Image by Rick Friedman. Be sure to check out the rest of creativeLive’s lineup this week.
Rick Friedman is an extremely accomplished photographer that has been shooting for over three decades. His published work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Stern, Discover and many other publications. He has produced over 75 book and magazine covers. Rick has been teaching the Location Lighting Workshop for a while as well and is spending time on creativeLive this week teaching about lighting.
Creative Live did a recent interview with Rick talking about his work. But we also asked a couple of other questions about finding inspiration and getting over a photographic slump.
Phoblographer: What was the biggest problem or obstacle that you had to overcome in your early career and how did you get over it?
Rick: The biggest obstacle at the beginning of my career was finding a noted agency to represent me. I had the drive and initiative to go out and create images and stories. Finding someone to see what I could offer was my first major hurdle to overcome. Success then came in 2 parts. Initially working as a stringer for UPI. and then having my work recognized by Howard Chapnick at Black Star. Howard became my mentor and guided me through the 28 years of my photographic journey. I was honored to be a member of Black Star .
Phoblographer: You’ve been shooting for years and years. We all go through creative slumps, so what is your advice on getting over them?
Rick: I shake things up. I look at a new ways to shoot and new stories to stimulate my creativity. I have the best job in the world. I get paid to run around the world, play with my toys and hang out with fascinating people.
Phoblographer: How do you stay inspired?
Rick: I look at the photography and lighting of great photographers to see how they would approach a situation. I look for new lighting angles and projects. Some of those projects go on for only days while other projects go on for years. The key is to love what you do.
Phoblographer: We keep hearing all over the web that the industry is dying. This was said during the transition to digital from film too. But we don’t think that the industry ever dies, it just evolves. What advice do you have for creatives to always stay current?
Rick: The adage “ a photograph is worth a thousand words” is still true today and maybe more so than in the past.
Working with technology enhances your photographs, but don’t let the technology take over for what you see and how you capture it. As the industry evolves, tools may change but the need for creativity is a constant.
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