Introducing Carl Zoch

Carl Zoch. 25 years old. I was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Portland, Oregon. My wife and I currently live in Oklahoma City, OK where we run our photography business. I’m a self taught photographer whose modus operandi is to enjoy life.

http://www.carlzoch.com/

1. Tell us how you found your way into photography.

I feel like I crept into the world of photography non intentionally at first. I’ve always been the guy taking pictures of everything in hopes to recall and to reflect on my favorite times in life, mainly because I easily forget things. That’s the tragic tension I constantly deal with in my own life. I’ve always believed in the power of remembering yet I tend to forget many of the experiences that I’ve had. Over time I’ve discovered that my camera is the best tool that I can use to remember the stories from my life. Both the good and the bad.

2. How do you classify yourself as a photographer?

I’m a lifestyle photographer who believes in creating images that make you feel something. My photographs are an expression of what I see, experience and feel and I love sharing that with others.

3. Describe to us a typical week in your life.

I drop off the face of the earth on Mondays. I’m usually running around Oklahoma kayaking, longboarding and pretty much anything else that allows me to be outside. Monday evenings are date nights with my awesome wife.

The rest of the week I’m working from our downtown studio editing, dreaming, emailing, and everything in between that needs to be done to run a business of our nature. The rest of my time is spent shooting. This spring we’re taking interns so we plan on spending a good amount of time developing, teaching and investing in aspiring photographers.

4. What is your favorite subject matter?

People, hands down.

5. How do you approach a photo shoot?

My first priority is always to connect with the people I’m shooting. I want to figure out what makes them who they are. For me, when those dots are connected the photo shoot is nonstop awesome.

6. Can you share with us a memorable experience from your career? A special moment, or favorite shoot?

My personal m.o. has always been to enjoy life. Last October I met up with a close friend of mine for an impromptu kayak trip near the Hoover Dam. I went into this trip knowing that I wanted to document it in a way that I haven’t documented trips like this before. Naturally, this required me to irresponsibly have my camera around my neck while kayaking down the Colorado river. Smart, I know. There was a particular moment when I was floating down the river and all you could hear was the wind howling through the cliffs. The sun was peaking through the cliff walls and there wasn’t anyone around except for the two of us. That experience was so unbelievably shaping for me. In that moment I was reminded of the beauty in life and just how much I want to communicate that beauty to others through my work. That moment was the heartbeat behind me creating an ongoing side project called CARL//WAS//HERE, a website and book where I will continue to document the places I’ve been and the beauty I see around me. As trivial as it may sound, the memorable experience I had while sitting in my kayak on that trip was pretty shaping for my career and the direction I’m choosing to go from here.

Check out CARL//WAS//HERE at http://www.carlwashere.com to learn more about it.

7. Do you think being from (or working in) Oklahoma has influenced your artistic vision? If so, how?

Absolutely. My experience with the people in Oklahoma for the past seven years has been nothing short of awesome. I’m indebted to Oklahoma for the quality and life long friendships that I’ve created here. These people have all greatly influenced who I am, how I see the world and therefore how I document life around me.

8. How have you benefited from being part of a creative community (workplace, classroom, associations, etc.)

I’ve benefited tremendously from the creative community in Oklahoma. The best benefit of being a part of any community is not being alone. You constantly have people to bounce ideas off of, to refer work to and to share a passion with.

9. What is your vision of the future of the industry?

I hope for our industry to continue to be a friendly and welcoming one. That’s what I’ve experienced so far and I look forward to being an extension of that in the future. There are so many team players in our industry right now, I hope that it continues to grow in that direction. I also think that the need to find your own voice as a photographer will be more and more important as more photographers are starting to show up to the scene. Overall, I’m pretty stoked for the future!

10. What is the vision of your future?

Humanitarian work, traveling, and continually finding ways to tell the stories of people. I love documenting weddings right now but am completely open to wherever my camera might take me.  I’m also wrestling with what it looks like to develop other photographers. I love to teach and an exploring what that might look like in days to come.

11. Can you lend some advice to young photographers?

Shoot shoot shoot, and shoot some more. Invest in yourself, invest yourself in others. Most importantly, focus on finding your voice as a photographer. Figure out what it is that you want to say to the rest of the world through your photographs.