Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Burns.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Salinas, California, the salad capital of the world. I was a sheltered kid. Went to private school through high school. I knew very early on in high school I wanted to do anything in film so naturally I applied to all the colleges where top filmmakers go to learn but as you guessed it. Rejected. So my next step was well what schools accepted me and that was Fresno State. I did not want to go there. I hated the heat and didn’t want to move to what we called the “armpit” of California but I had no options. I had no intentions to go to a JC so I went to Fresno and fell in love with it. I enjoyed the heat while I was there. I fell in love with the food and I enjoyed the program. I was a Mass Communication and Journalism major with a minor in Creative Writing. I was cruising through my first few semesters still holding onto the dream of the field industry but I wasn’t pushing myself towards it. That is when I met my mentor, Jes Therkelsen who gave me so much knowledge over those years. He was my first photography teacher and taught me my first ropes in that world. Now I had a strong passion and a way in so I started to work. It started as working with friends and I loved it. Creating stories through image is a truly blissful thing. I wanted to keep doing it but I wasn’t making money so then I graduated and moved home to Salinas.
Months went by and no grabs at any jobs and all of a sudden, I got an email. “You’re hired.” I was supposed to take educational pictures for a district. This was as far away from the industry I actually wanted to be in. And then Covid hit before I could even start so now I’m stuck. No job no ability to go outside to take pictures during a lockdown. I ended up applying to grad schools in hopes to continue my film journey and maybe there would be a redemption for the schools that rejected me but no. Rejected. Except one. The New York Film Academy. Accepted. So now it was like hell I will be going to Los Angeles. This is the start but it’s not that easy. How the hell was I supposed to make money?
Enter my next mentor, Jeff Fountain. Luckily for me, my older sister was friends with a professional editorial photographer in LA. It’s not like she could’ve told me this months ago. But I guess better late than never. So he contacted me and asked to talk on the phone. I was a nervous wreck. What do I say. What can I tell him. Then he calls me and he told me later that he was waiting for me to say one thing. “I need help” and I actually said it during it so he helped me. I had my plan. Work in photography and get schooling in screenwriting.
I moved to LA and started working. I have had the pleasure to be on some music video sets and photography sets as production assistant and most recently a first assistant. That is me. That is where I am currently at.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There was so many struggles of course. Rejection after Rejection. I got rejected from film school twice around from all the big schools. Then rejection with jobs. I have filed out over 64 job applications in the film industry and still haven’t got hired. It will always be a bumping road but I don’t strive to be perfect. “Perfection is like chasing the horizon, keep moving.” Neil Gaiman. This quote resonated with me because we should all take things bird by bird. Problem by problem. If we focus on being perfect, we will never get anywhere.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in framing. I have a great intuition on what will make a good frame in photography. It is always about capturing the in-between moment. I could care less about the poses because they are usually artificial but those moments in-between that is where we find true art. Something truly pure and genuine.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy now besides my family of course is the work I do in this industry. The way I create art and story. The way people can connect or disconnect with any type of media. I love the reaction because it is better to get a reaction then not a reaction at all. What makes me happy is that I know I’m on this path of discovery and I am nowhere near to being finished.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://danielaburns87.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielaburns.jpeg/
Image Credits:
Studio 106 Photography.
