Meet Cole Horchler | Commercial Photographer

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

Hi Cole, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The motivation for my career really comes from my perspective on freedom of the human spirit. I felt the need to take on the challenges I was uniquely suited for, I had to find what I was best at so my contribution to society was maximized. Creativity comes from exercising our agency, and we do that in an intentional manner by knowing ourselves. Creativity is a result of our proclivities and preferences that make us each unique. This is why honest creativity is instantly recognizable, it can only come from being in touch with oneself. If it’s motivated by any other goal it’s inherently tainted. The universe runs on entropy and exploration, by knowing ourselves and bringing forth creativity from consciousness we’re fulfilling our end of the bargain.

The opposite is painfully true for those that live in ignorance of this process. It’s the stereotype our society bemoans but can’t seem to solve; how to find fulfillment in the work that must be done. It’s only a matter of perspective and gratitude for the present. When you see the miracle of life as a gift and take responsibility for yourself, you have everything you need. We are truly masters of our own destiny.

If you do discover and commit to a process of self knowledge and care, without compromise, you find fulfillment and perspective anywhere you choose. Your earnest exercise will lead you through life progressively as you become ready for the next thing. You never know where it will lead you, but the important thing is to begin the journey. Some people call it manifesting, some people call it God, it’s really just intention, honesty, hard work; all the things we know we should be doing to find ourselves, to be healthy, and to be the best we can be.

If there’s any take-away just know it’s possible if you do the work. Anyone can be creative, it’s a discipline and a practice you must choose and dedicate your life to.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I photograph cars and buildings to put it plainly. My clients are architects, interiors designers, multi-family developers, etc. I am a huge car guy and have always photographed cars, my goal is to work with ad-agencies like McCann to photograph campaigns for OEM’s (GM, Ferrari, and Porsche are my favorites). I am known for immaculate, refined images with dramatic lighting. My current focus is to imbue my images with narrative and soul combined with my technical capability.

Art is a way of life, it’s sharing your vision with others whatever it may be. Your life is your art. I am a photographer because I am best at sharing my vision through the practice of photography. I am lousy at drawing and painting, I’m an amateur musician, and second to photography, language may be my best medium.

When I try to draw what I imagine, it doesn’t live up to the vision. In music, maybe I’ll be able to express myself one day after a couple decades of practice. However, with photography I can now make anything I can envision. I have dedicated my life to it and I decided I would spend more time on photography than anything else. I believe you can learn anything but you do have to pick one thing eventually to be best at.

I started shooting at 15 when my grandpa gave me his old camera. It was an early 00’s Minolta. My grandpa was a professional photographer as well, so I grew up around it, but he died before I was well practiced or we ever got to discuss it creatively or technically.

I spent a lot of time alone and the camera always gave me something to productive to do. I never thought about being a photographer, I just took the camera everywhere and took photos constantly.

When I was 19 I studied abroad in Regensburg, Germany. I worked three jobs for 18 months prior to pay for the trip, I saved a meager $6000 which converted to about 4500 in Euros at the time, and that lasted me 4.5 months and travel across 11 countries. I even came home with some to spare because I was so frugal. I would sleep in train stations, parks, whatever. I didn’t care about discomfort, I just wanted to see and experience as much as possible.

The trip was incredible and I came home with a paradigm shift and about 4000 images. My family and friends suggested maybe I take photography as a more serious hobby. That Christmas I asked for an original Canon 5D and a couple lenses we got second hand off craigslist. Two days later a friend asked me to photograph Snoop Dogg at a local nightclub for $75.

I spent the next couple years shooting odd jobs on referral, night clubs, family photos, and eventually a condo. That condo kicked off me shooting more and more real estate. Real estate led me to a new level of technical proficiency working with off camera flash, and discovering a real potential market for my work.

Out of college I worked a cold-calling account management position for a local 3PL that I absolutely hated. I gave it a good effort but I was not good at it. I didn’t get along with the mindset of my fellow employees. I knew it was not where I was supposed to be. I used that job to save for a year, photography started to make a bit of income on the side, and eventually it didn’t make sense to spend 40hr a week at the desk job any longer.

I quit my job on a Tuesday, I was home by 9am and I spent the next eight months making little to no income and building my photography brand. That fall I started to meet the right network, my brand and work was garnering attention, and I haven’t done any marketing since. For the past 7 years I’ve been full time on pure referral and word-of-mouth and my business has been a steady upward trend.

I had to envision the life I wanted, the work I wanted to create, and figure out a practical structure to bring those goals to life, and it worked. So I’m 15 years behind a camera, 10 paid, and 7 full time. I wouldn’t change a thing, I love every minute of it.

The work never ends as an entrepreneur. Even if my schedule is clear and my projects are completed, I do everything myself. There’s always the website, the portfolio, SEO, accounting, direct marketing, market research, networking… the list goes on an on. Not to mention just LIFE and time being a human. You can always do more. Sometimes I work 100hr a week directly on photography and retouching, and those weeks can be difficult but again it’s all about perspective. I worked 112hr weeks through salmon season in Alaska one summer in college, and so I never complain. No matter how hard things get, I know I can work that hard if I need to.

On the flip side, I am able to carefully manage my time and budget to be maximally efficient. This allowed me to find a work / life balance that supports mind, body, and soul. Beyond a doubt the work suffers and would not exist without this balance. All three are paramount and if one suffers they all suffer. My self-care is paramount so that I can be at my best for my clients who I owe my livelihood and autonomy to, and so I have the best shot at making true art and allowing that creativity to flow. I am a health nut, I don’t drink or smoke, I spend as much time outdoors as possible, my diet is excellent, I exercise intensely as often as possible, I practice music, I speak multiple languages, I do everything I possibly can to be at my best, and the more I do the better I feel. I refuse to leave anything on the table, I simply have a lust for life. It’s only by seeking this that I can be in a position to help anyone else.

Now in winter ’23 I am preparing for the future. After a successful decade in business, I still feel like I’m just getting started and I have so much to learn. Going forward I’ll be focused on commercial productions, and applying that process to my subjects of Architecture / Interiors and Cars and I continue to develop my style. I’ll be doing that by dedicating myself to creating personal / portfolio work that is the best I can dream up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Interestingly, I am from Phoenix and have done a good amount of work in Dallas. I enjoy Dallas and with my solo-traveling experience I did my best to seek out the city on a few occasions. I’m working most of the time I’m in town so my best recommendations are for food, and my travel style really comes from Bourdain.

Here are my recommendations from my limited experience:

– Billy Can Can – As someone visiting Dallas and wanting to treat myself to a nice dinner after a long day, Billy Can Can was incredible. After a long day of photography I sat at the bar to have some company, being alone, and had an incredible meal that felt authentic to Dallas. Distinctly the Texas we love, modern and elegant with soul. I had a deviled egg flight, half dozen oysters, and red snapper from the gulf on succotash.
– Strange Ways – I often finish photoshoot days late and one night I ended up at Strange Ways for some plantain, yucca fries, and a torta. Simple, comfort food, local art, great people. All the best to Strange Ways.
– Harwood Arms – On a chilly night in Dallas after traveling I wanted warmth in food and atmosphere; A pub, music, bangers ‘n’ mash. What more do you need?

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My life has been affected by a fantastic web of people, it truly is a small world in the networking sense. I think as entrepreneurs we see just how diverse and connected our communities are. You just never know who can help you along in your career and we’re all in it together doing the best we can.

I have been so fortunate that my business has come from word-of-mouth referrals for about a decade. Not only my clients but I met my wife, friend groups, all the best people just through networking in earnest. I think ultimately my shoutout is to our entire community because each and every one of us play a role. As much as we each have to put in the work, no one is purely self-made because we all help each other get to where we need to go.

The smallest introductions and interactions can be incredibly impactful even years later. I think it’s impossible to thank any one person. I have found that people who work from a place of love and generosity tend to find each other, so shoutout to everyone who is seeking “right livelihood” in their efforts to make a way in the world.

“To love life through labor is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret. All work is empty save when there is love, for work is love made visible.” – Kahlil Gibran

Website: https://colehorchler.photos/

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

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