Kevin Winzeler – Q&A and Behind the Scenes Videos
I first came across Kevin Winzeler’s work on a Strobist post featuring a behind the scenes video from one of his photoshoots. I am always interested to see how other photographers are working their craft and get a sneak peak into how they operate.
In this article I have linked to 3 of Kevin’s behind the scenes videos and Kevin was also kind enough to answer a few question about his photography.
Kevin Winzeler is a Utah based commercial and advertising photographer. He has an impressive portfolio to his name and some high profile clients under his belt such as Real Salt Lake, Salomon Sports and Mountain Hardware.
His work focuses predominantly on creating images that promote an active lifestyle and he takes pride in finding new and interesting ways to create visually exciting and immersive images. This is what I really like about his photography – I really enjoy imagery that offers a fresh and interesting perspective.
His images are dynamic and capture a sense of emotion and story – which, when coupled with his high attention to detail, produces a professional and polished end result. Visit Kevin Winzelers website to take a look at his portfolio www.kevinwinzeler.com.
Q&A with Kevin Winzeler
How did you get started in photography? “I’m passionate about promoting an active lifestyle and began creating images along these lines. This has led to working with a broad spectrum of clients in a variety of industries that share passion for their work, product and business. It’s not just about photography. It’s about feeling a rush of adrenalin when you see an advertising campaign that smokes the competition or a product catalog that exceeds expectations. My interest in photography turned into a love for bringing a tangible vision to a clients business.” What work do you enjoy doing the most in your work? “I get really excited about projects with a lot of creative freedom. If there’s a chance to be involved at the early stages of what will go into a shoot, that is interesting to me and often provides the chance to take a typical “commercial” shoot and turn it into ART. I love creating something new and refreshing and putting a twist on the type of images that might already exist in a particular industry.” What’s your top 5 tips for anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps? “Tough one. Follow what your passionate about in life including shooting those things and you’ll get noticed (with some good marketing). People talk about “being passionate” all the time, but if you haven’t recently shot what you love to shoot, then why? What’s holding you back? Don’t think about commercial photography or how to make money until you have a firm grasp on what you shoot and why. Then start to analyze the market from a strategic perspective. What differentiates you? Why would they hire you? What is your niche? Become an expert.” | How did you get started in commercial/advertising photography? “I started shooting for a couple of local companies and worked extremely hard on each and every shoot, whether or not it was paid. I picked up a few more jobs via word of mouth and began developing a portfolio around A) what I loved and B) what I was good at shooting.” What’s the hardest part about what you do? “Putting on the various hats throughout the day from business owner (and all that entails) to photographer. I enjoy the business side of things don’t get me wrong and in fact have a background in business marketing, sales and finance, but managing the various rolls can become difficult. Hiring a a good team is the answer.” How do you work with subjects in your shoot to engage them and get the look you want? “For the shoots you asked about, there’s little coaxing as these are professionals doing what they do for a living. I’ll work to help them understand where they need to be and the look (expression) I’m going for by giving direction.” Where do you find inspiration for your photo shoots and what motivates you? “I find inspiration from other forms of art and media. Recently I spoke about this topic at 2010 PhotoCamp Utah and discussed the beauty of looking in depth at things like commercials and movies to study lighting and camera angles. For example, I love Pixar movies, because of the freedom they have to put the camera anywhere they want. Books and music inspire me as well.” |
Behind the Scenes Videos with Kevin Wenzeler
| A behind the scenes look at a Triathlete shoot with Kevin Winzeler. He uses small speedlights to stop the action and over power the sun during this swimming photo shoot. |
 | A behind the scenes look at professional photographer Kevin Winzeler on a trail running photo shoot in Kauai, Hawaii. During this shoot, Kevin uses a single diffused strobe to stop the action and overpower the sun. Watch: behind the scenes video of the trail running shoot in Kauai. |
 | A behind the scenes look at professional photographer Kevin Winzeler on a shoot for the Real Salt Lake, major league soccer team, including stars like Kyle Beckerman and many other high profile sports athletes. Kevin uses a combination of big and small lights in this photo shoot including a beauty dish and ring flash to capture dramatic portraits and action shots during this shoot. |
All images in this post have been used with the permission of Kevin Winzeler.
