Meet Bobby Cochran | Photographer/Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bobby Cochran and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bobby, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Honestly, I kinda just fell into it. I’d been working various jobs in the music industry over the years, and on a whim decided to buy a camera. Within a year and a half, I was able to quit my job and focus on doing photography full time. Initially I did whatever photo gigs came my way, but I knew I wanted to work in the music world as my primary focus, so I began shooting shows and building relationships with bands, labels, publicists and managers. Eventually I’d built a solid portfolio of work and began getting paid gigs working with bands. While doing my photography stuff on tour with various bands, I began filming things & putting together little clips and mini-documentaries to give to the artists I was traveling with. This led to working on my first full-length documentary for the band Amenra & spent a year and a half traveling the world with them. Now video work is easily half to two thirds of the paid work I do.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I suppose what sets me apart from others is what sets any artist apart from others… my particular perspective on the world is unique to me, and the things I find attractive and inspirational are reflections of what lives in my heart & head. I feel my best photography work comes from capturing a moment as it’s happening, not formulating or arranging things to fit a particular vision. Conceptual work has always been challenging for me as a photographer, as I seem to do best when put into a situation and need to find the special moments as they present themselves. When it comes to my video work, I’m forced to get conceptual and do some level of planning and arranging, but honestly most of what I’ve done video-wise has been done with the most minimal of pre-planned ideas, and mostly arises when I’m in an environment with a person or people. That’s what inspires me most. I love watching a moment reveal itself to me, and when I’m able to capture it in some way that looks beautiful it’s the greatest reward.

Getting to where I am professionally wasn’t easy necessarily, but it wasn’t the most difficult thing either. Somehow the combination of my natural abilities, my persistence in working towards doing the work I want to be doing, and my flexibility when meeting challenges have all led me to be able to do some amazing things with some fantastic people. I guess I could say that when I’m allowing my heart to lead me, I nearly always end up somewhere more rewarding than I could have anticipated. When I get too much into my head about things, that’s when the real difficulties arise. Which I admit happens more often than I’d like.

As far as what I want the world to know… I just want the work to speak for itself. I want people to find beauty and inspiration in the things I do. I want to create things that make people feel connected to nature, art, and other human beings.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, I live in the mountains pretty far away from urban areas, and my greatest joy comes from bringing people from the city into my life surrounded by the natural world. Cooking meals together, walking the land, swimming in the pond, staring at a sky full of stars… that’s what means the most to me & what I enjoy sharing with folks I care about. It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, since urban folks aren’t always able to make the time to come out to where I am, but when they do, it always brings a smile to their faces.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who have contributed to me being where I am today, it’s hard to choose just one. The guys in and around the band Amenra have been incredibly supportive and excellent friends, Cathy from Sargent House has been a supporter of my work since the beginning, as well as fellow photographers Stefaan Temmerman, Joshua Ford, Ben Mund, and Bradley Cox (GiantEye). Also, I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my parents and close friends.

Website: www.bobbycochranphoto.com

Instagram: @bobbycochranphoto

Facebook: Bobby Cochran Photography

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE_p3DavRPU9Ewv4WSR4Vmw