Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Ulshoffer.
Cody , we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I showed an interest in photography at a very early age, around middle school. My mom would buy me disposable cameras for field trips or if she took me and my brother to the zoo or something. I really liked taking pictures of wild life at that time because it was an interest of mine. I start studying photography in high school and actually started with video production before transitioning to photography my senior year. Where I got my first digital camera and start shooting sporting events for my high school, Poway High. This continued for years even after I graduated, and transitioned to college at San Diego City College. But that is where things took a slight turn for me. I am a huge fan of music so I figured might as well try shooting musicians and concert events, the techniques are pretty similar to sport photography the environment is just little different.
So I began by reaching out to people from school that I knew made music and would shoot their performances around town. Then I started looking outside of my comfort zone by contacting small promotion company or event coordinators typically in the North Park area to see if I could cover their events. Getting out there really worked for me, it allowed me to network and meet other people and artists that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Which lead me to where I am now, I work with several promotion companies in the area and have multiple independent artists across all genres of music I work with regularly. To the point it has taken over, I still enjoy shooting sports but that has taken the back seat because of the music and nightlife stuff.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am an event Photographer/Videographer for the San Diego music and nightlife industries and my alias is my initials plus photography writer out C-U Photography. My job as a music and event photographer is to cover events or performances from start to finish, capturing key elements for promotional purposes. Basically I’m suppose to make the artist and events I cover look like the biggest and most fun event in town, covering artists, crowd, vendors and venue all around. I try to do this as creatively as possible using as man different techniques I can weather it be lighting, silhouettes, light trails or action shots. I really want to portray the passion and raw emotion that comes out of these events whether it’s from the artist themselves or the crowd supporting them. There is something about live events that allows people to put their guard down and really just enjoy themselves.
I want to capture those moments so when people see them they get an emotion reaction from it meaning they feel the passion through my images and thats what draws them to it. Also I would like my images to spark some kind of memory or personal experience for the viewer like they see it and it brings a flashback of a concert or event that they themselves have experienced. I feel there is more of an emotional attachment that way because you are showing them something they can relate too. Besides that I like to use the available lighting as much as possible because I feel that it is more natural and beautiful. Bringing out the natural light of an image can really make the image more impactful because when your at a concert that is what the audience sees so again it makes it more relatable and hits a larger target audience.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
Yes absolutely my favorite piece of advice is kind of cliche but I feel is the most valuable and that is the lesson from the movie Hardball just show up is a win. Especially in the music and nightlife industry because so much of it is networking. So for e example like I mentioned earlier I would reach out to people I knew from high school and then starts branching out to people and groups I didn’t know. How I did that is I would find out when their event was and walk up with my camera, find who was in charge and see if they would let me take pictures of their event. Now don’t get me wrong you are going to get turned away at times because of the rules of certain venues but don’t let that discourage you. Learn the rules and then proceed as necessary.
For example This had happened to me at a large venue because I didn’t have a Media pass so I found and artist that would be playing there on another date and got one through them, or reached out to the promoter or whoever was in charge before the next event and same deal. Again you probably won’t get a response from a venue like the House of Blues or something right away so start small like North Park which is where I started and a great place to get your feet wet because they have live music from all genres all the time there. But yea besides that just keep plugging away I am a current student at San Diego City College but I even told one of my teachers recently at least for me its more beneficial to go out and shoot then be in a classroom but then again I am a very hands on learner.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My main social media handles are my Instagram amount @c_uphotography and my facebook account Cody Ulshoffer those are the best places to find my work. But these are also displayed on the promoter pages I work with Wats Good, Pirate Panda, Infinite and Jackson Hunter on a regular basis. As far as supporting my work just supporting local musicians and music scenes are probably the best ways. It has done wonders for me in the past to just show up at a show and actually engage in the different communities even if it isn’t your cup of tea necessarily most communities are very open to newcomers.
That’s where the passion seems to be the most for me in local talent. Because and I’m not saying all but there are a lot of artist that sell out and kind of forget why they wanted to get into that position in the first place. Local artists seem to be more humble and open to new things and ideas in my experience. They are also the ones that need the support the most so basically consider going to a $5 dollar show as apposed to a $50 dollar show for your favorite band because the outcome could surprise you and be more rewarding in the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: c-uphotography.com
- Phone: 1 (858) 208 – 9460
- Email: codyulshoffer@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @c_uphotography
- Facebook: Cody Ulshoffer
- Twitter: @c_uphotography
Image Credit:
@c-uphotography
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