Ben Fullerton is making it happen. Building his dream job, living his work, and having a blast at the same time. The Friday Stoke this week highlights Ben’s photography, his passion for documenting adventure, and his ability to embrace challenge and uncertainty. We asked Ben a few questions, follow along to see his work, and you can learn more about Ben and his work directly at Fullerton Images.

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How do you get energized and psyched?

I find that the energy I have to put into photography is inseparable from the energy I have for living. If one goes up, they both go up; and if one goes down, they both go down. So the best thing I can do for my photography is stay psyched on life. The more I can do things that bring vitality to my life like go climbing, play my drums, get exercise, go for a hike, do yoga, spend time alone, spend time with people, spend time with God; then the more zest for life I will have available to pour into my art.

I also find that I need to spend about an equal amount of time playing with my camera as I do working with my it. Turning a creative endeavor into work can really quickly suck out the sense of play and exploration, and you really need to be intentional about keeping that alive. When I feel my creativity starting to wane, I like to take my camera out and just go play with no agenda. Sometimes you also need to just put it down for a little while until the burning desire to pick it back up in unbearable.

What are the challenges you face as photographer?

The biggest problem that I think photographers face these days, is setting yourself apart from the hordes of photographers the the market is flooded with. Right now, we’re at a interesting time when image needs are going down, but the number of image providers is going up. The supply drastically exceeds the demand. But I think that there will always be work for the very best, and that is true in any field. So my goal is just that; to be one of the best.

What is your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge is also my biggest ally. The thing that gives me so much creativity is the very thing that makes it so hard to stay on task and turn it in to something. I have a pretty extreme case of ADHD. When I was 4 years old, my neurologist told my parents that I would never function in a conventional classroom and that they should just put a helmet on me and try to keep me alive. They didn’t put a helmet on me, but they did keep me alive – and I sort of functioned in a conventional classroom. Creativity, spontaneity, unique ideas and self expression have always come easily to me. It’s the things like organization, planning, managing, thoroughness and all the other important business skills that are all so incredibly difficult for me.

How do you embrace those challenges?

Those business and management skills are as crucial for a photography business as they would be for any other business. I don’t have the option of just not doing them because they are difficult for me. Doing well at those things will always be a battle for me. I work really hard at them, and I’m improving, but they will never be easy. It will always take conscious effort for me to get them done well. I think it’s important for all of us to recognize and celebrate our weaknesses as much as we do our strengths, and then put intentional actions in our lives to help us cope with and overcome them. It’s the flaws that we try to downplay or ignore that really hold us back in life.

Do you have a specific goal with your work?

This sounds like an incredibly lame and contrived artist’s answer, but I really do want to bring people joy and do my small part in trying to make the world a better place. The world would really just have us fall into this humdrum life and only see things in shades of gray. I would hope that my images can play a small part in helping people always remember that life is beautiful, colorful and filled with energy.

Being an independent artist demands a unique ability to handle uncertainty – how do you do that?

Being the poster child for ADHD, uncertainty, lack of planning and winging it have always just been how I roll. So this job suits me very well. But as I said earlier, I can’t just be comfortable and stay in the place that only uses my natural gifts. I need to push myself outside of that and continue to develop my planing, managing and business skills.

What’s next for Fullerton Images?

I think that Fullerton Images will invariably be evolving into Fullerton Media. There’s no denying the fact that being capable of multimedia presentation is going to be a crucial skill for the emerging generation of photographers. I don’t believe that still imagery is going away, but I do believe that video and multimedia is going to growing immensely. The ability to offer other media forms to clients will be a huge win for photographers. The difficulty for myself and emerging photographers is going to be to decide whether or not photography will be your primary skill. There’s a lot of pressure for photographers to become jack of all trades shooters, but I still think it’s important to pick one thing and really master it. I’m really excited to start exploring video and multimedia, but my primary focus will be the mastery of photography.

Fries or salad?

Most definitely fries!

Best album of 2009?

I’m really into Kevin Rudolf’s Let It Rock album. It’s such a hard to categorize, eclectic blend of rap, rock, techno, industrial and many other styles. Plus the whole album just has this kick-your-teeth-out energy to it that really gets you pumped up and ready to rock.

You can learn more about Ben at Fullerton Images and reach him directly at 860-485-8259 and ben@fullertonimages.com – Ben Fullerton is a Boulder, CO based photographer who specializes in action/adventure sports and all things related to the outdoor industry.

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