Meet Dylan Widger | Freelance Photographer

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

Hi Dylan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It’s something that just kind of became a thing. I did photo work in college for the student paper as well as bands that I knew and eventually I started being asked to do freelance work. Since my opportunities were limited, I said yes to pretty much everything that came my way, and it wasn’t a whole lot. I struggled at times (and still do) about a lack of work but I know that as long as I keep at it, things will work out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My freelance work is mostly photojournalism, but my main topics are music and sports. I started shooting bands when I got my first camera in high school and started covering sports while at the paper in college. Working alongside the bands have allowed me the opportunity of working for different artists and media groups as well as serving as a rally photographer for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which I’ve done for the last couple years. Thanks to referrals from professors and other photographers, I’ve had the opportunity to cover Nebraska Cornhuskers football as well as college basketball, the College World Series and U.S. Olympic Trials and have had my photos published in The Athletic, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and numerous other media outlets. It definitely wasn’t easy, and even today there’s still struggles, whether it be trying to find opportunities to long nights in packed bars shooting bands and cold snowy days shooting sports. What I’ve learned is that as long as you keep your head up and give it your all, things work out in the end. You just have to keep at it, even when it seems like it isn’t worth the effort you’re putting in.

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?
First and foremost, I would get them tickets to a Nebraska football game. It’s an experience they won’t be able to find anywhere else. It’s great being down on the field during the game but it’s still a wonderful experience being packed in the stadium with 90,000 fans supporting Husker football. I’d also take them to the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. It’s one of the top five zoos in the world, and I love every time I get to go there. You won’t be able to see everything in one day, so it might be a two-day adventure! Besides that, I would show them around the country side and let them experience rural Nebraska. It’s not for everyone, but a Sunday drive and a nice meal from a small town cafe might help them see why it’s so special.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first band that ever let me take photos of them was Judd Hoos, and I still do photo work for them today. Not only did they give me the opportunity to photograph live music, but they let me improve and grow along the way. I definitely was not great starting out but they kept letting me come back again and again. I wouldn’t be where I am without their support.

I also wouldn’t have the opportunities covering sports and other photojournalistic work that I do without The Daily Nebraskan, the student paper at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As a freshman with next to no real experience, they let me join their staff and learn the ropes of photography. I spent all five years of school at the paper, and it was my second home and family. The connections I made and experiences I had while working at the paper have helped me become who I am today.

Website: www.dylanwidger.com

Instagram: @dylanwidgerphoto

Facebook: Dylan Widger Photography