Creative Cares

Tyler Stableford

Aspen photographer Tyler Stableford has earned a worldwide clientele for his commercial and editorial photography. Men's Journal recently named him one of the seven "World's Greatest Adventure Photographers,” and he is one of Canon’s prestigious Explorers of Light. Tyler's passion for photography extends beyond commercial work. He volunteers to shoot at least one week per year for nonprofits, and is an active member of the environmental-business organization "1% For The Planet."     Burk: I think first I wanted to get your thoughts on why you work with NGOs and how you are able to balance it with your busy professional life? Tyler: Well I’m 35 and I guess you could say I am in a mid-life change where I’m searching for happiness in my life. Happiness comes in all forms and one that has been a nice evolution for me is service. It’s something that I didn’t have a lot of time for in my teens and twenties.  The reason that I’ve come to integrate non-profits into my business is kind of selfish – it’s not necessarily trying to save the world but rather it brings joy and meaning to my life. It also expands my interactions and my career and my personal growth. It’s also a scientific fact that those who give are actually happier and more centered in their lives – it’s in the giving that we receive so much. Burk: I couldn’t agree more. Tyler: So that’s part of it. Of course I could say that everyone should donate time and money because we need to make the world a better place. And while there’s an element of truth to that, I’ll never be comfortable sayingthat. I wasn’t ready for that until a certain age in my life so I can understand others who aren’t or simply don’t have the time. But for me when the time came right in my career, I decided that it was time for our business to start investing ourselves into our community and world. So we’re growing and trying to give to non-profits who need marketing efforts.    Burk: Absolutely. So do you feel like you have the time now because you have two assistants, or do you think that even without the assistants that service is important enough for you that you would make the time for it? Tyler: That’s a good question. Having two assistants has helped quite a bit in clearing off the immense amount of emails and day-to-day duties for a creative studio. So I don’t know for sure. I can’t say. Burk: That’s understandable. What would you say are the other advantages in helping non- profits, other than the happiness that comes with it? You’ve referenced the portfolio aspect, how do you feel it benefits your professional ability to be challenged to work in these other environments that might not necessarily have a Creative Director, Art Director or even a brief to say directly what they need? Tyler: Well putting aside the benefits to helping with the greater good of the non-profit, you’d have to ask: well what do I get for my business if I volunteer my time? I’ve shot multimedia projects in both Ethiopia and Guatemala in the past two years for a humanitarian aid agency called Wide Horizons for Children. During that time, I used it as a sense to experiment with shooting DSLR film making and using a Canon 5D Mark II at a time when I wasn’t fully up to speed with it. In fact, when I went to Ethiopia a year and a half ago, the 5D Mark II had just come out that week, and I decided that I was going to learn how to shoot video with it. I did it at a time when no one was paying me, because inevitably you’re going to make mistakes, and I didn’t want to do it on a paying client’s time. I used that time to also hone in on my storytelling and documentary filmmaking techniques, which became valuable tools to my business. I was able to produce a pro-level film.  In addition, you can use shooting for non-profits as a means to really enhance a new aspect of your portfolio.   Although it’s kind of a self-serving note, having diversity in your portfolio makes a big difference when you’re talking to art buyers. Being able to say that you have experience with volunteer work helps you position yourself as a well-rounded, caring photographer and not one who is only concerned with billing for the next job. It’s also why lots of corporations give as well – to make sure that their names are on those donations and get business kickbacks and marketing benefits.     Burk: Yes, the pragmatic side as opposed to the altruistic side. Tyler: I mean I could talk for hours about the altruistic side. Burk: Well anybody who’s out there balancing his or her time professionally and creatively, is a benefit. As an example, you traveling to Ethiopia and Guatemala, you’ve changed something. If they decide to use the shots, something either around you or inside of you has shifted. Tyler: Another project I’ve done is working in our local public school systems shooting marketing photos. I believe that if all of us who care about our children, education and teachers, if we could put our resources into our public schools – either through volunteering or what have you, we could strengthen our schoold and communities immensely     Burk: I want to back track to something you were saying earlier – do you feel like having to do the work that you’ve done for non-profits, given the lack of creative briefs, has challenged you creatively to make you learn different things? Tyler: When shooting for non-profits, choose one that you support and care about because your efforts won’t feel like work then. Most non-profits go into business because they want to save the world or address a great need, not because they want to produce slick marketing material to raise a ton of money. So that’s where we come in as creatives; we’re asked to come up with a marketing strategy and campaign for the material that we shoot. It’s likely that any non-profit that you’re going to shoot for, may not have a savvy ad agency driving their marketing efforts. So we are asked to come up with storylines, which is a real joy. It’s a place for us to grow and use our storytelling abilities whether as editorial or commercial photographers. Ask: how can we best raise money or awareness for this non-profit? For me, it required really researching marketing strategies to get donors to open their wallets to donate to a cause. For example, for humanitarian aid agencies, it involved not just shooting pictures of poor, starving, or sick people, but rather stages of hope and promise and success that donors could latch onto. They could really be part of changing a child’s life. Burk: That’s great. Is there anything else you wanted to address? Tyler: Well I think also with slow times during business, (I know especially when I’ve had slow periods) it’s a wonderful time to get involved. It’s been a great reminder to myself to remember how rich and full my life is, even in times of income shortfall. If my camera is sitting on the shelf, then I probably have time that I can donate.  It’s time well spent for my business but it’s also time well spent for me and my family,  and my own joy as well. Burk: Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.   All Images © 2010 Tyler Stableford To view more of Tyler's work, please visit his website at visit www.tylerstableford.com