Today we’d like to introduce you to Vincent Knakal.
Vincent, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from Otis Art Institute/Parsons School of Design with a major in graphic design and a minor in photography. Shortly after college, I ventured off on a year-long, self-funded photography project in Southeast Asia where I documented the tribes and culture for a gallery series. The work was on display and sold in several small galleries throughout Southern California. The next two gallery projects were in the Southwest US and Alaska. Between trips, I worked at a professional photo lab, where I was able to process my film and create my prints. I had daily encounters with commercial photographers and was fascinated by the idea of manipulating and controlling lighting and scenes rather than just documenting them. I decided to switch gears and become a commercial/editorial photographer.
One of the photographers that I met through the lab offered me a job as his studio manager/first assistant. He not only taught me the principles of lighting but also the ins and outs of running a photography business. After several years of working with him and doing my own side photography projects, it was time to start my own business. By then, I had already established several great clients. Mad Media, an action sports media company, and Ranch and Coast Magazine, a San Diego based luxury lifestyle magazine were among these. Together we worked on AD campaigns, catalogs, media kits, packaging, and produced hundreds of magazine covers and editorial features. Today I continue working with these clients and many more.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In the beginning, I was barely breaking even on my gallery projects. I continued on, driven by my passion for photography and supplemented my income with photo lab work. When I transitioned to commercial/editorial photography, it took some time to build a client base while working full time as a studio manager.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business is based out of Southern California and projects that take me throughout the US and abroad. I split time between working on automotive/motorsports projects and working with luxury lifestyle/hospitality clients. My clients include some of San Diego’s finest restaurants and resorts as well as manufacturers of automotive accessories, energy drinks, and apparel. I am best known for my food photography and work within the off-road automotive industry. I have won multiple press club awards for my editorial photography. I am currently the director of photography for Mad Media and the primary feature photographer for Ranch and Coast Magazine. What sets me apart from other photographers is my diversity. I push myself on every project and I am not afraid to challenge my approach to find solutions. I truly believe that “variety is the spice of life” and feel fortunate that I have the opportunities to work on such different types of subject matter each day. It is not uncommon for me to do a fashion shoot one day followed by a 1000 horsepower trophy truck in the desert the next. Over the years, I have gained experience in shooting just about everything from fine wines to extreme action sports.
What were you like growing up?
I was very independent of a young age. I dreamt about owning my own business. I grew up skateboarding, surfing and skiing/snowboarding, the typical. Southern California dream lifestyle. I traveled a lot throughout the US with my family as a child and always had a fascination with the world and travel. My interest in photography started after my father gave me his hand-me-down old Canon rangefinder film camera. The art bug also bites me at that time. I spent a lot of time in grade school drawing and knew that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I was accepted into Otis/Parsons right out of high school. After graduating from art school, I figured that would be a good time to travel and see the world, so I bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand.
Contact Info:
- Website: vincentk.com
- Phone: 760-594-1328
- Email: [email protected]
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