as good as all my friends were so I started shooting photos when we skated spots outside of my skill set. From there I started interning for SLUG Magazine (Salt Lake Underground) This brought me into music photography, portraiture and more story based journalism work. I wanted to be a skate photography and a storyteller. This lead me to working with some big skateboard brands like Supra Footwear, The Skateboard Mag and Deathwish, to documenting NYFW for MILK MADE when they first started as a web magazine, and later to work on two amazing projects: One for Water Is Life foundation, traveling to Uganda to document their journey photographing the villages they had provided water wells too, and the second traveling into Tindouf, Algeria photographing the Sahrawi refugee camps in hopes to bring better global awareness and support for the people there. These two projects were a magical experience.I felt like the Nat Geo photographers I had grown up watching online. Through these experiences and especially through skateboarding I learned creative framing, how to move fast, light fast, and keep a sharp eye on the subject, capturing those fleeting moments that can often slip by unseen. These attributes really help in the documentary and commercial photography as everything moves so fast and so demanding that you have to think quickly and keep a clear mind.
Eventually I moved to Los Angeles, I was chasing a career ins skateboarding but it never quite developed how I hoped it would. I ended up getting a full time job in the grip room at a MILK Studios and that’s where my mind opened up to fashion, beauty and commercial photography. The process and growth in these photography subjects never stops. Every year there is new inspiration and new ideas to experiment with. And new skill sets to learn. Not many people realize how big these commercial sets can be, and what it means to operate with a crew of 30+ people, all of whom are ultimately relying on you to successfully produce an incredible campaign. A lot of this I learned working as a lighting assistant and digital tech for other photographers and teams. As my visual voice developed with photography I left the freelance assisting world to focus full time on photography and open my own boutique photo studio name Blackheart Studios. My business partner and managed this stage for 5yrs before closing it down. As beautiful as it was having my own stage, it proved to be so consuming that it was pulling me away from photography. 3yrs ago we closed the studio and since I have been focused full time as a photographer. Though, I do still enjoy jumping onto sets a lighting director or digital tech, and I really want to jump into the video world as a Director of Photography. Its such an exciting industry, there will always be something new to learn.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I thought I was so prepared when I first moved to LA from Utah at 27 yrs old. I quickly learned otherwise, work was hard to get and money ran out quickly. There was a point where I couldn’t afford an apartment so I slept in my car and couch surfed with new friends for about 4 months before I found a job and saved enough money to get an apartment. I was determined not to give up and go back to Utah.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Experience, creative expression, and freedom. You are your own boss, it is up to you to carve your own path. But it is not all “puppies and sunshine” you’ll experience dry spells with work and creative blocks that make you question why you ever got into this industry in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chrisswainston.com/
- Instagram: @swainstagram
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ chris-swainston-313660200
