In 2005, my mom bought our family's first digital camera. Pretty sure it was a Cannon PowerShot A610. Nothing fancy, but it kicked off a new passion in photography and the camera basically became mine. I would take it everywhere with me, go on little photo adventures around town, and try to learn all the manual controls and settings. Digital SLRs were becoming popular and eventually my Dad's work bought a Canon 5D. He would let me steal it occasionally and it was always such a treat. Inevitably, I picked up my first DSLR (Nikon D50) shortly after and loved that thing to death. I learned a ton about working with all the flexibility a true prosumer camera has to offer and it added so much creative freedom.
Initially, I was mostly interested in landscape, nature, and automotive photography, but would take the occasional portraits when a friend needed some. My love of cars started to take over and they became the primary subject of my photos. It started with with car shows and meet ups, but eventually a friend brought me to a local drift event and I was hooked. I started attending drift events on a regular basis as media and took/posted tons of on-track action photos. I created my first social page on Facebook to share my photography and somehow built up a bit of a following. It was a great time for sure and so many friends along the way.
And now, after a substantial career in web development/design and a period of detailing as a side gig, I'm looking to come back to one of my very first passions and make a name for myself in photography in the freelance space. I'm currently building up my skills with studio lighting and looking to expand into several disciplines in photography including products, events, food, architecture, Airbnb, and of course continue shooting cars.
Looking forward, I'm super excited for the future projects I get to work on and the people I get to work with. Thank you so much for checking out my portfolio and if you have a project you think I'd be a good fit for, shoot me a message!
- Zach Richards
