SeagateCreative Interviews Photographer Eric Blackmon

One of the things I admire about the online bio for Eric Blackmon is it’s authentic feel. It tells the story of a young boy who discovered a love for photography at an early age. And like many loves, where timing is everything, and the distractions of life are bountiful, it took time for the two to be reacquainted and build upon that love to create some amazing work.

I met Eric briefly at Nerd HQ during San Diego Comic Con last past summer and after learning he’s a really cool guy, it wasn’t hard to become a fan of his work. (I may also have “beard envy”, but that’s another story for another day.)  When you take a stroll through his online portfolio, you’ll see he’s covered the spectrum from high fashion to sports and his Instagram profile captures those perfect “slice of life” moments from a photographer’s point of view.

Suffice to say, I was pretty thrilled when Eric agreed to do a Q&A with us about his work, creative influences and a look behind-the-scenes of some of my favorite work he’s done. So without further ado, Mr. Eric Blackmon.

SeagateCreative: Based on your bio, photography has been an elusive mistress. What was it that finally brought the two of you together? What was the first shot you took that established that connection for you?

Eric Blackmon: Growing up, I was always drawn towards photography but it wasn’t a very cost effective hobby for me as a child since it can be quite costly.

Once the first digital cameras started popping up, I was out of high school and earning money so I started getting back into it. I was really drawn towards digital because of the fact that I could instantly view the image. I could fit a whopping four images on each floppy disk that my camera used as media. We’ve come a long way since then. There’s no image in particular that established a connection, but shooting some headshots for my old roommate convinced me that I was comfortable shooting with people as my subjects. Before that, I shot mostly scenery and action sports.

SeagateCreative: What’s your process during a shoot? Walk us through the steps you took to conceive and execute your most recent project.

Eric Blackmon: If it’s for a client, I usually just talk to them and figure out exactly what it is that they want to say with the end product. From there, we can figure out wardrobe, location, hair, props and all that good stuff. My most recent project was a trip to Fiji to shoot some surfing. There wasn’t really much preparation for that shoot, just had to make sure my passport was valid and do my best not to get wet while I was there.

SeagateCreative: Tell us a bit about your work with The Nerd Machine and Operation Smile. How are you involved with these two organizations?

Eric Blackmon: David Coleman and Zachary Levi are two great friends of mine so I’m always willing to do whatever I can to help them. I’ve photographed most of their product shots that you see on their website and documented the last four years down at Nerd HQ.

I’ve gone down to Honduras for a medical mission with OpSmile to work with all the kids. We did a home visit for one of the little girls and got to see how they live. It was a very emotional trip for me. Operation Smile is a great charity that holds a special place in my heart, as my mother and sister both were born with cleft pallets.

SeagateCreative: How do you find shooting with a traditional camera to be different than Instagram or other smartphone apps?

Eric Blackmon: It’s all the same to me as long as you know how to control the light. I can get some amazing shots with my iPhone 5S but my Nikon D800 lets me controls the light a bit more.

SeagateCreative: If you could go back in time to meet a person or shoot an event, who/what would you choose and why?

Eric Blackmon: I’d probably have to meet Jesus because he’s the man. Plus, I’d be able to photograph him and then everyone would know what he actually looks like.

SeagateCreative: Looking back at your work, how is your photography different five years ago compared to today, and where do you see yourself in another five years?

Eric Blackmon: I’m always trying to improve and learn new techniques, I’d say that I do accomplish that every year so in five years I should be about 5.8 percent better than I am now. I base these numbers on a purely mathematical scientific formula formulated by the ancient civilization of Atlantis.

SeagateCreative: Let’s take a look at some examples of your work:

SeagateCreative: Who is this?
Eric Blackmon: Joel Moore
SeagateCreative: Who/What were you shooting this for?
Eric Blackmon: His publicist asked me to shoot him because he needed new photos for press releases. Avatar had just hit theaters and Joel was running all over the place doing interviews.
SeagateCreative: Was there anything about this shoot that stood out?
Eric Blackmon: When Joel’s clone walked up and started yelling at the real Joel. Obviously.
SeagateCreative: What gear did you use for this shot?
Eric Blackmon: I used my Nikon D300 and a remote flash with a beauty dish on it.

SeagateCreative: Who is this?
Eric Blackmon: That’s a good question, I’m not sure who that is.
SeagateCreative: Who/What were you shooting this for?
Eric Blackmon: I was at some motocross event with some friends and had my camera with me so I just snapped a few photos of those crazy guys.
SeagateCreative: Was there anything about this shoot that stood out?
Eric Blackmon: Besides people doing stuff on motorcycles that seems impossible? No that’s it.
SeagateCreative: What gear did you use for this shot?
Eric Blackmon: Nikon D300 and a 70-200 lens

SeagateCreative: Who is this?
Eric Blackmon: Tom Hiddleston
SeagateCreative: Who/What were you shooting this for?
Eric Blackmon: I shot this for The Nerd Machine down at Nerd HQ when Tom was doing his Conversations for a Cause panel.
SeagateCreative: Was there anything about this shoot that stood out?
Eric Blackmon: Tom’s incredibly good looks and brain. He’s very well spoken.
SeagateCreative: What gear did you use for this shot?
Eric Blackmon: I shot that with an iPad and then processed it with the filters in instagram.

SeagateCreative: Who is this couple?
Eric Blackmon: These are my clients from Manhattan Beach, I now consider them my friends. I’ve been photographing their family for about five years now.
SeagateCreative: What were you shooting this for?
Eric Blackmon: They’re great dancers and wanted something magical to hang on their wall. They printed this on canvas five feet tall and hung it in their dining room.
SeagateCreative: Was there anything about this shoot that stood out?
Eric Blackmon: It was super windy and they were on a cliff. I was on the other side of the ocean on another cliff shooting with a zoom lens. It was a fun shoot for me and it’s always rewarding for me when I see how happy they are with the end results.
SeagateCreative: What gear did you use for this shot?
Eric Blackmon: Nikon D300 and 70-200 2.8 lens

SeagateCreative: Who is this?
Eric Blackmon: Zachary Levi
SeagateCreative: Who/What were you shooting this for?
Eric Blackmon: We were shooting this series of photos to promote The Nerd Machine and Nerd HQ.
SeagateCreative: Was there anything about this shoot that stood out?
Eric Blackmon: Nothing comes to mind with this one. Zac is a good friend of mine so it was just a fun time goofing around.
SeagateCreative: What gear did you use for this shot?
Eric Blackmon: Nikon D300 and 17-55mm lens with one or two strobes.

Want more? Check out SeagateCreative for behind-the-scenes videos and tips from intriguing artists or watch our SeagateCreative playlist on YouTube and our Creative  Professionals page.

Be sure to follow Eric on these channels.
Official Site
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

2014-04-16T09:59:26+00:00

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