Meet Barrett Kowalsky | Photographer

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

Hi Barrett, why did you pursue a creative career?
I distinctly remember the first time I got a flip phone with a camera on it, and I even remember the first photo I took with it that got me interested in photography. It was a picture of a lifeguard chair at a beach, and although it was extremely simple, I immediately became obsessed with the act of taking photos. I still have that first picture I took back in 2008, taken on a little flip phone, and that moment really launched an interest in learning more about photography, getting a real DSLR for the first time, and then just completely diving into taking photos, editing them, and posting them online to Flickr to share with anyone who was interested in looking at them.

I spent quite a few years learning about both digital & film photography, but over time (and as I got busier with life-things), photography became a smaller hobby for me. I really loved doing it, but felt like I didn’t have enough time to explore it the way I really wanted to. I ended up prioritizing what I “thought” I should do with my life and following traditional career paths. More recently, I really felt stuck in a rut career-wise, and began picking up my camera a lot more. One of my biggest fears in life is getting old and looking back on everything I’ve done and thinking, “What if I had pursued my passion instead of just doing what I feel is ‘normal’ to do?” That was definitely a huge motivating factor for taking a leap into making photography a full-time career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I separate my photography into two general categories: personal and professional. Sometimes these overlap, and I’m actually working to improve that overlap more and more as I gain experience, and that’s a really interesting concept to me. With my personal work, I definitely seek to invoke a feeling of nostalgia or a sense of familiarity – for example, giving viewers the feeling that they’ve been somewhere before, even if it’s taken in a location that they haven’t ever visited. I tend to think that when my photos can really invoke that feeling, that’s some of my strongest work. Sometimes this is easiest with film photography as it can be inherently nostalgic, but I’m working on improving that experience with my digital work as well. On the professional side, I’m beginning to venture into product photography, which is definitely not as easy as it looks. However, I’ve worked at agencies in the past that had full photo studios, and I spent a lot of time working with those teams and seeing how they work. That was invaluable experience when it comes to learning how to concept & plan for shoots, as well as getting a better understanding of how to set up.

Overall, I’ve really been trying to push myself outside of my comfort zone, which has always been difficult for me. I’m working on reaching out to prospective clients and just jumping into this head on, so if I can keep up that mentality and keep pushing forward, I like to think that it’ll all work out somehow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay this is incredibly intimidating as I haven’t even lived in Denver for a full year yet. So since I’m still exploring, I’d say I’d take a friend with me somewhere in the state that I’ve never been to before, or have wanted to visit but haven’t yet gotten the chance to. Colorado is such a wonderful place and it would take years to cover all my bases, so I don’t think there’s really a wrong answer here. As long as it involves hiking and exploring somewhere outdoors, I don’t see how you could fail. My partner and I are also obsessed with this mac & cheese place in Indian Hills, called Mac Nation Cafe. I totally thought it was a coffee place the first time we drove by it, but luckily it was not. It’s such a great spot to get food after a long hike.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is obviously going to come off as a little generic, but I definitely need to shout out to my family for how much they love and support me on a daily basis. All throughout my life, my parents and my sister have made it completely clear that they’d support me no matter what I decided to do with my life. I am so incredibly lucky to have all of them in my life: my Mom, Susan, my Dad, Daryle, my Sister, Harley, and our dog, Rosie.

I’m also new to Denver (previously lived in NYC for the past 5 years), and have only been here for about a year, but in that short amount of time I have also managed to build an incredible network of friends and connections. These people have been absolutely instrumental to me making the decision to pursue photography as a full-time career. I was able to speak to them honestly and openly about both my fears and my excitement in taking this step, and the feedback I got from them has been so rewarding. I absolutely could not have made this decision without these people in my life.

Website: https://www.barrettk.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barrettkowalsky/

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