We were lucky to catch up with Nick Burchell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
I’ve been in business a long time and to be honest, I’ve been thinking a lot about where creative ideas come from recently, so that may be more interesting to talk about. Hope that’s OK!!
Ideas are tricky, ephemeral things that we need to be ready for when they make their presence known. I find a lot of ideas come when I’m doing something else entirely: hiking, working out at the gym, cooking, gardening etc. I’ve recently started to meditate too. I keep journals, have folders of images that speak to me, use the notes or voice memos app my phone and try to keep engaged with the process. Still, it’s hard to hold onto and process all the ideas and even harder to decide which are the ones to actually work on. Sometimes it’s best to just pick one and get to work! There’s a quote from a writer who said it’s funny how inspiration showed up most often when they were sitting in front of their typewriter.
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’m an editorial and advertising photographer. I photograph people in portraiture and lifestyle settings, also food culture, travel and working life. I was born and raised in London and spent my first few years in N. America between the US and Canada. I fell in love with photography after getting a darkroom and decided to make a full-time career of it. I’d skipped University in London to jump straight into the music business, so I decided that going to University/Art School would be a good thing. I was accepted into the photography program at Ryerson in Toronto, a fabulous school and great experience. After graduating I assisted with a number of amazingly talented advertising photographers before striking out on my own. I lived and worked in Toronto, then Chicago and have now been in Atlanta for a number of years. It’s a vibrant, growing city that is filled with young creative people and great energy.
My specialty is photographing people and capturing authentic moments with a documentary-style approach. It’s about telling a story, making it feel real, a moment stumbled upon. This documentary approach connects the way I shoot editorial work and my approach to advertising work. I often shoot with non-professional talent and light people and sets in a way that has been described as non-lighting lighting. I may have a lot of lights on set, but the images don’t look lit or staged. They feel real. My clients are looking for that authenticity.
I love documenting the process of producing and making food, from farmers, cheesemakers, wine producers and chefs to travel, which always seems to relate back to food, as does shooting work life and even industry. I’m constantly curious about people and how they make things. My partner is an interior designer, so I’m also documenting the spaces she designs, which is always fascinating and fun to work on.
With the rise of personal branding through Instagram and other social media, I’m now bringing my expertise in marketing for large companies and brands to individual, personal branding. That’s a new and exciting branch to the services I offer.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Every day is different and unique. I’m constantly meeting new people, seeing new places, experiencing new challenges. There’s also the satisfaction that comes from problem-solving, which is a large part of creativity. Each client and project has their own set of unique parameters that require creative solutions and out-of-the-box thinking. Also, I love making photographs, so it’s just fun!
One day I might be working with a large crew, directing a team of lighting specialists, prop stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, and model talent while also coordinating with multiple client stakeholders to tell a cohesive story, their story. It’s amazing to collaborate with people who are supremely talented at what they do! Together we make the stories and images the best they can be. But then later that same week I might be
shooting an editorial story solo, just the subject and myself. In that situation I’m responding to what’s in front of me right there and then, being incredibly present in the moment. Yes, I’ve done my pre-pro work, but it’s so energizing working like this, using my intuition and experience to find the best angles, lighting, and approach with no crew to fall back on.
Some creative challenges are technical. Often you’re shooting for two seasons ahead so how do you make it look like a summer’s day in January? A snowy winter’s day in July? You’re shooting at night but the room needs to look like there’s morning sunlight streaming through the windows. Other times it’s being able to find the right way to direct talent, being empathic, creating a safe and comfortable environment for them to express themselves so the images are natural and authentic. It’s incredibly rewarding when we find a unique way to solve a problem and show the client something they weren’t expecting.
I get to meet and work with some amazing people too! Entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, architects, chefs, as well as collaborate with talented photo editors and art directors. These shoots offer the opportunity to see how others live, work and think. What a great way to be exposed to new ideas and be inspired by talented individuals.
Being freelance, I love the ability to travel and create new work while traveling. Over the past few years, I’ve hired local producers or fixers so I can shoot new work even while I’m on family vacations. It’s a great way to explore new stories and countries. A couple years ago I spent a week working with a fixer in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy documenting the slow food movement (see the Italy gallery under the Travels section on my website https://www.nickburchell.com/TRAVELS/ITALY). I got to experience the food culture up close and gained a deeper understanding of the traditional food practices and the people who are keeping them alive. Then just this Christmas, during a vacation in Mexico City, I spent almost a week shooting new work, documenting a famous Mexican sculptor at work in his studio, portraits of tattoo artists, documenting an authentic white tile al pastor taco joint, a local band at night on the streets of CDMX, skateboarders, a bakery etc. I spent a day shadowing the executive chef of a restaurant group, photographing him from the back of a Harley as he rode his own motorbike across the city buying produce. These
opportunities allow me to explore my own visual style and approach without the pressure of a client, telling stories that appeal to me, experimenting, creating images that might make it into my portfolio. How much fun is that!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
The biggest challenge for any freelance creative is finding the balance between the business side and the creative side. Running a business is an entire job in itself. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running the business and lose sight of why you became a photographer in the first place – your vision and creativity. Clients hire you for your unique perspective and style, so it’s essential to keep exploring and pushing yourself to create new and compelling work. That can be tough when you have bills to pay.
We’re in a world of constant change and evolution, particularly in the world of advertising and magazines, so to stay relevant, you must be able to adapt, grow and create new work. This means keeping up with new trends, techniques and technologies (AI anyone?!) or it may mean expanding and exploring your own unique approach and visual style. Whatever your approach, you need to keep producing new work and moving your practice forward. For me, it’s my curiosity that drives me to create new work. As the ad might say, “stay curious my friends.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nickburchell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickburchell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickBurchellPhoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickburchellphoto/
Image Credits
Portrait of Nick Burchell by Paula Shiver All other photographs by and copyright Nick Burchell