Meet Chance Keso | Photographer.

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

Hi Chance, why did you pursue a creative career?
I chose to follow this path when I was in high school. I grew up outside playing in the woods. Especially skiing and hiking. As I grew older, it just became more of my focus. That’s when I found mountain biking, then that evolved into downhill racing. That’s where it all started. I brought a camera to the races I was going to and started shooting photos just for fun and uploading them to Pinkbike.com. A few got featured in stories on the site for the races. That’s what really made me fall in love with photography and creating art. Naturally, I dipped my hands into every genre. That finally lead to me focusing primarily on working with Landscapes, Adventure and Lifestyle images. Over the years, I got to work on a few fun projects. Two of which were both for businesses in Bend, Oregon. One for Silipint creating a few lifestyle images with their silicone cups out in the world and in the woods. The other was creating lifestyle images for Deschutes Brewery for the launch of their beers being canned. The love of creating images is what brought me to where I am now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For me, it’s all about how I saw where I was. Yes, that sounds absolutely cliché, but it is true. I want to show the world what I saw and I want the photographs to reflect the emotion I was feeling when I was there. I’m not one for words when it comes to my work. All I want is for you to feel something from viewing it. A change in my work that is currently happening is to tell more stories visually. Mainly in the form of longer galleries on my website showing the steps of the journey. Essentially a visual diary. I have more planned down the line, but currently one has been completed. Which is called A Journey To The Heart; A visual documentation of a trip from Washington to Colorado.
That was a challenge to complete. I had a shot list written out in my phone notes. I had all these different ideas, but once you’re on the road, everything changes. Plans change, roads close, wildfires happen, breakdowns happen. You never know what’s going to happen. It was a constant struggle to re-organize an idea, then bring it to life in another way in another place from where you had first imagined. Then again, isn’t that half of the fun?

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I live in Western Washington, we are loading into the truck and heading to the Olympic Peninsula.

Stop at Slippery Pig brewing in Poulsbo, Wa and fill the growler up. Head off into the mountains and find a spot for the night. Small fire, cold beers, and an epic view of the mountains. Take them to my favorite day hike up to Marmot Pass, but via the less travelled Tubal Cain route.
Once the hike is done, it’s time to head to Port Angeles for a well deserved burger from Frugals and a dip into Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park.
After that, it’s off to the beaches of the Washington Coast. Head to Ruby Beach and do some bouldering with the ocean crashing up behind you. That is one of the best feelings. Plus, once we’re tired of the ocean the rain forest is a short drive away. I want them to experience the magic of the Olympic Peninsula.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The biggest influence in helping me achieve my goals was the staff at Spokane Falls Community College. I went through the photography program that the school offers. I couldn’t put on paper how much that group of people taught me over the few years I was there. The knowledge the staff has is truly remarkable. They were all working professionally in the industry at one point, and some still do. I couldn’t give them higher praise. I had a strong background in photography before I attended, they helped me reach a higher level.

So, big thank you to SFCC and the photo department staff. You were the best and still are!

Website: https://chancekeso.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chance_Keso

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChanceKesoPhoto/