Meet Todd Cole | Photographer/Director

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

Hi Todd, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Relationships. My relationship with my clients, my collaborators, my crew and my subjects. My success can be distilled down to the quality of my professional relationships. The act of creating images is a very collaborative process. Whether it is a personal project with one subject, or full-throttled advertising campaign with one hundred people on set, the most important element in creating a beautiful image is connecting with all involved on a human level. Strong creative relationships are about listening to each other, and inspiring one another so that we make the best image the circumstances allow.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My approach to image making is to pull authentic moments out of my subjects in order to create a narrative resonance. I excel at building and capturing moments that encapsulate the essence and humanity of my subjects, allowing them each the space to fully be themselves. My style is one that is instinctively elevated and effortless; relatable while still being aspirational.

I moved to Los Angeles from Texas with the goal of becoming a film director. Not long after arriving in town, I began assisting a music video and commercial director who was also a photographer. I spent many long days on assisting him on set, as well as immersing myself in his vast collection of art monographs. He also had a darkroom in his studio and a steady stream of art school photo kids, who quickly became my good friends, and who further taught me photography and photo printing.. This was my art school.

I’ve continued on over the years with one foot in photography and the other in filmmaking. I’ve developed this symbiotic relationship between the two mediums, where one medium feeds the other, giving all my images a sort of narrative quality. Lately, I have added screen writing to my skill set. I’m currently writing my third feature film screenplay and my goal is to direct my first feature in 2022.

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.
I would take them for a day of art. We would start with brunch at Manuela’s at Hauser and Wirth. After a delicious meal, we would walk through the gallery and then head over to Hennessy and Ingall’s to buy a few art books. Then trip over to the Geffen Contemporary. After that we would head west to The Underground Museum, a totally unique and inspiring art space founded by Noah Davis. Then maybe some mezcal at Guelaguetza Restaurant. And then back to Hollywood, my neighborhood, and dinner at the bar at Gigi’s. We would finish the night with a movie at the New Beverly.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The filmmaker Mike Mills has been a tremendous mentor to me. Though he has been incredibly supportive and always available to help me over the years, most of what I have learned from him is by observing his practice. He approaches his film projects and graphic design with an intelligence, a kindness and honesty that is very inspiring. There’s no bullshit in his work. Everything he produces is fun of emotion and truth, while never lacking charm. We have collaborated on many projects over the years, especially when I was starting out as a photographer. These adventures with Mike are where I developed my taste, as well as well as my understanding of what it takes to be an artist.

Website: todd@toddcolephoto.com

Instagram: @toddccole

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Other: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/565848272