An Outdoor Enthusiast
Steve Walasavage is a passionate outdoor photographer.
He grew up in a small town in South of Boston. He was in boys’ scouts, and his dad used to take him on hunting trips; so he grew up loving the outdoors.
He’s always loved math and science, and he tries to incorporate that into his photos, and especially in his outdoor photography.
From the North East of the United States, he works as a software engineer by day, and fills his remaining time with trips to far-off locations and science vistas!
A scientist at heart, Steve often describes his work and “vibrant, but realistic”.
His bucket list includes: Argentina, Peru, Tanzania, and a many countries with breathtaking views.
How His Love For Astrophotography Grew Him As A Photographer
In this podcast episode, he shares with our founder Christina Hawatmeh, how he differentiates his niche and why he has a special love for astrophotography, as it combines two of his favorite thing: the universe, and solitude.
C: “How did you find your niche?”
S: “I visited Canada and was blown away by other people’s photos, and decided hey I gotta take those shots too.”
C: “How did you teach yourself to take such good shots?”
S: “It’s kind of a trial and error. I like experimenting with things…I’d say trying things out, seeing what works, what I like, and what people like.”
C: “How did you know what you like? How did you develop what you like?”
S: “I think that’s entirely personal. I try to get the feel of what I want the photo to be and aim towards that.”
Practice Makes Perfect
C: “Tell me about your research process, how do you begin to think of ideas? Is that like a muscle you practice?”
S: “You kind of get a feel for what places you’ll be able to capture the best overtime. But I’ve basically learned that the biggest tourist attractions are the hardest to capture in a new way, if that makes sense. So we go off the path a little and find an angle that works for me.”
C: “What about post processing? What do you do?”
S: “Primarily I can accomplish anything I need if I just use Lightroom and Photoshop, and occasionally I use some other programs.”
C: “In the outdoor niche that you have, I feel like there are so many photographers in that space. How have you learned to stand out?”
S: “I think it’s all about finding your own style and creating it. I like to build myself as vibrant yet realistic, which I think is a lot of people who travel the world want to see.
My advice to anyone who’s trying to find their niche, is just to figure out what works for you and strike for that.”
A Photographer's Effect On The Environment
C: “What would be your dream project?”
S: “If someone flies me to New Zealand for a couple of months and gives me a carte blanche to fly around in a helicopter and shoot; but these days maybe not very likely.”
C: “What role do you think someone like you could help in teaching about the environment?”
S: “I think the internet and social media have more of a profound impact than any of us realize. You and your network, a couple of other friends and family, can branch out to thousands of people with the right ideas. So if you can, try to set a good example for people online, cause that definitely affects the offline world.”
Christina and Steve talk even more in the podcast (insert link) about how to work with light, what gear he uses, how he shares his photography, he people reach out to him, how he works with Instagram, and how he’s coped with Covid.
They also talk about how essential it is for photographers to show how important it is to invest in systems like parks and outdoor spaces.
Steve also talks about his overview on outdoor places and the importance to protect them, as well as his role in raising awareness as a photographer, to the environment and environmental damage. His outdoor photography skills have helped alot in this.
Written by Angela Zoghbi
Content Creator
Leave a comment