Meet Tom Cohen | Outdoor & Active Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Tom, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
There wasn’t a thought, or a process, to it at all. I started working as a salaried staff photographer pretty soon after moving to Colorado. After a couple whirlwind years working directly under legendary local photographer, mentor and friend, Jack Affleck, our company began following the industry trend of hiring contract photographers and videographers. My job became very irrelevant very quickly. Inevitably, the call came through the wire, and I was let go. It was a uniquely terrifying time in my life, but looking back, I don’t ever remember thinking about a backup plan. There was no other alternative, nothing else I knew how to do: I was going to be a photographer.

So I started collecting business advice from other creatives in my area, hiring a designer to work on up a logo, and quickly started an LLC. Since I hadn’t taken a single business or marketing course in my life up until that point, I was literally Googling and YouTubing how to competently run a business. But luckily, I’d made a ton of great friends and contacts at various mountain resorts in my area while I was on staff, so the calls began coming through right away. This was actually even more terrifying, because I felt like I still had a ton to learn and not enough real-world experience. Imposter syndrome was kicking in. These people believed in me, even when they probably shouldn’t have, and that’s what kept me going through my first year. Then one year lead to another, and here I am. Still doing it. Still terrified.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Although I’m still working on distinguishing myself from other Outdoor Photographers working in the industry today, I strive to make every production – whether it be a small family portrait session or big commercial client – feel fun and collaborative. I may not have all the answers, or the technical expertise, but I thrive on other people’s energy and enthusiasm. If the models or client I’m working with are as genuinely thrilled to be working outdoors, in nature, in a jaw-dropping setting as I am, then we’re in business. I love feeding off of other people and creating something that’s going to stick in people’s mind’s forever. Our industry is saturated with immense talent, and though sometimes it can feel really overwhelming to be up against such heavy hitters, I’m continually reminded that most photographers play on the same team. I’ve learned so much from my peers in the industry and continue to do so on a daily basis. And I’m literally in love with my job, despite all the pain and mental anguish it causes me sometimes.

My career to date has been a series of hops, skips, jumps, and jump-backs (in the form of a global pandemic). I’ve been hired for some incredible jobs, and a lot of the time, some pretty mediocre ones as well. Although lately I’ve been able to start saying no to some things that I don’t want to do, at the end of the day, I still need a paycheck. However, I’ve learned to embrace the things that I never thought I’d ever be any good at, like weddings and portrait shoots, because ultimately they help me grow as a photographer every time I pick up my camera. The unfiltered fear I feel every time I suit up for a wedding shoot is always there, but I’ve learned to embrace that a little bit. It’s taken me several years to realize that fear never goes away. But showing up is the most important thing I can do, and I’ve learned to show up with 100% of myself, on every shoot, no matter what it is.

Although commercial work is currently paying the bills, I plan to actually use my degree in journalism someday, and would love to rekindle my forgotten love of documentary storytelling. Taking pretty pictures of pretty people in pretty settings is really fun and stimulating for now, but there will come a day where that just won’t be enough for me, and I can’t wait to embrace all the change that comes with that realization.

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.
Oh man, that’s a tough one. My tour guide sensibilities are based solely on seasons. If they’re here in winter, we’re hitting the slopes hard. I’m showing them every nook and cranny of my favorite ski hills, and treating them to a cold beverage on an on-mountain deck or two. In the mornings, we head out in search of quality coffee and stimulating conversation. Two Arrows in Vail is the place to be. In the evening, it’s time for a hearty meal or three. If we’re feeling fancy, a night out at Mountain Standard is where it’s at. But more often that not, it’s the local spots for us. La Cantina in Vail, Rocky Mountain Taco in Minturn, Vail Brewing Company in Eagle-Vail to name a few.

The summers are for mountain biking, period. But if we’re not feeling the need for speed, I always love showing my friends and family around my local mountain ranges on-foot. Alpine lake and wildflower hunting is the name of the game. And for those feeling extra adventurous, a night or two spent sleeping up in the Gore Range or Holy Cross Wilderness is what it’s all about. Catching a crisp sunrise on top of a mountain peak is a purely transcendent experience, and I love to share that feeling with friends and family when I can.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I actually just listened to another photographer/director talking about his “opportunity angels”. Those in the industry that stumble upon your your portfolio and take a huge gamble in their own careers to hire you, knowing full well that you could do a terrible job and make them look incompetent. Against all odds, with literally thousands of other creatives out there, they choose to work with us as photographers and people. I lived most of my late teens/early twenties as an introvert, and regularly hid away from other humans. It took me a minute to realize that we would literally be nothing without other human beings lifting us up and supporting us. That first big, career-defining job doesn’t come from an algorithm; it comes from people. So thanks to all my “opportunity angels” who’ve hired me and supported my work through the years. And my mom. Thanks mom.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I watched the movie ‘Office Space’ at an absurdly young age. Although I barely understood half of it at the time, it truly had a profound impact on how I viewed the American workplace. Turning eighteen and shipping off to college during the 2008 financial crisis also changed the way I viewed American spending habits and debt in this country. I think deep down I’d always sworn that I would never let someone with power push me around for their own profit. I wanted my successes and failures to depend solely on my actions, and no one else’s. This was a huge driver for me.

So shoutout to Office Space and subprime loans for showing me the wrong way.

Lastly, I need to credit punk rock and the still-thriving hardcore punk scene in Denver for showing me what a DIY spirit can do. Growing up in Buffalo, NY in the early aughts, there wasn’t much to do. We went to shows. And we saw bands, most of which were absolutely terrible. Some could barely play their instruments. But they got up there every single night and figured it out, with little to no stage production, because they loved it. The community there taught me to show up for work, even if you are literally still figuring it out in the process.

Website: http://tomcohenphotography.com

Instagram: @tomcophoto

Image Credits
© Tom Cohen Photography