We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rodney Hamilton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rodney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 have learned most of what I know through trial and error. I don’t think there’s any way (or need) to speed up the learning process for photography. At least beyond just learning the basic functions of your camera, and post processing software. For me, I feel like I learn something new every few months, or at least learn to look or think about a subject in a different way every few months.

The most essential skills for photography are patience and attention to detail. For me the biggest obstacle is confidence.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

During the start of the pandemic I decided to buy a camera online. I had always been interested in photography, but never had the ability or confidence to start. I started taking walks in my town and taking photos of it. From there I began doing portraits for friends and family. After some time I figured out landscape photos were my favorite. My wife and I began to travel the Western United States and I do my best to document the places we visit through digital and film photography.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect to me is being able to keep a moment in time alive forever. Even beyond what you see in the photograph. There are photos I’ve made where looking at it takes me back to the day when I shot it. The memories of everything that led up to the photo, the temperature, the wind, everything about that day is ingrained in that photo for me.

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.

I think the main thing someone may struggle understanding when it comes to creative work is the drive to do so. I’m not driven to make photos for money, or for followers online. I’m driven to make photos, just simply to make photos. Constantly throughout a normal day I see things that I feel the need to photograph. It could be a situation, or how the light is hitting an object. My actual job is not related to creative work at all, having a creative outlet feels good for the soul.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodneyhamilton
• Other: Film photography Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diedingrain