Meet Rich Koeberlein | Action / Event Photographer

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

Hi Rich, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always been the photographer of the family. Big family parties, birthdays, quinceañeras, or youth sports. I was the one that kept the digital record of the family happenings. When my son started playing high school football, being the dad that I was I had to get on the sidelines to record those memories. This lead to me photographing other players, then the team and requests from parents to capture their students, football players and cheerleaders alike. It was at this point I figured since I love doing this, capturing memories, I could build a little extra income. I like to say that I capture the shots and memories that parents and players don’t get to see or miss. Sports photography lead to family and portrait sessions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art, is what I would want to see as a parent, what I want to save as a photographer, what I want to share as a person, and sometimes what I want to show off as a man. I think that those ideas above and my unique experiences through my lifetime are what set my work apart and make it my own. I would love to say that getting to where I am today was easy, but it took a lot time on the sidelines, dugout, or pool deck capturing those shots and an enormous amount of time spent in from of the computer learning how to edit, and what to edit. It was a lot of time spent away from my family. Now I have my editing down to a tentative art and I can balance the time spent at the computer and family time. Every opportunity to work with anyone in front of my lens I see as a blessing. I get to meet so many people and hear so many stories, I have learned along that way that no matter what you are shooting, capturing, taking pictures of…. just have fun. photography is supposed to be creative.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spots in the city are the quiet ones. I like the different county parks and lakes. If I wanted to show someone around I would probably start in Little Italy and show them the Star of India, stop for a coffee at one of the cafes. I would grab food at one of the restaurants. I would then recommend a stroll along the water near Seaport Village.

I am not good at this.. This is where my wife shines. She truly is my best friend and biggest supporter.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I lucked out when it came to being where I am today. A series of fortunate events if you will. I was always encouraged by my wife (always my wife) and family, since day one and continued everyday. While shooting on the sidelines, my efforts were noticed by the parents of my my son’s friend who gifted me some gear that I still use today. Thank you Dorothy & Jonathan. As I grew and wanted to expand to capture more photos of more players on more fields, I discovered I work with someone that has their own digital prep football magazine. Ruben Peña at SDFNL Magazine ask em to capture his All-Star game and then sponsored my CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) media pass, allowing me to travel to more schools and capture more sports. I also have to thank the person that taught me the intricacies of photography, Howard Shen. Howard is another resource / friend I found at work. I truly appreciate all the tips and tricks (and loaned gear.) There are also countless photographers that I have worked with and those few that I call friend and no just co-worker, that I have learned something from along the way. Every sports photography session has led to portrait, couples, or family photos. I even need to thank a few of the local (and not so local) photography groups, whose group meet ups expanded my creative need. I also want to thank those family and friends that believed in me and asked me to photograph your wedding, birthday, or quinceañera.

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