Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Craft.
Rick, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I started my journey into photography/cinematography as a photo retoucher. I would edit photos for other photographers because it gave me a chance to play with the colors in an image to create a feeling. I loved photoshopping out small mistakes, or bothersome telephone poles in the background which led to doing sky replacements, etc. After a falling out with one of the photographers, I decided that the only way that I would be credited for my work was if I was taking the photos as well. I bought a camera and taught myself how to shoot by trial and error. I dove straight into the deep end and switched the camera to manual mode. I would turn dials/knobs and press buttons to see what happened to the exposure. When it got darker or lighter, I now knew what those features did to the final image.
After doing a few concept shoots just so I could practice my editing, I realized that I really enjoyed creating a story from beginning to end. I saw much more potential in the photographs than just a model staring into the lens. It seemed to pick up relatively fast, I had models reaching out via Model Mayhem (back in the day) to do creative themed shoots. I was told that my images looked like “stills from a movie”. That was exactly what I was going for, a feeling of the shoot taking place in its own world, with its own rules and backstory. From there, it seemed like an obvious choice… I would pursue directing/shooting motion pictures. I had no idea where to begin since I didn’t know a single person in the film industry! I was approached by a local music video director to shoot behind the scenes photos for one of his upcoming videos. I jumped at the opportunity and started researching set etiquette etc. so that I didn’t show up looking like an idiot haha.
After doing that, he asked if I could shoot video as well because one of his DP’s couldn’t make it to a small shoot. Again, I said “absolutely!” even though I had no idea how to shoot video… I once again took to the internet to look up camera settings, frame rates, etc. I just treated it like one of my shoots, except with more frames to tell the story. And the rest is history! I have been doing photography/film full time for the past ten years.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I would consider my art to be cinematic in nature. Everything I do, whether it’s constructing small sets/large sets, shooting stills or video, I do it with the intention of creating a story, giving the viewer something to explore. I have always been inspired by horror themes as I used to watch a ton of scary movies when I was a kid. From there, I played Resident Evil and other horror games because I loved the feeling of the suspense and having those jump scare moments. I would have to say that this has definitely carried over to my photography. I enjoy dark themes that are also colorful and have a seemingly innocent nature at first glance. Every time I shoot, I give the model a background story so that they can know where their character just came from or where they are going. When everything clicks and they get to act it out vs. just stare into the lens, I feel like it carries over to the viewer as well. I have always enjoyed feeling like I am living in the universe that a good movie puts us into. I hope that my artwork can give others that same feeling!
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I feel that success is different depending on the lane its in. Success can be a solely monetary thing in which a goal was set and achieved regardless of you enjoying your time spent doing it. It can also be making decent money at doing something you love and being able to make it a career. And there is the success that comes with just making art for the sake of expressing yourself. I personally feel that a mix of those is important to keep someone successful. If you can step away from a 9-5 job to pursue your passion full time, you have to make money. But a pursuit of only money can be draining on your creativity because typically the more you make, the less creative control you have over a project. Until you reach a certain threshold, then you make more money and keep the creative control… but that is the dream haha. I still maintain my creativity by shooting projects just for fun. I come up with an idea and cast the project specifically for the theme I’m going for. These photos are typically my favorites and funny enough, end up leading to more work! It’s important to find that balance as an artist so that you can stay inspired while bills are paid to allow you to keep creating.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I am currently working on a new feature film project, writing as we speak! My most recent short film, “TENNESSEE GOBLIN” was released on Amazon Prime a few months ago and is currently available in the U.S and the U.K (check it out!!). As for exhibitions, I do plan on showing my work again at some point in the near future locally in Los Angeles, just looking for the right opportunity/event. I mostly post my photos on Instagram first these days, but I do keep my website current as well. 
The best way to support an artist, in my opinion, is to share their work with your friends! Outside of doing one off shows, or selling books/prints, artists in the current generation rely on word of mouth to help create a buzz that will help them book bigger campaigns and projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rickcraft.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @rickcraft
Image Credit:
Paige Baker, Luna Lovebad, Chrissy Costanza, Iris, Rafael Cedeno, Kelly Eden, Stephanie Morrison, Courtney Dawne (models)
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
