edu LIBRARY

August Bradley is a Los Angeles-based photographer, cinematographer, director, producer and creative director. Put more simply, he’s a content creator that combines great talent with impeccable attention to detail, hard work and business skills. He has extensive experience in consumer marketing and brand building for leading brands, such as Gap, Banana Republic, J.Crew, and Crate & Barrel, and an MBA from Harvard.

August’s creative work has won industry praise and awards, including the Hasselblad Masters Award, and in his role as Creative Director of GLASS Media Lab he creates short films and cross-platform, content-driven campaigns for commercial clients.

We recently talked to August about how he got started, his powerful imagery, the business of photography, and much more.

See more of August Bradley’s work at www.augustbradley.com.

— MM EDU

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: How long have you been a photographer?

August: All my life.

MM EDU: Why did you choose a career in photography?

August Bradley: I was in photography before I can even remember–I grew up in my mother’s photo studio. I was her little lighting assistant at age 5. I lived in the darkroom and shot nonstop through high school and much of college.

After college I went in a different direction, and had the most interesting jobs I could think of in corporate America (marketing strategy and strategic planning for leading consumer brands), but I was bored out of my mind.  I had to come back to the creative side, and photography was the primary artistic skill I already had.

MM EDU: Did you study photography in school?

August: No, I went to business school, not art school. I think business school has been more valuable to my creative career than art school ever would have been.

MM EDU: Not just any business school, you have an MBA from Harvard, did you pursue that knowing you were going to be a creative professional or was your career goal different at the time?

August: My career goals were different. At that time I had no plans to be an artist. But it worked out well as it turns out running a photography business is about 20% photography and 80% business.

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: Apart from being in your mother’s photo studio as a child, did you assist anyone?

August: I never assisted, mainly since I started late and didn’t feel I had time. I was impatient, and just wanted to do it. However, assisting is my number one recommendation to young people starting out. It is the best way to learn (combined with lots of personal shooting). And I do wish I could see how other professionals I respect and admire work; it’s interesting to see various creative approaches.

MM EDU: Who was the greatest influence on your career?

August: My mom got me started, so from a creative standpoint it would be her. But I try to keep an open mind and my eyes open, so influences and inspiration come from all directions all the time.

MM EDU: What kind of images do you shoot?

August: I shoot dramatic portraits and conceptual images. I’ve been doing the conceptual thing for a while, often with custom sets, custom wardrobe, and a strong narrative. They’re pretty complex productions sometimes.

That’s why I started doing portraits–the simplicity appealed to me as a counterbalance to the long complex productions. So, on a portrait shoot it’s just me, the subject, and an assistant or two.

With the conceptual shoots, which are often for fashion or advertising, it’s more like sculpture where I shape every minute detail from an idea in my head.

With portraits, it’s more like improvisational jazz where the subject and I riff off each other and the energies intertwine.

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: How did it feel to see your work in print for the first time?

August: It was exciting and still is.

MM EDU: How do you advertise yourself? How often?

August: Most of my work comes from people I know or have worked with. But it took a long time to build up that network. I did postcard mailings and targeted letters to key people I really wanted to reach. Sometimes I would send a few prints that I thought would resonate with a specific editor or art buyer. I tried Sourcebooks, but would not recommend them. Online collections that agency art buyers follow can be a good resource.

The best way to advertise is probably to get your work in good magazines, but that’s as hard or harder than landing ad jobs, so it’s easier said than done. A few (and I mean a very few) competitions are worthwhile, but only if major art buyers and editors follow them. I’ve been very fortunate with competitions, so they can be helpful.

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: Do you have a studio?

August: Yes, my studio is in downtown L.A.—great art scene there.

MM EDU: What has been your greatest reward?

August: Making work that excites you is a reward in itself, and it has to be what drives you because the rest is so unpredictable and uncontrollable.

MM EDU: What has been your greatest challenge?

August: Long slow periods are sometimes a reality for any creative professional, and that can shake your confidence and cause you to question what you’re doing with your life. So this path has to be something you’re so dedicated to that there just can’t be any alternative for you. You cannot do this for recognition or the glamour. It’s not glamorous in reality.

It has to be out of love and passion for the work. Only then will the work have the soul and personality it needs. And only then will you stick with it through the hard times, and there are always hard times for creative professionals or any type of artist.

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: What would you tell a student of photography today?

August: Practice, apprentice, and be humble. Work harder than anyone else.

MM EDU: What would you have to say positively about the industry today?

August: There is so much opportunity. There are so many great new ways to create and share. There are so many new paths to do creative work. Look for the new paths—don’t just emulate the old ones.

MM EDU: What inspires you today?

August: The merging of technology and traditional craft. New work that surprises and reveals possibilities in a beautiful and innovative way. People who work their assess off to overcome huge obstacles.

MM EDU: What do you view as the biggest challenge facing photographers today?

August: A flood of images saturating everyone’s attention and teaching people to glance rather than really observe nuance. The flood of new creatives who take a desperate approach with their business practices. The “good enough” mentality with clients, when we could do something truly great.

MM EDU: If you could photograph anyone, who would you choose and why?

August: I enjoy the endless stream of new encounters—it’s never about one end all-be all subject. The diversity of subjects is the greatest appeal.

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: Do you view yourself more as a photographer or filmmaker? Do you approach them differently?

August: I’m a content creator. I work in different mediums, but it’s all the same thing. There are practical differences—working with larger, more specialized teams on film or commercial sets requires more organization and coordination. But to the extent possible, I approach them the same. I’m usually trying to simplify my film productions to make them freer, like shooting photography. Director Alexander Payne (Nebraska, The Descendants, Sideways) said filmmaking should be as free as finger painting. I like that, but it’s not easy to achieve.

MM EDU: What is GLASS Media Lab?

August: GLASS Media Lab is a hybrid creative agency and production company. It’s a content incubator that I founded, bringing together some incredibly talented people to create narrative content.

Initially, we’re working for commercial clients to create a viable business—particularly short films for brands and cross-platform, content-driven campaigns.

Once the commercial operation is in place, we’re launching a new arm that will create serial content (i.e., TV shows) and feature films that reveal expanded elements of the story on a wide variety of viewing platforms. In a way, it’s a big digital playground.

Photographer: August Bradley

MM EDU: And finally, you recently visited Uganda. Can you tell us why you were there and what the experience was like?

August: Uganda was both amazing and very difficult at the same time. I was there shooting a documentary film for an NGO (non-governmental) orphanage. While there, I did a personal photography project shooting a portrait series around the orphanage. The stories of the people we met were so powerful and really heartbreaking at times. But at other times, they were super inspirational.

Filming in Uganda was a fascinating experience with its own challenges, but also with many rewards—most notably the incredible group of young, passionate filmmakers who helped us out with the production. Photography and filmmaking can really bring out the best in people. It’s a great community.

MM EDU: Thanks for sharing your story with us.

August: Thank you.