Meet Brekon Baxter | Director of Photography

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

Hi Brekon, why did you pursue a creative career?
What it truly came down to was freedom. Although my industry is a collective of moving parts working in tandem, there is a level of freedom and creativity to it that especially stood out to me as the right career path. At a young age I knew I wanted to be a part of the film and television industry, inspired by watching films with family and friends to picking up my first camera and just filming skateboarding with my friends. The passion and obsession with creating imagery, whether through photo or video/filmmaking mediums has only grown as time has moved forward. Sitting still has never been my speed, and this industry keeps me on my feet, attentive and always ready to learn something new.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My craft is cinematography, an art of storytelling through moving visual imagery using cameras or other mediums. As a cinematographer or director of photography, you interpret words into pictures. You are never alone in this endeavor, though. Working with highly skilled professionals collaborating in a well-organized hierarchy, there are many moving parts to create these images and you are just one piece of a fantastic puzzle being put together. Something I’ve really pursued in my contributions to projects is the willingness to try new ideas. Create an environment where creativity can thrive because that’s where both our greatest mistakes and our greatest triumphs can take place. Stepping out of your comfort zone can help change perspective and overall give you an edge on how you approach the next project. Over the years I’ve shot lots of different projects from commercials to reality television to indie films, but it has always been the indie films that have stood out to me. That’s where I’ve been able to really explore my style and grow more as a cinematographer. There are many people to thank for giving me the opportunities to do so, and my go-to director and friend Richard Corso is one of them. Getting to this point in my career has not been easy by any means. There have been so many points of self-doubt and hard times with no work as I got on my feet and started to establish myself. Taking whatever was thrown my way as long as a camera was involved. There has been a lot more freedom to take the jobs I want to take as the years have passed and a lot less doubt about the ability to grow or inability to escape any kind of stagnancy. I owe a lot to my loved ones who were there to cheer me on along the way, they helped me stay on track with my goals and rooted for my success, which I am forever grateful for. Some things this industry has taught me are to hold your head high, you will always be your own worst critic. Do not let mistakes break you down, learn and change as you make them. Drive is half of the whole, if your heart isn’t in it, you’re not going to go anywhere. Give your all every opportunity you get.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If someone I knew was visiting, I would need to gauge their interests considering that Denver and Colorado as a whole have so many amazing things to do. Some standout places to me personally would be catching a show at the Gothic Theatre. It’s one of my favorite smaller venues in town and always has some interesting music coming through, of course Red Rocks is something everybody should do at least once if they come here. I always like to get people up to Rocky Mountain National Park because they’re usually enamored by the wildlife and scenery, as well as the quick Stanley Hotel stop in Estes Park. The standard downtown Denver sights and 16th street are something to always show people, but heading into the Highland neighborhood to try different eats always follows that whether a cool little coffee shop like Carbon Cafe & Bar or Avanti F&B for the food court style of eating with different options for everyone.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my wife first off, who has always supported me and has been a large part of my drive and growth over the years. The Groom family, a wonderful pair of people that I have worked with for a long time now and couldn’t be more thankful to have as friends in this industry. My family and friends outside of film and television that have watched me dive right into the struggles of being freelance and encouraged me to not give up when things weren’t in my favor. I love and appreciate all of you.

Website: https://vimeo.com/321265680

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