In this episode, I talk to Jody MacDonald (@jodymacdonaldphoto). As an award-winning photographer, Jody is no stranger to adventure and exploration in the last untamed corners of the planet. Having spent her formative years in Saudi Arabia before sailing around the world twice over the span of a decade on a kiteboarding, sailing, surfing and paragliding expedition onboard a 60ft catamaran, she has traveled to over 100 countries in search of the unknown. From train hopping in the Sahara to paragliding in the Himalayas at 17,000 feet, she is passionate about stepping off the beaten path in pursuit of documenting issues that blend insightful storytelling, big adventure expeditions, and social change inspiration in the hopes of promoting the preservation of wild places.

Recently, Men’s Journal named her “One of the 25 Most Adventurous Women in the Past 25 years” and she has had the opportunity to speak on the TEDx stage. She has worked on prominent campaigns with companies such as Disney, HP, Ford, and Leica. You can see her images in many international publications such as National Geographic, Red Bull, Outside, BBC, Patagonia, Islands, and Men’s Journal and many others.

Please enjoy!

Will Saunders (@willsaundersphoto) is a commercial photographer and has been widely published in Outside Magazine, Sidetracked Magazine, Surfers Journal, and Ski Journal. The bio on his website reads, "A serious understanding of different sports and environments allows Will to go to remote places, rock walls, depths of the ocean and to the tops of the Himalaya. All while being comfortable and in his element." His diverse experience across these different outdoor adventure sports has led him to work with brands such as The North Face, Under Armour, DICKS Sporting Goods, Red Bull, Specialized Bikes, Fjallraven, Columbia Sportswear, Patagonia, Black Diamond, so on and so forth. Finally, Will was the Overall Winner of the 2021 Red Bull Illume photo contest, the self-described "greatest international imagery contest dedicated to adventure ad action sports photography.

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Scott Toepfer (@sgtoepfer) is a commercial photographer and director with an affinity for everything on two wheels. His work is characterized by a grungy aesthetic and story-driven style. Past clients include: Mercedes-Benz, Harley-Davidson, Visa, Gibson Guitars, Uber, Converse, Indian Motorcycles, Sperry Topsiders, High Noon Vodka, Red Bull Media House, and many others.

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Harness. Leg straps. Chest straps. Extraction device. This is the checklist Marcus Ellison goes through in his mind before leaping off a 332-foot cell tower in central West Virginia. “It’s sort of like a pilot would do on an airplane, like a pre-flight inspection. I’m just going through all that stuff in my mind cause that’s the last [thing] you wanna be thinking about when you’re standing on the exit point.” We approach the tower from the West, nearing sunset, winding down backroads toward the edge of Fayette County where Marcus grew up. “It’s a nice little spot cause it’s [too far] for the Fayette County authorities to get here. By the time somebody called and they had the time to respond, we’re f****n’ gone.” Despite his nonchalance, Marcus’s demeanor is not that of a lawless criminal and more like a professional athlete before a primetime game.

Commercial photography is as saturated a marketplace as any these days. With such stiff competition, it’s no wonder brands are raising the bar on those of us trying to break our way into the industry. No experience? No thanks. It’s a constant chicken-or-egg paradox: Photographers want to work with burgeoning brands to gain experience, yet these fledgling brands are also trying to break through and want an experienced photographer with whom they can trust their limited budget. It is at this point that we as photographers have to trust our own skill set and invest in our own portfolio. One of the best ways to do that: Self-assigned projects.

Back when I was taking pictures just for the fun of it, I never once thought to optimize my preparation. There was no preparation — no shot list, no scouting, no mood board. That all changed when making pictures became my job and my livelihood. Now there are stakes, and it’s more important than ever to set myself up for success and lay the foundation necessary to create work I’m proud of. In fact, let me dispel the myth of the scatter-brained creative who picks up their camera when inspiration strikes; I would argue that the quality of my preparation before a shoot is the single biggest indicator of how my final images turn out.

In today’s world, it is easier than ever to start a business. Explore Instagram on any given day and you will inevitably see an ad for some new online retailer. It begs the question: How, in such a saturated online marketplace, can a fledgling brand separate itself from the pack and survive? There is no one answer to such a complex question, but for many consumer brands the key is brand storytelling.

Any writer worth their salt knows that a good story is comprised of three primary components: Character, Setting, and Plot. The same can be said of visual storytelling, regardless of the medium. As a commercial photographer, my goal is to tell a brand’s story as succinctly as possible, sometimes in as little as a single image. To do this effectively, I lean on those same three story motifs and lots and lots of planning and preparation. Let’s dive in.