Asa Gilmore, sporting the ever-so-stylish ‘el bandito’ moustache is a Nevada trailblazer, canny photographer and Ad2 Reno member! His Nevada roots show through his work and we are even a little jealous of how well he pulls off that ‘stache. You can browse his portfolio and take a peek at some behind-the-scenes features on his blog.
We love your “Roughing It” series (it won an ADDY award in 2011). Tell us about it!
Last year, the Reno News and Review commissioned me to create a series of photos based on classic American literature – to be specific, the book ‘Roughing It’ by Mark Twain. This was an incredibly challenging photo series to produce, but I met some fascinating people along the way and am looking forward to doing more work with a strong historical basis.
So, who are all these people?
It was a real challenge picking characters from the book that represented the best of Nevada. I was lucky enough to snag McAvoy Lane, renowned Mark Twain impersonator. He’s sitting at Twain’s actual desk in the old Territorial Enterprise office in Virginia City. Twain worked there as a reporter for quite some time.
Why did you become a photographer?
My dad was a photo instructor, so I grew up around it. Visual communications is a part of my life. Photography was more of a recreational activity for me. I started doing more commercial work about seven years ago.
Any tips for aspiring shutter-bugs?
- You just have to start doing it. I always learned better by doing than by taking classes.
- Read photo blogs, especially behind-the-scenes features.
- Carry around someone else’s camera bag. Assist a photographer on a shoot.
