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I am a freelance editorial photographer based in Big D. I grew up in Beaumont, TX. I like boiled crawfish, black coffee and tequila, good blues, and living on the road. Friends make me smile, and so does winding a fresh roll of film into my camera.

When and how did you become interested in Photography?

I picked up a camera shortly after a battle against cancer ten years ago. It became my vessel for self-exploration, and a means of learning about the world through the lives of others. My first mentor was an incredible photographer from my hometown of Beaumont, TX, named Keith Carter. He taught me that photography could be a spiritual journey and that beauty could be found in the ordinary. Now that I look back, given the psychological turbulence I was experiencing after my cancer, it was exactly the influence I needed. Photography became more than just capturing moments or the magic of making a print; it was an aid to defining my new life.

In that sense, it is only appropriate that I chose a career as a photojournalist. With the aid of Mona Reeder and really the whole staff at the Dallas Morning News – whom I was blessed to have interned with during my studies at UNT – I began the never-ending journey of refining my story telling abilities. Journalism gave me the opportunity to not just make sense of the world but to possibly affect it in some way through photography, or at least that’s my hope.

What gear do you mainly shoot with?

I’ve traditionally shot an assortment of Nikon digital cameras for my assignment work. Though over the past year I am finding most of my personal work is coming from an old Mamiya C330 (a twin lens reflex w/ interchangeable lenses) and a Holga coupled with a ringflash.

What is your #1 source of inspiration?

Really it comes from anything and anywhere. Anytime I begin to feel myself getting in a rut I just try to get out and make a picture of something. It could be the worst picture ever, but the process itself gets the wheels turning again. I remember my friend Mei Chun Jau once told me that whenever she got to an assignment and couldn’t tap into the vibe of the environment, she would just close her eyes for a few moments and try to recalibrate that way…I dig that too.

Many times photographers find themselves with a full schedule of paying gigs, and end up with little time for doing the work they truly love. Do you struggle with finding time for your personal work?

At the moment my personal work is actually keeping me pretty tied up. I think when it comes to shooting freelance documentary work, personal work is a two way street. Yes, it is something personally driven and an expression of my own interests, but this can be sold or spur another paying gig so it’s an investment as well. So while I’m not working, I’m still working.

What is your all time favorite genre to shoot (portraiture, conceptual, commercial, etc..)?

Without re-answering question 2, I’ll just say, documentary, it’s really a healthy mix of a variety of genres.

Do you have any upcoming shows you would like our readers to know about

I just finished a group show in NYC in January. I say this because what I’d like readers to know about is a growing trend amongst emerging editorial photographers. The show was a group effort between my photo collective MJR and another collective LUCEO Images. As the editorial world struggles to redefine itself many of us freelancers whom had joined the ranks on the cusp of this shift in the industry have begun banding together. In a sense this takes the place of the camaraderie and inspiration we would have experienced in a working newsroom a decade ago, while acting as a greater platform for exposure as well.
www.wearemjr.com
www.luceoimages.com

What is one thing that makes your work unique>?

Me

if you could photograph anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I’ve really wanted to shoot a great portrait of my grandparents, and most of the time when I am around them I just get caught up in being around them and never take the time to capture a memento of the people that practically raised me.

what’s your dream photo field trip?

Any of the projects I’m working on now. I’m riding my bicycle through the Mississippi Delta, traveling with a touring freak show, and running through the woods of central Texas behind coonhounds. I need to finish those up before I think of something else.

what’s your post production photo process?

I ingest through photo mechanic onto an external G-Tech hardrive, at which point I’m captioning and tagging. I make selects in photo mechanic and do any retouching and toning in CS4.

if you had unlimited resources to purchase any type of camera, what would it be and why?

I have the still cameras I want. My money would go to buying a ton of film. Though, I’m excited about shooting video and wouldn’t mind picking up a modest video camera, nothing ridiculous or big and obnoxious, just something sufficient for adding a new layer of story telling to my web based pieces.

who are your favorite shooters and why

August Sander and Sebastião Salgado

Sander’s portraiture was not only elegant; he amassed an enormous scientific catalogue if you will of the entire spectrum of German society, an expression of diversity so powerful that the Nazi’s had it condemned. That’s something to be proud of.

Salgado, because here’s a man that took the practical knowledge he procured as an economist – and therefore great foresight into world events – and later in life began utilizing it to tell stories of global importance. This influenced my decision to study International Development at the University of North Texas in hopes of doing the same some day.

what has been the shining moment of your career thus far?

Putting food in my belly and a roof over my head everyday by doing something I love.

samples of Brandon’s work: