Today we’d like to introduce you to Teal Thomsen.
Hi Teal, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Houston, Texas in a creative family of architects, designers, dancers, and travelers. I’ve always been a visual person, a romantic, drawn to nostalgia and the essence of a moment – sights, sounds, the light, the feeling. I am grateful to have been exposed to travel at a young age and for the curiosity and passion, it instilled in me. Traveling is when I feel most at home. After taking my first photography class in high school and studying photography in college, I moved to Los Angeles. I worked several part-time jobs (as one does in LA) in creative fields – interning for a fashion photographer, producing a magazine, interning at a Photography Non Profit and then eventually curating and producing photography exhibitions and events full-time with the Lucie Foundation. I am lucky that I was able to find a job in the photography industry that exposed me to so many incredible artists, and for the people I worked with who always supported my own goal of being a photographer as well as my obsessive travel habit.
Throughout these years of working other jobs, I continued to shoot, documenting my travels and slices of my everyday life. It wasn’t until April 2019 that I decided it was time to quit my job and put all of my energy towards doing what I really wanted – being a full-time photographer. It was definitely a leap of faith as I wasn’t quitting my job because I had built enough of a client network or because I was so busy with shoots that I didn’t have time for my day job. I was quitting so that I no longer had any excuses – I was forced to get over my fears and put in the work to launch the career I actually wanted. It was scary but I am so glad I did it. The beginning was a lot of outreach, setting up meetings with photo editors, cold emails, re-designing my website and then re-designing it again, trying to figure out how to get my work seen, etc… At first, jobs started to trickle in through friends and family, word of mouth, and then eventually those meetings began to pay off and I started hearing from photo editors and producers. In between jobs, I still shoot for myself, the mundane moments as well as the exciting ones. I try to create the work I want to be hired for even if I don’t have that job in the books yet. This way, when it does come, I’m ready!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road but that is fine with me. I’d prefer a winding rocky dirt path to a smooth road any day. It’s more interesting and means you’re going somewhere exciting. I’m learning a lot as I go. The biggest struggles for me are the highs and lows of freelance life. One month I’m stacked with exciting work and the next I’m (dramatically) wondering if I’ll ever get another job again. But I try to take advantage of any downtime to work on other aspects of being my own business – maintaining a strong portfolio and website, outreach, shooting personal work, sharing my work, looking at other artists who inspire me, and staying curious.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in travel photography which for me includes several categories – People, Architecture and Interiors, Food, City and Landscapes, and Street Scenes. Ultimately what I strive for when I snap the shutter is to share a true sense of place and people in an honest, intimate, and transportive image. When I’m not on travel or hospitality jobs, I also shoot within those other categories for brands and editorial while keeping the same keen eye for detail, color, and natural light that I use in my travel work.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I have been so inspired by how innovative artists, brands, and companies have become during the pandemic. It’s been incredible to watch everyone rise to the occasion, albeit a terrible one. An interesting lesson I’ve learned is that I can travel within my own city, neighborhood, backyard even. I’ve learned to turn my lens on the familiar in the same way I turn it on the unfamiliar – with curiosity and interest.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://tealthomsen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/likethecolor/
Image Credits
All images © Teal Thomsen
