Brown W. Cannon III

Education:Art Center College of Design, Pasadena CA
Website: www.browncannon3.com
Studio Size: Just me, my fine art manager and a list of assistants who help on location. I choose who I will work with based on the type of shoot. My office is in my home.

[RT] Please share with us a bit about your background:

Cannon: I grew up in Denver, Colorado in a house with a darkroom and a pile of National Geographic Magazines. Photography was a hobby for both my parents who handed me an Asahi Pentax 35mm (Honeywell) when I was 10. Since that time I have used the camera to satisfy my curiosity about the world.I was the kid who made slide shows of class trips and showed them to the parents (if any of you read this, forgive me for that…) Much of my free time growing up I took pictures, yet it took me a while to decide to turn the “hobby” into my work. It was during a pre med chemistry class that the choice was clear.We had to build a pinhole camera, take a picture (mine was of the clock tower building in downtown Denver) and then write a report about the chemical process by which the image comes to life. Shortly thereafter I found myself at the Art Center College of design.Since graduation I have concentrated on travel, sports, lifestyle and portraits of people in their environments. I currently reside in Mill Valley, California where I work with companies and magazines from around the world. If I am not behind the camera, I am usually on the mountain or in the surf.

[RT] What you are best known for?

Cannon: Editorial travel feature (stories) and my curiosity. Wendy Ball, Deputy Photo Editor at T&L (Travel + Leisure) once said: “for his connection to the environment and all of the world’s inhabitants ‘animal and human’ is what distinguishes him in the industry of travel photography.”

[RT] How does Wendy’s comment make you feel?

Cannon: Having my pictures evoke this kind of response is all that I could hope for. It is one thing to feel a connection while on location, but it is another to have the connection translate to the viewer. This is my biggest challenge and my biggest reward.

[RT] Describe your relationship with water, surfing and image-making.

Cannon: I don’t know if being a Pisces has anything to do with my love for the water, but that care and fondness for it run to my core. Since I was a boy I spent a lot of time in Hawaii. If we were visiting for 72 hours, I was in the water for 65. In the water I am present and my mind is clear. Surfing disconnects me from the land that keeps us all busy and with every paddle out from shore, the experience with the natural world reveals itself more and more. Surfing has become a reflection of my life. And my favorite characteristic about the ocean is that it treats everyone the same.

[RT] You have an exhibit coming up. Tell us about your collaboration with GP Surfboards.

Cannon: Two years ago, I started a creative collaboration with two surfboard designers from GP Surfboards in Santa Cruz bringing fine art images to classic surfboard designs. The images are of water texture, ocean life, and coastal environments – the full scope of a person’s relationship to the ocean. I am excited about these boards because they are beautiful, usable, and innovative. I have come to feel a personal and constantly increasing sense of responsibility to the ocean and hope that this project will raise ocean awareness.As a photographer I spend a lot of time alone, which is why this collaboration became so appealing. It has enabled me to bring an idea to fruition and to get the best results by entrusting and working with other specialists. Sure I could have completed this show on my own, but the opening reception would be in 2015. It is fantastic to combine efforts with other talents and to see what can happen. Just in the simple act of reaching out and getting people involved, I have made many new friends in the creative field. That is inspiring.

[RT] You have a wide range of clients. Share with us the differences between corporate versus editorial clients, if any.

Cannon: What they all have in common is that they all expect the best. The primary difference I experience is that I am entrusted to accomplish this on my own (or with an assistant) during an editorial assignment. Commercial assignments require a larger production team which means there are more opinions to consider when conceptualizing the shot.

[RT] What qualities make a photographer?

Cannon: When the unique quality of a person’s character comes through in their pictures their point of view becomes interesting. I think it is up to the individual to understand what inspires them so that they can choose subjects they are emotionally connected to. Then that connection and feeling translates to the viewer.Another important quality is the ability to collaborate. Many shoots involve numbers of people so you have to know what you want, be able to communicate it, and treat the people you work with with respect.And you’ve got to be on time!

[RT] What makes a relationship with a Picture Editor, Art Buyer or Art Director a successful one?

Cannon: They like what you have to offer beyond the photography. Presenting good work is key and it has to be on time. It helps when you don’t create a feeling of urgency. There has to be a respect for the work and for each other on a professional and personal level.I believe an art director would rather hire a photographer who is good behind the lens and interesting to talk to than the person who is genius but an asshole. Editors obviously have a lot of pressure to hit deadlines. If you ease this pressure by being dependable and consistent you will get another call.

[RT] Describe some of the challenging aspects of running a business today.

Cannon: The primary challenge for my photography business is continuing to be the client’s choice when there are so many options. This calls for continual growth and an ability to understand how the market is changing and how you can then adapt to it or be the one to drive the change.

[RT] What is the market today and how has it changed in the last 5-10 years?

The past 5-10 years have, in my mind, been ideal years to be a part of this industry. 10 years ago the majority of magazines and agencies either requested or required transparency film. This was the standard and it was a bit limiting. Within the past ten years photographers have had an amazing amount of creative freedom. Some of us chose color neg, others transparency. We shot black and white in camera and printed on fiber based papers. We pushed and pulled and cross processed. We shot infrared and 3200. And eventually digital became an option as well. We were able to apply the techniques that we found worked best for our imagery and the editorial features during this time reflected this freedom. The trick is that now our choices are beginning to be limited once again. Papers and films are disappearing and the market demand for digital is growing. As a result, the once large gap that delineated the professional and the amateur is shrinking. Today everyone has a computer, everyone has a camera, everyone utilizes Photoshop, everyone is a “photographer”.

[RT] From where or whom do you draw inspiration?

Cannon: Photographers present and past: Koudelka, Salgado, James Fee, Gordon Parks, Kirkeby, Baltermants, Steichen, Cunningham; the surf; Henry Moore; a road trip; Beryl Markham, Stevie Ray Vaughan; wind and rain; thick paint on a canvas; Cormac McCarthy; travel; a passing storm; the waters edge; movement; a glance; my family…

[RT] How has the technology affected photography and your work?

Cannon: Less time in front of the camera and much more time in front of the grey box. It is love-hate. It has allowed me to research, create and maintain my many connections. It has provided the tools to think beyond a traditional frame and to apply images to different materials and forms; however, our entire society is constantly on call. It is very hard to disappear anymore. I must also say that I still prefer film. The printed image from film is the most aesthetic way to experience a moment.

[RT] For students, what would you encourage them to do?

Cannon: Find a mentor, preferably while you are in school. Shoot constantly. Create projects that have commercial application (ie. Shoot mock ad campaigns), and push yourself in directions that are uncomfortable. Finally, photograph what inspires you and fill your portfolio with these images. This is the best way to align your personal interests with assignments you will receive from Art Directors and Art Buyers. Show the pictures you like to take and you will receive jobs that you really want to shoot.

[RT] What’s next?

Cannon: James Fee, my mentor from my days at the Art Center, best said, “you should never write the final chapter before having had lived through all of the previous pages.” Surface is an exciting time for me, without having any sense of how it might change my personal direction. I look forward to that evolution. And until then I will keep shooting.

Brown’s exhibit, Surface, opens this Thursday, February 21, 2008 at the Terra Gallery, San Francisco.

Interview on Deck > John Moore currently with Getty Images in Pakistan.