Life & Work with Lance Skundrich of Arts District

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Skundrich.

Hi lance, 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?
My creative path started long before photography. In high school, I was constantly drawing, which eventually led me to study graphic design in college. After graduating, I worked as a designer for about a year before taking a completely different turn and joining a large-scale mechanical union.

Photography entered the picture almost by accident. I brought my camera to an event one day, and someone from SF Weekly saw the images I was taking. Their photographer hadn’t made it, so they asked to see my work and ended up purchasing the photos. They continued hiring me, other clients followed, and eventually I left the union to pursue photography full-time.

That was about 16 years ago. I spent the first six years of my career in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles to push further into fashion and editorial work. Along the way, I’ve photographed hundreds of concerts and worked in-house around major events like EDC and Coachella. Today, my focus is primarily fashion, editorial, and commercial photography—building work that feels cinematic, human, and rooted in a strong sense of identity.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This creative path I’ve been on for the last 16 years has been anything but smooth. No one else in my family has pursued a creative career like this, so without any real helpful roadmap, it has certainly come with its share of highs and lows.

I owe many of my fondest memories to photography, and this career has given me the opportunity to travel the world and experience things I never would have otherwise. At the same time, the inconsistency of freelance income has created a lot of stress over the years and, at times, has affected my personal life in ways I didn’t fully anticipate.

After an accident in which I broke my leg, I had to miss a substantial job that would have accounted for a large portion of my annual income. Around that same period, my personal life was also changing in a significant way, and my marriage ultimately came to an end. It was a difficult reminder of how closely our creative lives, financial realities, and personal relationships can become intertwined.

So when it comes to struggles and bumps in the road, my life and career have had plenty. But I’ve always said that for a creative and fulfilling life, I was willing to give everything. I guess, in many ways, I have done just that.

With that being said, I still love what I do very much, and I genuinely believe there is more achievement, growth, and financial stability ahead. The key is to keep going.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work is centered around fashion, portraiture, and commercial photography, but more than anything, I’m interested in photographing people in a way that feels honest, cinematic, and emotionally immediate.

I’m drawn to the space between something feeling completely spontaneous and something being carefully constructed. A lot of my work is built around movement, proximity, texture, and trust. I want the images to feel lived-in rather than overly polished—to have a sense that something real was happening when the photograph was made.

Over the years, I’ve worked across music, live events, editorial, and commercial photography, which has shaped the way I approach fashion today. I think that background taught me how to respond quickly to people and environments while still maintaining a strong visual point of view.

What I’m most proud of is probably the fact that I’ve built a career around my own curiosity. Photography has taken me to incredible places, put me in rooms I never imagined being in, and allowed me to meet and photograph an incredible range of people.

What sets my work apart is less about a particular technique and more about the feeling I’m trying to create. I’m not necessarily interested in making something look perfect. I’m interested in making it feel memorable. I want the viewer to feel like they were there—or wish they had been.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Put yourself out there. Network everywhere, but don’t spend too much time talking about yourself. Clients appreciate someone who knows how to listen.

No matter how difficult a job or situation becomes, don’t let your emotions get the best of you. As a photographer, I’m ultimately hired to solve visual problems. I can’t complain about a problem I’ve been hired to solve.

Stay calm, stay resourceful, and find the solution.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lanceskundrich.com
• Instagram: @shuttrskunk
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lanceskundrich