Meet Mitch Ridder | Photojournalist, Event & Fine Art Photographer.

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

Hi Mitch, why did you pursue a creative career?
That’s easy – I hated math. Okay, so that is a bit of an exaggeration, or maybe not.

In school, I found math incredibly frustrating. I have a very logical, practical mind, which I thought was ideally suited for math. Yet, the harder I worked, the more I found geometry and trigonometry to be abstract foreign languages I would never speak or use.

Growing up in Laguna, I was surrounded by art. My parents loved art, and their friends were artists and art teachers. My chances of becoming a mathematician were slim to none, and none was already holding a paintbrush. Then there’s that whole right-brain side (creative & intuitive) vs. the left-brain (math & science) thing. I was definitely a right-brainer, and that was a no-brainer.

Entering my senior year at Laguna Beach High School, known then as “The Artists,” most of my required classes had been completed, and I had time to explore electives. I knew I would go to Orange Coast Community College and transfer to a four-year college, but I still had no idea what my future major or career might be.

My decision to pursue a creative career came from one teacher and a newly discovered passion.
That elective was a drawing class taught by, yes, one of my parent’s close friends, Hal Akins. Not only did Hal watch me grow up, but several of his paintings hung on our walls. In class, he had an incredible way of explaining and showing me how to “see” with a pencil. In those first two weeks as I reworked a drawing with Hal’s guidance, I watched it go from “This is the best drawing I have ever done” to “I can’t believe I’ve drawn this!” At that moment, I found my career path and new passion.

For the last thirty-eight years, I have worked as a commercial illustrator, graphic designer, and now a photojournalist, event photographer, and fine art exhibitor at the Festival of Arts.

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.
In my previous career, I was an illustrator and graphic designer. My watercolor paintings weren’t the standard transparent flowing washes that most identify with the medium. Instead, they were opaque with a colorful punch and tightly controlled detail, looking more like photographs than illustrations. My work was featured in Road & Track, Orange Coast Magazine, Watercolor Magic, American Artist, and Wildlife Art. I also won The Artist’s Magazine’s 2002 and 2003 international art competitions for animals.

After 24 years of working at that level of detail, I burned out. Wanting to stay in a creative field where I could borrow from my illustration and graphic design backgrounds, I went back to school to reinvent myself as a photographer. For the last 12 years, I have been an event photographer and shot for the Laguna Beach Independent as a newspaper photojournalist. My images also assisted President Obama in adding Laguna’s offshore rocks to the California Coastal National Monument. My sunrise panorama of the Sixth Street Bridge in downtown Los Angeles was recognized as a Finalist in the 2021 Epson International Pano Awards.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would start the day with a morning hike high above Laguna along one of its ridgeline trails with sweeping views. Next, a breakfast omelet at Anastasia, followed by a visit to the prettiest beach in town – Woods Cove. Lunch might be grabbing take-out deli sandwiches for a picnic in Heisler Park. Then an afternoon of exploring tidepools along the rocky stretch between Crescent Bay and Irvine Cove. Dinner would be Salmon at the Lumberyard Restaurant with “Fun in the Sun” martinis, accompanied by a little live music. Then cap off the day with a cup of gelato from Dolce Gelato and a moonlit walk along the boardwalk.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My first shoutout has to go to my dad. He was a hobbyist photographer and introduced me to photography and thinking about composition when he bought me my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic 44, at age 10.

As I mentioned earlier, my second shoutout goes to my high school art teacher Hal Akins for sparking my path to becoming an illustrator.

My third shoutout goes to another family friend, Bill Motta. Bill was an illustrator, painter, and the Art Director of Road & Track Magazine. I grew up waiting for my dad’s monthly subscription to R&T to arrive so I could admire Bill’s work and his stable of world-renown illustrators. After retiring, Bill introduced me to his predecessor, who requested two of my racing watercolor paintings for publication. Road & Track’s industry-leading artwork and photography significantly influenced my careers in illustration and, later, photography.

Website: https://mitchridderphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchridderphoto/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-ridder-photography-63410519

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ridderphoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitch.ridder/

Other: Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchridderphotography/albums/

Image Credits
Main photo is taken by Hugh Foster