Today we’d like to introduce you to Ahren Gehrman.
Hi Ahren, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My father was an oil painter, mostly seascapes and landscapes, and my mother did watercolors. For a time we owned a gallery on the Oregon Coast in Lincoln City. So, I learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting at an early age. However, the thing that actually peaked my interest as a young teenager was footbag (hacky sack). I went on to become one of the best in the world, winning the European Championships in 2000 and placed 4th at the World Championships the following year. After moving to San Francisco and then retiring from the sport, I turned my attention to music. First I tried my hand at piano, but eventually bought a guitar with aspirations of becoming a songwriter. When it became apparent that I had no interest in performing due to stage fright I switched to music production. In 2014 I moved to Eugene, still writing songs and dabbling in production. Eventually my love of writing lyrics spurred me on to write a novel. Following the pandemic I was so tired of the written word that I looped all the way back around to my childhood and decided to paint again. About a year later I bought a camera to photograph my paintings and ever since my obsession has been photography. I still paint in the winter, but the primary focus, pun intended, is finding my professional path in photography. Oh yeah… I also compete in pinball tournaments. I’m a former Emerald City Pinball league champion and Oregon State finalist.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
None of my artistic pursuits have yet to become commercially viable, and I’ve always had to work a day job. I do things for the love of it, and am not as business-minded as I’d like to be.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My favorite thing in the world to do right now is street photography, which is not the thing I expect to pay any bills. That’ll probably end up being events, headshots, weddings at some point. Things like that. Maybe photojournalism if I could find the right gig. But capturing life as it is, candids and the like, that’s my passion. It’s tricky these days, with concerns of privacy and what not, which I do respect a great deal. You could also substitute the term documentary photography I think. My intent is to keep a kind of historical record of life around me, not to embarrass or take advantage of anybody. Especially in my own community. While it might be controversial these days, in my opinion it’s an important art form that needs to somehow be preserved. I suppose I’m pretty good at blending in and not being obtrusive. I’m not out to bother anybody or ruin their day. This year I want to get better at street portraiture as well. I’m still relatively new to the craft after a few years, so I’m not sure if I know what sets me apart quite yet, except that I am me and nobody else makes the same photographs because they weren’t there. That obviously sets all photographers apart.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’m sure there is but I’m not sure if they want to hear it. Lol. Just jokes. See how I am? I should probably be trying to hustle the business end of things and here I am talking about my passions instead. I can’t help it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ahrengehrman.com
- Instagram: ahrengehrmanmedia
