Something that I have learned over the years is that you can never guess where your journey may lead you or the companies that you may possibly work for / with, and how seeming odd collaborations on the surface are on second thought a perfect partnership!!
I recently become a 'Brand Ambassador' for an up & coming lifestyle sunglasses company based locally in Yorkshire, so you could say a collaboration based on quality optics in two vastly different industries. 'Ridr Optics' are a forward thinking company with a unique range of fully customizable lens-wear items aimed squarely at the Leisure, Surf, Skate and Ski markets. Not only content with helping you look good as you pick your way through the upcoming summer days with 200 colour combinations, but the Polarized and fully UVW400+ (protection from UVA and UVB rays) will help to keep your your natural lenses safe from harm.....always a bonus.
Ok, so how does this relate to me as a photographer? Quite simple really.
Aside from having the opportunity to work alongside a company that is involved with differing sports and lifestyle industries, the creative elements that it opens up for me with regards to the type of photo shoots that I can look to do in promoting those varying aspects is invaluable to me as a creative, but furthermore sunglasses really are the unsung hero of a photographers toolkit....so where is the harm in looking good at the same time? I agree that on the surface this thinking may seem like a stretch, but give it good thought, those end of the day races to catch the sunrise & sunsets when the sun is low in the sky, on mountain sides with the highly reflective snow or even near the sheen of reflective water....if you are anything like me then you will be wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from glare more often than not, even if just to help you see the scene better in those challenging conditions, so to me it just makes sense.......properly protecting that most valuable asset for your photography, and that is vital.
I opened with talk of odd collaborations, and this will probably be deemed to be one of those, but I try to look at things a little different when asked to work with a company, as it is not always about financial gain, but about the knowledge you can gain that will be more beneficial further down the line, about experiences and helping each other to grow not only in a personal sense but in a shared visibility....that is what it is about!
I would be most grateful if you could take the time to visit my friends 'Ridr Optics' and see what they have to offer, even if just from the perspective of having eye-wear that serves as a practical work tool for your photography, you won't regret it!
Until next time.
Scott