Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Muller.
Sam, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started skateboarding at the age of 10, and was always obsessed with how it looked, how skateboarders moved through spaces, how their bodies moved while they skated and how the board moved under them. It seemed like a natural idea to point a camera at skateboarding. I started with video, but after a family trip to Africa and constantly stealing my hobbyist-photographer father’s camera, I decided to buy myself a 35mm film camera. After falling in love with photography in Africa, I started taking photo classes in high school, photographing my friends skate, and shooting whatever else was in front of me. I went to Art Center College of Design to study photography and got a job as a staff photographer for Transworld Skateboarding Magazine while I was there. I began to travel and explore other avenues of photography, had an internship in New York City with portrait photographer Martin Schoeller, and it all just snowballed from there.
Has it been a smooth road?
No road is ever perfectly smooth, the amount of work and time I put in along the way was intense, but totally worth it to be where I am today. I’ve have had no major setbacks yet, but there are always improvements to make, and ways to better market yourself.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a Los Angeles, CA based photographer, specializing in portraiture, skateboarding, and sport photography. I’m most well-known for my skate photography in Thrasher Magazine and Transworld Skateboarding Magazine, as well as my commercial work for Dickies, Adidas, Vans, Levi’s and Viceland. I’d say I’m most proud of the success I’ve had in the skateboard world in addition to pursuing projects that don’t involve skateboarding at all. I like the balance of work that I’ve achieved so far, and I am to continue to grow in both ways. I think my perspective sets me apart from everyone else because I do come from that run-and-gun guerrilla skate style, but I’ve been classically trained as well so I’m prepared for many different situations.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Los Angeles is an amazing place to be a photographer. There is so much going on here at any given moment that there is an endless amount of things to photograph. There are tons of magazines in the area to work for, loads of creative agencies, and a rapidly growing gallery scene as well. What’s not to love?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sammuller.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @sammuller
- Twitter: @sammullerphoto
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