Meet Stephen Hamm | Landscape Photographer

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

Hi Stephen, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started my own business because I wanted to stop working my day job as a chef. Being a chef takes a lot of time from my family. I cannot get those hours back. Having my own business as a landscape photographer, I can “work” whenever I want. I can bring my family with me. Some of my best photos are taken with my wife and son by my side.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been creative at heart. When I was younger, I used to draw and paint. Then my creativity was expressed through the culinary arts. Once I found photography, I found my passion. I can be as creative as I want. When I look at a scene, I am very particular about what I shoot. I generally have an idea when I arrive at a location. But once I start looking around, I begin to put the scene together in my mind. Just like an artist does with paint and canvas. I am painting a scene in my mind. And create a scene digitally. Getting to where I am, took a lot of sacrifices. Trying to balance my full-time job, honing my skills as a photographer, and taking a workshop on how to sell my art online successfully tore me away from an essential part of my life. My family. I had to constantly remind myself of what was truly important to regain the balance. I needed to separate my dream of becoming a professional photographer from spending time with my family. Even though my family spent time with me while I was shooting close to the house, I spent a lot of time on the road and at my full-time job. I started spending more time with my son. Having a game night, reading together, and he would help me cook dinner. I also made time to talk to my wife every night. Once I found a balance in my work and family life, everything else fell in line. I found I could accomplish more because I wasn’t feeling so guilty about building my business.

I am very excited about putting together a photography workshop in the field. I want to teach people on location the basic of using a camera, composition, and editing. Then how to bring it all together into a piece of art. I love helping people. I want to help people bring out their creativity. I am fulfilled when I can teach someone something they didn’t know was possible with a camera.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Honestly, I am not familiar with Denver. I prefer the mountains. If I were to take them somewhere, I would ask other people for recommendations. But, if it were up to me, I would show them some of my favorite places in the state. San Juan Mountain range, Mayflower Gulch Trail, the sand dunes, Zapata Falls, and American Basin close to Lake City would be some of the places I would take them.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my series to my wife, Rebecca. She has been my rock through this entire process. It all started a few years ago when I first left the kitchen. I wanted to get into landscape photography. She bought my first camera. She cleans my lenses, ensures I have everything I need for my trips, and handles my finances. She is my, in her words, “lowly unpaid assistant.” My success starts with her.

Website: stephenhammphotography.com

Instagram: instagram.com/stephenhammphotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.hamm.photography

Other: etsy.com/shop/stevehammphotos steve@stephenhammphotography.com