I´m Bret Edge, ask me anything

[Bret_Edge]

If you’re not an NPN member yet, you can join our free tier to ask questions in the AMA or to get the full benefits of what we offer; you can join here.

Hello, NPN! My name is Bret Edge, and I am a professional nature and adventure photographer living in beautiful Moab, Utah with my wife, Melissa, our son Jackson and Huck the Adventure Pug. I first joined NPN way back in the early days, maybe 2001 or 2002. I attribute much of my growth as a photographer to the supportive and talented NPN members who offered advice, honest but constructive image critiques, and true friendship throughout the years.

During my career I’ve lead private and group photography workshops, opened my own gallery in Moab, written many articles, seen my work extensively published in various forms of media, and used in marketing and advertising materials to promote tourism. I’ve shot commercial work for many brands within the outdoor industry and currently author eFotoGuide, a popular series of landscape photography guides. I also burned out, closed the gallery, stopped leading workshops and sold all my gear…only to pick up photography a couple years later as a way of coping with PTSD and depression earned over a 16 year career in law enforcement. Cautiously dipping my toe in at first, I slowly began photographing more and more but only when I felt inspired to do so. Today, I still only shoot when and what I want to, and utilize a metered approach to managing my business.
I’ve been an avid mountain biker since the early 90’s, and I enjoy hiking and backpacking, overlanding and road-tripping with my family. A few of my favorite places include the Oregon Coast (all of it), Mount Rainier, the Sonoran Desert, and the Rockies from Colorado to Wyoming. I don’t eat fish but love sushi (weird, right?), drink way too much unsweet iced tea and know for a fact that dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate.

I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and encourage you to ask me anything related to nature and adventure photography, using art, creativity and the outdoors to cope with mental health issues, the ups and downs of the business of photography, what it’s like to own a gallery, lead workshops, publish ebooks or…whatever else you can come up with. I’m an open book, and am very much looking forward to having y’all AMA!

Website: https://www.efotoguide.com

AMA Rules:

• Please only ask one question by replying to this topic a single time, using the “Ask a question” button at the bottom. It’s also helpful to scroll to the bottom while reading the topic to make sure nobody else has asked the same question first before you ask.
• Please don’t ask more than one question so everyone gets a chance.
• Please do not reply to anyone else’s post. The only purpose of replies on this topic is to ask the author one question. Please create a new topic if you’d like to discuss a related topic in more detail.

Posts not following these rules may be removed by moderators to keep the Q&A flowing smoothly. Thank you!

[Richard_Wong]

Hey Bret. Regarding the burn out, would you attribute that to owning a gallery or a combination of all those photography pursuits + having a full-time job? I think a lot of photographers dream of owning a gallery but seems tough to make it work.

[Bret_Edge]

Hey Richard! That’s an excellent question. For me, it was primarily due to working a full-time job while also leading workshops and managing the gallery. My wonderful wife handle the day to day operations, but I still had to cover shifts weekly, make smaller prints and order larger ones, work with my greeting card and calendar suppliers, etc. A lesser impact came from feeling like I constantly had to produce new work, even when I wasn’t at all inspired to do so. I believe that would have been less impactful, if at all, if I wasn’t so worn out from everything else. Owning a gallery was highly rewarding and I did enjoy it. If I could do it again - as my primary full-time job - I would, but it’s too much for me to manage while working full-time.

[Jay_Namyet]

Would love to hear your perspective, please: many landscape photographers I see on YouTube in an attempt to draw in the viewers eye put a lot of emphasis on the leading lines of the foreground. For me, this often dominates the the main subject, overwhelming the composition. How do you, choose to compose your photos to guide the viewers eye?

[Bret_Edge]

Hi, Jay. I love this question! I approach every scene with an open mind and though I may have an idea of how I might compose the image, I try not to let myself get locked into that without first exploring the area. There are many ways to pull a viewer’s eye through an image, and leading lines (literal or implied) are but one of them. Our eyes gravitate to areas of higher contrast, more saturation and/or color, lighter tones, sharper vs. softer, etc. I always try to identify my main subject and then use other elements to support it. This could be through the use of leading lines while other times it may be color, light or contrast. I very much enjoy the perspective wide angle lenses offer. With early influences of David Muench and Jack Dykinga - both of whom were masters of near/far compositions - I still find myself often looking for these in nature. When I do find them, my goal is to arrange the elements in such a way that they compliment rather than compete with one another. And, I may start with a very wide-angle lens but if it just isn’t working, I’ll switch to something else.

Truly, there is no single answer to your question. Every scene is different and I approach each one with a unique (and hopefully fresh) perspective. I hope that answered your question without being too darn vague!

[Jay_Namyet]

Thank you for your thoughtful response! I will keep in mind the many concepts you alluded!!!

[Denise_Dethlefsen]

Bret - It’s great to meet you. I can say for sure unsweet tea is the best (unless I mix it 3/4 tea to 1/4 lemonade), and for sure, dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate!

My husband and I were in Moab for the first time just a few days ago. I wish I’d known about your eFoto Guide to Deadhorse Point State Park! We did discover that even this time of the year and on a weekday, Arches and Canyonlands were too full of people for our taste. We skipped Arches completely, and only caught an overview of Canyonlands. Our favorite drive ended up being the drive down Hwy 128 to the Colorado Riverway Recreation Area.

Do you have any suggestions for someone who is limited on the amount of time/time of day to visit, and who hates being around people when I want to do photography? We’ll most likely go that way again, so I’d like to be prepared.

[GregVaughn]

Hi Bret, Thanks for sharing your experience running a gallery and leading workshops, and why you needed to halt those endeavors (at least for a while).
In 2013, I was just getting started leading photo workshops and visited Arches and Canyonlands with a couple of private clients. I remember seeing you with some clients at Deadhorse Point. We later visited your gallery and I thought, man, this guy’s got it made - his own gallery full of awesome photos and leading workshops in amazing places!
Please let me know next time you’re heading to the Oregon coast. Would love to get together with you.

[Youssef_Ismail]

Hi Bret,

I remember the old days at NPN. I think I joined about the same time you did. So my question.

When you did operate the gallery, how did you attract clientele? Was the gallery located in a tourist-heavy venue?

[Bret_Edge]

Hi, Denise! Nice to meet you, too! Agreed re: iced tea/lemonade mix. Tough to beat on a hot day!

You definitely experienced Moab at its busiest! Our season runs from mid-February to Thanksgiving, with the highest visitation in spring. My favorite season for photography here is fall. Fewer people (but certainly not empty!) and similar weather to spring, but without the darn wind!

There are still a few spots around Moab where you can photograph without a constant stream of people. The Fisher Towers area, either at the recreation area or a little bit upriver, is sensational. You’ll find lots of opportunities in Castle Valley, especially the overlook from the La Sal Loop Road. Speaking of the La Sals, for some reason 95% of the people who visit Moab never go up into the mountains. You’ll find alpine lakes, big peaks and lots and lots of aspen trees. Faux Falls, south of town by Ken’s Lake, is fun to photograph at sunset. Finally, if you’re willing and able to do some mild offroad driving, Thelma and Louise Point is spectacular and on your way out, you’ll pass plenty more views very worth of a few clicks.

Hope this is helpful. Enjoy your next visit to Moab!

[Bret_Edge]

Thanks, Greg! What I really miss about the gallery and leading workshops are all the interactions I had with some truly wonderful people. It was so much fun to work with photographers and watch them light up when I taught them a new technique or helped them over a hurdle they’d been struggling with. I do think I’ll get back to leading workshops some day.

We’re actually headed to Oregon for the summer again this year! We’re planning to start all the way at the bottom of the state and work out way north, both on the coast and inland, looking for beautiful views and great mountain biking and hiking trails. Would be cool to meet up with you!

[Bret_Edge]

Hey Youssef! We are definitely old timers when it comes to NPN. Sometimes it’s hard to believe NPN has been around so long, and that we were some of the first members.

We got really lucky with a great location on Main Street, which is where all of the foot and vehicle traffic is concentrated. We were about 1/2 block to the north of what was, at the time, the prime real estate. These days, the block we were on is now part of the main shopping district. We experimented with a few different types of advertising including ads in local newspapers and free tourism guides, post cards at local shops with discount codes, and small posters around town. We also participated in the Art Walk every month in season, and that always brought in a lot of traffic. But, the vast majority of our customers found us as they were walking by. Even before opening the gallery my workshop business was booming but it exploded after we opened. Unfortunately, I turned away about as much business as I took because I just didn’t have time for everyone. Ultimately, I think our location was what led to our success.