Today we’d like to introduce you to Asher Swan.
Hi Asher, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story starts at the young age of four. I got a toy camera for Christmas and obviously couldn’t put it down. I was enthralled with how it could garner positive reactions from all the towering adults around me even though it didn’t take actual pictures. I could walk up to anyone and they would stop what they were doing and turn and give me a smile.
Forty years later, I can still point my camera at people and still get that smile. It drives me to make these positive connections with people. I grew up around photography and art. I was always intrigued with national geographic magazines and had a subscription for a long time, waiting each month for the magazine to come and parous through the images was my favorite thing to do. My first real camera was a small point-and-shoot film camera at around ten given to me by my grandma. I spent all my allowance on buying and developing films.
It was all I cared about and even though at that young age I dint know anything about the science around photography I would still go take pictures of things and couldn’t wait to get them back from the Costco photo department once they were done. My family would go to do the grocery shopping, and I would get over there and finger through all the last names until I got to mine and would sit down in the store to look at what I created. I’m forty-four now.
I have taken over a million pictures at least in my time on this earth. Many failed ones for sure, but those diamonds in the rough are the ones I cherish. The ones where the settings matched the composition and light came together and boom, an epic image. I was on the yearbook committee in high school for three years, I was the family photographer at events. I was a photojournalist for seven years and covered some amazing stories and have been awarded for my images through that channel a couple of times. I consider myself a visual storyteller.
What my mouth can’t say my images do. If someone was to go into my archives, they would see a life journal in images. My different phases of life and my friends, and my interests. It’s all been an evolution that has been captured on film or now a sensor. Currently, I work full-time at Southern Utah University as a University Photographer and have for five years. I was a student photographer during my tenure at the same college and loved doing it.
It was the perfect job for a hungry photographer like myself. So many different things to cover and document I couldn’t get enough. Now, I do it full-time and love it even more. I know when the light falls on certain parts of campus in a way no one else can. I also run my business and have for almost fifteen years. Asher Swan Photo/Video is my business name, a recent change from Swan Photography.
I work predominantly in the commercial &advertising realm and also take portraits for people a lot. My personal work often falls into the realm of Fine Art, and landscapes. All in all, I love the artistry of photography, the science, and the fact that this 2D thing can invoke emotions in people that not many other mediums can.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
You know when you have a passion in life, smooth road or not, you keep pushing along. You keep trying to get better and learn from your mistakes. Those moments where you fall down, are teaching moments, and strength builders. Every time you fall down your legs only get stronger when you get back up, and when you fall down again, you get back up faster because your legs are stronger and aware that it can happen anytime. If you never fail or fall, you aren’t really learning.
I have had a few pitfalls, of hard drives crashing, and a broken lens or two. but over all my life of photography has been a great one. The stories I can tell from each image are ones that I couldn’t remember on my own, but once I see the image, I can tell what was happening before, during, and after. It’s odd to think that but almost every image I have taken I can do that with. A quick flick of the shutter holds onto time as trees hold onto leaves. Sure, they may fall, but they always grow back to be remembered and seen again.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Hmmm, I guess I’m known for my lighting. Whether it’s natural light in an image and how I use it to my advantage, or in my studio creating a compelling image from a dark room with pops of controlled light.
My goal is to capture something that fosters a moment of pause within you, fosters a feeling that a few seconds ago you weren’t feeling. I like to say my life is a constant dance with light, sometimes she leads, sometimes I do, but most of the time she does. I specialize in studio fine artwork predominately. It’s where I feel I have spent the majority of my latter years honing in on, and where I feel the most comfortable.
My Silica series I have been working on for the better part of five years is my proudest work. I love to play with color and shape and create something compelling out of something that seems so simple, but with good lighting and design, it becomes an evocative experience and visual journey. I think what sets me apart from others is how I incorporate psychology into my work.
It’s not just me in the studio, there are hundreds and thousands of people in the room with me, and knowing that takes my brain to perception and how people will see and feel about my imagery. I want to create art that makes you feel something, whether it’s a relatable feeling or something new. I’m very into the psychological properties of an image and I think that plays a lot into my strength as a photographer and artist.
What’s next?
My plans for the future are to only get bigger and better.
I have begun to incorporate video into my business and that has been a fun adventure. Going from telling the story of an event in five images to now 20-30 clips and creating a narrative has been a challenge but a worthwhile one. I would like to focus more on my fine artwork and get into more gallery spaces as time goes on.
I am planning on starting a new fine art series this summer, I’m excited about it, but can’t reveal the idea just yet. As far as my business goes, I would love to work on larger ad campaigns for companies and help them build out their visual acuity to garner more business for them.
I do run a storefront studio here in Cedar City, Utah and hopefully will be doing a remodel in the near future. I also will be teaching workshops and working with the community to help others learn about the artistry of photography.
Contact Info:
- Website: asherswanphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asherswanphoto/?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM%3D&fbclid=IwAR09SBhW_-OyC3neq0i7HuU0OmOkHgYhBEAK47TsxAcRlWYu1IRPBvUMD6E
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asherswanphoto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZXPLO18U9XIfw0A7SmprsA
Image Credits
Asher J. Swan, Bree May, and Jessica Schnarr
