Meet Bradley Verkaik | Freelance Concert & Wrestling Photographer

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

Hi Bradley, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I pursue a creative career as it’s such an expressive way to show your true colors & nature. There’s no “fitting all your eggs in one basket” type scenarios whatsoever. Music, photography, art, mixed media, fashion, design, etc., all these things are all blended into one another & are all respected upon one another, so no matter what type of creativity you have, everyone is in this together like one big family. Photography for me is such an expressive outlet. Every person is a different canvas. Different stories, backgrounds, etc. that make them up, & it’s my job to showcase them. Both in concert & wrestling photography, they’re such diverse, yet captivating worlds to be in with so much beauty and chaos, so to get to photograph a wrestler doing an outside dive onto his opponent on the floor, or the singer of your favorite band hopping down onto the barricade to sing with the crowd, those & everything else in between are unforgettable moments that need to be captured to be on display for eternity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Photography to me is all about earning your way to where you want to get to. It’s a perfect example of working your way to the top.

It’s very rare when people just get “handed” opportunities from the get go. Every photo pass, backstage pass, etc. is earned, not given. If you want these things, you work for it. So you go to every local show, whether it’s in front of 4 people, 45 people, or 400 people. Then you keep that hustle & grind and the opportunities expand, bigger names, bigger venues.

It’s not easy at first. I’ve had so many photos I was so proud of, just for me to look back & go, “wtf was I thinking!?”. I’ve rubbed many people the wrong way because i was “the new kid”, but regardless i showed everyone respect and slowly earned it of my peers by my attitude & my photography improving show after show. It’s a struggle at first knowing that you’re the odd man out, but you have to use that as motivation, not deterioration. I’m in this business because of those peers, because of the rude comments, because as much as it sucks, it makes you better. I’ve learned that no matter how tough it can be thinking you’re not good enough or don’t belong, every photographer has their own style or taste, and that’s okay! I’m not the best, but i’m also not the worst, and that’s okay! There is ALWAYS room for improvement no matter how good you are.

I got here by turning chicken s**t into chicken salad. I’ve made a fool of myself, had the wrong settings on my camera, had my lens out of focus, all the worst things you can think of, I’ve most likely done it. Those were all teaching moments to build my character & better my work & sharpen my eye.

I’ve shot some small shows in front of 25 people in a backyard, & i’ve shot Thundercat & Chicano Batman in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,300 at The Shine Auditorium & Expo Hall in LA. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far & what i’ve yet to accomplish, as there’s still work to be done, lots of goals that will get achieved day by day. So as corny as it is, if someone doubts yourself, you CAN do it. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.

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.
Lovely question! Some of the best spots for: Catching a Show – The Glasshouse in Pomona, The Haven in Pomona, The Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood.

Seeing a Movie – David Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Hollywood.

Go to Have Fun – Club Decades in Hollywood, Amoeba Records in Hollywood, Cha Cha Lounge in Silverlake, Exposition Park in LA, The Village in Claremont, Downtown Redlands shopping area in Redlands, Bolsa Chica Beach in Huntington.

Go to Eat – Philippe’s Original in DTLA, Vince’s Spaghetti in Ontario, Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles (SPECIFICALLY the one on Gower) in Hollywood, Fat Sals in LA, Mario’s Peruvian Food in Hollywood, Mariela’s Tacos in Hollywood, Monstros Sub Shop in Yucaipa.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to shoutout my father, rest in peace, Erik Verkaik. If it weren’t for him naming me after Bradley Nowell of Sublime, I wouldn’t be into any of the music i’m into now, gone to the shows i’ve been to, meet & make connections with people, or be into photography. I still shoot on his very camera to this day.

Shoutout my mother & step-dad, Nichol & Luke Modgling, for always believing in me & supporting me through thick and thin.

Shoutout my uncle Chris Phipps for being a huge role model. From showing me the movie “School of Rock” (which we quote every time we see each other), bands like Kublai Khan, and being a talented musician, artist, tattooer, photographer, & much more all wrapped into one, has inspired me, & continues to daily.

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