Heidi: Graham Agassiz said that even early on, you “always know where to be … you’re never getting in the way or calling out tricks” — how do you develop that sense of timing and positioning in these high-risk environments? Paris: Developing a sense of positioning and not being in the way is really just being very observant and listening to riders. Staying in the shadows a bit, but having ears and eyes on what’s going on, which can sometimes be a lot of different things at once.
How much do you choreograph vs. adapt in real time? In other words, do you visualize every shot beforehand? A lot is happening live so it really depends on where the light is and people are riding. But that said, there are shots I like to scout ahead of time before event day and have a good plan to where to go and what lens I should be using so I can make a switch while I am on the fly during the event. But most of the time it’s adapting in real time, which goes back to being very observational to calculate what’s going on and where.
Tell me about a shot you didn’t get — what went wrong? The worst miss was watching Brandon Semenuk on his winning run tailwhip off a massive drop which was a crazy move at the time with my own eyes and not from my camera. It was really dejecting as I was blind to the action, meaning I could not see him coming up to the drop and there was a delay that the announcers didn’t make clear he was on course. He just came off the drop and I was like “F*** missed that one”
You have spent nearly 10 years perched on these cliffs — hiking 10+ miles a day, carrying 50-lb camera bags, working sunup to sundown. What keeps you going through that physical grind, and how do you maintain creative energy under those conditions – other than the endless quest for the 1 in a million shot? It takes a lot out of you shooting the event, we are on site for about a 12-hour day and then still have to edit images for another 2+ so maintaining and keeping energy is really important. Especially during event day it can be really hot out and no break, so just managing water intake and food is super crucial. I generally am in the gym a lot leading up to the event to maintain a solid amount of fitness to be able to withstand the physical demand.
What changes have you seen in how you approach your craft — from planning, gear, or mindset — and can you point to a moment when your style or process noticeably shifted? I’ve gotten more efficient over the years but also it still is very much the same madness in the 12 years I’ve photographed the event. Just more tuned into what riders are doing and what kind of images I am looking for. I’ve also started running lighter and more minimal gear kits, knowing what I need to go into it and don’t have to carry as much heavy gear around.
With more conversations now about including women in high-stakes freeride events (e.g. Red Bull’s “Formation” as a step toward women’s representation) — how do you see your role (as a visual storyteller) in supporting or driving that inclusion, and how has your approach to photographing women in these environments evolved over time? I was lucky enough to photograph the first Formation event in 2019 which was awesome to be apart of at the time and witness their talents. With the full on Rampage event now for women I’ve been trying to showcase how gnarly some of the features are they are riding now that no other male riders even would touch back in 2015 when they were at the same venue which is really awesome to see.
How do you approach “landscape-first” compositions in Rampage settings — balancing epic environments with intense human action — and how has that balance shifted over the years? Rampage is so expansive and has massive terrain that needs to be showcased in a certain way to really do justice to the scale of the action. There’s times where a tighter trick shot off a jump is important but also a wider landscape style to show the sheer scale of what they’re riding down.
You’ve lived in Bellingham, WA for a while now, and you also fly airplanes, snowboard, explore wilderness. How do your off-mountain passions (flying, snowboarding, exploring) inform your perspective and instincts when you’re shooting in extreme mountain terrain at Rampage? I do a lot outside of just shooting and really love being in the mountains doing the sports I enjoy photographing. Flying for me as well has been an outlet for my own “thing” that is unique and extremely passionate about doing. Snowboarding really helps me think about Rampage a bit mainly just seeing photos from Blatt and other snowboard photographers approach to shooting big mountain terrain to apply that into a Rampage environment.
The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
Suzanne Sease is a creative consultant and former ad-agency senior art buyer. She works with both emerging and established photographers and illustrators to create cohesive, persuasive presentations that clients can’t resist.
Suzanne offers something rare: an insider’s perspective on how client’s source creative talent. Her deep understanding of the industry is underscored by her impressive resume: 11 years as senior art buyer at The Martin Agency, seven years as an art producer for Capital One, and stints with the art-buying department at Kaplan-Thaler and the creative department at Best Buy, where she applied her expertise to reviewing bids to see which were most likely to come in on budget. Over the years, Suzanne has worked with a wildly diverse range of clients, including Seiko, Wrangler, Bank One, AFLAC, and Clairol Herbal Essence. Now, as a consultant, she is equipped to problem-solve for her clients from an unusually dynamic point of view.
As a longtime member of the photo community, Suzanne is also dedicated to giving back. Through her Art of the Personal Project column on the popular website aphotoeditor.com, she highlights notable personal projects by well-known and up-and-coming photographers. The column offers these artists excellent exposure while reflecting Suzanne’s passion for powerful imagery.
In this review I discuss my experiences with the Canon EOS R5 in detail having owned it and used it as my primary camera for the last 5 years.
Appearance & Build Quality
The EOS R5 is a bit odd looking overall. It is rather small but has a lot of buttons on it. The smallness plus the buttons make it rather hard to hold on to and use effectively at first. It should be a bit larger with more room for people with X-Large hands. I personally wear XL sized gloves which actually isn’t that big. It’s not abnormal or anything, and I find the camera usable but I also find it very cramped. It could use some MAJOR improvements in the design and layout.
The little screen on top is pointless because it has too much information in it. They should put less information there and try to keep simplifiy that screen because as it is the fonts are way too small inside of that screen which makes glancing at it like trying to read the fine print in the bible at arms length, you know what I mean?
Now, one things I actually really hate is the stupid top screen backlight button… why is that even there? It’s a dumb inclusion and should be removed or changed into something else. Instead, why not make the screen touch sensitive so it can be touched and it turns on? Then, make it swipe sensitive so I can swipe left and right and see other settings on it with larger fonts?? Ok, does that help at all or am I just crazy?? *rollseyes*
The flash hot shoe is an old fashioned piece of junk that should be completely rethought. They gotta be kidding with these idiotic flash hotshoes in 2025. Guys, the current flash hot shoe, even the one on the R1, R3, and R5 mk II, is a low level piece of junk that isn’t worth putting on the camera. On my camera the flash hot shoe has come loose and no longer holds certain flashes securely. They really need to fix this flash hot shoe because it is making them look bad. The thing about these hotshoes is that they’re the same thing you’ll find welded to to the top of an ancient camera from the 1950’s. It’s just too old of a concept for modern lighting demands.
The rubberized grip on the R5 is cheap which is reminiscent of a 1960’s consumer camera manufactured in a sweatshop. It has started bubbling up all over on my camera. So, the grip is actually moving around on the camera which means it is doesn’t feel as secure in hand which is a bad thing.
All of the buttons are basically badly designed and are like pressing on mush. The clicky wheels are all bad. Every clicky wheel should have the same indentation spacing but they don’t. Some of them are oddly hard to control like the wheel for ISO which is oddly difficult to scroll just one click at a time. The other two wheels are easier to control.
The menu system is of the spray and pray variety. It is a mess of settings simply dumped onto screen with little or no logic. They need to come up with something new for the menus.
The overall build quality of the camera is middle of the road, it has good aspect and bad aspects, but, it is also a pretty cheap camera for what it offers so… it is what it is.
The R5’s exterior is mostly plastic but the top sections are magnesium. The internal frame is magnesium also which should mean that the camera might withstand some abuse.
Overall the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. Especially the flash hot shoe and the exterior grip which slowly comes loose. We’re past the days of just gluing a grip onto the exterior of the camera… why is my EOS 1N RS built like a tank compared to my R5? I don’t know, but it really is night and day.
Weather Sealing
It might be weather sealed it might not… they say it is. I have used it in mild rain by the fact is I don’t trust it very much. The CF card door is pretty weak and worn out at this point so I would assume water would make its way in there pretty quickly if it were in actual rain. The I/O port covers are also just those annoying little rubber covers. They are not going to protect the camera in an actual downpour. Over all the weather sealing is second rate. I’m sure that certain aspects of it or decent, but again, this isn’t something that will survive all day shooting in the rain with no protection on it. Now, it definitely won’t survive being dunked in river or something like that for more than an instant. Bottom line is I wouldn’t trust the weather sealing for more than momentary forays into mild to moderate rain. Best to treat it like its not weather sealed and hope that the weather sealing protects the camera if mistakes are made.
Battery Life
The battery on the R5 is one area where there is definitely some room for improvement. The battery grip, BG-R10 is absolutely essential if you actually intend to use this camera professionally. That is because it the batterly life is improved greatly with having two batteries in use rather than just one. You will also massively extend the life of your batteries by using them in the battery grip.
The bottom line here is that the R5’s battery behaviors are less than perfect but if you use the battery grip the batteries do tend to last.
Input/Output
The R5 has the typical inputs/outputs including the standard 3.5mm stereo mic input, stereo headphone out, USB-C port, micro HDMI port, and a flash sync port. The camera can also be charged via the USB-C port if you have a PD compatible USB-C charger to plug it into.
The issue with the I/O is the same as it ever was. They keep using those annoying little rubber doors to cover the plus. Well, that hardly seems weather resistant but it might be sneeze resistant, I don’t know… I’m starting to think I am living in an echo chamber and nobody will ever hear my words because this crap just never gets fixed. It just goes on and on and on. When will anyone listen to what I am saying to them about anything?
Dual Card Slots
The much requested feature of Dual Card Slots was finally added into the EOS R5. The R5 sports a UHS-III compatible SD card slot and a CFExpress type B card slot. Both card slots can deliver impressive performance which is necessary to handle the high bandwidth video this camera can generate in it’s 8k RAW setting.
Most camera’s in this price bracket have dual SD card slots so the fact that the R5 has a CFExpress type B slot at all is a bonus. CFExpress Type B cards are capable of higher speeds than SD cards currently are. This is because CFExpress Type B is essentially the NVME standard for SSD’s that are used in laptops and desktops. NVME drives have a memory controller built onto the drive which allow them to run at high speeds but also generate a lot of heat.
CFExpress Type B cards are great but they’re also expensive. I appreciate the dual card setup because it means I don’t have to rely solely on expensive CFExpress Type B cards. If worse comes to worst and I forget my cards (happened before), then being able to borrow an SD card from a fellow photographer is a lot more likely than borrowing a CFExpress Type B card. I have also stored cheap SD cards in bag pockets, cases, and gloveboxes just in case I forget to bring cards again. For most kinds of photography SD cards are perfectly usable. The main reason to use CFExpress Type B is for 4k and 8k video on the R5.
Video Capability
The R5 continues Canon’s penchant for putting video in their still camera’s and takes it up to whole new level. We’re now at 8k video! Wow. 8k video is a lot of pixels and the R5 can shoot 8k RAW. Just to give you an idea of what the R5 can do with regards to video here is a chart that lists the bandwidth generated at a few its available video settings:
8k DCI
RAW
29.97 fps
2600 Mbps
8k UHD
ALL-I
29.97 fps
1300 Mbps
4k DCI
ALL-I
119.88 fps
1880 Mbps
4k DCI
ALL-I
59.94 fps
940 Mbps
4k UHD
IPB
29.97 fps
120 Mbps
Full HD
ALL-I
59.94 fps
180 Mbps
Card Type
Maximum Sustained Write Speed
CFExpress Type B
Varies by type & brand: approximately 1,170 Mbps to 16,777 Mbps (bus speed maximum)
SD V-90
755 Mbps
SD V-60
503 Mbps
SD V-30
251 Mbps
The biggest issue with the video is quite simply the overheating! Yes, the camera overheats within 15 minutes when used outdoors in 90F weather. I almost always shoot in 4k 60fps so that is what you get with this camera, just about 15 minutes and then you’re done. Why it is so low I honestly don’t know. I see videos online of people walking around for hours with cameras and the video is shot at 4k 60fps. I guess they have a better camera than the R5.
Aside from that the video quality can be good if you know what you are doing. And that’s really the key thing here. Don’t expect the R5 to be the kind of camera that anybody can just pick up and use. Nope, whomever uses this camera will need to be well versed in all the technical details to make the best use of it for the purpose.
Still Photo Capability
The still photo capability of this camera is middle of the road in all honestly. While it is 45MP, and certainly is pretty good, and usually looks better than a cellphone, it is by no means great. The quality falls off by a LOT even at relatively low ISO’s. It depends on the lighting situation is what I have noticed. But, if you’re shooting in low light, the camera really struggles with absolute image quality. Basically you’ll want to avoid shooting in low light with high ISO’s if you want the best image quality. I don’t know why this is?? Maybe they’re trying to sell tripods, no idea, but the camera works best on a tripod and with longer shutterspeeds.
At lower ISO settings the image quality is better but still not great. What I’m seeing is that color fidelity falls off and gradient quality falls off substantially by about 800 ISO. I actually feel like the camera was better with earlier firmware versions and has gotten worse at the higher ISO settings with the most recent firmware releases.
The reality of the still photo capability is that it feels like there is something missing unless I shoot at 100 ISO. Even going to 200 ISO I see issues with the image that aren’t there at 100 ISO. It is just a little too obvious. Because of that, especially when I shoot landscapes, I feel very much trapped at 100 ISO. While the camera may be better than past iterations up to 400 ISO, it’s still not quite meeting expectations for image quality there.
AF Capability
Probably the one part of the camera I can say meets most expectations is the AF performance. Now, it’s good for what it is. It is not as a good as a cellphone which is kind of odds, but phones like the iPhone 16 Pro have crazy good tracking AF, even if they don’t focus super fast they track amazingly well.
On the other hand the EOS R5 tracks well but doesn’t match the iPhone’s tracking capability. The good news is that the R5 doesn’t need to track well for many kinds of photography such as landscape, architecture, or even most portraiture. However, if you’re working with a single person or a couple, the R5’s tracking behavior is probably good enough for professional use. Where the R5 isn’t as good is when there are groups of people, then the tracking AF is best turned off.
Overall AF accuracy is very good though and it is capable of getting very high focus precision. This is the one feature where I feel like maybe I’m getting a little bit more than I paid for in the R5’s price. Sure, it’s not quite as perfect as an iPhone at tracking but we have to take into account that the iPhone’s battery will be dead in about 1hr of constant use so it is barely worth considering as a professional photo or video tool for that one reason. The reason an iPhone kills its battery is simply because it has a powerful and power hungry CPU in it. On the other hand, the R5 is sipping power by comparison so, for what it is the R5 works pretty well.
At the end of the day it seems like they’ve kind of finally solved the AF accuracy problem with the latest RF series cameras. Most of the time the images are sharp and in focus and focus misses are usually explainable as slightly mispositioned focus points or something of that nature. Very rarely does the camera just miss focus on a static subject.
Stabilization
The performance of the stabilizer in the R5 is a mixed bag. For photo it definitely can help, but it also seems to hurt image quality at times. I can’t say that the R5’s stabilization system really impresses me but I think it does help just enough to make it worth having. Basically, you’ll generally get 3-4 stops of extra room for a lower shutterspeed with most native RF lenses attached to the R5. Some lenses are definitely better than others but I have found that it is tough to make predictions about the stabilization based on lens quality or whether it has IS or not. Regardless of lens, the absolute limit for hand held is about 1/2 a second, which is a pretty long exposure to be sure. But, what I have noticed is that at 1/2 a second the edges are often blurred, so, the center is sharp but the edges are blurred and that is true for almost any lens shot at 1/2 a second. For telephotos obviously 1/2 a second is way too long, the whole frame will just be badly blurred at that speed.
It’s important to realize that in the standard range, whether shoot at 50mm, or 35mm, or 24mm, or even 10mm, a 1/2 second seems to be about the limit for the stabilizer. I find that kind of odd and I would have thought the 10mm would manage a 1 second shutter speed but it really doesn’t work like that apparently.
For video the stabilization ranges from amazing to passable depending on the lens used. Lenses like the RF 10-20mm f/4 L seem very well stabilized for video. I also noticed that the RF 24-240mm had great video stabilization results on the R5. In fact, I’d say the RF 24-240mm is one of the best stabilized lenses I own. However, some other lenses like the RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L didn’t perform as well as I’d expected they would.
Again, I’m generalizing a lot so you may find that for your use case the R5’s stabilzation is exceptional. If all you’re doing is standing there and carefully holding the camera still for a video shot, the IBIS is very, very good. In fact, it’s good enough to be used with manual, unchipped lenses up to around 200mm. If you want stable footage for video the R5 is great if you shoot hand held and simply point the camera where you want to film without panning or moving too much.
Where we separate lenses with built in IS from those that don’t have it is if we try walking/panning and shooting hand held. Then the lenses like the RF 10-20mm f/4 L and the RF 24-240mm STM really separate out from the rest of the pack.
But, for the most part, the video stabilization of the R5 is very good if you use the camera within its parameters.
I don’t think it is fair to compare the R5 to a cellphone because the stabilization on a cellphone has so many advantages to the R5 that it’s basically a dumb comparision. However, with certain lenses like the RF 10-20mm f/4 L, the R5’s stabilization is very close to what a modern pro-level cellphone can do. That is pretty impressive considering how much bigger the moving parts are in the R5.
Example Gallery
Highlight/Shadow Recovery
The R5 is also really good about recovering shadows at 100-200 ISO. Beyond that it requires being very careful with the selected exposure as shadows get noisy at 400 ISO and beyond. Shadow noise is really grungy with the R5 beyond 1600 ISO. This is where the IBIS can be a benefit if the scene allows for a slow shutter speed. If you plan on recovering shadows in your scene, then you should learn to lean on the stabilization more to keep the ISO as low as possible.
This example below shows that at 100 ISO the shadow/highlight recovery is barely enough for cloudy shots.
All in all it has been a solid camera for me. It was a big improvement over the EOS R in terms of AF and stabilization. Overall image quality is similar between the two but I think the final edge goes to the R5. The R5 does seem to pick out more color and produce more distinct gradations of color than the R does. I wouldn’t fret too much about the R5’s image quality, just focus on taking good pictures if you’re lucky enough to have one!
Conclusion
The Canon EOS R5 is a good camera that is capable of performing many photography and videography tasks. It may not be the best choice for all, but it can do sports, wildlife, landscapes, low light, events, family, portraits, studio, product, and I doubt anyone would complain about the results.
One of the best times of the year for photography is about to pass, but have you gotten out and taken photos yet?
Let me guess… you’ll do it “next weekend”.
Or even better yet… “I checked the online fall color tracker, the colors aren’t good yet”.
The only way to track Fall colors is to look at them with your own eyes. Even if you’re not into the colors and falling leaves, and the hoopla, it’s still a chance to get out and hike in temperate weather.
The most important thing about Fall is that it’s about moments where light, and wind, all come together to make something rare in the world. And if you don’t get out there and at least try, you’ll miss those rare opportunitities. What are you going to tell your friends and family? That you sat inside and stared out the window while everyone else got out and enjoyed the moment?
“Hey Bob, did you do any photography this fall?”
“Nah, I missed the fall colors the because I believe internet fall color trackers know what the colors are like in my own backyard.”
“OMG, Bob is going senile already… how sad.”
There are times during the fall when a boring old city park looks like the best place in the whole world. Maybe not every year, but every once in a while. I guess if it happened every day it wouldn’t be special, and you wouldn’t have to be a good photographer to get the shot.
I really like this one I got at the park about 20 minutes from where I live:
The key to good photography is sometimes being patient, and other times, it is making things happen. You can keep making stupid excuses, or you can get out there and start finding fall moments.
To sign up for the workshop just Click Here and you’ll get instant access to the course and bonus materials including a Fall Photography Cheat Sheet and an exclusive photo walkthrough of a few of my favorite fall photos from the Smokey Mountains.
Here are some tips to try if your camera isn’t working.
1. Try a different battery.
A common issue cameras can have, especially older cameras, is that their batteries don’t last as long as the camera does. For instance, if you bought a brand-new camera and stuck it in your closet for a year with the battery installed, that battery might actually be completely dead the next time you go to use it. You can try charging up the camera or the battery but if that doesn’t work your best bet is to first buy a new genuine battery for your camera.
2. Try a different camera lens.
This tip really only applies to DSLR’s and Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras, but it is a good tip for some compact digital camera’s as well. Many times, a camera will refuse to work with the attached lens for whatever reason, and the quickest way to find out if the lens is your problem is to do the simple and easy thing, try another lens on your camera.
For some compact digital cameras, the lens retracts when it is powered off. In some rare cases with these kinds of cameras the lens can become stuck in the retracted position. When the lens gets stuck in place it usually causes the camera to malfunction. If this is the case it is sometimes possible to simply pull on the lens to get it to come out, or, cleaning out sand or dust may help the camera work again.
3. Reset your camera’s settings to the factory default.
Resetting the camera is a good idea if there is some kind of glitch occurring or the camera is not behaving how we want it to. Once in awhile people forget that they changed the settings and this can lead to issues. Or, perhaps you bought a used camera and that owner had changed different settings leading to things appearing not to work properly on the camera. The easy solution is to simply reset the camera to the factory defaults. When you do that the camera will go back to working how it was supposed to work (hopefully).
4. Try a different memory card.
Just like lenses and batteries, sometimes memory cards go bad and can cause crazy things to happen with our images. Every once in a while, unscrupulous dealers put fake memory cards up for sale that aren’t new or aren’t the advertised brand name. Before blaming the camera ask yourself, did you accidentally leave your memory card in your pants pocket the last time you washed your clothes? If so, that might actually be your problem… the memory card is now damaged and it’s time to get a new one. Sometimes certain brands of cards don’t work as well with certain brands of cameras. It’s just one of those things.
5. Make sure your camera lens is clean.
The camera lens is easy to get dirty fingerprints all over and anyone who has used a camera knows this by now. There is a common misconception that dust and fingerprints won’t show up if they’re on the front of the lens, but the truth is fingerprints on the lens can affect the lens sharpness and even cause small flares and blooming around bright areas.
6. Clean the connections between the lens and the camera.
Once in a while the connection between camera and lens can be obstructed by dirt and grime that has built up on the lens connecting pins. Simply clean up these pins and it might fix that annoying “lens error” message you’ve suddenly started seeing.
7. If you dropped your camera in the water take the batteries out and let it sit for days.
Once in a grand while we do something really bad and drop our camera in the water. It is a nightmare scenario but doesn’t always end up with a ruined camera. Many cameras are weather sealed so they may survive if you are able to retrieve the camera fast enough. The important thing is to remove the batteries and let the camera sit in a warm and dry spot for a few days or even weeks. After this time has passed check on the camera again, you might get lucky and find that it still works despite being dropped in the drink.
8. You dropped your camera on the ground and it no longer works.
Most of the time if a camera was dropped on the ground and it ceases it to work as a result, that’s usually the end of that little camera’s usable life. Either send the camera in for repair or buy a new one. The unfortunate reality is that when most things are broken due to a drop on the ground that’s it, they’re done for… But, if you’re the stubborn type, simply try all the things in the list of items above until you get to the post after this one:
9. You tried everything and you have no idea what is wrong with your camera.
Your camera doesn’t work and you’ve already checked everything on this list… Well, guess what? It’s game over bro! Time to head on over to your local Goodwill and make a donation… here’s the good news: you can deduct what you donate on your taxes! You’ll probably make more money doing that than you will trying to sell a broken body on eBay, especially after eBay charges their fees.
10. Contact Customer support and tell them your problem!
Sometimes customer support can help when there are problems, sometimes not. Call and ask, its worth a shot!
We need more women in all facets of creativity in the outdoor industry as directors, producers, photo editors, filmmakers, and photographers. I hope that with this influx, we can broaden narratives and perspectives in outdoor media.
As a commercial photographer, my shoots are usually highly structured and charted out, often involving weeks or months of planning and strict guidelines from the Creative Director. During Roam, most of my focus was on supporting and guiding my mentee. But in the pockets of time when she was working, I had rare moments to step back.
I used that time to follow my curiosity—without the looming thought of a client reviewing the images or waiting on deliverables. I asked myself questions like, “What if I combined panning with ICM (intentional camera movement)? Would it be too much distortion, or could it work in some odd but interesting way?” Looking at the bikers against the landscape, I wondered if there was a new way to pair the two. I pulled out in-camera double exposures from my bag of tricks—a technique I hadn’t touched in years.
I took the opportunity to be an artist without a client at the end of it, to let ideas succeed or fail with no pressure to show the work to anyone. My biggest creative takeaway is the importance of carving out space to explore with no job on the line, no expectations, and not even the thought that anyone will see the images—just letting my imagination run loose to see what it creates.
Michelle VanTine (mentor) I once read something to the effect of ‘representation isn’t charity—it’s the map that lets dreamers know a route exists.’
For years, as a sports photographer, I stood in front of billboards at places like Dick’s Sporting Goods or the Nike outlet, wondering ‘But how?’ and having absolutely no idea what the route was. That uncertainty isn’t unique to me—women make up only 5–15% of sports photographers in the U.S., and because we so often work alone, it’s easy to feel like no one else like us exists and we have no road map to where we want to arrive. Since we are always the minority, there’s often a pressure to be tough or prove that we belong in our workspace. Roam Media Core is the only program I’m aware of that women can let their tough exterior down and ask, “I don’t know how to do that—can you show me?” without the fear of being discredited which we already have to battle simply by walking on the job site. Here, women can strategize, share struggles, overcome obstacles, and gain hope. It’s the kind of community that makes the impossible and lonely road feel possible and that others are walking alongside us. Now, if someone asks me, “How do I get a billboard?” I can actually tell them how as a mentor who has walked through the journey.
I would love to see more programs that support spaces like this for women to grow in an environment that doesn’t feel threatening. The change we need is enormous, and at times the gap feels too wide to bridge. I believe though, that the only way to close it is one person, one program, one opportunity at a time. I hope to see more programs that help raise the next generation of women in sports and outdoor industries.
Linette Messina (mentee) My biggest personal take away is the overwhelming feeling of acceptance. Working and learning alongside such incredibly talented women in the photography/ film industry, sharing stories through their lens was an experience I have never had before in my 20+yrs of working as a photographer. I felt accepted from my Media core peers and everyone I met at the Roam fest. But most importantly, I accepted myself for where I am in my life, my age, my body, my mindset on giving myself grace, and the work I must continue to put in to help create the change I hope to see in all parts of media and advertising, which is inclusivity and authenticity.
Hey all, apologies for the online silence recently, loads going on. Hopefully I’ll share more on soon! For now, here’s an image from Scotland that I think slipped through the posting cracks at the time and was never shared. 🙂
The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
I’ve been photographing dogs for seventeen years, and the question I’m asked most often is, “What’s your favorite breed?” Although there are hundreds of recognized dog breeds around the world that I could choose from, my answer has always been the same: my favorite breed is a mutt.
Mutts are 100% unique, and when I see one, I see a limited-edition work of art. As soon as we meet, I find myself taking inventory of all the things I find endearing and irresistibly one-of-a-kind – the long body and stubby legs, the single floppy ear that refuses to stand up straight, or the complete mystery of which breeds could have come together to create this particular mashup of cuteness. Mutts truly show off nature’s infinite creativity in the most fun and unexpected ways, and they remind me that beauty is never about fitting into a mold, but about being unmistakably yourself.
I’ve always been drawn to their underdog spirit, because while the world often celebrates the prestige of purebred dogs, mutts quietly prove that you don’t need papers or pedigrees to be extraordinary. Many are rescue dogs, and it fills me with joy to celebrate the vibrant lives they’ve built from their second chance at life.
Each dog in this book has been DNA tested by Embark, a top leader in dog DNA testing, which makes it all the more satisfying to discover the mix of breeds that shaped them – and often surprising too, because appearances can be deceiving but DNA doesn’t lie!
This book is a love letter to mutts: to their individuality, their mystery, and their one-of-a-kind magic.
Suzanne Sease is a creative consultant and former ad-agency senior art buyer. She works with both emerging and established photographers and illustrators to create cohesive, persuasive presentations that clients can’t resist.
Suzanne offers something rare: an insider’s perspective on how client’s source creative talent. Her deep understanding of the industry is underscored by her impressive resume: 11 years as senior art buyer at The Martin Agency, seven years as an art producer for Capital One, and stints with the art-buying department at Kaplan-Thaler and the creative department at Best Buy, where she applied her expertise to reviewing bids to see which were most likely to come in on budget. Over the years, Suzanne has worked with a wildly diverse range of clients, including Seiko, Wrangler, Bank One, AFLAC, and Clairol Herbal Essence. Now, as a consultant, she is equipped to problem-solve for her clients from an unusually dynamic point of view.
As a longtime member of the photo community, Suzanne is also dedicated to giving back. Through her Art of the Personal Project column on the popular website aphotoeditor.com, she highlights notable personal projects by well-known and up-and-coming photographers. The column offers these artists excellent exposure while reflecting Suzanne’s passion for powerful imagery.
The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
MashUps: Messy on Purpose Ham-Handed, Lo-Tech Collisions, Just Because
I’ll be turning 68 this year. That’s something I used to keep quiet, worried that clients might assume I was past my prime, too set in my ways, or not up to speed on the latest tech. The truth is, while I feel like I’m at the top of my game, business has slowed over the past couple of years. And I get the sense a lot of others are feeling it too. Fortunately, photography has always been both my livelihood and my passion, and I still feel inspired to create every day.
I’ve really been focused on two personal series over the past few years. One is Driftless Artists: Creative Portraits from Wisconsin’s Hidden Region (agoodwinphoto.com/Driftless-Artists) a long-term project that will become a book later this year. The other is something very different, a stream-of-consciousness series I call MashUps (agoodwinphoto.com/MashUps), that’s low-tech, messy, and deliberately unpolished. In many ways they’re the opposite of the overly perfect AI images we see so much of today. I make most of them late at night on my phone with images I’ve shot, drawn over, and combined. Sometimes I’ll pull in a scanner or Photoshop, but for the most part they’re quick, instinctive, and not overthought. MashUps have become my way of loosening up, stepping away from perfection, and letting the work just be what it is.
I was reminded how good it can feel to work more loosely when my friend John Craig, an incredible artist in his own right, took me to visit an artist named Robert in Wisconsin. Robert is largely undiscovered, and his work completely floored me. What struck me most is that he doesn’t carry the weight of making a living from it and doesn’t seem to need an audience. He creates because he has to, and there’s something deeply refreshing in that. Once he is discovered, I just hope the attention doesn’t chip away at that unrestrained way he creates. I’m not anti-AI, I use it myself, but I am getting tired of seeing everything come out looking so perfect. Lately, I’m more drawn to something rough, human, and a little messy.
MashUps aren’t supposed to make sense; they’re just the flip side of creating photographs that are deliberate and precise. And they make me smile, which is enough.
Suzanne Sease is a creative consultant and former ad-agency senior art buyer. She works with both emerging and established photographers and illustrators to create cohesive, persuasive presentations that clients can’t resist.
Suzanne offers something rare: an insider’s perspective on how client’s source creative talent. Her deep understanding of the industry is underscored by her impressive resume: 11 years as senior art buyer at The Martin Agency, seven years as an art producer for Capital One, and stints with the art-buying department at Kaplan-Thaler and the creative department at Best Buy, where she applied her expertise to reviewing bids to see which were most likely to come in on budget. Over the years, Suzanne has worked with a wildly diverse range of clients, including Seiko, Wrangler, Bank One, AFLAC, and Clairol Herbal Essence. Now, as a consultant, she is equipped to problem-solve for her clients from an unusually dynamic point of view.
As a longtime member of the photo community, Suzanne is also dedicated to giving back. Through her Art of the Personal Project column on the popular website aphotoeditor.com, she highlights notable personal projects by well-known and up-and-coming photographers. The column offers these artists excellent exposure while reflecting Suzanne’s passion for powerful imagery.
