Why Coldbrewed Creative

I’ve had an interest in photography ever since I can remember. To this day I can still remember the smell of those flash bulbs that used to come stacked in a rectangle. Once you fired those puppies off you’d have to replace it because you were literally blowing the bulb every time. Pretty wild, but it was the ‘1900s’ as my kids like to say. During a time when we still used to be able to say, ‘Dang, I wish I had my camera with me.’

I remember a camera being pretty standard on the ‘things to bring with us on family outings’ list. We never really did much more that snapshots here and there though. It wasn’t really until I took a photography class in high school that I started to discover a real passion for photography. I learned all about camera basics, and composition, and how to develop black and white film, and probably a bunch of other stuff I’ve long since forgotten. I do recall enjoying it a lot though. The idea of being able to not only capture moments frozen in time, but to be able to create moments was pretty cool for an angsty teen trying to find his place in the world.

For some reason, it didn’t really stick. At least it didn’t stick in the way that my whole life trajectory was set to the path of becoming a photographer right then and there in high school. Instead, I found myself whisked away by the hope of becoming a TV chef. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that a few years in culinary school was not going to get me there. This was long before the height of the Food Network. My only real goals to shoot for were modeled after Emeril Lagasse and Yan Can Cook. Had I stuck with it I may have been in a prime position to work my way into the ranks of those 100s of shows that now seem to be a dime a dozen, but I decided to drop out of culinary school and move on.

After a long break, doing … nothing really. A friend of mine asked if I would join her in film school. It was a strange thought, but I like movies, and clearly I was on a path to know where so obvious that my friends had to not so subtly say, ‘You should probably work towards something.’ So I did. I signed up and I was determined to finish and not repeat my mistake of leaving culinary school unfinished.

I know what you are thinking. We are in deep now. What started as a typical story about a boy who found a love for photography has taken a turn. First kitchens, now film. Don’t worry, I’m just on a roll writing this first post.

So I went to film school. Well, I took classes and earned a degree in Digital Video Production for Film and Television. I feel like film school is a great opportunity to network and build relationships that you can use to help work your way into the industry and start to become someone that works on big sets and huge productions and really make it big. Collins College in Tempe Arizona was not that. I did learn a lot and got to do some cool stuff, but what started as a respectably large class ended in, I think, three of us graduating. Even my friend bailed before the end. So there really wasn’t much networking going on. The degree (now completely worthless after the school was discredited) did get me my first job in television though. I like to think that anyway. Really it was my friend that dropped out of classes. She had made her way back to where we grew up in Texas and landed a job at a local TV station. After I graduated I applied for the first spot that opened up as a TV news photog.

Video and pictures are definitely not the same. They are in the same wheelhouse thought, and I was hooked. I learned more in the first two weeks on the job than I did at ‘film school.’ Probably a sign that the school I attended wasn’t the highest of quality. Those first couple of weeks turned into over a decade. I found myself covering everything from major disasters to meeting with politicians and celebrities. I used to say that working in news is not a job or even a career, its a lifestyle. Looking back, I wish I had taken more photos along side all the video I captured, especially early on. If I could go back in time I’d definitely slap myself upside the head and say take a few pictures from time to time. I have some photos, but not nearly enough. Just a collection of stories I shot and edited, and even a few I wrote and fronted during the short time I found myself in front of the camera too.

There was a brief time where I found myself between TV stations. I’d set off to work as a freelancer right as the recession hit in 2009. Not a great time to be without a full time job. I did manage to make ends meet by working in a photo developing lab in Salem Oregon. It was a seasonal job, processing film from school photo shoots. Supposedly, it was one of the last remaining places that would still process large batches of film for those companies that would do the yearbook photos for schools. It wasn’t creative work by any means, but it was so cool to be surrounded by photography. I found myself feeling those old sparks I had back in my teen years.

I eventually ended up back in news. I did eventually pick up a camera, and tried to do more with it than just snap a few shots here and there. Full transparency. I was terrible. I offered up services as a photographer way sooner than I ever should have. Although, I wouldn’t have learned anything if I hadn’t. To be honest, a fun little project where I would take pics of action figures while I was on the job at the TV station was far more successful than any gigs I actually picked up shooting stills. Eventually, I decided I should just stick to video.

Working in news is a fun career. You get to see and do a lot of things most people only ever dream about, and you get a press pass for it. So the only thing you are paying out of pocket is long hours, stressful deadlines and sometimes impossible odds made worse by other equally as stressed co-workers and bosses. That industry went through a lot of changes, even in the short time I was in it. I’m sure it’s completely different than I remember it being now. It’s been quite a while since I moved on from that, but I didn’t move on to be a photographer. Oh no … we still aren’t there yet, but we are getting close.

From news I moved to creative services. The department that handles making commercials at local TV stations. The station I worked for also had us producing a full on TV show. This unlocked a whole new world of creativity … and stress. It was also about the same time I found myself picking up a camera a little more often. It was really just a few times here and there, and I still sucked. I had probably one of the worst fails to date when I took on a client that needed a photographer for a their child’s baptism. It was a valuable lesson learned. If you are not Catholic, learn the rules before you shoot a baptism. It’s still a bit embarrassing to think about, but I wouldn’t have learned if I hadn’t made the mistake. Although, at the time it pretty much convinced me that maybe I should focus on my career vs the side hustle. So I did just that.

I now oversee a small team of creatives, producing commercials and content for a large automotive group in Arizona. It’s kinda wild to think how I’ve managed to make a career out of playing around with video cameras pretty much my whole life. I’m absolutely grateful for it though. I’ve also had a lot of successful photography sessions along the way. However, all my sparks felt like flashes in a pan. Never really taking off and getting those fires of passion fully lit. Until I started a personal project, taking photos of die cast cars and making them larger than life with a little work in photoshop.

Those little sparks quickly became flames, and before they could fizzle out I found myself signing up for a photography meet-up. A full on social anxiety inducing adventure that I had finally worked up the courage to jump into. I know how a camera works, I can get great shots of friends, and I can do some fun stuff with toy cars, but actual models. The idea was terrifying. Turns out, if you find the right meet up, its not terrifying at all. Thats kinda the point of a meet-up. I was able to apply some of what I was doing with the cars to shots I was taking of the models, and better yet, I was able to talk to seasoned photographers. I learned so much, and even made a few acquaintances that I did other shoots with and continued to learn and absorb as much as possible.

I found myself with a full on creative hobby. A hobby that started to gain some attention with folks wanting me to shoot for them. Just as I had all but given up on being able to make anything out of photography, I found it creeping back in. So I decided to put together an actual website and social media and actually make it a thing. Actually, I’ve made it several things. If you’ve been to my site more than once it’s probably been different every time. While I’ll probably always make tweaks, I’ve finally found a bit of direction and I’m fully committing to the idea of turning the hobby into something more. That is how Coldbrewed Creative became a thing.

But why Coldbrewed Creative? I mean, I like photography and I like coffee … and all my other creative name ideas were taken. Plus, it gave me a great idea. Why not offer a photo for a cup of coffee option. Times are hard, and professional photoshoots are a luxury. Sure, I’m going to offer packages that include a lot more for those that need it, but if you just want to have a fun experience that results in one banger photo, I got you.

As a friend of mine used to say, ‘That was a long walk for a short drink of water,’ but now you know.