Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Hess
Hi Alan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a husband, a photographer, an author and at times, an educator, I came to San Diego from South Africa when I was 12 and other than the years, I spent in Oregon at college I have called San Diego home. I have always been interested in technology and got a combined degree in Computer Science and English. For years, photography was just a hobby, something that I enjoyed in my spare time. I used to take my camera with me everywhere, back before we had smart phones. I 2009, I decided to take my love of photography and try to turn it into a full time career. I have been fortunate to be able to do that ever since. I spend my time writing photography books, capturing live performances, and photographing for corporate clients. I currently have 16 books published ranging on subjects from Concert Photography to the Nikon Creative Lighting system, and I have worked on content and editing a variety of camera guides. I capture some of the biggest names in music and sports as the house photographer for the Pechanga Arena – San Diego. I get to photograph all kinds of great people during the San Diego Comic Con, which is my favorite week of the year. I have corporate clients that have flown me to places like Nashville, Dallas, and Houston to document their events. And most importantly, I get to live in San Diego with my wonderful wife and two rescue boxers. I am one lucky guy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a very bumpy road and that was before Covid-19 decimated the industry I work in most. With no events or concerts or plays or conventions, work has been nearly non-existent this year. I have been fortunate to have some writing and editing work to make up for the lack of photography work, but it has been a tough year for myself and for everyone I work with. If I look back on the previous years and take the whole pandemic out of the equation, it has still been a tough path to follow. I feel that most creatives are undervalued and underpaid for the work they do. It might be that people think photography is easy, or that anyone with a camera can do it. Many of my clients hire me not just because I can take a good photo, but because I can problem solve and get them the images they want and need. I do research, I show up early, I scout locations ahead of time, I talk to the clients to figure out what it is they want and more importantly, what it is they actually need. It’s not easy being a freelance anything, you have to divide you time between doing work for clients and looking for work. A real game changer for me is networking with other photographers and creatives. My biggest clients have all come from recommendations, and I in turn try to hire or recommend other photographers as much as I can. Life just seems to work a lot better when we all work together to lift every one up.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known for my concert photography. I started taking my camera with me to concerts many years ago, specifically Grateful Dead shows, where you were allowed to photograph the show as long as it didn’t interfere with anyone else’s enjoyment. I really loved the idea of capturing a still image that would take the viewer back to the show. That was really the essence of what I wanted to capture then and it still holds true now. When you think about a great concert photo, it has the ability to take you back to that moment, that guitar solo, that soaring vocal, that Rebel Yell, without any audio or video. For the last 10 years, I have been the house photographer at the Pechanga Arena – San Diego (formally known as the San Diego Sports Arena) and have responsible for capturing the concerts, sports, and family entertainment presented there. I am humbled to have my images from some of the 1000s of shows and events up on the walls of the concourse and throughout the building. I still get a thrill every time I walk down the backstage ramp to go to work. I have also been capturing another part of the San Diego culture for many years now as part of the team working for Fox / FX / Hulu, and running the team of photographer for Hasbro, during the San Diego Comic Con. I am a geek at heart and have been attending Comic Con since 1984.
What are your plans for the future?
2020 has been a very difficult year for everyone, but the event (live music, conferences, theater) industry has completely shut down and will take a lot longer to recover. I am looking forward to the later part of 2021 when I believe we will start to see some positive things happen as the COVID-19 vaccines are more readily available and events start to happen again. I miss the crowds and the excitement of a great live show and look forward to being back in the thick of things. I am cautiously optimistic that 2021 will be a better year. In the meantime, I am working on a new website, cataloguing older images, trying to improve my image processing workflow, and continuing to co-host the He Shoots He Draws podcast with my good friend and amazing graphic designer Dave Clayton.
Contact Info:
- Email: alan@alanhessphotography.com
- Website: www.alanhessphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alanhess/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alanhessphotography
- Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/comicconpics/
- Youtube: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B002BMD67Y
- Other: https://heshootshedraws.com
Image Credits
Alan Hess
