Meet Steve Chadwick | Portrait and Sports Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve Chadwick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always enjoyed photography. I know that with my own children, when I capture that certain moment, they are so excited. Whether it’s a fingertip catch that turns into a touch-down for my son, or that final goal in overtime for my daughter, or just a portrait that is shared on social media, the happiness that results from that image is very rewarding. I started my own business as a way to serve more in the community as I am sure others want to capture those special moments. It’s wonderful when you can provide a service that allows a memory to be taken with that person and shared with those who weren’t there.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Growing up, I loved math, science and photography. I earned a Masters in Chemical Engineering and a Doctorate in Computer Science. I have had the good fortune for working for an amazing semiconductor company (Intel Corporation) for over 27 years. I have traveled the world with Intel and have met so many amazing people. I am so thankful. Although I was an avid photographer in high school, even developing my own film, this was put on hold.

I started shooting again when my wife and I started a family. So many precious moments needed to be captured. As my children progressed in schools, I followed along with them – just carrying a camera. There is an unexplainable joy of being right there in the middle of the action shooting their sports. It was wonderful to see their successes and then comforting in the losses. The interaction on the field was just an amazing gift.

In high school other athletes wanted pictures similar to what I provided for my own kids. In service of the community I started shooting a lot of the sports for the local high school. I eventually developed my skills to the point where I joined MaxPreps, a collection of professional high school sports photographers. MaxPreps is a division of CBS. This interaction pushed my sports photography to the next level. The first several years I was constantly humbled by my editor, Jim Redman. Jim is tough but without a doubt, he made me the sport photographer that I am today. I love shooting high school sports and I pick up the occasional ASU soccer match and sometimes shoot some of the other ASU sports.

While shooting high school sports, many of the seniors asked me to shoot their senior portraits. Portraits were new for me and I had to learn so much. I had to learn how to pose students and how to use light. Then came editing and post processing of images – which again pushed me to learn photoshop and develop new skills. As challenging as this was, I absolutely loved using this side of the brain.

With a solid foundation built, I wanted to push myself. I sponsored a local high school dance company for two years. Dance is a combination of sports and portraits and it helped me grow as a photographer. Along the way my use of natural light, posing and my editing style caught the attention of a modeling house in Phoenix. I began shooting models and their portfolios on the weekend and spending a lot of time in the studio and working to master strobe lighting.

What differentiates me from other photographers is my varied past. I am wired as an engineer and I bring that engineering discipline to photography. I think the details matter and it’s important to get the details right. I have also had the good fortune to have traveled internationally throughout my life. I have lived in other countries and worked with so many others from different cultures. This helps me when working with my clients. I am able to ask questions to help discover what they are trying to achieve. Of course as a parent, I can relate to others of all ages. My children have taught me so much; they often humble me.

What makes me unique is that I am focused on delivering a quality that matches your vision. It’s my goal to deliver a picture that you will treasure for the rest of your life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I had a friend come over from New Mexico last year and she needed some images for her modeling portfolio. We had so much fun. We started the morning shooting ASU’s Palm walk. From ASU we drove of to Papago Park and shot at the Hole in the Rock. Papago offers this amazing red rock – such beautiful colors. We then grabbed lunch in Downtown Chandler at Serranos, a family owned restaurant. The food is amazing and you can take some great images in Downtown Chandler.

The afternoon took us to the Salt River. Shooting with water in the desert has a unique feel that is hard to find elsewhere. Finally, moving to the desert at sunset finished the day. It’s hard to beat an Arizona desert sunset.

There is so much to photograph in Arizona, but this was a wonderful photography day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am a very collaborative photographer and I am always trying to learn from others. Along my journey so many have helped me define and refine my style. My wife and children have posed for 1000’s of images. I am constantly asking my wife “What about this picture…” Without the support of my family I know I would not be the photographer that I am today.

The below list of photographers are people I have met in my journey. These photographer have pushed me beyond what I thought was possible. I know that I have just scratched the surface of what they have offered. I am beyond grateful.

Dani Diamond – thank you for sharing your knowledge on posing, natural light and your edit process.
Lindsay Adler – your command of flash photography is astounding; as is your creativity.
Joe Mcnally – the stories you shared on your journey of photography were so inspirational.
Jim Redman – having you as my sports editor at MaxPreps is amazing. You have made me the sports photographer that I am today – thank you!
Milton Lau – your friendship and constant feedback and critiques along with the mentoring has made me better.

And to every single person who has been in front of my camera, the interaction has helped me grow and learn. I am thankful that you picked me as your photographer.

Website: https://www.stevechadwickphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevechadwickphotography/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephencchadwick/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/steve__chadwick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveChadwickPhotography/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/steve-chadwick-photography-chandler