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Ai LIVE: Lance Koudele Shares His Journey to Becoming a Photographer

In this episode of Ai LIVE, host E. Vincent Martinez sits down with Lance Koudele, an avid outdoorsman who took his love of nature and became a photographer to share his passion with others. The two discuss Koudele’s journey, as well as some advice for aspiring students.

After earning his first degree in psychology, Koudele moved to a ski town where he became a rugged sports individual and outdoorsman. However, the injuries he sustained while being so active began to take their toll, but he didn’t want to completely give up on his love for the great outdoors. It was then he decided to go back to school and study digital media, and eventually took up photography. In this way, Koudele was able to continue making a living doing what he loved, and also inspire people to join him. He believes that we need a reminder of who we are by being outdoors and present in the moment.

Koudele has many different approaches to different methods of photography. For lifestyle pictures, he tries to be an observer, capturing a candid moment. He wants his subjects to be themselves, and doesn’t want to try and control a situation. For his portrait work, he tries to make a connection with the subject. The image that comes out is an afterthought. For him, portraiture is capturing a moment with a person, and he considers it an honor to be allowed a sort of intimacy with someone.

Of course, Koudele’s line of work has led him to work with several big brand names: Addidas, Starbucks, The Northface, just to list a few. For aspiring photographers eager to work with large brands, Koudele suggests that being a good person, someone that’s easy to get along with, is a trait that will help to make good connections. He urges that the desire to want to make the world a better place is an important attitude to have, as well as seeking what inspires an individual, not chasing the latest trends.

For Koudele, he wants his images to take his audience out into nature where they can reflect and learn about themselves. That’s what nature did for him.

To learn more about photography, visit https://www.artinstitutes.edu/academics/film-production/digital-photography-degree-programs and be inspired to capture your own moments.