March 14, 2017

Meet Troy Conrad of Troy Conrad Photography in Burbank

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Troy Conrad.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Phoenix, AZ and started there as a stand-up comic. I moved to LA in 2002, and started making films. I made a half-hour mockumentary film about Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles called “Runyon: Just Above Sunset” and it won at the two festivals I submitted it to. In 2010 I created an improvised stand-up show called “Set List” and thanks to my partner on the show, Paul Provenza, it became a TV show in the UK and Australia in 2012. I have always been into creative photography but I needed better cameras and lenses to capture the comics on Set List in the dimly-lit venues it played in around the world. I became really good at low-light photography, and started doing creative work. In 2015 I began shooting comedians in the hallway at The Comedy Store, and it’s now a permanent exhibit of their “paid regulars” in the lobby there. About 100 photos currently and it’s still growing. I shoot commercial, headshots, and publicity stills on a daily basis whenever I’m not producing shows and I love getting people the shots they need to be seen as a high-level professional.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The challenges of being a photographer in a city where everyone has at least 38 cameras is immense. But I never thought about that fact. It’s like when Han Solo says “Never tell me the odds.” Sometimes you can’t pay attention to the odds, you have to look past them.

Please tell us about Troy Conrad Photography.
I’m proud that I set myself apart from “headshot” photographers pretty early on. I started shooting creative portraits, and found that the actors and comics I shoot used them on social media – and were proud to have them. That’s what sets me apart from the sea of photographers. The lens of the photographer is way more important than the lens on the camera.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could do it over, I would have shot more frequently early on, making more mistakes. Mistakes have always been the cornerstone of my success.

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