We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful John Webster. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with John below.
John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
If I were starting fresh today (and I was younger) the first thing I would do is apply for internships, assistant gigs, or just being a production assistant in the local photo/video community. The amount of lessons I have learned by simply watching professionals work has been invaluable. There’s college classes and then there’s real world experience, I put a lot of weight on the latter. The second thing I’d do is start shooting anything that I was interested in. I’m known in the whitewater industry, which I appreciate, but that has pigeon holed me a bit when pitching to new clients that aren’t in that arena. So shooting anything that interests you and honing in on those categories of photography will show potential clients what you can do. Third, trust the process and do the work, it’ll show. Thats something I still have to remind myself ten years in.
John, 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 got into photography by being infatuated with the images I saw in snowboard magazines when I was a teenager. Just the way the photographers told stories about the environment, the style of each individual athlete, and the personality of snowboarding as a whole. At the same time I was given my first DSLR and shot everything I could. During college I got into shooting whitewater kayaking and after a few years being on the river I found my voice in the sport. I still wanted to pursue commercial and editorial photography outside of the adventure sports realm. Eventually I found Drake Cooper (marketing agency) which started hiring me on for tourism shoots which lead to commercial work with their clients. From there, other opportunities came and helped me grow my commercial and editorial work.
I am a seasoned ‘on the fly’ photographer, meaning I can adapt quickly to change if we need to set up a scene differently. I try to work alongside people that are the same in that way. Solving issues quickly can be beneficial to you and the client, its something that takes time but in my opinion holds a lot of weight as a photographer. I try and make work fun for whoever is working alongside me, all while knowing that we have an objective for the day. Whether we are up before dawn, editing until 1am, or asking a model for “just one more” shot, the energy of being positive and proactive is my goal while working. I take pride in the days that I know, we as a team, accomplished our objectives. If things don’t go as planned on a shoot, I take note of the mistakes, process them on my own time, and turn them into lessons learned.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being able to express yourself on a daily basis. I love to show my work to the masses and have it be well received even if it wasn’t what “my audience” wasn’t expecting from me. I enjoy diving into a project that I think is productive and different showcasing the range in what any photographer can do if they put the effort into it.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Being a freelancer isn’t free, there are multiple costs that come with it, whether that’s financially or mentally. This career has its ups and downs, big highs and large lows. I honestly think that the journey of just being your own boss and having to find employment opportunities is a showcase of resilience. In my opinion that is what makes a freelancer a successful freelancer-resilience. There are a lot of elements that are against you: other talented people in your field, restrictive budgets, trending styles… the list goes on. I have been paying rent with my photo/video work for 8 years now and each year has had its successes and failures. Being able to have a positive mindset and maintain a unique career has only helped with a solid community of close friends, colleagues, and family who have supported me through thick and thin.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.webstermediahouse.com
- Instagram: @johnjwebster
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjweb
