Meet Cameron Moon of Hyde Park, Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Moon.

Hi Cameron, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started with photography probably in a similar way as many others – I’ve always loved cameras. I thought they looked cool when I was younger and spent a lot of gifted money – graduations, birthdays, etc. on point and shoots and accessories for it. My mother ran a production company as a side gig when I was younger and my brother and I spent time as production assistants for her projects, learning the process by osmosis. That time with my mother also taught me about the value and importance of quality storytelling.

While in college, I was more focused on writing, but taught myself how to edit and shoot video to be more employable at a time where companies were “transitioning to video.” During that time and after, I was taking photos for fun on vacations, dinners with friends, at sporting events throughout LA and in other parts of the country as well when I was living on the East Coast. As I earned more money in my career, I kept coming back to my camera setup, trying to upgrade, learning new ways to shoot, filters, investing in learning how to shoot and develop film at places like School of Light in downtown LA. The point was just to become more knowledgable about what I was doing, really take time to learn my equipment, and learn about what inspires me as a photographer.

In the background of all of this was a career in sports media as a producer. In my time with ESPN and Red Bull, I’d bring my camera to shoots to capture BTS of interviews with athletes, and would also make an effort to explore the cities I traveled to with camera in tow to just have fun shooting. My now-wife lived in New York when I was in Connecticut working at ESPN, so I would bring my camera to the ultimate street photography mecca, NYC and practiced shooting constantly. I started feeling more confident in my photography and that if given the opportunity to shoot more professionally I could do it. Turns out getting the opportunity is the hardest part!

When I was a teenager, both my parents said one of the best ways to get a job was to take the initiative to show up at the company with your resume and show that you could be taken seriously. Obviously that’s not the case anymore, but that stuck with me when I began pursuing photography more professionally in 2023. I had equipment and was shooting portraits of my friends, but knew I wanted to be in stadiums, working with athletes as I have throughout my career. So I started emailing MLS and USL teams for a January preseason soccer tournament at the Coachella grounds that’s held every year. Based on what I knew about staffing for sports team travel, some teams from far away wouldn’t be sending their full content teams and might need photo support. I emailed 20+ teams with a portfolio of images shot from years in the stands and traveling and got two “Yes’s” to shoot their games. Crazy experience, I had no clue what I was doing from a process standpoint, but I did get some photos I’m still proud of and because of the knowledge I had working with teams on the video side, I was prepared to deliver in a tight timeline what they needed.

Those opportunities allowed me to apply for accreditation for the W Gold Cup with Black Arrow FC, and the following MLS and NWSL seasons. Since then, I’ve worked with FortyOne Mag to cover the MLS/NWSL, Copa America and Club World Cup, the LA Sparks, Lakers, Angel City FC and Red Bull as a photographer. Like a lot of other photographers, I have a long list of dream events and projects to work on like the World Cup, Olympics, etc. I try to speak these scary goals into existence and move forward with the faith that my work ethic will keep opening doors for me. I keep showing up with an open mind, ready to work to get my clients what they need and try to find a new way to tell stories in sports.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
If you work in this industry, I don’t know that smooth road is part of the vocabulary, haha! By far the toughest part is making the connections that open doors for you. On one hand, I’ve gotten lucky that some of my cold emails have worked and I’ve gotten some gigs from folks who needed someone to shoot, but oftentimes, you reach out hoping to make an introduction, keep working on building that connection into something real without the promise of future work. And that’s OK. Initially, these people don’t know me, I’m trying to put my best foot forward for them in the hopes my work will stand out in a creative landscape where we’re inundated with photo and video content relentlessly.

The other immediate struggles are the way photography is received in this era of our lives. It’s been democratized via the phone camera which is great!. Anyone can take photos that matter to them at any time. As someone who generally cares about photography, I think we should all be taking more photos of the things that matter to us in our lives. But that fact mixed with the social media landscape can be challenging when you’re starting out to stay in a positive mindset. I’ve been dismayed by “like” counts, social engagement, etc. How I move on from that is trying to stay in the mindset of “is the work good?” and “Am I proud of this?” And if those two things are both a yes, then it is what it is. My mom used to say all the time “you get back what you put out,” meaning to put out positive thoughts and then eventually the universe will repay you.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a photographer specializing in sports. I’d like to think what I’m known for is capturing the moments within “the moment.’ Yes I want to get the trophy lifting shot after the championship game, but also the emotion on the faces of the support system that helped the athlete get to that point. I’m most proud of my curiosity. I try to pay attention to athlete’s mannerisms and body language which helps me anticipate which way the play is going or what the next action could be. I try to stay curious about different ways of telling the story of the games I’m shooting, using filters, motion blur and reflections, different composition, etc. to make imagery that I remain proud of.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
The first thing that comes to mind is just spending time with my family, doing regular childhood things: sleepovers, movie rental nights, all kinds of little league sports, learning how to play instruments, etc. What stands out above those things is our trips to Dodger Stadium as kids with our friends or with kids in our church group. I still love baseball, love the Dodgers and go to as many games as I can every season. Some of my favorite photos in my portfolio are photos from the stands at Dodger games. Mostly fan experience and joy, community, unification through sport. That’s the good stuff.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://camerondmoon.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/camispeaking

Image Credits
Photo credits: Images courtesy of Cameron Moon