Note: This interview was originally published on BFellicious.com. Date of interview is 2016. Some facts can be changed by now.
Be a sponge and absorb anything
I love taking photos, 24/7 so to speak. They all tell a story, which is what I love most about photos. They have that gift to make people feel. And that is where Kyle excels. It is like you are part of his journey and it also awakens my love to explore even more. Kyle DeWitt was the VP of Creative Technology at Socialtyze, but switched his career to a freelancer. He is a passionate photographer and was happy to answer some questions. So let’s get to know Kyle a bit more, photographer of people and things and places and food.
Kyle, you started your first business at the age of 12. A born leader I’d say?
I sold pecans from my grandparents farm to fund my baseball card collection. I don’t know if I’d say born leader, born hustler maybe.
You are a passionate photographer and explorer. What is photography to you? What is a good photo to you?
Photography to me is the best way to bring someone on the journey with me. When I’m out exploring a place or on a hike, photography lets me share that with people while letting me make a record for myself of the places I’ve been and things I’ve seen. A good photo tells a story, you feel like you were there, all the emotion of being in that place at that time shows up in the image.
Do you see working as a freelancer as a risk? What kind of jobs do you accept as a freelancer?
I don’t think working for yourself is more of a risk than working for someone else. It’s risky to put your career in anyone else hands. You might not be learning, you might not be getting to do the things you want to do. Getting stuck in park is dangerous for anyone.
Jobs I accept are a mix of creative gigs, photography, interactive design, graphic design, to a less degree consulting and strategy but that’s a smaller part. Production is typically why someone brings me in house.
The photo itself isn’t great, but the shot came at the end of a long night of exploring Joshua Tree.
We made it to the park at 5pm and after hiking and driving around the park, we finally made it to Arch Rock around 2am. It’s a good reminder of a good night with a good crew.
When did you passion for photography start? What was the spark that started it all?
I’m not sure honestly. In high school we’d always have those disposable cameras and that lead to shooting on film and learning to develop in college. Professionally it started as a means to an end, when I was working with companies on their new websites, they would often need new content and that turned into photography as a service.
You talk about disposable cameras. Photography has changed quite a lot over the years. How do you keep yourself up to date in this field? What is the biggest improvement in the photographic evolution?
Sure, I think technology has changed, I remember how much longer the process was of shooting film, developing it, scanning it, editing in photoshop and getting that file print ready. It would take weeks to have something from a shoot and now I can go from shot to finished image in hours. It’s nice being able to not pay $1 a shot like I had to with film. I like how nice and detailed the medium formats are and how affordable Canon has made them. But I don’t think any of that is really something you need to keep up with, it’s mostly a matter of convenience. I shoot with other photographers often, mostly my guy Geoff Roseborough (@hey.geoff). It’s nice to have someone to make sure when you’re hanging off a cliff trying to shoot stars through beams on a bridge that you have a buddy there in case you go for a swim. Plus he’s a talented photographer and a good person to bounce ideas off of.
Getting stuck in park is dangerous for everyone.
Kyle DeWitt
What is the most challenging field (Products, People, Nature) to photograph?
All three of those subjects have their unique challenges. I think the bigger challenge is having a style that’s yours. With the number of images photographers see and get stoked on, its hard to train your brain not to imitate someone else shot or style of editing. You see a body of work and it looks greats and immediately you think “I can make that image.” but the challenge isn’t the execution as a much as creating that vision first and doing it consistently with your voice. And that’s not a challenge that’s unique to photography, it’s a challenge in any creative profession.
What is in your opinion the hardest thing to capture?
Emotion is the hardest thing to capture. Making someone feel something with an image is the most difficult thing to capture.
Who inspires you as a photographer?
I’m inspired by anyone doing the kind of work they love, you can always tell who’s passionate about what they capture. Today guys like Jeremy Cowart, Chase Jarvis, Chris Burkard, Jimmy Chin consistently create images that have impact, they make you feel something.
I was on a cross country road trip, moving my best friend to Seattle, and we kept passing these giant fields of sun flowers. Finally I just decide to heck with it, pulled over, hopped the fence and went out into the fields. I got a few good shots that day but this one always stands out because the flower in focus appears to be looking at the viewer.
She’s staring right back at you, full bloom. I like that it was spur of the moment and that the flower has so much personality.
What is your ultimate goal or/and biggest dream as a photographer?
This might sound sad but I don’t really have any ambitions. I shoot for myself and my friends who like my images. Half the fun is the pursuit, planning the shoot, the road trip, the hike in, setting up the gear, getting the images off the card to see if you got the perfect one. I really cherish the whole experience so I guess if I was going to have an ultimate goal it’s to never stop loving that process.
What do you love most about exploring? And if I’m correct you visited 49 of 50 states?
Ha ha you’re correct. 49 of 50, I have NOT been to North Dakota. I almost did a few years ago, I was Aberdeen, South Dakota, 34 miles from the border. Should have just ran up and did it. The best trips are the ones with a good crew. Exploring on its own is fun because its discovery and because you grow as a person the more you see and do but the BEST experiences happen when you’ve got someone to share it with.
Your professional highlights?
I mean I think getting paid to be a creative professional is highlight enough. The fact that rent and groceries and gas and insurance are all paid by doing stuff I love is a highlight
The set up was for a landscape shot of the beach, when a couple of folks just jumped on the dock and ran down to the water. They were on their way to catch a plane back to wherever they were from and wanted to say good bye one last time. The thing that’s funny is the edit and the pose makes for a somber shot but that’s the camera playing tricks on the viewer. The reality was they were happy, dancing at the end of the pier, but since its a 2 min shot, the motion is smoothed into each other and everything feels still.
What is your advice to ‘newbie’ photographers?
Picasso said “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
Starting out, be a sponge and absorb anything and everything you can so you can develop a taste. When you have that, focus on developing your style. I talked about how difficult being original is but it starts with knowing what’s out there, what’s happened before you, what is happening now. Find something that speaks to you and dive in, soak it up and on the other side you’ll start see your twist that thing. Carve it up until you have something that’s uniquely yours.
Thank you Kyle for this inspiring interview!