Last year at Photoshop World, I was introduced to Jeremy Cowart’s work by a close friend who considers Cowart a big influence on his own work. I liked what I saw and began following Cowart’s blog. Recently, he was named the Most Socially Influential Photographer on the Internet.

Cowart responded to this accolade with tremendous humility. For me, that is the ultimate one-two punch: talented photographer and genuinely nice person. So, when asked to pick an interview subject for Photofocus, my choice was simple.

In a former life, I interviewed people for a living. But, I have not done many interviews in this format. So, I thought about my favorite interviewers James Lipton and Charlie Rose who tend to shy away from generic questions. To me, this makes their interviews more interesting.

With that in mind, I came up with twenty-five quirky questions and reached out to Jeremy Cowart to see if he would be my first off-beat interview. Knowing how busy he must be, I asked him to choose and answer three to five questions.

He answered seven. Thanks Jeremy.

Without further ado, here are seven off-beat questions with Jeremy Cowart.


Which non-photographer has had the most influence on your creative style? Why?

Picasso … just his ability to throw all the rules out the window has always inspired me.

Of all of the locations and environments where you have shot, what is your least favorite?  Why?

I was Britney Spears tour photographer for a few months. I HATE shooting concerts. So it was groundhog’s day over and over again. 

When leading a seminar, what is the one question you wish your students would ask?

How do I make an impact with my life?

What one tool or technique would you give every one of your students to improve their business?

Evernote. It’s an amazing piece of software to bring organization the usual chaos in an artist’s life.

Some artists embrace the unknown. Others try to control for it. Which are you?  Why?

Oh, I’m absolutely the former. I live for the unknown and the wonder of it all. Why else would I create? Art is all about the unknown and just diving in and taking risks. Otherwise, it gets boring.

Name three active photographers whose work consistently inspires you?

Tim Walker, Dan Winters and Paolo Roversi

What is your favorite color? What do you imagine that color tastes like?

I’d have to say gray and I’m assuming the taste is very subtle.


Want to know more about Jeremy? Check out his website and follow him on OKDoTHis, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Did you like the off-beat interview format? Have a question for my list? Tell me in the comments below.