Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Callaway.
Zach, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Funny enough, I’m not one of those artists that grew up with a camera in hand or was shooting home movies when I was only a few feet tall. I had always had a passing interest in cameras though. My first camera was a Canon Rebel G, I believe. I was a big tennis player back in the day and Andre Agassi was the face of the Canon Rebel line. I probably shot a handful of rolls of film on that before I got bored and moved on to something else.
Many years later I finally invested in a dslr. I picked up a Canon t3i, before a big trip. I had quit my job and was taking a 3-month rock climbing tour through the west and northwest and I wanted it captured. I remember stopping off at Barnes and Nobles, in which ever city I was driving through, and reading through their camera guides. I would learn about composition, shutter speed, aperture, and other technical details. I would practice them a little and then circle back around to another book store and read up a little more, then go out and practice again. Wash, rinse, repeat! It probably would have helped me to just buy a book, but I was living pretty cheap then. It was during this adventure, that I fell in love with film making too. I was in Lander, WY, at the tail end of the trip, for their International Climber’s Festival. Near the end, they showcased several films about adventure and climbing. I left inspired and excited! All I could think was that, “I could create something like that”. So, I started shooting video.
When I got back, I started taking on a bunch of free projects. I would drag friends out to go take portraits. I would volunteer to capture stories for my church. Being unemployed, I had a lot of free time. Soon enough, I started to collect off of it. Friends started asking me to capture their weddings, my church started a video series project, and I was learning fast and making some money. I eventually landed a full-time job with a non-profit. I was working full time with their clients, but would take on little media projects on the side. It was through this non-profit, that I got connected with a local wedding photographer and cinematographer. He first brought me on as an assistant, then I started second shooting with him. I learned a lot about the wedding business.
Several years later, I am shooting full time now. Most of my work is in the video world and I prefer it that way. I have grown to love the art of storytelling and I believe video is a wonderful medium to do that on. I still mainly shoot weddings as of now, but I’m starting to target the non-profit industry in Houston. We have a lot of untapped stories and I aim to give them life.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I like to consider myself a story teller. Everyone loves to hear a good story and everyone has a story. I enjoy giving those life through film and photography. Sometimes that is the love story of a wedding day or the story of overcoming a big obstacle or sometimes it’s the story of a passionate person following their dream. When I worked at the non-profit, I was exposed to hundreds of people from all sorts of backgrounds. I met with reformed criminals looking to reintegrate, to highly educated individuals that just hit hard times. I think it opened my eyes to how a story can inspire. I hope that my work does the same.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Sure! As the saying goes, the only constants in life are death and taxes. In the short time I’ve been in the industry, I’ve seen change and I expect the industry to continue to change. I wouldn’t say I’m insightful enough to have an opinion on how the global state of things has affected us artists, but on a national scale there is more need for quality video and photos than there ever was before. With the rise in demand, the amount of people entering the industry has skyrocketed. It’s challenging me, as an artist, to be creative in not just my trade, but as an entrepreneur. Which I find exciting!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can check my work out on my website at www.timewaveproductions.com, or my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/timewaveproductions/ or my personal Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/zachtookasnap/.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.timewaveproductions.com
- Phone: 2817930701
- Email: zach@timewaveproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timewaveproductions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timewaveproductions/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/zachtookasnap/
Image Credit:
All stills from videos I shot.
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