This commercial photographer spotlight features Garrett Grove. Garrett’s career in photography developed out of the world of action and adventure sports. He has worked with companies such as Patagonia, La Sportiva, Necky Kayaks and for publications British Airways, ESPN, National Geographic Adventure and Skiing. Garrett lives and works in Washington state, close to the mountains and adventures in his photos.
When did you first pick-up a camera and when was it you got serious about it?
I first picked up a camera with sincere intrigue when I was 19. A Canon film camera from Costco. I got it because I was heading up to British Columbia for the summer to guide folks in the Coastal Mountains. I knew I wanted something that would take better pictures than a point and shoot.
I got “serious,” aka realized I could turn this into my job, when I was approached by the Marketing Director for Necky Kayaks and he asked if I wanted to take some photographs for them. He had been following my blog that I put up for family and friends. At the time I was working at Backcountry.com as a studio photographer taking pictures of the products they were selling, so I was pursuing photography and trying to get better but still hadn’t connected the dots of photos can turn into a living.
What drew you to outdoor adventure shooting? Was it something you were always passionate about?
Outdoor adventure has been a passion of mine since I was 18 and taking photos of those activities has been something I have done since the get go. Whenever I went out, paid or not, this is what I was doing. If I wasn’t getting paid at all, I’d still be doing it. So my passion for outdoors and photos go pretty hand in hand.
I loved taking photos when I was out skiing and would get a lot of good comments from family and friends. They found it inspiring so it gave me encouragement. There were just so many amazing things that needed to be documented. It’s why I try to keep my blog user friendly and share places of where I have been. I don’t get too gear techy or the DIY stuff. I try to keep it about the photo and the experience. I try to get an idea of what some readers want and give that back.
Tell us a bit more about your style and how you developed it.
I think I am still defining my style and I am sure it will continue to evolve and change as I do. But right now I like a clean photograph without too many distractions in it. When I started taking photos I was using inspiration/copying the other outdoor adventure photos I saw which were primarily really bright, wide open shots. I was trying to fit in as much as I could which in turn caused a very “busy” photograph. Now I try to get a more focused, clean photo with darker silhouettes and black tones.
All along my constant dictator has been and forever will be the feel of the day (sunny vs. cloudy) with the environment (forest vs. open glacier) and how we are interacting with it. If I’m on top of the world and the suns bursting, that’s what I’m shooting. My style is really dictated upon the people and the weather conditions.
If it’s a prescribed shoot, then we’ll go find that. I’ll still shoot within my style, but if that’s what the client needs you need to give them that. That happens a bit more rarely though. The people I work for just like what I shoot and they say “go do it,” and later they will pick through a selection of images from a shoot and find what works for them. I try to work with those types of clients that let me go out and get creative with it – and they usually love the end result so it’s a great relationship.
How do you prepare your equipment and keep it safe in some of the harsher climates you encounter?
I don’t really prepare my equipment other than making sure the sensor and lenses are clean and dust free before heading out. While out there I find that most of my equipment can handle adverse weather pretty well, the biggest caution I take is changing my lenses. If I know it is going to be really stormy all day I might just bring a general zoom (Nikon 24-120 f/4) so that I don’t have to change my lenses at all but can still get a variety of perspectives.
What kind of production level goes into most of your shoots? Are there a ton of people out there with you when you’re on the slope, or is it just you and the talent?
Not much production at all, 99% of the time it is just me and the friends/athletes. I like to keep my images as authentic as possible and I want to be part of the moment. If there are more people there then typically the shots are staged and the photos reflect that.
The most production is the logistics that go into looking into an area. I did a shoot with Ski Magazine and it was all looking at maps, looking at Google Earth, looking at cell phone maps, trying to figure our spots. Then there’s coordinating the food stuff, bringing lots of spares for gear in case anything breaks or fails, lots of extra batteries. A lot of the prep doesn’t go into the actual shoot, it goes into the logistics of the adventure.
You always seem to be in just the right spot at the right time to capture the action and an amazing scene behind it. I assume this is no accident. How much are you scouting to find your shooting spot?
Man I wish I could say that I prep and go out and actually scope the area but really it is luck mixed in with just knowing the area will be gorgeous and those moments nearly always happen if you are open to them and looking. For certain things I will scout ahead of time or if I go on a personal adventure and see potential I will then contact a client and pitch and idea to them. But usually I fly by the seat of my pants and the objective for the day typically leads to standout images.
Getting talent who can climb, ski, mountain bike, etc. at an expert level seems pretty necessary in your work. How do you get access to such talent, and how could someone looking to build a portfolio in this type of work find them as well?
I have never been one to just call a person because they are talented/sponsored and then go out with them to get photos. The relationships and friendships are what motivate me so much. If I am just calling someone because they are good/talented at a given activity but they are also cocky or egotistical my motivation disappears. I get more enjoyment going out with people that are “normal” and participating in the given activities we love, then snapping photos. Sure as I do this more my friends slowly end up being folks that are sponsored athletes but their talent quickly gets outweighed if their personality is not down to earth or positive.
For people trying to get into adventure photography… find athletic friends if you can. I know others who do work with sponsored athletes and just call them up and take shots, I just have never been one to do that. I just had friends who were talented at it. I think you have a lot more fun working with those people. So I recommend people work with their friends for this kind of work. Photograph what’s around you, because if you’re getting into it you probably have friends who are already doing this.
How important is your website in today’s world? Where are buyers finding your work, or are you finding them?
Websites are very important. I have never owned a printed portfolio or have done any mailers. I think visiting a client, calling or emailing goes much, much farther than anything else. Most of my current clients have come from me looking up their information and directly contacting them and referring them to my website. I have tried some repping and portals but I typically find your own motivation and drive will do as much or more than they can for this line of work. If you want to go to New York or L.A. and work within that market then that might be the way to go but in the small outdoor world I don’t see it as necessary.
Where do you see your work in 10 or 20 years from now? Anything you’re really looking to develop in your portfolio?
In 10 or 20 years I hope my work reflects more than just the outdoor activity. I hope it has spread to wider facets of life and involved more people from different paths. I would love to use this skill to enable traveling to lesser known or privileged areas where we might climb or ski but the main goal is the exploration of a different culture and seeing how that impacts you. So yeah if you looked at my website in 10 or 20 years I would hope that the people, lifestyle, landscape galleries would dominate the action where as right now I think it is the opposite.
Any tips for our readers on improving their own photography?
There’s the 10,000 hour rule. It takes 10,000 hours to master anything. The more you shoot, the better you get. What’s taught me the most is shooting with a spot meter and shooting full manual. So you are absolutely in control of the image. The great part of digital is you can check the image and the histogram and see right away what’s right or wrong. I started learning more about why the image looks this way and how to influence it doing that. I never did any assisting or anything like that, I just learned by going out and doing it. I think that’s the real trick. Lots of shooting and making yourself better.
Where can we find more of your work or hear more about you?
Well I try to keep my blog updated on a daily basis with photos, trip reports, links to things that inspire me, new music and such. I really enjoy that aspect of getting people involved and hearing back from all of you. So go check that out at http://garrettgrove.tumblr.com. And an even better way to stay updated is by visiting and liking the Garrett Grove Photography Facebook page. It will have links to the blog plus more of a candid view of what is going on and where I am at. Come this fall my wife and I are moving into a truck and camper for a year or more. We hope to circumnavigate North America and stop at places along the way to go skiing, biking, climbing and running and to see family/friends. So the blog will be a great place to get updated on the where-abouts and fun stories.
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