All Photos by Robert Kerian
Robert Kerian's photography is all about the thrill of auto racing or
the freedom of being on the open road. A relative newcomer to the world of professional
photography, he says, "I've been shooting on my own for about three
years." But this hasn't stopped him from getting such influential
clients as Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Pontiac, BMW, Harley-Davidson, Infinity, Acura,
Honda, Nissan, and photographing major international auto races. He also shoots
for publications such as Racer, Thrasher (a skateboarding magazine), Motorsport,
and Autosport.
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Robert
Kerian's photography depicts speed, motion, and the joy
of the open road, as seen in the images on these pages. He does
much advertising work, such as the motorcycle photo (below) and
the GTO (above), and shoots at major international races (2nd
image below).
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Not so long ago, he assisted several high-profile photographers like Eddie
Adams, a Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist; and Clint Clemens, who shoots
advertising images for Porsche, Mercedes, Royal Caribbean, Condé Nast,
and many others. Kerian also volunteered his time with Eddie Adams' Barnstorm
workshops, which are held in New York every year and are offered to a select
group of college students and industry newcomers. He says that during the fall
of 2002, "The workshop was on the anniversary of 9/11," where the
group concentrated on the "positive side" of the tragic events in
New York.
A New Path
Kerian, who grew up in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, claims,
"Photography is something I've always been involved with."
He was influenced by his father, an amateur photographer with a home darkroom,
and his uncle Jack, "who collected cameras, but never shot pictures."
He admits that in high school, "I ran around with the wrong crowd and
got in a little trouble." When he dropped out of school, his father gave
him an order: return to school and learn a trade. So Kerian took film and cinema
classes at Los Angeles Valley College, where he "developed a love for
movies." This led to a brief stint as a gaffer in the film industry. But
on one job, some lighting equipment fell on him and he fell through a plate-glass
window. Kerian survived this accident, but was unable to continue this line
of work.
Faced with having to choose a new career path, Kerian chose photography. He's
grateful to Marion Richardson, a vocational rehabilitation counselor from the
California State Workman's Compensation Program, who sent him to Art Center
School of Design in Pasadena for night classes. After completing a nine-month
program at this renowned art school, he did an internship with a Los Angeles-based
photographer. (Kerian says his first actual job opportunity was to photograph
kids on a pony--"they said I was overqualified.")
After this, he hooked up with commercial studio owner Bruce Kramer, founder
of 5th & Sunset, a still photography and production company. Kramer, who
has studios in New York and Los Angeles, hired Kerian as "a trash pickup
guy" (in Kerian's words) and assistant. He also introduced Kerian
to Eddie Adams. "We hit it off real well," recalls Kerian of their
initial meeting. Adams introduced him to Nick Utt, another Pulitzer prize-winning
photographer. In addition to Utt, Kerian assisted such diverse photographers
as Deborah Turbeville, Steve Earle, and Jerry Avenaim on a free-lance basis.
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Kerian often uses the Pocket Wizard, a wireless remote-triggering
device, when photographing from a speeding car would be difficult.
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A Few Good Breaks
Eventually, a distant relative--automotive advertising photographer Todd
Johnson--introduced Kerian to Clint Clemens, who later called on him for
assistance on a Harley-Davidson campaign in '95. Although it meant traveling
on short notice to North Dakota, Kerian didn't have to think twice. "I
packed my bags, got in the truck, and drove to North Dakota," he says.
During this time, Clemens was making a transition to film work, and picked his
new assistant's brain about his cinema background. Kerian's spontaneity
paid off in the long run, and he became one of Clemens' assistants for
five years. "We worked on all the major car ads." Kerian learned
how to do "rig shots," a technique developed by Clemens, where he
utilized a boom mounted on the car he photographed.
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