LIFE + FILM PHOTOGRAPHY WITH RORY KRAMER

GUSTO35 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

WRITTEN BY: ALEC WELSH

From a small town in Indiana, Rory grew up with early inspiration from his Mother.

"Whatever event or vacation it was, my Mom always had a camera".

He first started looking through the lens himself to capture him and his friends seeking thrills, "I wanted to capture funny moments with my friends," mentioning that this was during the peak era of programming like MTV's Jackass. Filming on an RCA VHS camera, what kept him going was the "art of story telling" and the desire to "document real moments". Decades later, he still is very much fond of film.

"It's the ruggedness, the feeling of not knowing - that's what makes it more cherishable."

What makes film so beloved is the anticipation and mystery of what's going to come out, but sometimes you lose all together. Rory admits to losing many of his most precious rolls, most notably the ones of Christmas and New Years with his friends and family.

When asked about his favorite experience with film thus far: "Last September I got to shoot [Justin] Beiber's wedding and my buddy Evan and I shot it on a bunch of mixed media". Using a 1DX, little Panasonic camcorder purchased from Best Buy, a Panasonic HVX100, and even an eight millimeter. "It was cool to document Hailey's vision for the video, she wanted to have something very home video-y." Even taking guests of the event aside for personal interviews and well wishes to the Bride and Groom.

"Coming from that background, it was nice to pick up a camera again and not have to worry so much about how great a shot is, but rather focusing on a moment."

And the moments keep coming. Rory has taken his camera to every corner of the Earth. From Ibiza to Egypt and back home to his small town in Indiana. As long there's a camera in his hand, life's most precious moments are sure to be captured in an epic way.