Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Burton.
Hi Alex, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I got hooked on taking photos the summer after I graduated college. I brought my sister’s old Canon DSLR on a trip to Iceland, capturing the breathtaking landscapes while learning how composition and lighting shaped how I viewed and perceived the world around me. After a few years of working a “grown-up job” trying to put my engineering degree to good use, I decided to move to Austin and pursue photography full-time. Thanks to a chance reconnection with an enterprising childhood friend, I was able to start a product photography studio with my limited experience and learn very quickly in a sort of “trial by fire” way. Client images on one monitor and a YouTube tutorial on the other were my standard workflow for the first 6 months, but eventually, I got my bearings and was on my way. Fast forward 5 years, and I’ve made some invaluable relationships in the Austin photo and film production scene and have a body of work that I’m proud of.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has certainly not been smooth sailing the whole time. I spent the first year of my photo career learning as much as possible, which meant early mornings and late nights. From there, my product photography studio grew exponentially and brought on a team of account managers, contracted photographers, and a video crew. It was great for a while, but we could never make it fully self-sufficient, so the company dissolved a few years ago. That was the biggest period of uncertainty, but luckily, the core team from that company was able to branch out and create new production companies that I work with closely to this day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I specialize in commercial photography, both lifestyle and in-studio. Often, this means shooting photos alongside a commercial video production to take advantage of the production assets in place. I pride myself on working efficiently and getting great photos within a narrow time window (between takes or while the crew sets up the following video shot). I keep my gear minimal but use all the modern tools to create great images, even with less-than-ideal lighting conditions. When not shooting on a commercial set, I usually create images in my studio. I started out with product photography, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I love the trial-and-error process of tweaking lighting, reflectors, arrangement, propping, and all the other little pieces and seeing the final image come together. It’s much more organized than the rapid commercial set workflow, but I enjoy having that balance. Furthermore, when I can shoot both lifestyle and in-studio images for a company, we can craft a library of images that are really complimentary and create a campaign we can be proud of.
We’d love to hear about your fond memories from growing up.
My favorite childhood memory was when we got our family’s first dog, Weejee. My dad and I traveled a few states to pick her up, surprising my mom and sister with her. The combination of a fun road trip with my dad, getting a puppy, and bringing a new member of the family home was something I’ll cherish forever.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.burtoncreative.co
Image Credits
Alex Burton
