Caleb Knueven
About
Caleb Knueven is a Los Angeles–based film photographer and the guy behind Bad Flashes, a YouTube channel dedicated to the art, process, and frequent disasters of shooting film. By day he works in film and television as a VFX supervisor with credits including High Potential, Insidious Chapter 5, The Walking Dead, and Trap House, and writes and directs his own short films, often shot on 16mm because the celluloid dream isn’t dying on his watch. He grew up in a military family that relocated every four years, which either gave him a great eye for exploring new places or just made it impossible to sit still, probably both. On any given day you can find him poking around crumbling buildings with his Leica M6, hunting down good BBQ, or at his desk editing the next episode with an Atomic Fireball permanently lodged in his cheek.
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LACP Interviews Caleb Knueven
LACP asks Caleb Knueven ten questions about their background, career in and beliefs about photography.
Los Angeles Center of Photography: What kind of photographer are you?
Caleb Knueven: I’m a photographer who likes to explore all kinds of subjects, anything that pushes me to try something new. That said, I’m mostly drawn to abandoned architecture, desolate landscapes, and cityscapes.
LACP: How long have you been photographing?
CK: I started back in 2015 with nothing but a Holga 120 and a dream and never looked back. That said, I had been shooting short films long before that, exploring storytelling through the moving image.
LACP: Where did you get your training?
CK: I went to school for film and television where we focused heavily on cinematography and theory, so I’d say my foundation comes from filmmaking. Photography became a natural extension of that, chasing the still frame.
LACP: When did you know you wanted to devote your life to photography?
CK: The moment I held my first set of printed photographs from a roll I had shot the week before. Flipping through those 12 square images, I just knew. I love this medium.
LACP: Did you ever come close to giving up?
CK: Honestly, not yet. But there’s still time.
LACP: Have you sacrificed anything by being a photographer?
CK: Time, mostly. Time with family and friends. When you travel as much as I do, you miss birthdays, lazy weekends, and the quiet moments with the people you love most.
LACP: What have you gained by being a photographer?
CK: An eye for the world. I’m constantly noticing moments I might have otherwise walked right past. That carries over into my VFX work too, understanding how things look through a lens, how light behaves, how a frame is constructed has made me better at both.
LACP: What classes do you teach at LACP?
CK: Photo Walks
LACP: What do you love most about teaching?
CK: Since high school I’ve been teaching in some form or another. I used to run the news broadcast department and was always passing along whatever I had just learned. That instinct carried right into Bad Flashes. There’s something genuinely satisfying about sharing what you’ve discovered and watching it click for someone else.
LACP: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making a career in photography?
CK: Hold on to your butts and be relentless. There are a lot of no’s out there, but if you keep honing your craft and stay proactive, you’ll find a career you actually love. And most importantly, have fun.