'Inspiring Activity In A Sedentary World'

Growing up among the expanses of mountains and swathes of red rock in Southern Utah which he affectionately calls home, he warmly recounts how it nurtures his creative spirit. It also bolsters his innate drive to seek adventure, and shapes his perception of nature as a “sacred place”. “The mountains of northern Utah and Red Rock in southern Utah inspire me and are places that I go to help nurture the creative spirit,” he says. Having enjoyed team and individual sports in school, he pursued sports and adventure sports when he made his foray into photography for the first time after deciding to forsake his full-time job for it. “Being able to get into the outdoors and combine my passion for photography with the sports I grew up with was a dream come true,” he elaborates. While his dream of having a gallery and pursuing landscape photography still lingers, his focus shifted early to capturing action and sports, and building a professional career around commercial and advertising work. We are talking to Kevin Winzeler this month, whose work boasts exemplary sports and action photographs, coupled with a grand clientele that includes Adobe Systems, Columbia Sportswear, Skiing Magazine, and Skullcandy.

- Nandana James

It all started when Kevin became interested in photography after finishing his college degree in business, though he had never even picked up a camera prior to this. “I purchased a small Canon digital point and shoot camera shortly after college and had never taken a photography class up to that point. I remember walking around the streets of Park City and into the outdoors and found it fascinating that there was so much creative freedom a camera can offer. I began to learn about composition, exposure and light and this was the start of discovering photography for me. I had always enjoyed art and pencil drawing up to this point, but had never touched a camera until now. It was a really liberating feeling to express myself in this way,” he says. However, he was ardently involved in sports his entire life and had always found solace in bringing a camera along to capture his outdoor pursuits with friends. Another initial tremor of his passion for photography can be traced back to his fascination with digital technology, as he had worked with a tech company before deciding to pursue photography full time. “...As my passion grew for making images and skill increased, I began to explore what a professional career (in photography) might look like.”