Meet Herb West of Herb West Photography in Eagle Rock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Herb West.

Herb, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I took my first photos waaay back in 1978 using a Canon AE-1. I was pretty clueless about photography, as any beginner usually is. I wasn’t taking too many pics with that camera due to film processing costs… just occasional “portraits” of my-then girlfriend Paula, and a few trip photos. One especially memorable picture was of George Washington at Mount Rushmore. Most tourists photograph from the FRONT of the monument. As luck would have it, I saw the most unusual perspective of old George while driving along the highway that skirted around the BACK of the monument. He was in profile view, framed by the rock formations. The twist here is that I took the picture while leaning out of the passenger side window at 50 MPH – the driver wouldn’t stop for a photo op. I chalked up that success to good luck, not much more! In 2000, I bought a 1.3 MP Sony Cybershot – my first digital camera. It was quite a novelty at the time. With that camera, I found myself doing video interviews of aging relatives, pictures at family reunions, that sort of thing. And lots more photography. Now during this time – during the 80’s and up until 2003, I worked in engineering at an IBM facility in Burlington, Vermont. In August 2003, I was caught up in “resource actions” – layoffs. This was kind of a defining moment for me. With no income – and crippled by the high cost of the COBRA health insurance ($900+ a month) – I had to figure out something quickly. The local chamber of commerce members was getting health care coverage for about $200 a month. I figured that if I joined the chamber, I’d get reduced cost health insurance. Big problem: I didn’t have a business. Then, it dawned on me – turn my hobby into a profession! After setting up shop, I understood that I didn’t have much business savvy or salable photography skills. To “expand my horizons” – a lifelong process – I started taking classes. I enrolled in the New York Institute of Photography’s correspondence course. It was a great source of inspiration. From my studies, I learned of Monte Zucker.

He was world-renowned for his classic portraiture and wedding photography, and had a reputation as a shrewd businessman. Starting in November 2003, I was in Florida taking lessons with him. Hands on training with a world master: one of the best personal and professional experiences I’ve had. I progressed to doing weddings of friends and family members, and a few public events. Nothing beats practice, with the caveat: “perfect practice makes perfect”. After a couple of years – in 2005 – I met my wife-to-be. After a three year, long-distance relationship, I made the move to LA. Since then I have done many hundreds of events and portraits, and have been fortunate enough to be able to indulge myself in travel photography. India has to be at the top of my list for amazing places to visit and photograph. The people are wonderful there.

Regarding LA, I have always found the richness of the culture here to be inspirational. I always enjoy photographing a smiling face, even if they need a little nudge in that direction sometimes. And of course, these days everyone is an “award-winning” photographer. I get that – it’s great for marketing. I’m one of them – but I think that seeking out praise and awards just feeds the ego and can be a distraction for the joy of picture making. However, being judged by your peers CAN be a great teaching tool.

People ask me what I photograph, and my answer is always “everything” …. I’m never, ever bored when I have a camera in my hand. People ask me what camera I use, and it’s always “the one I have with me”. One of my favorite pics from a trip to Paris was with my iPhone. I just happened to have it with me.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been a relatively smooth road. There was one point once, where I had a seriously ill family member. I wanted to quit out of a sense of loss of what my life once… but my friends and family wouldn’t let me quit. My sister wrote me a note that simply said “Never Give Up a Passion”. I still keep that little slip of paper as a reminder that I need to “keep on keeping on”.

I think one of the biggest pitfalls for me – and frankly any photographer – is getting too much praise from friends and family. That sounds odd, but lots of times people are trying to be nice, and I understand that. But it’s only through honest, informed criticism that one will really advance towards excellence. My best friend gives me straight from the hip, no BS commentary on how I am doing, how I look, etc. I REALLY appreciate that – although a little goes a long way lol. Honesty is everything. I would say to someone starting out in photography – “join a professional organization”. That way you get unbiased peer review, and that will help you grow quickly.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am known for my event photography. Being a very physical person, I enjoy the challenges of doing a multi-hour event under constantly changing lighting conditions and venues. One should NEVER underestimate the demands of many hours of walking, standing, squatting, stretching, and so on – coupled with the expectation of providing quality photography. One of the toughest jobs I’ve ever done was the October 2015 6th Street Bridge Festival that the city hired me for. It was a 95-degree day, and I was there from 10 AM to 10 PM. I remember having 12 bottles of water that day – not nearly enough hydration. I was a bit wobbly when I left that evening! But it was exciting to be photographing performers like Aloe Blacc, War, Bullet and Snowfox, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, etc. That is in addition to photographing the people, the VIP tent, the art show, etc.

What I’m known for is capturing the little moments of life when I do an event. I’ve always had a natural ability to pick out “the interesting” at an event amongst all the people and during what appears to be chaos. A child’s smile as she looks up at her mommy, for example, or the exact moment a lady realizes she has just won the Miss Wheelchair USA award. Expressions of genuine emotion are totally priceless… I thrive in making those images.

I promote Lifestyle Portraiture – which means an in-home portrait session for family members perhaps, or more casual but professional images of people at work or play.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a small town in rural Vermont. Lots of hiking, fishing, riding my old Columbia bike, being outside. LOTS of snow shoveling (During a huge storm in 1969, I was hopelessly behind in shoveling the driveway. This guy with a snowplow just pulled in – and in one minute all my worries were gone!) My strongest memories were of my elementary years perhaps. My 4-room elementary school had a dirt floor in the basement where the boy’s and girl’s washroom were… not much money back in the early 60’s for much in the way of renovations, that sort of thing. My teacher – Miss Phillips – was my mother’s teacher back in the day. I always thought that perhaps had the exact same curriculum as my mom had (I hope not lol). I had my first hot shower when I was sixteen – my dad either didn’t have the money or was too frugal to have a hot water heater until then. Bathing in the tub in an inch of water that my mother heated on the kitchen stove was the way for years. My wife always says that based on my stories, it’s like I grew up in an earlier century. Growing up, I was extremely shy – very painfully so – and that was noted on report cards through early high school. By my mid-20’s I was more confident and outgoing and discovered that girls existed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.herbwest.com
• Phone: (323) 605-2239
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbwestphotography
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/herbwestphoto

Image Credit:
Herb West

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