Check Out Hunter Courtin’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Courtin.

Hi Hunter, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My creative journey started at ASU, where I studied Industrial Design. Before that, I had done a lot of painting and photography for fun. Being in the design program showed me that it is possible to make a living doing something fun and creative, without being anchored to a cubicle.

After school, I was applying to dozens of design studios and companies, trying to get my foot in the door. One of the companies I had applied to was Noco- a company that makes jump starters and maintainers for automotive batteries. I interviewed with them and didn’t hear back for a few months.

Later, they reached out to me asking if I would be interested in being their full-time photographer. Since then, I have been shooting cars, motorcycles, and anything with wheels and an engine. I do freelance work as well and have been lucky enough to get up close and personal with some of the most interesting cars out there.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The hardest part of being in a creative industry is the ambiguity of what makes your work “good”.

Making clients happy is extremely important, so you have to really listen and be willing to adjust to meet their expectations. At the same time, being the one who knows the technical side of things, you have to be willing to speak up if something won’t work the way they expect.

One of the biggest struggles I’ve faced is getting new clients and expanding. Competing on social media with people who are willing to do shoots for free can be frustrating, but at the same time, it forces you to be better- to do something different and push the boundaries of what you thought was possible.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a photographer specializing in cars and products in the automotive industry.

I am known for my use of artificial lighting and for doing whatever it takes to get the shot. This includes hanging out of moving cars to shoot other moving cars, standing just feet off of a racetrack to get shots of racing cars, and generally going the extra mile to make something unique.

One of the things that set me apart is that I use artificial lighting to make my subjects pop. I try to use lighting in a way that isn’t so obvious, and try to blend it with the scene as a whole. The goal is to make the images look natural, but with a little twist.

I am most proud of the way I have developed my editing technique. When I started, I was only doing surface-level edits in Lightroom. As I progressed, I learned how to properly retouch images in Photoshop and how to composite multiple images into one.

The workflow I have developed allows me to maintain a fast turnaround time and has let me go much more in-depth with my photos.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The best part about Phoenix is the sheer amount of rare, high-end cars, as well as automotive events such as Barrett-Jackson.

It wasn’t until I began traveling that I realized how unique Phoenix is in that aspect. I had been so used to seeing Lamborghinis and McLarens driving around Scottsdale that I didn’t realize other cities don’t have the quality car culture Phoenix does.

My least favorite part of Phoenix is that everything is beige. From the desert surrounding the city to the paint on the buildings, Phoenix is a sea of beige.

Contact Info:

• Email: huntercourtin@gmail.com
• Website: www.ballpointphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballpointphoto/