Meet Justin Balog | Director of Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Balog and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Most of the stuff your worry about, never happens anyway.” -Tom Petter

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I don’t know if many people know what a Director of Photography (DP) is, or even does. People immediately assume, “so you’re a photographer”. Well, yes I am, I just make photos at 24 frames per second. Or they assume, you’re a movie director. I work for movie directors, but that’s not what I do.

Ultimately a DP is responsible for the image you see on the screen. To make that image, there is SOOOOO much that goes into it. You need a team of people to light it. You need a team of people to build special rigs. You need a team of people to manage the camera and lenses. It’s crazy just how much goes into making that single frame you see in a movie. What I do is, work with the director to understand just how they want those images to make the audience feel in their movie, then I interpret their creative vision, and coordinate all those teams, to make that image.

I started off as a photo journalist, then through my love of cinema, pushed into making movies, commercial and music videos. It has not been easy, and there are an insane amount of challenges. The only way I overcame those challenges is persistence. I kept at it. I put a personal life plan in place, rolled the dice and went for it….and I’m still going for it.

Hmm, what should the world know about me? That is a tough question, I’d love for the people that see these images feel something. But I think most importantly, I hope that the people I worked with to make these images are proud of them as well. It is a huge team and ultimately that is what I love, I love the teams I am able to work with and I hope they all feel that love and respect from me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
RED ROCKS! I’d take them to see a show at RED ROCKS! Before the show, I’d probably try to catch a nice bike ride, on one of the many tails we have to offer….eat lunch, go look at some guitars at Wildwood guitars, then hit the show!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
That is a tough one! As you move through life, and if you’re lucky, you meet so many people that impact you and your path. It starts with my folks, and then there is a seemingly endless list of mentors, teachers, friends, spouse, pets, and even places that have taught me something and helped me along the way.

Website: http://www.JustinBalog.com

Instagram: @JustinBalog

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinbalog/

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Victoria Heinsohn