We were lucky to catch up with Noah Gilman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Noah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Photography was something that I have always had a connection with. I always saw things through the a lens, imaging how that shot would look. I remember riding around in the back seat of my parents car, I would look outside imagining scenes playing out while we drove past views of the town and nature. It was clear to me that I would use my eye and capture images from a young age.

Noah, 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 picked up a camera in middle school 1-on-1 BnW film photo class. My photography teacher, John, helped me hone my understanding of light/shadows and understand how light and the settings on a camera create an image. One of my first photos that we printed out was later my first sale, being bought off our home wall by a friend of ours.

As a freshman in high school I was selected to go on a photo expedition with National Geographic to China . This was a life changing experience in a few ways, we toured the country with established photographers teaching us how to share and critique each others work. I would then experience an entire week alone in Beijing suffering in pain and bleeding from my then undiagnosed chronic illness, Chrons disease. Fast forward through years of hospital visits, an entire large intestine removal (yes I had a colostomy bag which was reversed a year later), a short stint in a rehab for addiction, and a traumatic head injury which resulted in my loss of smell and taste as well as personality changes. I was a 21 year old living back at home with my lovely mother who had my back through all the ups and downs, I owe her everything.

As I began to heal from surgery and later the traumatic brain injury, I picked up my old camera and began to shoot every day. I would capture the sunset, the beach, flowers, plants, streets, lights, reflections ect… I started using photography as my own form of therapy and it consumed the majority of my time. I began making life long friends through photography, eventually having friends of mine ask for me to take their photos and posting those onto social media. My business started slowly with the core values of friendship, connection but also the fragility of life and the immense power of capturing moments.

I take immense pride in my work, pushing myself to learn more and grow in my craft. I really love that I get to capture the right lights, looks and fleeting moments for folks, bringing a calmness into the time I spend with my clients, allowing the raw emotions of these moments to be captured and most importantly allowing folks to relive all those emotions and memories years later,

I find more and more that photo and video is one of the best mediums for myself in connecting with all different kinds of folks. I even met my wife on a photography gig!

I stand for those core values as I continue to make friends through photography, capturing those little moments that are too easy to forget with time.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I get to act as a medium for facilitating or at the very least promoting meaningful memories. Joy, happiness, even pain or sorrow are the mechanism that humans use to navigate life. I consider my most rewarding part of being a creative is that I get to capture those moments, emotions, memories and energy in my own way, but that has serves a purpose in folks lives.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Networking is the best avenue for success in my personal opinion. I would have done more networking earlier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://noahgilmanproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noahgilman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noahgilmanproductions/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBackofmyBrain

Image Credits
Noah Gilman Productions