We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Trey Flynt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Trey, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
One of the best things about photography is there are endless subjects to photograph. I challenge myself to find a new landscape or go looking for some kind of wildlife in hopes I’ll get a great shot. Luckily, I live in the desert Southwest and we have so many places to explore and photograph so I do have options.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a photographer who specializes in landscape, wildlife and astrophotography (taking photos of the night sky). I enjoy it because it allows me to do what I already enjoyed doing – going out, exploring, traveling, etc. and combining that with trying to find and photograph something that I hope others will enjoy.
A lot of people will see a photo I took of the Milky Way and comment on how they’ve never seen the stars like that and I tell them they need to get far away from the city and other lights and look at the sky. It’s magnificent! Too many of us never get out in the wilderness and get to see the beauty that is all around, and above, us.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
With the invention of the smart phone everyone now has a camera on them at all times. Which means we are all photographers. So, in order to stand out you really have to think about what your subject is in your photo. Who’s the “hero” of your photo, whether that’s a person, an animal, or even something like an abandoned car. Then, come up with what is going to be the best composition to shoot this and show it off. The real difference in being a great photographer and just someone who takes photos is the photographer will realize if they scoot over 3′ the photo becomes much better while the person who takes photos will just snap it without much thought.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents were a great influence on me in all factors in my life. I could go on all day about their impact but to keep it brief they always encouraged me to succeed in everything I do. My father was a great photographer and I wish he was still alive to view some of my success now.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.treyflynt.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/treyflynt
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/treyflyntphotography
Image Credits
All photos taken by me
