We had the good fortune of connecting with Carrie Giordano and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Carrie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work-life balance has changed quite a bit over time. When I was younger and didn’t have a family, I would say yes to any and all work. I never wanted to miss out on an opportunity. However, now being a mom of three young children, my priorities have shifted. Saying yes to something means saying no to something else. So, I have to ask myself what do I really want to say no to? I try to only say yes to jobs that are meaningful to me, or that I feel will really lead to more positive opportunities.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since I was young, I have always loved taking photos. My passions have been split between travel & landscape and sports photography. When I was in school, I thought I was going to go down the path of photographing large format black and white landscapes. I loved working in the dark room and shooting in nature. However, I kept feeling myself getting pulled back to action photography through sports.
While professionally, most of my work comes from shooting sports, I still spend quite a bit of time shooting landscapes and travel. Not only do I find shooting landscapes to be such a strong creative outlet, I feel it also strengthens my sports work. When I’m in a stadium or arena I’m always looking for the light and different angles the way I would if I were out in nature.
In the future, I want to spend more time working to combine the two genres for commercial and editorial work.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many amazing spots in LA, that it’s hard to narrow down my favorites! I love hiking and being outdoors, so for anyone new to LA I would definitely take them on a sunrise hike at Griffith Park. The view of the city from downtown to the ocean is incredible! If you’re lucky enough to catch it on a foggy morning, the observatory looks like a castle in the clouds. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal, so afterwards we would grab some blueberry pancakes at Sweet Butter in Sherman Oaks.
It wouldn’t be a proper trip to Socal without some time at the ocean. I’ve always loved the beach and love to take visitors for bike rides through Santa Monica & Venice. For lunch, we would meet up with some friends at Hinanos for a burger. My favorite cocktail is a spicy margarita so we would have to fit that in somewhere as well!!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve been lucky to have had many talented teachers, starting at Santa Monica College. However, I would have to say that Jon Soohoo has been my greatest mentor. Back when I was in school, I would hound him with photography questions. Throughout the years, he’s taught me so much, it was also his encouragement that led me to the Sportshooter Academy. That advice really shaped my path because without Sportshooter, I’m not sure I would currently be working in professional sports. Since shooting professionally, I’ve felt incredibly blessed to be constantly surrounded by amazing photographers who I learn from and who constantly inspire me.
Website: www.carriegiordano.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/carriegphoto
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-giordano-4b1ba84
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carriegphoto/
Image Credits
Profile photo credit: Juan Ocamo Family Photo credit: Wilde Sparrow