Robust Flavor Interview With Photographer Gary Land
May 5th, 2008 Posted in InterviewsGary Land is an old friend of the Robust Flavor crew. He was a longtime East Coast snowboard photographer and then became the staff photographer for Reebok and photographed all of their major athletes and celebrity endorsers. He now shoots professional athletes, landscapes and creates photographic fantasies…
RF: Where did you grow up?
Gary: I grew up in Virginia Beach, VA
RF: What were you into growing up?
Gary: Surfing, Skateboarding, Photography. Pretty much grew up shooting pictures of my bros skating and surfing
RF: What do you worry about?
Gary: I worry about losing data. You know this is the digital age. I am currently using 8 Terabytes of storage right now. I have bad dreams about them crashing.
RF: How important is it if famous people see your stuff?
Gary: It doesn’t matter if they are famous or homeless. I just want them to be stoked when they see it.
RF: Do you like everything you do?
Gary: I love what I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else. As long as I am capturing and image or creating on the computer I am happy.
RF: How did you know you wanted to be a photographer?
Gary: I was fifteen watching my friends skate vert at Mt. Trashmore. I can’t explain it other than something just clicked. I wanted to capture and preserve what they were doing. I borrowed a camera and once I got my first roll of film developed I was hooked.
RF: Are you easy to work for?
Gary: Too easy. My assistants are my best friends. We spend more time with each other than we do with our families. Sometimes we are on the road for weeks at a time.
RF: What’s your favorite place?
Gary: I would have to say home. Scituate, MA I live in a small town next to the sea. I have a lovely wife and 4 children.
RF: Who or what inspires you?
Gary: I am one of those people who gets inspired many times a day from taking a car ride to surfing the net. I am constantly filling up my head with ideas. It is a blessing and a curse but I am always framing up shots. I carry a Canon G9 around pretty much every where I go snapping off shots of colors, textures, lines…. you name it.
RF: What, if any, other photographers do you like?
Gary: Wow! Too many to name. There are many photographers out there that I like for different reasons. I like the work of Sacha Waldman, Jim Fiscus and Lyndon Wade for there surrealistic approach. I love the timeless American Civil Rights works of Gordon Parks. I love Glen E. Friedman’s work for his early documentation of skateboarding and the music scene.
RF: Outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Gary: Hang out with the family. Oh yeah, I have a huge collection of Japanese robots and Rayguns.
RF: Is there a 2008 photography trend?
Gary: I try not to think about trends. They come and go. I believe you have to stay real to yourself and create images that make you happy.
RF: What’s next for your work?
Gary: I am currently working on a project to recreate several Norman Rockwell prints. I have finished one of them last week and will start the next one within the month. On another note I am beginning to put together my directors reel. I have been working on filming some special projects that you will soon hear about. Stay tuned…
