Riley Russill, the NM Fine Art Photographer discusses his journey expressing himself through art
We sat down with Nature, Portrait & Landscape Photographer, Riley Russill and discussed what brought him into the arts from a sports background. He has a background in stills and over the years has stepped into different mediums specifically in film. He enjoys directing and producing, commercial, documentaries and various other projects such as editorials for magazines and I’ve worked closely with tourism boards. We brought him into our intimate studio space. Two red chairs sit with a few plants and a coffee table.
How do you define yourself?
“That’s great a question, I would define myself as an artist who is pursuing truth in storytelling. I seek out ways to build relationships with people from different backgrounds and I love to see the world from a different perspective; I’m always motivated by that. I feel like I’m still in a ripe timeframe to test the waters. I feel confident in my abilities as a documentarian and photographer there are so many ways I want to effect the communities around me. “
How did you get started…
“How did I get started in my professional interest or life. “
He began to chuckle, debating which to dive into.
“Just kidding, So I got started pushing myself towards a creative life style in high-school. It mostly stemmed from a natural curiosity about how I could express myself in a way outside more “Normal” activities. Primarily that was sports, it was different to suddenly find some type of freedom in going out and exploring or finding a way to hang out with people that liked photos. You start to find these commonalities. Photography was a great stepping stone to see the world in a slightly different lens.”
What was your most fulfilling job so far…
He pauses as he sits back into the deep red chair behind him.
“It’s hard, I feel very rewarded from a-lot of jobs but if it was was, it would be a local outfitter in Los Cruses, Organ Mountain Outfitters. Their mission was something that I was always drawn toward because they had such a heart for the community and the state of New Mexico. Their business model is unique, Every time people purchase something from their store, it is always benefitting local school districts. It is really rewarding to be apart of that. In projects like that you can see the benefit is going to be larger than just cloths. Being born in NM it’s cool having a direct relationship with the concept of giving back. Kids are literally getting fed, debt is getting chipped away at through those efforts. You can see that in real time and how grateful people are.
He pauses emphatically as the spark in his eyes grew and began again.
“A couple years ago I was able to direct and produce a spring campaign where we went out and casted people within the local acting community in NM and we were able to build out a full spring campaign from within our own community. It was cool to see how a small team could benefit from that. Everyone was local, it was shot here and represented our communities. It was a full circle moment for the brand.
What was the most challenging things you’ve had to overcome…
He rubbed his lip and looked outside as the birds danced out the window.
“Hmmm”
After a sip of his juice he continued.
“I would say perhaps so far one of the most challenging circumstances I had to deal with was picking up and uprooting my life to pursue a documentary project that I believed in. It was in a California. I had to find the team, get the support and build out this project on my own. I was homeless, couch surfing and living in my van. That was a time of uncertainty that I had to push through. I learned a lot from that. What I realized was that I was able to have more empathy towards people that are all going through displacement or homelessness in general, Especially those that relocate and can’t find a spot. The crazy thing is that I grew up on foodstamps and government assistant. I was raised by a single mother. It’s something I am familiar with in a way. It was just eye opening to find myself in a position where I felt like I should be after the time I spent since the first time I picked up a camera. “
Interviewer: “That seems like a lot to go through.”
He quickly interjected back.
“Well, not really in the scope of other parts of the whole world, I’m in a much more fortunate position even still. for example, in light of current circumstances, we live in a technological age where we can communicate instantaneously with other poeple in a war zone across the world. Last night I was chatting with a friend that lives in Ukrain. Listening to her talk about basically her country under siege. I was trying to digest all that in real time while I’m thousands of miles away. It opens your eyes to how fortunate and grateful we should be even if we are going through tough times.”
A moment passed of contemplation…
“There seems to be this narrative that there is a certain level of privilege that first world countries have, especially democratic states but from other people that are in second and third world countries, I think they look at it as a more form of ignorance.”
He took another subtle pause…
How do you cope with nerves…
“I don’t know, I try my best no matter what circumstances I’m in, whether meeting someone new or while I’m on a gig, I try to approach every situation with a welcomeness. When you meet people that you’re dealing with in the creative industry with a certain level of respect and integrity, maybe those nerves start to dissipate. It’s about being welcoming of their own point of view and letting them be themself. It grows past just meeting a model when teams are larger. At certain points in my career i’ve worked with professional sports organizations and there are so many people involved with gameday operations and running a team so you have to have a certain level of respect and integrity for each person and their role. You never know how that will come back and be helpful for you. My hope is that in return people will treat you with the same level of respect. That helps to make what you’re creating be a more fulfilling process. You want to get to a place where you don’t have nerves, you’re just creating something from your own heart and passion. “
What are some of your inspirations…
He slowly thought while cupping the left side of his face. He rubbed his temples and contemplated and with a chuckle, he began.
“I hate that dude… I don’t know why. For me i’ve never really been like a favorite guy ya know. It’s always tough for me to answer questions with a very concise straight forward answer like ‘Whats your favorite movie?' I don’t have one… I guess it’s because I have a lot of interests and I take inspiration from people in all walks of life and I look at a great film director in the same light that I look at a great athelete or a great entrepreneur or a doctor or a psychologist. There is just so many people who are playing their role in their field that are inspiring to me. I feel like my list would be super long. (Laughing) But there are certain thought leaders in todays world I do have a great amount of respect for like Jordan Peterson… ummm.”
A long pause mounted until we both burst into laughter.
“I guess one of my favorite athletes growing up was Lebron James, Definitely inspired by his story and what he went through. Roger Deakins, Cinematographer. The way he builds out narrative worlds is fascinating to me.”
Ten year reminder…
“So like ten years from now, a sticky note appears on my mirror and it’s like, “Hey”?
Interviewer: Yeah.
“I would say to just preserver in general. To love others and think about my community. I would hope that at that point I was accomplishing some major milestones in my life, Hopefully I can give myself a boost of confidence and support. Our greatest allies are our own minds. Believing in yourself. “
What is one thing you havn’t done you wish you could…
“There are so many things I want to do. I can only pick one?”
Interviewer: no it’s just a lead in. you can say whatever you want.
“I would like to publish a book about my travels and my experiences. I’d also like to direct a docu-series or documentary project and eventually direct my own movie. I feel like those goals are not time specific. I feel like leading up to whatever time frame those come to fruition I’d like to just be apart of as many opportunities as I can where I can continue learning, being on film sets, or commercial campaigns. Also Behind the scenes stills on movies, directing short films, music videos… being apart of national geographic…getting more of my work publish.
What’s on the horizon…
“Ummm, currently I am building out a cast for a NM tourism commercial that I’m going to be apart of. I’ll be working with a film crew from Santa Fe. After that I might. Ahh see idk, I can’t say.”
He stretches…
“This is off the records but………………………………………………… Besides that. I’m planning on doing a podcast. I want to push myself into that space. I’ve ran into so many different people and I see how effective conversation is in bringing people together to find common ground. It’s another form of storytelling. I’m really just wanting to focus on Podcasting and building my Youtube Channel to be able to shed more light on my creative endeavors.
You can view his fantastic work at rileyrussill.com or at @rileyrussill on instagram.