Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean M. Flynn.
Sean M. Flynn is LA based a fine art photographer/ music video director. At 16 Sean discovered the healing aspect of film. He traveled with his family to Kenya and Tanzania to work as a camera assistant on the Red Cross documentary Disease of the Wind about the dire necessity for measles vaccinations. Spending time with his brother Kalen, a USC film student at the time, Sean discovered that filmmaking is more than a job and can be something meaningful and expressive. Sean then went on to study film at Chapman University, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. There, he developed his voice as an artist and was given the tools and guidance to help a young filmmaker to become wildly successful in film.
To date, Sean has completed several films, including a promotional short documentary which he directed for Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust Foundation – The Righteous Rescuers Lecture Series (Cannes Film Festival, Chapman Showcase in May 2006 – Sean’s first film festival). Sean returned to work at Catfish Productions as a camera operator while developing the short film Numb (sold to Echelon Studios). He teamed up with cinematographer Roland “Ozzie” Smith A.S.C., producer Cole Payne, and executive producer Frank Delgadillo of Ambiguous Films, to produce Numb.
Numb and Sean went on to win The Gold Medal for Excellence at The Park City Film and Music Festival as well as The Best New Independent Filmmaker Award at the Delray Beach Film Festival. Numb has also been shown at The Beautiful Decay Magazine Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Chapman Showcase in May of 2007, and has gone to Ireland to play at the Dingle International Film Festival. At the time of this writing, Sean was the youngest person to have been in the Cannes Showcase, as well as the only one that has been selected for two consecutive years.
In 2010 Sean was given a Canon 7D as a gift. He immediately fell in love with the camera and began experimenting by re-programming it to help create his own unique look and style. The 7D re-sparked a love that he once had for photography. With his new personalized setting, it allowed him to recreate the photographic look and style that he used to create in the dark room without the aid of Photoshop. He felt that with digital photography it was important to get as close to your finished image as possible in camera, and not have to depend on any digital post work.
During this time Sean was living with visual effects artist Chris Bayol whom he had befriended and worked with on a few projects while they had attended Chapman University. One day Chris, while working at The Mill as a Visual Effects Artist, brought home a commercial project in which he had to work with HDR’s. Sean became immediately fascinated with the method which reminded him of exposure fusions he used to do with film. While experimenting with the method, Sean was convinced that he could take this method and utilize it with people as well as landscapes. This had already been done, however, what no one had seemed to figure out, was how to take an HDR portrait and make the person look real and not like a video game or plastic doll. Sean’s theory was that if he only shot during exact researched times, particular weather, and perfect exposure separations he could achieve this.
While in England, Flynn decided to test out his theory and newfound method and hired several models. Thankfully, the models and the time were not wasted, and his theory had worked on the first test. Sean returned to Los Angeles with his new collection of work where he was quickly discovered by Susan Nagy Luks, director of Coral Canyon Publishing, who after one test show signed him on as one of their represented artists.
Since that short time, Flynn has developed a wide variety of national and international collectors. He has had numerous shows and exhibitions across the country and has also been added as the first ever Fine Art Photographer to be in carried in the Wentworth Galleries.
A few years ago, while in Los Angeles at his pop up Blank Space Gallery at he shared with fellow artist and friend Corey Smith, Sean met the band Incubus. They saw is his work at the gallery and asked him to shoot a series of photos of the band during small private live shows that they were holding to promote their new album and world tour, titled Incubus HQ. Incubus liked the photographs so much, that they began using the collection to promote “Incubus HQ” on countless major media outlets.
When the first set of photos was added to their Facebook fan page, Incubus told Sean that his photos had received over 6 million hits within the first couple of days and that the fans were loving them. Incubus followed this up by “Liking” the “Sean M Flynn Photography” Facebook page, and for several weeks was the only page they followed.
Consequently, Sean’s work was now internationally recognized, and has been viewed and appreciated by millions across the globe as well as led him to photograph and directing music videos for various bands and pop acts.
Since that time, Sean has traveled to Rio de Janeiro with the band LMFAO, and on his second European trip photographing in England, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, later to Southeast Asia and Australia. His recent photographs of Jane Seymour on the beach in Malibu have won international acclaim, and have been published by Hello! Magazine, and other media outlets creating a global buzz!
Last year Sean went on tour with the band Cold War Kids and directed their three new music videos, one of which was made up of 72,000 photographs, four of which just finished showing for the first time at the George Billis Gallery for The Cityscape Show IV. This show will mark Sean’s 39th participation in exhibitions and events with his unique work.
Sean’s work is currently on display at his private gallery in Thousand Oaks at Coral Canyon Publishing Gallery. You can make an appointment to see his work by going to his website’s contact section, www.seanmflynnart.com, and contacting his art dealer Susan Nagy Luks.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve been very fortunate in having been discovered by my art dealer very early on in my art career. She was able to get me into several shows very quickly and got me showing regularly with nationwide commercial gallery chain, Wentworth Galleries which helped me build a collector base pretty quick. Of course in the art world, nothing is guaranteed. So when you invest a lot into your travel, equipment, and printing each year you just have to hope that your shows go well. Some years are better than others but for the most part, I’ve done alright.
Pricing:
- prices range $750- $25,000 (custom prints and commissions also available)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seanmflynnart.com
- Phone: (310) 717-7209
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @smfphotoart @smfmusic @soulcapturing
- Facebook: facebook.com/seanmflynnphotography
Image Credit:
Peace and Freedom, Red Tree, Le Puy en Velay, Venice Canal, Santa Monica Pier, DTLA, Bixby Bridge Sunset, Hollywood
