Meet Robert Downs | Professional Photographer.

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

Hi Robert, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
“RISK in business is everything if you want to move forward. I believe some risks are easier than the other, like what coffee to buy for the kitchen, but the tough ones can be incredibly difficult to get through.

I typically rely on my gut feeling when taking on a risk; my inner self has never let me down. I only get in real trouble when I go against how I am truly feeling about a situation. This seems easier than it really is, especially when large sums of money are involved.

I recently fired a well-paying client. It was extremely risky to my bottom line, but I knew it was the right thing to do.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
“I come by my photographic gifts naturally, with creative genes and inspiration from both sides of my family. My mother was a graphic artist who made design awareness a centerpiece of my childhood. And, my father was a photojournalist for more than forty years with the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. I knew what I wanted to be since I was thirteen years old, the same year I was first published on the cover of the sports section of the AJC.

I have had massive challenges both personally and professionally. Like always, my biggest challenge is myself. In the early years, the pattern was much more laid out: work for the best in the world, then work for yourself.

The ‘work for yourself’ part has been filled full of turns and twists. Weeks spent shooting in Europe on a most special assignment, months later wondering if I should continue.

I think you have to make a cognitive decision to be an artist, to do what you were born to do. I literally say it out loud sometimes, verbally recommitting myself to this lifelong process.

The best compliment I ever received was from a friend halfway around the world who said, “Robert, when I walk by the newsstand, I can tell what covers are yours.” I want to leave a legacy of my visions.”

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?
“When I moved to LA, I knew I had to be able to surf, so the week would start in Malibu. After the morning shift on the waves, we would head down to The Reel Inn on the PCH and stuff ourselves full of great seafood. Afterward, ride home down the PCH at sunset.

I live in Long Beach, so I enjoy a lot of our local perks like Dharma’s Bluff Yoga Classes every day at 11 and 6. Afterward, maybe a stop at one of our many new restaurants like Heritage!

I always enjoy the Broad Museum in Downtown, so we would grab the A-LINE to the city and enjoy the day and some lunch at The Grand Central Market.

Nightlife is easy, whoever is playing at Alex’s Bar.”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many that deserve recondition, starting with my parents who were both creatives. Dad was a photojournalist and Mom was a graphic artists. I have a few major influences. some I even got to know personally and worked with.

Patrick Demarchelier
Helmut Newton
Herb Ritz
Richard Avedon
Irving Penn
Annie Leibovitz
Steven Meisel
Cecil Beaton
Arnold Newman

Website: http://www.robertdownsphotography.com

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Image Credits
Robert Downs Photography