Meet Leland & Addy Schmoker | Backcountry Perspective Photo

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leland & Addy Schmoker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leland & Addy, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Living in Colorado and spending a lot of time in the backcountry due to our hobbies, we naturally gravitated towards photography as a hobby. After a while of practicing it, we started to realize just how much people can take for granted, or may not get the chance to see. A fiery sunrise or the way that sunlight shines on a certain peak through the clouds is pretty much an every day occurrence here. We wanted to turn this into a business to make people stop and look at an image and make them appreciate a little more the beauty that the world has to offer. Being your own boss and seeing the joy that something you created brings other people are kind of the cherry on top.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Backcountry Perspective is still very much in its infancy. We currently both work full time jobs and focus on our own business in our free time, which typically means getting outdoors and taking more photos to build our portfolio. Being landscape photographers in Colorado is inherently hard due to the competition, but it’s been an amazing ride so far, finding our style, meeting new people, and trying new things to push the business forward. The lesson that has resonated with us the most is the fact that you have to constantly learn, try new things, and push your own boundaries. We’ve had loads of horrible shots, failed attempts at routing business to the website, and the general difficulties with putting your self and your art out there. Resilience has been the foundation of the business.

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?
Golden, Colorado is one of our favorite towns in Colorado so we’d suggest spending at least part of the day in that area! The hike up North Table Mountain is a little steep but it gives you an amazing view over Golden and is a great place to rock climb. Golden has a cute downtown and it’s fun to explore, specifically since you pass two amazing restaurants, Woody’s Wood Fired Pizza and Buffalo Rose. And lastly, finding good, local craft beer is one of our favorite pastimes, so last but not least is the Breckenridge Brewery tour in Englewood. The staff is extremely knowledgable, they have great beer, and their patio has corn hole!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We both have taken inspiration from big name photographers such as Ansel Adams, Jimmy Chin, Chris Burkard, Renan Ozturk, Tom Mangelsen, and Corey Rich just to name a few. We have also found extremely helpful knowledge from YouTube channels hosted by Nigel Danson, Mads Peter Iversen, and others that have greatly expedited our learning curve and inspired our creativity. Our friends and family have certainly been a huge support and have always encouraged us to keep at this dream of ours, even when it hasn’t felt possible to turn it into a reality.

Website: https://backcountryperspective.co

Instagram: bp.capturing.adventure

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/backcountry-perspective-photo-video-llc