There’s an old saying to which aspiring musicians and scribes oftentimes adhere:
Write what you know.
Replace the word “write” with “shoot” and you can apply the same logic to photographers like Isaac Miller. A longtime Mountain West resident, when Isaac undertook an update of his portfolio, he visited a bison ranch in Montana to shoot a logging operation.
I am primarily targeting farm and ranch markets, heavy equipment manufacturers, and workwear brands with my latest marketing push. These are industries that I either grew up around or worked in earlier in life. I feel that prior experience gives me a knowledge base to offer clients that other photographers don’t have.
Isaac has called Montana home for a good portion of his life, having lived there on and off for the better part of 15 years. As such, he is intimately familiar with the terrain, a necessity when shooting people sawing down trees for the purposes of building infrastructure.
I’m always drawn to rugged landscapes and people that inhabit them. I really wanted the imagery to have an authentic feel to it that potential clients could envision utilizing in their own campaigns.
[They want] to reach customers who work in these industries, and [those people] can spot a setting that doesn’t fit a mile away. I feel like this authenticity is key to growing my brand down the road.
Even though this was self-assigned work, Isaac took ample time to scout the location and talk shop with the ranch owners, whom he met for the first time during the project. Being a personable individual, Isaac had no trouble chumming it up with proprietors Brittany and Jon and their friendly crew.
There was a lot of communication with the owners leading up to this project, as we had never met before and they had no idea what to expect. I ended up showing up two days before and staying on site to get to know their operation better and scout the settings in which we’d be shooting.
It was a great crew to work with, and we had a blast just talking about their business when we weren’t shooting or they weren’t actually working. Of all things that have helped me as my career has progressed, I think being able to relate to the talent and their circumstances has been the most valuable.
As you view the work, try to picture yourself traversing a similar landscape with a camera bag in tow. Isaac was covered in protective gear, yes, but he still had to be wary of falling trees, rolling boulders, and curious animals.
The terrain was steep and brushy and, believe it or not, had a healthy population of bears and rattlesnakes. The most present hazard was the possibility of trees falling the wrong direction or causing rocks or logs to roll down the steep slopes. Everyone worked together seamlessly to make sure there was clear communication and smart safety practices.
And that was a good thing because this shoot had some long, unpredictable days up in a place with no cell service that the group “had to get to with four-wheel drive.” Fortunately, Isaac was with a seasoned group of loggers, so combining his own past experiences in this type of setting with their preparedness made work smoothly.
Being comfortable in the environment you are working in is always going to make your work that much easier. I think it shows in the final product. Knowing what clothing and gear to have helped everything go smoothly. We ended up encountering everything from hot sun to wind, rain, and sleet on the shoot days.
Even with the inclement weather, onlooking wildlife, and falling trees, Isaac refused to capitulate to Mother Nature and created “close to fifty or sixty” images, utilizing a variety of lenses over the course of the shoot. Some of the photography, which is a mix of wide and tight shots, stands out in particular for its authenticity, including a shot of a tree stump.
The biggest key to the close-ups was shooting with a telephoto lens. This allowed myself and the saw operator to work comfortably and safely while still getting the shots I was looking for.
I feel like [the shot above] is the keystone of this series, as it feels both raw and a small but critical piece to telling an authentic story. One look at the stump and you know that the saw operator knew what he was doing.
However, Isaac’s favorite picture features one of the owners of the ranch, Jon, right after he has “felled and bucked a tree.”
I feel that this image tells the entire story of the hard work these guys put in.
This was an incredibly successful portfolio update for Isaac, who has gotten client-based work as a direct result of the project. Still, this talented, gregarious, and knowledgeable outdoor photographer continues to stay ambitious and hopes to one day collaborate with the cream of the crop in this field.
It’s been one of my most satisfying portfolio productions to date, and the reaction has been very positive. I have already booked work with a new client partially because this imagery resonated with their upcoming needs.
If I’m setting my sights even higher, I want to someday work with Carhartt, Caterpillar, and John Deere.
See more of Isaac’s work on his website.
Credits:
Location: Go Roam Free Ranch
Ranch owners: Brittany Masters, Jon Sepp
Further Reading:
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