Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Bowen.
Hunter, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I am 24 years old and a local from Oceanside, I have lived in Carlsbad for a few years as well. I had attended El Camino High School and graduated in 2012 I then earned my Associates degree in 2018 in Liberal Arts + Creative and Applied arts and am currently a Visual Arts student at Cal State University San Marcos and should finish in spring 2020!
I truly discovered my love for photography a few years ago when I purchased my first DSLR camera for a film class I was taking at Mira Costa College in Oceanside. I purchased a Nikon D5300 from Amazon, and I discovered throughout that class that I thoroughly enjoyed taking photos, and found myself taking more photos than filming and recording video. I grew up taking random pictures for everyone and for myself, for fun. I also grew up doing theatre, painting and pouring ceramics with my grandmother and wishing I was a TV actress, (I was a dreamer).
I am a hiker, and I love to go on local adventures with my group, that is where the magic happens with my photography. I am constantly falling behind if my camera is in hand. Any cloud formation, animal, bug or pretty plant, I cannot resist to snap a photo. I am now getting back into videography and enjoy managing and assisting on projects and sets. Now, I occasionally do some background work on some random TV sets (when I can find the time to get away from my job at Costco and school) and that also was a giant inspiration for me to pursue photography and art as a career not only as a hobby but a possible way of living in the future
I hope to one day begin my career as a production assistant in Los Angeles and work my way up from there and dabble in other visually artistic fields.
I really love being around the arts, all kinds of art. It is my passion. I am currently supporting myself through school, but as soon as I finish I plan to live in LA for a bit and experience every opportunity I can get my hands on! I really do love my community in San Diego though, and I wish to share my photos with the world and really hope my audience accepts and enjoys my work! Especially my local county!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a visual artist mainly. My preferred medium is photography and videography.
I shoot photos on a Nikon D5300 DSLR camera, and I use Adobe Lightroom editing software to occasionally enhance the quality of the images.
When I create videos, I shoot on the same camera, but I use Adobe Premiere Pro for editing purposes.
My main inspiration for photography would probably be hiking. A few years ago I fell into an extremely unhappy state of mind, and I felt trapped and confused as to what I was doing in my life and where I was going in my future. A few friends of mine invited me on a hiking day at Torrey Pines and then the next week Calavera In Carlsbad. It made me feel so good about myself, and in time it became a weekly occurrence, and after a few months, It dawned on me that these were PERFECT places for practicing photography! In no time I became “the girl in the back of the group taking pictures of nothing,” but that didn’t bother me one bit, because I knew what I was capturing where beautiful, sweet moments of life on Earth we will never get back.
I want my art to make people feel like they are connected with the nature captured in the image. I simply want my viewers to find them aesthetically beautiful and relaxing. We have sunsets every single day, but not one is ever the same. That is why photography is so important to me. Its meant to express our emotions in any creative way we need and by capturing moments in time that we will never get back we also capture a memory of how we felt in that very moment in time.
I consider myself a minimalist at times. Sometimes my work is just that upfront and simple. Not every one of my images are trying to say something completely abstract and have a hidden message. A few yes, but definitely not all. Just take in the image any way you feel comfortable and what you as an individual take from it can differ from others, and that’s okay. Most of my images can be described as “documentary photography” as they are taken while on a hiking trip.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
My best advice would be to be patient and humble, always.
You might not be given the same amazing opportunity as other artists, and that’s okay. If this is something you truly love, the mere satisfaction of having your local community interested in seeing your work should be just as important as trying to “make it” in the art world.
Learn social media and how to gain a following, fast. I am STRUGGLING with this!
I am a Technology Major in college, yet I cannot seem to manage my pages fast and often enough for a strong high number following. I currently have a little over 715 followers, but to start becoming more known, most have over a couple thousand. Learn how to properly #hashtag!
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?
I have two social media pages that are public for anyone to visit.
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hunterashleyphotography/
-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunterashleyphotography/?hl=en
The BEST way to support a local photographer like me would to just simply follow my pages. The more viewers I can share my work with (FREE) means more to me than a paycheck. (although that would be nice!)
My goal is to share my art with anyone who is willing to give it a chance.
Contact Info:
- Address: Oceanside, California
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/hunterashleyphotography/?hl=en
- Phone: 7606220551
- Email: hunterashleybowen@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunterashleyphotography/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hunterashleyphotography/?ref=profile_intro_card
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/hunterashleyphotography/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Hunter Bowen
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
