Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Wright.
Hi Ty, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my photography journey in 1996 working at a little mom and Pop photo lab in Southeast Ohio. I was 18 years old, sweeping the floors and mopping the countertops when a friend of mine introduced me to my first camera. After playing with that camera and learning how to use it I was hooked.
I started off shooting dirt, track, races, weddings, county fairs, portraits, and just a lot of street photography for myself.
After that, I received my bachelor’s of fine arts and photography from Ohio University in 2002. After college, I went into the newspaper industry as a Photojournalist.
I worked as a Photojournalist full-time at Smalltown Newspapers from 2003 until 2009. Then I decided to go back to graduate school and Photojournalism at Ohio University in Southeast Ohio. I received my master’s degree from the Department of Visual Communications at Ohio University in 2012.
After graduate school, I did an internship at The Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, Ohio.
After I went into the Freelance market for the next 10 years working for national international publications. In 2020, I decided to go back to the small-town newspaper market, and that’s where I’ve been working since.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been an adventure for the last 25 years. Having a full-time job is a Photojournalist makes life a lot easier, less worrisome, worrying about the aspects of business and where the next paychecks coming from.
Also, when you work for small newspapers, you get the photograph so many various topics within your community every day. You can really die then deep and get to know your area and make interesting imagery and tell interesting stories for your audience and readers.
After I left the small town, his papers, and after graduate school, I went into the Freelance market, and the road was a little rough at first. You have to send out a lot of emails, make a lot of business trips to meet editors and art directors and learn how to get your foot in the door. After the first six months to a year assignment, I started coming in, not always on a regular basis, though.
You have to be dependable, independent thinker, and be able to deliver quality imagery on tight deadlines, working in the national international markets. It’s very thrilling and rewarding to work with some of the best editors, writers, and photographers in the industry.
There’s also the business side of being a freelancer, which gives you a lot of freedom Photographer to work on your own work while you’re accepting an assignment work as well.
On the business side of freelancing, the Ed And flows of when assignments come in can be worrisome at times. I realize that there are dry seasons in the Freelance market, and you have to learn how to handle the wings as freelancing throughout the years.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I would say that my specialization is being a generalist as a photographer. Throughout my career, I have learned to photograph a little bit of everything. I think a lot of my work shows perspective, and I also concentrate on the moments in daily life.
In recent years, I’ve really enjoyed shooting high school sports, especially coming from a documentary background. There’s a lot of heart and emotion within the players that take part in the sporting world in high school. To me, it’s the purest form of these athletes because they always give it their all and play with Hart.
I’m really proud of the fact that I learned with a wonderful group of fellow photographers when I was in graduate school at Ohio University. They challenged me, made me think outside of the box, and made me confident in my abilities going forward as a visual artist.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think the industry has been evolving for the last 20 years. It’s something that I’m trying to keep up with every day, and the changes come very rapidly these days.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tywrightphotography.com
- Instagram: @tywwright
- Linkedin: Ty Wright
Image Credits
Ty Wright
