Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Holben.
Hi Alan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Michigan, and began taking photos when I was about 7 years old. After pursuing photography throughout high school and into journalism classes in college, I took a hiatus of many years while developing a career as a software developer. When digital cameras with interchangeable lenses became available, it rekindled my passion for photography. I began photographing high school sporting events in 2005 and created a business covering events at multiple local high schools. As part of my job in software, I was able to travel in the southwest quite a bit and I fell in love with the beauty of the area. In 2009, my wife, Susan, and I took a bucket list trip of mine to visit the Big 5 parks in Utah, our first visit to Utah. We both knew that this is where we belonged. We put a plan into motion and were finally able to move to Ivins in August of 2016 after we both retired; actually, my wife retired and I just quit so we could move. We’ve never looked back and enjoyed every aspect of this beautiful state.
Since moving here, I’ve kept up with covering sporting events. I mostly do rodeo now but I also contract out as a photographer for running events, biking events, and triathlons. I recently covered the Ironman Championship, my third year of covering the event. I’ve also begun specializing in covering theater events. I started with the Center for the Arts at Kayenta, where I’ve photographed nearly every event since its opening in 2017 – nearly 180 events. That role at Kayenta has led to opportunities to cover events for many other theater groups, dance companies, and operas, among others.
While the theater keeps me occupied in the evenings, it frees me up to hike and explore during the day. I love to explore new areas, mostly for the experience but also looking for the ultimate landscape photo. And I revisit familiar places on a regular basis, like Zion, because it changes with every passing season and practically every day.
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 had a large following in the local high schools back in Michigan and all of that went away when we moved to Utah. I was basically starting over from scratch. I covered a few high school events that first year but it seemed like there really wasn’t a market. It made it easy to decide not to pursue sports photography here. And I didn’t really want to devote the same amount of time and energy it would take to develop the business again. So I basically resigned myself to not being a sports photographer.
However, Susan became a member of the board of directors at Kayenta shortly after we arrived. Once the theater opened, she “volunteered” me to cover their events. I had done a fair number of high school productions back in Michigan, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to me. And I quickly discovered that theater productions have the same challenges as sporting events: unpredictable action, quick movements, poor lighting (for photos). So theater was able to fill the void of action photography for me. Most theater productions are also indoors, which provides relief from the extremes of heat and cold. That’s a bonus.
So my challenge now is to not become fully employed again by taking on too many clients and projects. I’m as busy as I want to be now, without having to pursue jobs. My business has grown organically and there is a pretty good balance between working enough to satisfy my need to be actively photographing action while not committing to too many nights of work.
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?
Theater work is very challenging due to the restrictions of the theater layout itself, along with the unpredictable motion of the characters, dramatic lighting that makes photography difficult, and scenes that go from one or two actors to an entire ensemble in a matter of seconds. All of those factors are similar to the sporting events I started with when I became a professional photographer. There are many things that cell phone cameras can do amazingly well but theater work really requires the right equipment and experience to do it right.
I’ve dedicated myself to learning to photograph theater properly. As in anything, there’s a learning curve but I think my experience with sports has given me a head start. And I came in with the right equipment to handle the difficult lighting and fast-paced action. And I’ve invested in new equipment that has enabled me to push my photography to another level. All of that translates into giving my clients photographs that truly represent the events that they produce.
I mention lighting a lot because photography is ultimately about light. The dramatic lighting that most theater productions use looks incredible when viewing the show live, but not necessarily so good in photos. I have to strike a balance between representing a show as it’s produced and providing photos that do it justice. Those kinds of challenges make it interesting and keep each production unique.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Life is short, pursue your dreams. Moving from Michigan, where we’d spent our entire lives, was pretty scary. We had many friends and others wondering what we were doing moving to Utah. However, as soon as I started sharing photos of the amazing scenery throughout the region, they all understood. And we haven’t regretted a single moment of being here. Of course, we miss our families, especially our grandchildren, but we see them as often as we can. We wake up every day thankful that we moved here while we were still young enough to truly experience it.
Contact Info:
- Email: Alan@AlanHolbenPhoto.com
- Website: www.AlanHolbenPhoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/alanholbenphotography/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlanHolbenPhotography/
Image Credits
Alan Holben Photography LLC
