If you wouldn’t mind introducing yourself and giving us a brief explanation of how photography connects with your life and work?
Photography became important to me one day when I visited the Seattle Art Museum. I must have been 13. I saw Imogen Cunningham’s study of clouds and skies. It made an impression on me, since I had not seen photography used that way before. That feeling I had looking at photography in SAM was formative in my decision to focus on photography throughout school and as a career. I returned to Bellingham, my home, 10 years after graduating from Western. I spent those years while I was away exploring different avenues of photography
If you do freelance, how does that work differ from passion driven photography, or work that you do of your own accord?
My career has been freelance work. My goal has been to integrate my passions into the work that I shoot. As I have become more stable in my career I have found time and energy to devote to work that I want to do.
How do you think living in Bellingham affects being a photographer? More specifically are their challenges? Or for example, do you find the abundance of outdoors a resource and catalyst?
You asked how living in Bellingham affects being a photographer. I think living in Bellingham affects me as a person. This place is very important to me. I have history here, I am raising family here. The town and its character affect how I shape my own projections. The way we forge an existence between the sea and the mountains is inspiring to me. I think this is a wonderful place to think about ideas and concepts, adventures, social issues, and personal struggle. The dark rainy months are very fruitful for me and the long bright days are just as important for escaping our caves, to wear ourselves out so we don’t feel so bad stewing during the months of hibernation. That transfers to my approach to photography
The diversity of your images on your website are stunning, I was especially grasped by the American Lion series which seemed full of stories and depth. My question is: How do you find yourself in such a great range of projects? And maybe which one was your favorite? I was extremely compelled by Watermelon Soulcraft.
As a freelance photographer, I decided to pursue lots of different industries. I love making photographs so I tried to make them in all aspects of my interests. I think having an open mind and an open door led me to experience some incredible shoots. If I had decided to shoot only high fashion or some other niche industry, I would have limited myself to a small percentage of what I could be shooting. I decided that not owning a studio would allow me to travel to locations. Every day is a different location with a different crew of people. It is always fresh, exciting and challenging.
I also observed your more surreal images, in your quarantine set which focused on more ostensibly provoking content. In what ways have you adapted under the circumstance of the last year?
One of my favorite assignments was taking a few trips to Southeast Alaska and spending time with the native communities, documenting their efforts at carbon restoration and language revival. As an artist, I was inspired by their carving, line art, and their perspective on story telling. Another contending favorite assignment was spending a couple of days with an old Idaho senator who is now raising sheep. He is a real cowboy and he showed the crew a great time on his property in the most beautiful setting. The food was incredible.
My last question for you is: How do you set your work apart from a highly saturated industry? Any advice, tips, or hot takes?
This last year has been a challenge in many ways amongst all of the struggle, fear and suffering that many have experienced. As work slowed considerably, time presented an opportunity to focus on some ideas that may have been ignored in other years of ‘normal’ operation. I am working on finishing a novelette fiction which has been so much fun to write. And I am in the middle of a conceptual body of work that helps me get outside and intentionally interact with spaces in the landscape. It is inspired to some degree by Goldsworthy and Pfahl, and has a little bit of a throw back to a project I had done as an art student at Western. With a highly saturated industry, like you said, my best advice would be to make relationships. Sometimes making and taking pictures isn’t about photography at all. Be kind, have fun, do your best and be honest with yourself.
Scroll below for some photos Brandon shared with us, and again check it out: https://www.brandonsawaya.com/
