Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucas Passmore.
Hi Lucas, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a lifelong fan of classic fashion photography — namely the 80’s/90’s era. However, I’m from the midwest and before the days of the iPhone/Instagram, exposure and access to the possibility of photography being an actual career seemed pretty much out of reach.
I moved to LA in my early 20s, just when Youtube and social media culture was taking off. Suddenly, I was able to see, reach, and interact with people who had similar aspirations and goals, and the idea of photography as a career wasn’t at all far-fetched. I got my start on Model Mayhem, as most of us did back then. Slowly that lead to proper agency testing which took my portfolio to the next level, and it all kinda snowballed from there over the course of a couple of years. I got my first “legit” swimwear campaign in 2012, which opened up a lot of doors.
Since then, though I’m a little more comfortable now, the hustle culture in this industry really never lets up — you’re only as good as your last shoot.
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’m not a trust-fund kid (insider photographer joke), nor an in-house photographer, so the biggest obstacle for any of us will always be feast/famine when it comes to booking jobs and income. There have been times when it has been non-stop traveling for jobs, only to finally come home after three weeks in Europe to two full weeks of 10-hour day ecom shoots. And then there have been full months where suddenly I’m taking paid model testing again to help round out household monthly bills.
Covid was also a huge hit to a lot of us — three of my long-term clients (mid-level brands) completely folded; an Italian company that would fly to the US to have me shoot their campaigns three times a year suddenly could not leave their country for two years… it was very lean times.
Aside from the innate inconsistent nature of the freelance lifestyle, I would confirm that the Instagram “compare and despair” culture is very much a real thing. As photographers, you’d think we, of all people, absolutely know that what is captured in real life and what is presented online couldn’t be further from reality… and yet, when I see so many other photographers ostensibly killing it, the “dark night of the soul” comes out and I sometimes find myself questioning why I even bother trying, haha.
But then, I try to remember everyone is human and the photographers I envy are likely thinking the same thing of others. I once saw Peter Lindbergh speak at a conference in Palm Springs about two years before he passed. He told the audience that Harpers would allow him access to their archives and he’d often go down there and peruse the published and unpublished works that Guy Bourdin had done for them and would lament that he’d never be as good as Guy — again, that was Peter Lindbergh saying this! I remember the audience laughed along with Peter — just goes to show any creative is likely to feel this way at some point(s) in their careers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As mentioned, my affection for the fashion photography of the 80s and 90s is something that I try to have reflected in my work when possible. It’s hard to describe what that exactly is — being the nature of photography — but I feel a lot of commercial fashion work nowadays is either stuck in this homogenized “Portra 400 trying-hard-to-not-try-hard” look or just have a Kardashian or a Hadid stand and stare blankly at the camera while donned in Prêta à Porter.
The best photography — whether it’s fashion, nature, journalism, family, or wedding — will ALWAYS tell a story… and that’s at least what I aspire to, as well.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
“This too shall pass.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lucaspassmore.com
- Instagram: @lucaspassmore
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ishootla9758/videos
Image Credits
All photos by Lucas Passmore
