INTERVIEWER: What's one thing that would make your job easier
I don't really enjoy spending so much time in an airplane
So I'd say that if we can create a teleporter so that I can just instantly warp to these different locations.
I think that would be phenomenal.
[music]
INT: Hey Colby
COLBY: Well this is a bit of a surprise!
How did you find me out here?
INT: I kind of, you know, I might have followed you. [Colby laughs]
INT: So while we're out here though, can we ask you 21 questions?
COLBY: I always enjoy a good conversation. So let's go ahead and see what we can do.
INT: Okay, so what kind of photography do you shoot?
COLBY: Well judging from the size of the lens
I imagine that you can surmise that I shoot wildlife photography. It's one of my mainstays within this industry
INT: What was your first camera and lens?
The first camera that I ever photographed with properly--for digital camera at least--was a Kodak 6490.
It was a 4.1 megapixel kind of one of those super zooms
Which is great for its time back in the early 2000s
Probably really doesn't compare to some of the stuff that we have today though.
INT: So, what are you shooting with today?
So here I have a Sony 400 f/2.8 G master lens.
And then typically the main camera I use for most of my wildlife is the a9 II.
I also have in my bag a Sony a7r Mark IV.
Which just is quite nice for wildlife photography because of the mixture of
megapixels, dynamic range, being able to crop in and still have a 26 megapixel image.
It's pretty amazing, especially with the kind of more robust autofocus features with it.
INT: What was your first job?
So my first paying gig ever was actually shooting a traditional Buddhist wedding
in the middle of some random village in southern Thailand.
And that kind of was the launching point for what ended up being my career in a mixture of different types of genres of photography.
[music]
INT: What got you into photography?
COLBY: It was actually just my love of travel, you know that same trip that took me to Southeast Asia
was one that really
inspired me to want to have more
experiences and to be out of my comfort zone.
So it was the idea that I was able to
travel to different locations, experience different cultures, different ways of life and belief systems,
see different things, and then be able to
experience those and that was the reason that I picked up my first camera.
I wanted to document those experiences and share them with my family and friends.
Ultimately that came into clients and other things.
But initially it's that that origin point for me to get into photography was purely about the experience.
INT: Aside from wildlife, do you shoot any other type of photography?
COLBY: I like to say that I market myself as a wildlife, travel and landscape photographer.
So I pretty much shoot everything outside of weddings, coincidentally.
But also any studio work. That's just not my cup of tea.
But you'll see me in places like Mongolia photographing eagle hunters.
I was just in Brazil photographing jaguars.
I'll be photographing the Northern Lights next month. I leave in a day and a half for Uganda to photograph gorillas.
I'm kind of all over the place.
Depending on kind of where my my current mentality is and the type of projects
I like to kind of wrap into my open spaces within the given year.
[music]
INT: So you mentioned a lot of kind of like charity work. What's The Giving Lens?
So The Giving Lens has has become a vehicle that allows you to take other aspiring
photographers to different locations around the world where we've partnered with
local NGOs that are fighting for specific causes, like women's vocational schools,
Syrian refugees in the Middle East,
a species preservation project, clean drinking water projects.
And then how try to find ways where photography and art and education kind of
coalesce and combine in order to raise money, and do fundraising and help out these organizations
that need the support advocacy that they typically don't get
because they don't have the name of Oxfam or any of the big organizations out there that have
millions and millions of dollars of funding.
INT: So that seems like a really fulfilling part of your job. What's your favorite part of your job?
You know if I came back to what do I still truly enjoy most about photography.
I would still come back to the experiences.
INT: So the hard question: what's your least favorite part of your job?
[Colby laughs] It's the travel, you know, I you know
I spend a good chunk of the year sitting in airplanes, in airports, flying around at different locations.
Two weeks ago, I was in South Africa working on some projects down there around Kruger National Park,
and then I came home for a week for Christmas.
And now I leave back for Uganda. Then I'm home for two weeks, then I'm in Norway.
And then I'm home for a week, then I'm in Cuba and, then I'm home for a week then
I'm in Patagonia and it just it definitely takes its toll.
You know, I always say that the grass is always greener every job you know has its ups and its downs.
And I'd say that when it comes to travel photography the type of work that I do
being away from my family is the hardest part.
INT: What's the hardest location to get to, that you've traveled to?
The hardest location to get to. I'd probably say...
Photographing polar bears up in northern Canada and the Canadian subarctic.
Not only do you have to fly into...
You fly into Manitoba, then you gotta take a charter flight up to Churchill,
and then you get into these massive tundra buggies to drive you out to these remote parts of the National Park out there
in order to fly these amazing creatures and
It's not only just that it's kind of super remote.
I've probably been more remote locations, but you're also doing in extreme cold.
I've had a couple years when I've been up there photographing polar bears and it's been -65 degrees
That's not something I recommend for most people.
But I think when you combine the elements and the remoteness, that's probably one of the more challenging
overall physical experiences when it came to photographing specific types of wildlife.
INT: So, Colby COLBY: Shhh!
INT: [whispering] Oh, sorry! I'll whisper.
The ducks are finally starting to come back.
INT: Do you have a favorite animal to photograph?
COLBY: Lately, I'd probably say one of the ones that I find myself
continuing to gravitate towards is a lot of the big cats.
So as I mentioned, I was just down in Brazil photographing jaguars.
You know, I was doing leopards in South Africa.
Right now I have this kick trying to knock off each of these different big cats to photograph
Putting together a Mongolian expedition to go see snow leopards.
Tigers in India or Sri Lanka are on the list.
So I'm constantly going down and I think if I can...
If I can mark off all my list of the big cats
It'll be a nice good achievement for myself personally and professionally.
INT: All right Colby. Now we have to give the audience five tips
Well, actually before we begin, let's move locations a little bit because we've been talking
and the ducks have moved over there. Let's head over in that direction first
COLBY: We'll start off with wildlife photography since we're here. We're talking about it.
I'd say do your research.
I think a lot of photographers don't realize that wildlife photography has a lot of...
barriers of entry, in terms of not only the gear you have, but the locations you need to go to.
And I think research really goes a long way when it comes to understanding your subject matter.
Knowing their mannerisms, knowing their habits, getting an understanding of the different types of reactions
you might get, what to look for when it comes to aggression.
Maybe not necessarily with ducks, but certainly with predators.
I would say--for tip number two--I would say don't be afraid of a failure.
Now this is not necessarily tied to wildlife photography. It's life in general--also business--
but I find that so many of us, especially here in the Western world, have this failure or this fear of failure
This idea that if we fail that we are a failure.
And I think that if you actually look at any of the successful careers out there--
in both in the photography industry as well as just life in general--
is that all success is built on a string of failures. Are built on ideas you tried
and you didn't succeed, but you'll learn from.
So I think you have to be willing to fail in order to succeed.
Additionally, I would say, you know....
invest in good glass.
When it comes to any type of photography, a lot of focus tends to be on the camera and the sensors these days.
You know, I'm a Sony artisan. I use all Sony cameras. They make amazing sensors and amazing bodies.
I'm very happy to have been using them for the last six years.
But I would say that the lenses are really what matter the most.
I think the camera sensors themselves or cameras are important.
And certainly some of them have different features that other bodies don't have.
But when it comes to the quality of images that you're getting,
oftentimes it comes down to the investment in glass.
So for [tip] 4...
I'm gonna say that when it comes down to travel...
This again comes a little bit back to research, but also just knowing what options you have out there.
There's a handful of websites and services online that I personally subscribe to--
some paid, some free--that allow me to get notifications
for super cheap airline flights. That happens sometime at the last second.
Sometimes they're months away. So I can find a $300 flight from New York
down to Brazil, and then I can take advantage of that opportunity.
Whereas normally it might cost a thousand dollars.
And then the last piece of advice I would say is
to get hands-on experience with whatever genres you want to do.
So if you want to shoot a wide variety of things when you first start out, get out there and experiment.
Try to push yourself and the boundaries, but also take some you know hands-on time.
Maybe take a workshop or two.
People like myself have been educators for years. There's a lot of other good educators out there.
I know at B&H, you guys have a lot of amazing things on your blog.
But definitely make sure that you get some hands-on experience in these types of genres.
And pair yourself with a photographer that you think embodies the kind of photography you want to photograph,
so that you can learn from them and you can ask questions.
And I think that's a big part of the second, you know, or a sixth tip:
if you do go in a workshop, take an online course, be sure to be as...
aggressive as you can, in terms of asking the questions that you have.
INT: So, now the really hard questions...
What do you do for fun? Aside from photography?
COLBY: [laughs]
My idea of a fun time is getting home from a long trip, getting into my pajamas,
playing Legos with my son (who's 8 years old now), spending time with my wife,
you know watching a movie together
sitting in front of a fire (especially here in the wintertime).
That to me is my happy place outside of photography.
[music]
INT: Pizza or tacos
COLBY: Oh, that's a good question!
You know, just because I have such affinity for Latino food.
I'd probably say tacos. Tacos are good. A good New York pizza
I wouldn't say no to, but if it came down to it, I'd say, you know...
If you gave me a breakfast burrito for every morning for the rest of my life,
I'm pretty sure I'd die a happy person.
INT: What's the last movie you saw in the theater?
COLBY: [laughs] Last movie... I haven't got to a movie in a while.
Most of the movies that I actually see are when I'm in traveling to other countries.
So I remember seeing Black Panther in Norway.
INT: Would you rather shoot in the winter without gloves or no tripod?
COLBY: Oh...
Well, I guess I'd have to have a follow-up question to that, which is how cold are we talking about in a winter time?
INT: It's winter, so...
If it's gonna be quite cold,
I mean at the end of day a good gimbal and a tripod really makes a big difference
when you're photographing things like birds of flight.
That's not something I predominantly do.
Um...
I'd probably say a good pair of gloves--
and the reason for that is that I could always sit down on the ground,
I can always find ways to make myself somewhat of a tripod
(it wouldn't be as stable, but it would be close).
But you can only warm your fingers up so much.
INT: If you weren't a photographer, what would you be?
COLBY: Oh... I don't know.
Uh...
Buddhist monk in the mountains?
INT: What's the best piece of advice you've received?
Oh, the best piece of advice I ever received...
Was simply not to be a jerk, you know?
It's kind of amazing how many egos there are oftentimes in the photo industry.
You know at the end of the day, we just take pictures of beautiful things and hopefully that impacts other people.
Photography and art is important, but at its core...
photography, life in general. It's like don't be a jerk.
You know be humble, be honest and be yourself.
INT: Any close calls while photographing animals?
I probably say the silverbacks. When those those guys, you know,
the big males are pounding on the ground and pounding on their chests.
You know, nothing makes your heart stop just a little bit, or even just a single
second, then something like that happening. Just five ten feet from you.
INT: What's one thing that would make your job easier?
COLBY: Oh!
I think if we come back to the idea that I don't really enjoy spending so much time in airplanes.
I'd say if we can create a teleporter so that I can just instantly warp to these different locations.
I think that would be phenomenal.
INT: If there were to be a movie about your life who would play you?
John Krasinski! You know, he's a tall guy. He's actually tall in real life
He's probably in a heck of a lot better shape than I am. But we have a relatively similar build.
I'd like to say, you know, from what it seems like seems like a nice personable guy.
I'd say that John. We'll go with that.
INT: So who should we interview next for this?
COLBY: Ooh, that's a good question.
You know, I would check out Drew Geraci.
He lives just outside of DC.
Amazing time-lapse photographer and director.
Does some really amazing work. If you've seen House of Cards, that was his type of stuff.
He does work with the NFL. He's a good friend of mine
So keeping it within the family,
but he's an incredibly talented artist, great business person and a good friend of mine
So I'd recommend Drew.
INT: All right, we'll go call him up. Thanks for answering our questions.
Thanks for coming out! I hope you enjoyed your time out here.
INT: We'll leave you to it. COLBY: All right, cheers!