Northfield Art Town

When did you start driving truck? What is the correct term for that?
I began trucking (or “truckin’” as it’s more commonly expressed) in 1975, two years after graduating from high school. Before that, I worked in an apparel factory and a cement plant. I hated both of those jobs and wanted an occupation that enabled me to travel without a foreman constantly looking over my shoulder.

How did you get into trucking?
I’d been fascinated with trucking ever since high school. As a teenager, I subscribed to Overdrive magazine, a national publication devoted to single-truck operators and small fleets. (Several decades later, I joined Overdrive’s staff, writing about equipment and technical issues.)

My first trucking job was in Gibbon, Minn., working for a farmer who owned four tractor-trailers and hauled grain to the river terminals in Savage, Minn. It was a good way to start, but traveling the same routes twice a day, five days a week gets old after a while. I worked as a “bean bagger” for two years, then bought my own truck and leased it to a flatbed operation in Omaha, Neb. At that point, I was running across the nation and truly living my dream of being a long-haul trucker.

What inspired you to start shooting photos?
Two factors led to my interest in photography: mom and trucking. My mother had been a hobbyist photographer for many years, starting long before she and my dad were married. When I was a kid, we’d regularly watch slideshows of her work, especially if relatives or friends were visiting our home. Later, when I started trucking across the country, I was seeing sights that I wanted to share with others.

One day before a trip to the Northwest, I asked if I could borrow her camera, an old – and fully mechanical – Kodak SLR. She agreed and even provided a couple of rolls of Kodachrome. It was waste of good film, for sure. I knew nothing about exposure values. Guess I should have asked for the short course on camera operation beforehand. I distinctly remember stopping at Coeur d Alene Lake in Idaho just before sunset on a beautiful fall evening. It was a gorgeous scene. Unfortunately, I managed to ruin every frame of film I shot there. About a year later, I bought a new Canon A1 SLR, which was cutting edge technology at the time. It had an internal meter.

Why did you decide to sell your truck and start school at Mankato State?
Everything gets old after a while. By 1987, I’d been a trucker for a dozen years, and that seemed like long enough. I wanted a new challenge and a little more stability in my life. School looked like a great opportunity to meet a new people and learn new things. I chose Mankato State – now Minnesota State University, Mankato – primarily because it was within driving distance of my hometown, LaFayette.

What did you study at Mankato?
My major was “mass communications with a print media focus,” and my minor was political science. I imagined myself one day writing an op-ed column for a daily paper in some urban market.

What kind of jobs did you get after graduation and how did you end up at Overdrive Magazine?
I was graduated in late 1991. Instead of working for the daily paper of my dreams (or delusions), I took a job as a reporter at a small weekly paper in St. Peter, writing about county board meetings, ice cream socials and other hard-hitting news. I once wrote a sports story, and was quite proud of the many details I managed to note in the piece. After publication, however, someone pointed out that I failed to mention the final score.

Small weekly papers are a good source of training, but they’re usually not a good source of income. My colleagues and I used to say that we were paid the minimum wage and all the free USDA cheese we could collect. After about a year, I returned to trucking (as a driver). One day in 1994, I saw a help-wanted ad in the Star Tribune. A trucking company in Eagan was looking for someone to conduct weekly classes for new drivers. I applied and was hired. Through connections I made at North Star I met the (then) editor of Overdrive, who offered me a writing job a few months later. I jumped at the opportunity to work for a national magazine – especially one that I’d subscribed to as a kid.

When did you found Additional Media and why?
The company that owns Overdrive and many other trade publications was experiencing a little financial turbulence in early 2001. Managers cut about a fourth of the workforce between April and December that year. I was among those sent packing. Fortunately, I was working from an office in Northfield so the change didn’t involve any moving for my family or me. I initially did a lot of freelance writing to keep the bills paid, but gradually started doing photo assignments, too. At Overdrive, I always shot my own images for articles, and I had amassed an impressive collection of photographic tools. I’d also come to the conclusion that I was the quintessential frustrated writer, the sort of person who struggles over every verb and transition. Photography was a much more enjoyable enterprise.

Do you work digital or with film? Do you have a particular camera you like to use?
I haven’t shot a roll of film in five years. Film is no longer a viable medium for client-based work – at least among my clients. Everyone nowadays wants immediate turnaround on assignments. I’ve shot jobs that have finished mid morning, and by noon the clients are already calling to ask for contact sheets.

As for cameras: I’m a Canon guy, have been since buying that A1 in the late ‘70s. I used to be jealous of all the Nikon shooters, thinking they had the best system in the world. When digital came along, though, Canon jumped into the technology more enthusiastically than Nikon did, and the company enjoyed significant, although temporary, gains in market share. Things have evened out a bit now, but I’m quite happy with the big C.

I also shoot with Hasselblad medium format cameras, which had long been considered among the best in the business. A few years ago as digital swept the market, a lot of photographers were dumping their mechanical ‘Blads on eBay, but I kept mine, hoping for the day when digital backs became affordable. The prices on those units haven’t come down much, but I bought one anyhow about two years ago. It was probably the best investment I’ve ever made. The images are (to use a cliché) awesome. I use my Hasselblad/Phase combination on any job that needs the highest resolution.

What is it about heavy automotive machinery that attracts you?
I’m not sure, really. I’ll blame the fascination on my inner trucker. I always tell people I have a bachelors degree in journalism and a Ph. D. in trucking. That’s not too far from the truth. Some guys shoot food; others shoot glamorous models. I’m more interested in machines – the bigger, the better – that are both utilitarian and beautiful. Through background, framing, optics and lighting, I’m always trying to present these common objects in an uncommon way.

What is your approach to photography? How do you attack a truck? Do you sneak up on it?
Nearly all of my truck photography is scheduled with clients, and they provide the trucks and drivers. I also shoot some stock, which isn’t prearranged. Most stock images are based on images clients have requested.

When shooting, I prefer the “frog’s view” of trucks and trailers: very low angle and wide lens. To avoid overusing this, I also shoot with a 12-foot ladder and attached (custom built) camera support. I also try to work foreground elements into the scene: tree branches, fence posts, etc.

Do you spend any post production time?
Post-capture work is the bane of digital photography. We all spend way too much time on this stuff today. With film, we’d shoot a job and send the rolls to a lab. Done deal. Now, shooting is just half of the project. Fortunately, I started working with a fantastic Photoshop guru last year, and she handles most of the heavy lifting on that stuff.

How have you built up your client list?
I don’t fritter with Twitter or any of the other social networking sites. I met a lot of potential clients during my days at Overdrive, but didn’t start offering them photographic services until leaving the magazine in ‘01. I’m a big proponent of targeted cold calling, and that approach is responsible for most of my current clients. Although effective, it isn’t a fast way to build a business. There’s usually one- to two-year lag between the first call and the first job. I recently did a sizable job for an insurance company that I initially called in 2003.

I think your work is amazing. Do you ever do photography for arts sake? Do you have prints available?
Thank you. I started in photography as hobbyist, shooting images for my own enjoyment. Sadly, I don’t do much of that these days. I’m thoroughly coin operated. This is a common lament among photographers of all stripes: love of the craft subsides as the need (or desire) to build a business increases.

Is there a memorable shot you have taken that stands out above the rest?
It’s difficult to point to a single memorable shot. I’ve had a number of them. For me, the most memorable images were captured in unfavorable circumstances that involved more luck than skill or equipment. For example, I shot an image in the driveway of a Las Vegas golf course two years ago. When I asked the manager for permission, he informed me that “no photography was allowed on the premises.” Then, after a pause, he added, “But we close at 8 p.m., so if you come back after that, the place is yours. Fortunately, sunset didn’t occur ‘til about 8:30 that day, so we had about a half hour to get in place and shoot the image my client wanted. The result was a fabulous shot.

You can contact Paul at: www.AddMedia.com