Meet Cody Cartwright | Photographer

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

Hi Cody, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking has always been a major part of my life, both on a professional and personal level. I’ve always been a mild adrenaline junkie; surfing and skydiving being my two favorite rushes. In 2016, I quit a band that was doing well to move to Hawaii and experience a new way of life and pursue a path into photography. When I started to take the idea of becoming a photographer more seriously, I told myself that I didn’t want to do weddings and that I wanted to be able to work on projects that I have creative input into. A friend of mine offered me the chance to work with him on Airbnb Experiences running a couple different portrait photo tours around the island of Oahu. I quit the other job I had been working in order to go all in on the Airbnb work and it was the best job I’ve had in my life so far. The pandemic put an abrupt halt to that work though, leaving me with no clients or unemployment to fall back on. I ended up deciding to leave Hawaii and moved to Oceanside, California after a brief entertaining of the idea of living in Baja for a month. My time in Baja was an absolutely unexpected and challenging trip but it taught me a lot about myself and reignited my drive in my photography career. As a creative, I am willing to take risks in my career if they feel true to who I am as an individual and as an artist. Shooting with people I connect with creatively on projects I believe in will always be better than the safety of a stagnant work flow.

I look at risk the way that I look at surfing. Life is an unstoppable phenomenon happening to us; full of unexpected bumps, some scary wipeouts, but also provides the most rewarding and exhilarating moments of your life. Risks will always be an uncertain outcome, but without it we would stop growing and life would become dull. It is the spice of life, and a necessary part of the experience.
A quote that’s always stuck with me is: “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”-author unknown.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been a performer/artist my entire life. As a kid I loved to dance and sing to music videos, I would preform in talent shows, plays, musicals, anything that let me act silly or different. As a teenage, I dreamed of being a musician and spent all of teens, and the vast majority of my twenties pursuing life in a touring metal band. So many major life experiences happened because of music and touring, both good and bad. In 2016, I decided that I wanted to experience a new lifestyle outside of heavy music and touring, so I moved to Oahu and bought a camera. I had taken photography classes in high school(which were about the only ones I remember truly enjoying) and had made several music videos for/with my band, and I wanted to document my new life experience so picking up a camera felt like the perfect creative outlet. I started out primarily shooting landscapes as I was an avid hiker and new to the island. I found my true love for photography when I started shooting photos of people. Lifestyle and portrait photography has since become the focus of my craft. Hawaii taught me to love natural light and use it to make the photo feel almost inclusive to the viewer. I will shoot outside over inside a studio more often than not, and have always had fascination with slow exposure shots. I love when I’m able to incorporate motion into my photos through a slower exposure because to me it makes you feel as if it was a flash of a memory. I strive to create photos that convey the real personality of or the emotion behind the subject. I love connecting with people and hearing their stories. I look at photography as the most fun way to collaborate with any artist or person. I look forward to where ever this career takes me along the way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m an avid surfer so I will without a doubt be spending most of the time convincing any friend who visits me to get in the water. San Onofre is my favorite beach in Southern California and it’s at the top of the list for must see spots, along with the Oceanside Pier, D-Street, and Seaside Beach. A trip to Joshua Tree is a must as well, the unique beauty of the desert is not something to pass up, even if the heat can be brutal. My friends all know I’m not much of a “city” person so I’ll choose going hiking or to the beach over doing something in the city. The people you meet on the road are always the most interesting ones too; travelers are usually in the process of doing something exciting. A fun or enlightening chat with a stranger will always be a better time than struggling to hold a conversation in a bar in my opinion.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Johnny Lee, (@johnnyleelove) the man that has always pushed me to take more risks. A great friend, a mentor in photography, and the person who took me surfing for the first time.

Website: www.renegadecody.com

Instagram: @renegadecody

Twitter: @renegadecody