Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Cain.
Hi Eric, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up on a cattle farm in Iowa, and although my mother had a video camera and filmed us kids growing up, I didn’t really get a proper introduction into using a camera until I got to high school. My art teacher had always seen a creative side of me, but I was terrible at drawing or painting etc..and the moment she put a camera in my hand it had kind of just clicked (no pun intended). After high school, I left home/the farm and played music in a band for a few years and once that subsided, I went back to college and studied photography for a number of years. I spent two years basically living in a dark room working specifically with film ie. shooting, developing, scanning, printing etc… the whole process, followed by another two years of digital photo design and photojournalism, and I fell in love with it. Since then I’ve lived around the country in a few different places working on bigger productions whether it be producing, modeling, assisting, etc.., and a few years ago ago I decided to really go for it and started working professionally. Through trial and error and multiple risks and friendships and relationships, I’ve managed to evolve a career that has taken me all over the world shooting for multiple professional music artists and some of the biggest western brands in the world. It truly is a dream that I couldn’t be more grateful for. I’ve always said, the only 3 things I wanted to be in my life were a cowboy, a musician, or a photographer, and I somehow managed to build a life combining all three things.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. Haha. Like I said, I grew up in the middle of nowhere in Iowa on a cattle farm with no background of really anything artistic. Not to say no one in my family was artistic, but there wasn’t an emphasis really on stuff like that. I somehow just picked up all these interests and ran with it. Even after finishing film/photo school, I still felt like I would go nowhere with a camera. It was like, well hey, you did it but what the hell are you going to do now. There’s been multiple times that I’ve been afraid or felt like I was going nowhere and thought about throwing in the towel, but I’ve instilled it in my head that that’s not an option. It’s okay to fail and learn lessons and come back stronger, but giving up is never a solution. If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional photographer and creative director. I primarily shoot commercial campaigns for western brands ( mainly Boot Barn) and country and western music artists. I’d say I’m most known for my western work, shooting film, and my eye. I shoot mainly on 20-30 year old medium format and 35mm cameras, and I still develop and scan in all my negatives myself in my home. I think what sets me apart from others is my work ethic and my dedication to artistry and the craft. Most people don’t see the days and what goes into them, but i’m no stranger to working and shooting 16 hour days that start at 4am and wrap at 10pm, sleeping 2-3 hours and doing it all over again. And I love it. I thrive on it. And shooting film really keeps that love for photography alive for me. Medium format gives 10 shots a roll, and we all know how expensive film is, so you have to be really intentional with your shots. It makes you slow down, pay attention more, your settings have to be just right, and when you nail that film shot, there’s no better feeling.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
To be completely honest, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time in Dallas. I’m constantly on the road traveling, so I’m usually routing through there quite a bit, but from what I’ve seen I like it. I just love Texas in general so every city or town, big or small, has it’s charm and history to it, and that’s what I love most about Texas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ericcainphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eric__cain/
