Meet Lewis Frazier III | Wildlife Photographer and Conservationist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lewis Frazier III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lewis, what role has risk played in your life or career?
One of the most critical things I learned early in my life was the importance of taking risks. I have heard many people talk about taking risks with the obvious upside being a chance at success. This seems like the main reason for taking risks in life, but for me, it has been the repeated failures that have taken me the farthest. You read that right – failure has shaped my journey – not success. That probably sounds crazy, but allow me to explain. Deciding to take a leap in life means overcoming our fear of failure and going all-in towards the goal. When assessing the risks involved, it is easy to fixate on calculating our odds of success instead of focusing on what is most important – what about failure are we afraid of, and why? Surely, what keeps us from stepping out so much of the time is based on a mindset of fear – a fear of accepting that we fall short. My journey began not when I took risks and found immediate success, but when I refused to let fear hold me back from failure. I have failed many times, and each failure has taught me something new, made me stronger, and left me better equipped to overcome than if I had negotiated a way to avoid the risk. For me, the most important life lessons come from learning to overcome firsthand. Looking at failure as an opportunity rather than a closed-door has cleared the way for me to take risks fearlessly in all aspects of life.

This mindset is something that heavily influences my work as a wildlife photographer, both in business and in the field. My body of work is shaped by patience, persistence, and risk-assessment. Thousands of hours spent in the wilderness searching for the right setting, and waiting for the perfect light to combine with the perfect moment with a wild animal – the window of opportunity is usually very small, and the margin for error quite large. After so much time searching and waiting, the moment usually lasts only a few seconds, and while I am often laying very still, my mind is overrun with split-second decisions. The decision often comes down to a simple dilemma: to wait and see if the animal will come closer, if it will step into the beautiful light, if it will do something amazing… Do I wait to press the shutter, hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, but risk coming away with nothing? Or do I press the shutter now, and at least come away with a photo of some kind, but potentially ending the encounter with the sound of the camera and wondering what could have been? One can only feel good about their decision with the right mindset.

At the beginning of my career, I was so focused on avoiding failure that I always took the first shot I could for fear of failing and coming away empty-handed. These images lacked the life and impact that I would eventually spend my career pursuing. Little did I know how many amazing opportunities I was missing by seizing the first relative success I could get my hands on. Later in my career, as I continued to search for emotion and impact in my images, I discovered that a fear of failure was holding me back from making mistakes and learning from them. At this point I realized that allowing fear to dictate my actions was holding me back from taking risks, and ultimately suppressing my growth, my vision, and my innovation. I made a conscious decision to move forward with a fearless mindset, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and embracing failure as a necessary step in my growth – both as a photographer and as a person. Each success is the culmination of all my mistakes, and each one of my images is the result of thousands of missed opportunities and failures. Without allowing fear to dictate our actions, we are free to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and into a freedom to take risks, make mistakes, and ultimately to learn and grow.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My body of work was born out of a passion for capturing stories that show the beauty of the natural world and inspiring people to evaluate their relationship with nature. The pursuit of my wild subjects and how they are portrayed is driven by the belief that nature is a fundamental part of who we are as humans, and that by connecting with nature and coming to understand it, we will be inspired to cherish and protect it. Finding the untold stories of wildlife, capturing aspects of their lives that people never see – the gentleness of a giant bear, or the strength of a tiny mouse – that’s where the magic is for me. I am drawn to the candid and intimate moments of the wild, the moments that reveal a window into the daily life of wild creatures without disrupting their lives. I feel strongly that wildlife must always be kept wild and undisturbed, and insist that they be photographed ethically, even if it means missing the shot. No image is worth exposing wildlife or their habitat to harm.

I am humbled by the outpouring of support from so many people around the world who have been impacted by my work. Knowing that my images and stories can make even the smallest difference in protecting wildlife, preserving our environment, or simply creating a positive moment in the life of one person sharing a connection with nature – that makes me proud, and it makes all the hard work worthwhile. I am very excited to keep sharing moments from my journey in nature with the world, and I am especially excited to begin sharing my love of wildlife photography with other photographers through a series of on-location wildlife photography workshops beginning later this year. I will be offering guided trips for small groups to join me in photographing wildlife in several of the world’s wildest places where I have spent considerable time in my career. A very fun and exciting new chapter!

Regarding how I got to where I am today professionally, I hope that where I am today is one step behind where I will be tomorrow. This is what I constantly repeat to myself in view of overwhelming goals that often feel impossible to achieve. For me, finding any success has always started with a willingness to embrace failure, humility, and perseverance. This is something that has been unchanging in my journey and is still my principal mindset each day. I have always felt strongly that allowing fear to dictate actions leads to a suppression of growth and innovation. Embracing failure as a necessary step in learning and growing allows me to have a fearless mindset free to innovate and push myself beyond my comfort zone. Anytime I find myself fearing something, I feel compelled to chase that fear and overcome it. That mindset, along with many long days and nights pushing myself, learning from my experiences, and discovering how to progress each day is how I got to where I am today. My hope is that continuing to build into that mindset will allow me to continue making an impact in the future.

One of the most important lessons I learned early on in my career was that experience cannot be bought – no amount of money, education or equipment can replace actual time-in-the-field experience. For many years, I used an extremely basic, entry-level camera setup and had almost no travel budget. It forced me to really focus on spending time in the field, finding new subjects close to home and perfecting my artistic vision as a photographer. I had to ask myself how I could capture a world-class image using only an entry-level DSLR setup. I have had so many failures – hundreds of missed shots and opportunities, etc. However, instead of focusing on my disadvantages, I pushed myself to have no excuse, to learn from my mistakes and find an advantage elsewhere. That advantage was to gain more experience – to go deeper into the wilderness and to spend more time in the field than anyone else. That really paid off and gave way to many unique opportunities.

Rather than placing the focus primarily on me or my brand, I hope that my work can place focus on connecting with nature, preserving our environment, and building into one another to create positive change together. I hope that anyone listening to or reading this interview will feel encouraged by learning about my journey, and ultimately empowered to take risks and pursue their own dreams fearlessly. If you are reading this and have any thoughts or questions, I’d love to hear from you! Please send me an email or a message on Instagram.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
You don’t have to look far to find adventure in Breckenridge, Colorado. While it is well-known as a winter ski destination, Breckenridge and the entire high country of Summit County is surrounded by opportunities to explore any time of year. Because of the elevation here, one amazing thing about this area is the ability to travel many seasons over a relatively small distance in a single day. It is a truly unique experience to set out on a hike in the late spring, making an ascent through alpine forests, over meadows of wildflowers and across beautiful streams until finally emerging atop a ridge with an incredible view – and a full run of snow to ski down! Late May in the Gore Range just between Vail and Silverthorne is a favorite for a day like this, as well as Hoosier Ridge south of Breckenridge, or Mayflower Gulch south of Frisco. Starting out early in the morning is a must to enjoy the safest weather and snow conditions. If you are lucky, you may catch sight of an elk or a bear passing by! Of course, once you’ve made it back to the car, there are a couple of great spots to grab a drink and reflect on your epic day. Outer Range Brewing Co. in Frisco will have you covered if you’re the type to go for an IPA after a day in the backcountry, and the fried chicken from Bird-Craft inside the brewery is a can’t-miss. If you’re after a savory meal, Sauce on the Blue in Silverthorne makes some of the best Italian food in town with some killer happy hour specials. Don’t go through Breckenridge without stopping at La Française – a small French bakery with some of the best paninis and macarons in the Rocky Mountains. And speaking from personal experience, these local favorites are all “mountain-attire” acceptable – from taped up ski pants to ragged flannels, you will be in good company.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since my early days as a photographer, I have always been inspired by the work of Paul Nicklen and Christina Mittermeier. Both of these photographers create innovative images and use them to tell stories that educate and provoke global change. I hope that I can make a similar global impact in my career as a photographer and conservationist. Of course, any part of my success would be impossible without the constant support of my family and loved ones – especially from my mom, dad, sister, grandparents, and fiancée, who have always been so encouraging and persistent in empowering me to learn and pushing me to pursue my dreams. I am beyond blessed, humbled and thankful to have such amazing people alongside me.

Website: www.LewisFrazier.com

Instagram: @LewisFrazier

Facebook: Lewis Frazier Photography

Other: TikTok: @Lewis_Frazier Email: info@lewisfrazier.com

Image Credits
(Image of Lewis Frazier) Photo by Jennifer Altemus. (All other images) Photo by Lewis Frazier.