Meet Keith Robinson of Random AZ Images in Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Robinson.

Keith, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in and around the East Valley spending most of my energy focusing on athletics while continually looking forward to camping and other outdoor activities. While attending ASU, and for some time after graduation, much of my attention was put into school and career with my passions taking a back seat. I was still able to participate in a variety of activities, but nowhere near enough to “scratch that adventure itch”.

In 2010, a friend introduced me to his gym, which happened to be an early Crossfit affiliate, and through that experience and community, I connected with a group of high energy and slightly off-center people where I was able to really push my limits. Also, in 2010, another friend convinced me to embark on a motorcycle expedition through Northwest Africa, combining my love of camping, adventure, motorcycles, and photography.

Since then, over the last decade, I’ve spent almost all of my free time trying to plan and execute ever more audacious adventure motorcycle trips across the Southwest… while improving my photography skills along the way bringing back the best of the experience and emotion along the way.

This is what Random AZ Images is… it’s an experiment. To see through various media how close I can get to sharing the adventure spirit and various highs and lows with those that can’t or don’t want to experience it first hand. To help fund the effort, I focus on private sales of my photography, have occasional gallery showings, and engage in other special projects every now and then.

Money aside, I never feel more alive, centered, and connected to both nature and myself than when I’m navigating through difficult terrain, living and constantly exposed to the elements, on a machine that’s waiting to reward/punish me for every single my decision and judgment. It’s the ultimate “in the moment” experience.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Overall my life has been very smooth, especially when it comes to the big things. I am beyond lucky to never have experienced some of the challenges others have growing up, or while navigating daily life. I recognize this as an unbelievable luxury, but I also saw early this lack of hardship as a trap leading to complacency, false security, a lack of empathy, a sense of entitlement, and a personal fragility when faced with unexpected challenge.

While the vast majority of my headwinds have been self-selected, I’ve relentlessly tried to push myself into uncomfortable situations expanding and refining both my problem-solving skills and more importantly, my comfort level under stress/hardship. It’s never the same as dealing with the really bad things in life, but backing yourself deep into a corner and having to find a way out, or in some cases just endure, is a practice that’s served me well when things “get real”.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
As you can tell by the name, “Random AZ Images” is fairly eclectic, but there are a few things that I believe make my perspective unique.

Access: My work will provide a glimpse into spaces and places many are unable to see. While many of the previously hidden gems are now ubiquitous because of social media, there are thousands of other unique and hidden places across the Southwest just waiting for a chance to speak their voice.

Authenticity/Rawness: With few exceptions, all of my images are 100% in-the-moment captures of situations as I find them. I want to bring back not just the visuals from wherever I’m exploring, but more importantly, I want to pass along the emotion. If the situation has been staged or tampered with, even if you would never know, to me it’s a violation of the mission and maybe a technically great shot but is lacking honesty… which ruins it.

Darkness: In my photography and processing, I make heavy use of shadows and blacks. Paired with oftentimes an overall dramatic editing style, these darker areas serve as a powerful contrast to the rest of the image. However, the visuals are just helping to pass along the emotion I’m trying to get to… the real darkness. Emotions such as danger, threat, menace, sadness, melancholy, despair, regret, hostility, chaos, power… the undercurrent of these emotions run through much of my work. The Southwest is an extremely beautiful and welcoming region, however, both nature and humans out here have a dark streak a mile wide… this is my interest.

Humor: With all the focus on darkness, it’s also important to foster positivity and light. Often times I stumble into unintentionally hilarious situations while exploring or successfully find the hidden humor in a situation, and other times a pretty picture is just a pretty picture… no further analysis necessary Every photo is meant to be engaging, not depressing.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Camping at Big Lake in the White Mountains and wandering around the forest all day. We would wake up and eat, then I would just wander off for hours at a time, stopping back now and then for food/rest. It fostered my love for Nature, developed my spatial and orienteering skills, improved my risk & situational awareness, and taught me how to be comfortable alone.

I’m not sure this perceived lack of oversight would be acceptable today, but we were definitely free-range kids back then.

Pricing:

• Prices traditionally range from $40 – $4,000+ depending on materials/sizes
• Most pieces for traditional home or office display run somewhere between $300-$500

Contact Info:

• Email: randomazimages@gmail.com
• Instagram: @randomazimages

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