Born In Chicago in 1963, the same and only year the Corvette Coupe had the cool split back window, Lars Topelmann, is a photographer living in Portland, Oregon, who shoots lifestyle images for advertising agencies. He went to high school in Wisconsin, played around with instamatic cameras, went to college in Milwaukee and then in Ohio and assisted commercial photographers in Chicago, before heading to Portland in 1991. He is still there now, loving his life, his family and taking pictures.
12.17.08
Welding, Woodworking and Sewing
If you have a degree in what field is it? A BFA from Ohio University Athens, Ohio. Go Bobcats!
What was your strangest assignment? Photographing animals for the Oregon Zoo billboard campaign. Bats climbed and clawed up my shirt and I was told not to touch them. There was also a rhinoceros that peed on the client’s foot and my camera bag.
Which photographer would you like to meet? Anton Corbijn. I love his gritty black-and-white images, and simple compositions.
What famous person (living or dead) would you most like to photograph? Elvis Presley—the 1950 and the 1970 version.
Aside from your camera and lighting, what item could you not work without? My Moleskin notebook. When writing notes, ideas, movies, music, etc., I’m a little old school.
Is there anything you would not digitally retouch? I have no problem with digital retouching. However, I don’t do extensive manipulations and I always strive to solve visual problems in-camera.
From where do your best ideas originate? My best ideas come to me while I am driving to the beach to surf. I have an hour-and-a-half to think and rock out and I always come back with a new perspective and a few good ideas.
How do you overcome a creative block? When I’m shooting and things seem to get a little stale, I try to look at things from alternative perspectives—literally and figuratively. Trying a radically different angle or direction will shake things up and some great spontaneous results can occur.
Do you have creative pursuits other than photography? Welding, woodworking and sewing.
What music are you listening to right now? Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Eagles Of Death Metal, PJ Harvey and Tom Brosseau.
What’s your approach to balancing work and life? I moved to Portland for the outdoor lifestyle. When I’m not shooting, I like to surf, windsurf, snowboard and I’ve recently become obsessed with tennis. Family is very important to me (Cancer is my Zodiac sign); I have two boys who are awesome to hang out with and my wife Monique is the studio manager. I’m fortunate enough to balance a creative successful business, with an enjoyable family life.
What’s your favorite quote? This one comes from my father-in-law Ray McClean, “The only thing better than cheap is free.”
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? To try to establish a unique visual point-of-view, keep shooting and creating images. Pay attention to the industry, and get to know the key players. Enter as many award shows and online galleries as possible. It’s a saturated field, but as my father once told me, “There is always room for one more great photographer.”
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I wish I knew how important the business component was. Also, I wish I’d bought property on the Oregon Coast when we first moved here; I’d be writing this on a gold laptop.