Check Out Kirk Fry’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirk Fry.

Hi Kirk, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My passion for capturing memorable and unique images likely stems from my background as a PhD scientist, with an eye for tiny details. My interest in photography largely developed from a desire to take better vacation photos, especially after traveling to Alaska and New Zealand, and then being surprised by the inconsistent results with my prints (back when you sent the film out to be developed!).

After taking many online courses and multi-day workshops with accomplished landscape photographers, I found that my image quality and consistency improved greatly. I get excited by the mix of creative and technical aspects of outdoor photography. Discovering the uniqueness of each subject and presenting it in a way that captures the heart and imagination of the viewer is a prime motivation. I am especially drawn to subjects that demonstrate both the grandeur and fragility of nature.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think that for many photographers (and other artists), one of the big challenges is how to balance your creative passion with the demands of “real life”. Most of us start as hobbyists with a full-time (often unrelated) occupation. As the skill level increases and the positive feedback grows (e.g., winning competitions and hearing “you should do this as your career”), the decision needs to be made whether to leap into being a full-time artist.

Even if the artistic skill level is there, it’s still a major challenge to convert that into a viable business, where you need to wear multiple hats of marketing, sales, customer support, accounting, insurance, social media management, etc. Of course, some folks are in the position of being retired or having another avenue of financial support, which means they can focus solely on their art and not be concerned about running a business. I have some envy for those in that situation! Haha.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Once my photographic skills improved to the level where I could get into juried shows and (sometimes) win awards, I wanted to transition away from “standard” landscape photography. There are so many very skilled outdoor photographers in Colorado that it’s really hard to stand out. Although I do my share of photographing iconic scenes (e.g., in Rocky Mountain and Arches National Parks), I find more pleasure in capturing something unique, often on a smaller scale.

Examples include detailed patterns in the sandstone, or a single unique tree or flower. I’m also doing a lot of close-up/macro photography, which is another way to capture ” less common” images, such as a water droplet on a blade of grass, or a single snowflake, or the details of a butterfly wing. I have taught a couple of classes in close-up photography, and I enjoy the excitement that participants have expressed when capturing amazing details of an orchid (for example).

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think that the biggest challenge for nature photography going forward is the advent of readily available AI (artificial intelligence) generated images. We are already at the stage where software is available whereby you can prompt the tool with “create an image of a moose swimming across Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park with an incredible sunset in the background”. And it does a credible job. The critical eye of an experienced photographer might be able to detect nuances that can identify it as AI-generated, but the software will only get better in the coming years.

As a co-chair of a national photography show that gets 600+ entries each year, I am dreading that we will likely be in a situation where we have to try and cull out AI images (even if the rules explicitly state that they aren’t allowed). But it’s a slippery slope – common image editing programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom have AI tools built in. With a click of a button, you can replace skies, delete people from scenes, “swap heads” in group photos, etc. A lot of that technology has been around for a while, but it’s getting MUCH easier to use. So the line between “real” photography (whatever that is) and digitally generated/enhanced art is very blurred. And when it comes to the average consumer buying art for their walls, will they even care how the image was created, as long as it’s pretty?

Contact Info:

• Website: kirkfryphotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kirkfryphotography
• Facebook: facebook.com/kirkfryimages