Rising Stars: Meet Joe Sohm of Los Angeles / OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Sohm.

Hi Joe, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a 32 year resident of Ojai and previously Los Angeles, I have devoted more than 4 decades to capturing the imagery that defines America. This is a broad theme that resulted in myself becoming the most published Americana photographer in America, but the world. I have been published more than 1 million times over decades, including: National Geographic, Newsweek, Time Magazine, LA and NY Times (covers), on most TV networks – CNN, MSNOW, FOX, ABC, CBS, PBS, NPR, etc. I have photographed every President from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump – covered each President, both parties, who they ran against and worked extensively for President Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992 1996 and 2000. My image was featured in Al Gore’s Oscar film, “An Inconvenient Truth” – “Night of the Museum, Netflix recent “American Experiment”, across the internet worldwide, especially Europe and Asia with my international agencies Getty, Corbis, Alamy and Shutterstock. While you might not know my name, you have certainly seen my imagery of book covers – John Grisham’s “King of Torts” – official Asian bio of Barak Obama (cover), etc. I am published on the hours globally. For AMERICA 250, I created, wrote, photographed and produced, “AMERICAN MOSAIC” which had its world premiere at the Kennedy Center and is currently 2026 touring America for over 150,000 people in concerts halls from Segerstrom in OC to Powell Hall in St. Louis, to Wolf Trap in Washington D.C. – in concerts featuring Martin Sheen, John Goodman, Gary Senise, Barry Bostwick and Harry Smith on CBS News. I co-created these concerts with Grammy nominated Peter Boyer. Previously, I created “VISIONS OF AMERICA” – that featured Clint Eastwood and William Shatner narrating my story to photograph the 50 states – and commissioned 5 original songs by Barbra Streisand’s songwriters, Alan and Marilyn Bergman and i working worlked with Oscar-nominated, Grammy winning, Roger Kellaway, Patti Austin and Judith Hill. AMERICA 250 is launching these concerts – and Washington Speakers Bureau is representing my keynote speaking, next at Mount Rushmore National Park in SD. I reside in Ojai Ca with my wife Leslie Plimpton, an artist, and my cat (Mickey) and dog (Frostie).

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No roads are smooth – and when “the road” is your subject-matter – meaning Route 66 and America’s back roads, it’s often bumpy. I started before there were cell phones and before GPS so “getting lost” on the backroads of America became part of the journey – and often the source of amazing locations – and other times, having German Shephard’s chase me out of a “private property”. After 42 years of going to all 42 states, I ultimately found that they are all leading to “AMERICA 250” – and our 25 symphonic concerts have all received extensive standing ovations from California to the south to the midwest to the east coast, “AMERICAN MOSAIC” is appreciated because it’s NON-political. No agenda is being promoted – just reveling in the creation of a major entity on planet Earth, the United States of America . . . that’s my subject – and it’s a LONG bumpy, occasionally smooth road that turns into a interstate highway.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my 20’s when I was working a substitute teacher (my degree in American History) and a bass player in a midwestern band, I wanted to figure out a career path where I worked for NO ONE but myself. I thought if I were to combine my 3 primary interests (American History, Music and Photography) into a ongoing multi-media project, I could never achieve it – and it would give me something to constantly reinvent myself about. I did not know the internet was coming, GPS or even cell phones, so my “road-trips” were long windy roads intended to “see and photograph” what made America – the People, Cities, Presidents, Sports, Skylines, small towns, climate change – – virtually anything fell into my lens – as all these things when combined – are an American Mosaic – which is now our title for our current touring symphony concert.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
The technology that facilitates my endeavor are: the iPhone (used for everything – including motion and stills, GPS, etc.), my RV (Winnebego Travato) – easy to park, 16 Mph – and I can park and sleep across America including major US Cities without people know I’m in there, my Sony, Canon and Nikon (over 42 years of shooting) and most recently – my DJI 4K Drone – which is flying over some of the most beautiful areas in the USA. I have published major tabletop books – that show my “locations” – and are there own guide for other budding photographers to find their America.

Pricing:

• I live on Royalties – so this irrelevant

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visionsofamerica.com and www.joesohm.com
• Instagram: VIMEO LINK TO SIZZLE REEL – NARRATED MARTIN SHEEN – https://vimeo.com/1221573421
• Facebook: FB Joe Sohm
• Youtube: Joseph Sohm music-videos – over 50 uploaded with Clint Eastwood, Martin Sheen and William Shatner as my narrators
• Other: https://vimeo.com/1221573421. – SIZZLE REEL FEATURE HOLLYWOOD CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA & MARTIN SHEEN

Image Credits
All images by Joe Sohm