He has raised millions for charity in wildlife conservation, children’s education, and pediatric cancer. Today, he is considered one of the top photographers in the world.
Photography was a way to be paid to be at as many sporting events as possible. I loved sport as a teenager and sports photography gave me the excuse to justify it. At 15 I was very average, but I learned and learned.
The reality was that my publishing fees from the sale of the image to magazines and newspapers did not cover the expenses I incurred in taking it.
I learned so much. I learned failure, humility, surrounded myself with bright people, and made a lot of friends. Developing a brand, stressing quality over quantity, limiting the sizes and editions of prints, and focusing on generating sales is ultimately the only way I saw to make photography work.
The reality was that my publishing fees from the sale of the image to magazines and newspapers did not cover the expenses I incurred in taking it.
I learned so much. I learned failure, humility, surrounded myself with bright people, and made a lot of friends. Developing a brand, stressing quality over quantity, limiting the sizes and editions of prints, and focusing on generating sales is ultimately the only way I saw to make photography work.
My work has allowed me access to extraordinary individuals, who I talk about what we can do together. We work with Hollywood stars, the most iconic of models in the world, and sports legends and this lends great diversity to my work. They work with me because we split the profits and 50% goes to philanthropy or conservation. If those profits were $20,000, I doubt they would be interested, but we have raised over $8m over the last five years.
My inspiration comes from filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, and Clint Eastwood. I am gripped by their every scene. They all have many things in common. That’s work ethic, making the screen sweat, but most of all, emotional engagement.
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