You probably have gathered that Todd Strong is the main man of Todd Strong Photography. But what you don't know is he was born to shoot! And we're not talking about bullets. We're talking about clear, beautiful images of life that seem to appear naturally in his lens whether they are of the gorgeous Colorado landscape or unique personalized portraits.
How did he get his start in the business? Was he born with a camera in his hand? Was it an easy trail to navigate? No, but it makes for a great story. Check out some of his back story and why he's so good at what he does:
What piqued your interest in photography?
My father always had cameras, both still and movie cameras... But it was his Polaroid Land camera that caught my attention. I just loved the way you got an image a few minutes after exposing the film... the way the thing smelled. Leather and chemicals! I discovered his 35mm film camera one day while I was digging around my dad's camera bag, to see what was in that big mysterious black leather, red felt lined treasure chest. I found the 35mm and also a Minox (which is like a little spy camera). I wanted to know how to use it. My dad being the "keep your hands off my stuff!" kind of guy, refused to have anything to do with my curiosity for photography. This was when I was around 8-10 years old.
Clearly, Todd ended up reconnecting with his natural curiosity for cameras and taking pictures, but how? Read on!
It wasn't until many years later, when I was in high school (and he hadn't touched his photo gear in almost as many years) that he agreed to let me use the 35mm camera to take a photo class. Unfortunately, my teachers were less than interested in my education so I quickly gave up and just let the entire idea of photography go and concentrated on my music (editor's note: Todd is also an accomplished drummer!). I always yearned, however, to be able to make images like some of my classmates.
In one of my yearbooks is a photo of the very front of the property my old high school sits on. There is the brick sign out front telling you the name of the school. One snowy day one of my classmates got the idea to go take a photo of that sign using a wide angle lens. The image came out looking like the sign was the only thing on a planet that was covered with snow. Very surreal. Then they (the yearbook staff) had the brilliant idea of using that image in the yearbook with the caption, "A Frozen Wasteland." I laughed so hard. I think that one image more than anything, started me thinking like a photographer and looking at everything with the mindset of: How could I capture that on film? I think that was my real beginning of wanting to do something with imaging.
What was your first camera and how did you get it?
My first camera that I can recall was a Vivitar 110mm point and shoot that I got as a gift for Christmas one year. One focal length, had a flash built in, manual advance of the film as was everything back then (and used 110mm film). Very small negatives and the prints were about 3"x 4" or something like that. Nothing you could really enlarge mainly due to the poor quality of the lens. But it was something! I took pictures of everything I could, mostly of my drums. I went through as many rolls of film my parents would pay for.
Want to know more about Todd's journey as an artist and photographer? Check back soon and we'll reveal more of his story, and we'll even be sharing some of his favorite shots, of all time, that he's taken!
In the meantime, if you'd like to take advantage of this guy's eye and skill, and become one of his lucky subjects-- contact him for available slots! He is running a special deal for Valentine's Day if you book before February 10th, at 10% off all fees. Don't wait to get your slot.
Todd's contact info: call 303-974-0300;
or message him through his Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ToddStrongPhotography
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