Meet Ken Strieby

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Strieby.

Hi Ken, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hello, I moved to Phoenix in the late 90’s from Seattle where I grew up and went to high school. I was just ready for a change of scenery really. I had my own auto paint repair business I started in Seattle for 3 years before I left and went to Phoenix where I had to restart my paint business all over again and had it going for around 25 years. My wife and I had a home and lived in San Diego part-time summers too for several years in that time frame which I really enjoyed as well getting out of the Phoenix summer heat and we had an amazing time doing it!

I knew I had been ready for a change of profession for several years after working in the brutal heat of Phoenix in the summers for all those years. And my real love has always been photography or really anything artistic like painting since a young age. In high school, I took photography, and in college photography and graphic design. But at the time in the early 90s, I felt I could make more money in the car business, so I went that route as Landscape Photography was not as popular back then without online resources and social media like we have today. But now after doing pretty well with my auto business it’s allowed me to turn my hobby of 35 years into my dream of being a professional full-time Landscape Photographer. It’s been a good ride so far; in just 3 short years I’ve been named a top landscape photographer in Arizona by 2 publications and been interviewed by a few different magazines like yours which has been a really huge honor and I really appreciate it! I also just had by far my best year selling my landscape prints and things seem to be really moving along now, it’s all just a matter of getting out there and people seeing my work which all takes time!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always challenges along the way with any new business of course. This is the third business I have had, and they all take a lot of commitment and hard work, and a little luck along the way helps too! By saying that, I believe by working very hard you bring your own luck and good things will come your way from the hard work that you have put into it!

But as far as challenges go for me with this business in Landscape Photography you really have to promote your work as well as yourself to get your work out in the world and really seen! Some people don’t just invest in fine art they invest in getting to know the artist a little as well before actually buying your art. I’m somewhat of a quiet reserved person till I get to know someone, so that can be a little bit of a challenge for me at times.  I’m kind of old school too and not really into social media a whole lot like FB and Instagram. So, it’s a struggle for me as well to post all the time and always have to show my work, I feel like it’s pressure (and I put a lot of pressure on myself) at times to post great photos I guess on a consistent basis. So, I find myself from time to time just taking a little break from it all together just to get away from it all! Plus, I’ve also found over the last 3 to 4 years there are “so many other aspects of this business to be successful” then spending valuable time posting photos on IG and Facebook on a regular basis every day like some lead you to believe is important to do as a photographer when you’re starting out in this business. But the truth is 99.9% of my sales come from other avenues so I concentrate on those things much more now!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My passion for photography and just getting out in nature are what get me most excited. I feel I have a real good eye for great compositions and seeing things in a way some others may not look at them the same way. That’s the “real art” of a good landscape photographer I feel anyway… Finding those cool artistic angles and perfect lighting along with amazing compositions that really catch your eye! You want it all to come together and tell a story to the viewer. Most people don’t realize the real dedication it takes, it can all take months of research to find these great locations and plan to travel to them and then sit and wait for hours for the correct lighting and on top of that, you’re freezing cold dealing with the elements taking those dreamy late night milky way photos till 3am sometimes. 

The most important part of all when photographing a location is getting your settings all correct in the camera for those big shots because you usually have to get “the shot” in a very short period of time even seconds and you’re leaving that location that next morning often times so you must get it right! It’s seriously all a really great challenge and I would not change it for anything. It can be a pretty amazing experience and I really learn a lot about myself doing it! After saying all that though, I would say my favorite part of it all is just honestly sharing beautiful landscapes with all of you and showing a place maybe in just a little different way than normally seen or sharing something you may have not ever seen before which gives me a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction hearing what you have to say. Don’t get me wrong I love making sales, but just hearing all the kind words I get from people is more touching than a sale often times.

There are many styles and directions you can take your landscape photography. I would say from studying past great landscape photographers and some of the top photographers of the modern day, I came up with my own personal style that fits what I like best. I use high-end wide-angle lenses (Sony G & Zeiss) and tend to try and fit as much as possible into a scene with a wide-angle lens. I also like a lot of color and won’t pursue a composition if it does not have good color or lighting or something different about it to give it a little of that dreamy dramatic effect.  Again, it must be a pretty good composition that’s very important! Of course, that’s always subjective to the viewer just like any art is in general, and everyone feels differently about any photo depending on how they connect with it on a personal level, but I like to shoot compositions and beautiful places people generally like and could “relate to in a very personal way” and have found that is the main importance as a landscape photographer to selling prints, people have to have that connection to that particular place!

If you’re ever in the market for investing in my limited-edition fine art landscape photography or just adding a conversation piece and beautifying your decor, please know I use only the very finest “museum-quality” mediums being used today, along with beautifully hand-crafted frames made in Italy used by the top fine landscape photographers. I also have recently added my work to ETSY and sell it with much more affordable mediums for people that are not art collectors and just wanting a nice piece of my art and now I offer it at a more affordable cost! Just Google “Strieby Photography” and you can find all kinds of info online on my work.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Nothing major off the top of my head… but some people might not realize the emblem you see on my website is a homage to my heritage. A lot of my friends and people are pretty surprised when I tell them I am Alaska Native American. I am German too hence my last name “Strieby“ from my dad’s side. But my mom is Alaskan Native American, and it was a very neat part of my Grandmother I was very close to that I got to learn about growing up and was really proud of. They were both born in Alaska and later moved to Seattle where I grew up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://striebyphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/striebyphotography/?hl=en
• Other: ETSY- www.etsy.com/shop/StriebyPhotography
  Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/135861127@N06/
  ART Placer Virtual Reality Gallery – https://assets.artplacer.com/virtual-exhibitions/

Image Credits
Strieby Photography