We recently connected with Sam Craft and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

I’m a great storyteller but no writer, so if you need more than what’s here, please feel free to jump on a call, and I can talk your ear off, lol.

I went through the list here and decided on this topic: The best things you can invest in are yourself and the people around you. Yes, there is good gear, like the new shiny lens or cameras, but at the end of the day, investing in yourself and the people around you is the best thing you can do.

I started my high school and college career thinking I would end up in computers and the tech world, but after a yearbook class, some sports photos, and a job at the Wal-Mart photo lab, my life changed. I found that I loved shooting photos and telling people stories. I processed film in the one-hour photo lab at Walmart for three months before being fortunate and getting an intern role at the Tyler Morning Telegraph, a small, locally owned newspaper in Tyler, Texas. After three months, I changed my major, invested in gear and, more importantly, invested in myself mentally and creatively.

I transferred out of junior college and into Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where I enrolled as a Communications Major with an emphasis in journalism/photojournalism. While there, I spent countless hours in the darkroom processing film, learning to compose images, and trusting that I was doing what I loved. I worked my way to be the photo editor for the student newspaper for three years, as well as the photo editor and yearbook editor. I was able to do freelance work for MTV and the Houston Chronicle and covered the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster for USA Today.

Building an image portfolio, a network of clients/contacts, and a skillset helped me invest in making what I love into a career.

I spent the next 11 years working in small-town community journalism, creating day-to-day features, news, and sports photos. Much of this work was purely based on making contacts in the local community because you are telling the stories of people in those communities, and you have to be invested in them for them to trust you and tell their stories. In the process, I made some excellent contacts in wire services and the photography community. Then, I had an opportunity to move on to the next part of my career when I started working in higher education with Texas A&M University and the TAMU System.

I am the Assistant Director for Visuals and Multimedia at Texas A&M AgriLife and could not be happier. I have hired a great team that I trust, and we create unique assets for four state agencies and the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences here in College Station. I have also been freelancing for multiple clients over the last 25 years and mainly cover sports for the Associated Press and visiting teams here in College Station.

My next investment in myself is pushing toward more conservation work and finding ways to pursue a possible career change to that line of work or having it be a part of my creative life. I found myself mentally in the mountains at a photography workshop, and it changed my perspective on what I love to do and how I can tell more stories about the world around me, not just people.

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?

For over twenty five years, I have been shooting breaking news, portraits, sporting events, travel art, and commercial work at various locations in Texas and around the world. I have an extensive background working in Adobe Photoshop, Photo Mechanic, Photoshelter, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe After Effects and Adobe Audition. I am a strong storyteller who wants to document life around me in other people’s eyes, emotions, and history.

Current/Previous Clients include:

Allstate, AP Images, Associated Press, ESPN, ExxonMobil, Fender Bender Magazine, Florida State University, Fort Worth Weekly, Hofstra University, Home Depot, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Houston Chronicle, Initex, Kansas State University, Louisiana State University Athletics, Music Television (MTV), Oklahoma University, PRNewswire, Southern Living Magazine, Texas A&M University Athletics, Texas Highways, University of Florida Athletics, University of South Carolina Athletics, USA Today

Awards:
2009, 2010, 2012 & 2013 – Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Class A Star Photographer of the Year
2006, 2010, 2011 & 2014 – North & East Texas Press Association Photographer of the year
Numerous awards from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors and the North & East Texas Press Association for spot news, feature, sports, photojournalism and video

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a network of friends in the business and people who know you and your work is invaluable. This sounds pretty basic but photography is a very small world and you being a good person is just as valuable as how good you are as a photographer.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The mental, creative outlet. Creating something from nothing is such an immersive experience, and it gives me the chance to think outside the box, try new things, and challenge myself to improve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samcraft.com/index
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftism/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-craft/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Sam_Craft

Image Credits
Sam Craft