If there’s one influence that photographers can get inspired by, it’s the cinema. Whether it be lighting, mood or composition, movies can truly spark us to create something special. Such is the case with Aaron Anderson, a portrait photographer that creates stunning photographic stories, unlike anyone I’ve come across.

I’ve written about how movies have inspired me in the past. Aaron takes it to the next level, creating scenes that look like they were taken straight out of a movie set. I recently had the chance to sit down with him and learn how he goes about his projects.

“I’ve always been really inspired by movies. Cinematic imagery and video are very different from most photography — it’s very purposeful. The lighting is purposeful. The idea is to tell the story, not to focus on how cool your lighting is,” Aaron says. “So I watch a lot of movies. I’ll go to a theater and really get influenced by movies like ‘Joker’ and kind of darker [movies] like ‘Batman.'”

One look at Aaron’s portfolio and it’s easy to see how he’s taken the ideas behind storytelling and cinematic lighting, and applied them to his photoshoots.

Aaron Anderson

Stumbling into photography by accident

Aaron didn’t seek to become a photographer. But after 20-plus different jobs, he picked up a camera when he was around 25.

“Photography came out of nowhere,” he said. “I had actually taken a photography class in high school, but absolutely hated it because it was all film. It was like, ‘Oh, I gotta go out and take a bunch of pictures.’ And then I get them back a week later, and they all suck.

“But then I started working. I started using a reflector and everything changed for me. It started to really be interesting. A friend of mine — Zak Shelhammer — took me out one day and said, ‘you always shoot RAW and you always shoot manual.’ I had no idea what either of those things was, but that’s how it all got started. I learned what RAW was, I learned what manual was, and I’ve never shot in anything but that ever since that day.”

From there, the rest is history. Aaron decided to go to art school and then ended up going into photography full-time.

Finding the story

For Aaron, photography starts with people. And that’s led to him working with several Olympic athletes in Colorado, where the Olympic Training Center is.

“It typically starts with either a story that I come up with or a story from a person that I know,” he said. “That got me to start meeting people and sitting down with them, and having coffee with them. I love sitting down with somebody and hearing their story. But it got to this point where, how do we tell these stories in a way that’s different, in a way that’s more admirable?”

“Sometimes we focus so much on the lighting. I’ve got nothing against that — especially when you’re first learning, it’s good to know. But there comes a point where they’re all tools. Lenses are all tools, cameras are all tools. We’re trying to tell a story here, so how do we tell that story most effectively?”

After that first meeting, Aaron will come up with a concept and then shoot from there.

“Usually I’ll go person, place and then lighting. Figure out what the story is we’re telling, what the most effective place to tell that story will be and then the most effective way to light that in order to enhance their story and make it as beautiful as we can.”

Gear is about working

Aaron knows his gear and knows how to tell a story with it. As a Tamron ambassador, he’s learned how to do so effectively. But in terms of his gear, it’s always about what works.

“You want it to work. That’s the thing I liked about Tamron from the beginning — I don’t have to worry about whether or not they’re going to work, focus or look good, come out clear or have issues. With Tamron stuff, they fell right in line, especially with the 35mm lenses, the 85mm lenses and even the 70-200mm, which I use more than some.

Tamron’s lenses shoot just as well as these other lenses that you’re going to spend double the price on. Do I need to spend $7,000 or whatever the heck it is on lenses? Or are these going to be sufficient? And they’ve been fantastic. Again, it’s not something I have to think about. It’s just something where we’re out there doing it. If I’m telling a story, the last thing I need to be thinking about is am I going to have good focus, is this going to be clear, am I going to have a good image.

“If your equipment does what you want it to do for you, and it helps you to accomplish what you’re trying to accomplish, then that’s great. That’s what it’s supposed to be doing. So there’s where Tamron came in for me a long time ago, and where it’s always been.”

With Aaron’s experience with Tamron lenses, they’ve worked well with any of his photoshoots — legal or otherwise.

“It’s one of those things where I’m just like, with Tamron, everything worked. It was already sketchy. It was intense and slightly illegal. And so you don’t want to be worried about your camera. You’ve got a couple of rounds to get the shots. When you’re hanging out the back of a car going 40 miles an hour with a downhill skateboarder right behind you, it’s pretty important that your stuff works.

“It’s like the silent partner, right? How is it helping you to achieve your vision? It has to work and it has to work well. I think I’ve always just been very, very impressed with Tamron’s clarity and Tamron’s focus.”

Pushing your boundaries

If there’s one thing Aaron has shown, he’s not afraid to push his boundaries.

“If you’re not a little bit scared going into a photoshoot, if you’re not a little bit nervous, then you’re probably not doing enough. You’re not growing, you’re not pushing yourself forward. I still, usually when we’re doing shoots, we’re usually attempting something that feels scary and feels different. Sometimes it’s going to work great, sometimes it’s not going to work great.

“But I think for me, it’s a matter of coming into a place where I’m consistently getting a certain level of results, even when it’s something that is new or different, or that I’ve never attempted before.

“You shouldn’t always know the answers. If you know all the answers, you’re definitely not growing anymore, and that’s really not a place to be. What happens if I point my flash through the window? Well, you should try it. See what happens.”

Want to learn more about Aaron and see his work? Visit aaronandersonvisuals.com.