Meet Bevan Goldswain

Bevan likes to watch people closely, but not in a creepy stalker way. It’s how he stays on top of his game. And it’s how he’s putting his mark on stock footage: with an impeccable eye for casting and a finger-on-the-pulse sensibility of what’s current.

What gets you up in the morning?

Usually my wife, or a cup of coffee, or both.

Whose style do you admire? Inspirations? Mentors?

Seth Godin has been one of my greatest mentors, actually. “Just get out there and make ruckus!” is what he’d say. His writing gives me a fresh perspective on fear and risk, which is very relevant in the game of stock.

Other inspirations: photographers Julie Blackmon and Ryan McGinley. Steve Jobs.

I also enjoy products from Muji, and I love Wes Anderson’s dress sense.

How do you keep yourself fresh?

I like to see what the world is doing, what people are wearing and watching. I live and work in the same studio, so getting out is a pretty important discipline for me. I like making connections between things and predicting trends. To do this, you need to watch everyone very closely. I guess I enjoy that game — it keeps me engaged.

How did you get involved in stock?

My dad was a wedding photographer, so I’ve grown up around cameras. Then I went to film school and studied cinematography. After that, I dabbled in stock, uploading a few photos and videos here and there. I started with photos because it was easier. Now I do both.

How do you work on set when you’re shooting both photography and video?

I’m now shooting with a RED DRAGON, which shoots video at a crazy resolution of 6K, so it’s possible to pull still frames from video, which is great. My wife, Ondine, and I also work as a team. She captures the stills on our shoots and is as involved in the pre-production as I am, so by the time we’re on set, we alternate between stills and motion quite seamlessly.

It can be tricky to shoot both stills and motion though. One always takes a back seat because each requires very different directing of actors. But it’s great to have the second angle, and the extra value created by having the stills.

What’s your signature style when it comes to stock footage?

I don’t know if I have one I think about intentionally. It’s always hard to define your own style, especially so early on … I haven’t been doing this for all that long. I do try to shoot genuine emotion and interaction. I suppose that in itself isn’t so unique, but Ondine and I do spend a lot of time and effort on casting — it goes a long way in getting the right performance and look for a shoot.

Most memorable shoot?

We recently did a shoot that involved a crazy amount of confetti and glitter. It was a lot of fun, but the mess it left was unimaginable. I think I’ll be finding glitter inside my camera bag for years!

Most memorable use of your footage?

I’ve only seen my footage used a handful of times. The funniest was a commercial for the Mormon Church. It was a motivational montage for Mother’s Day and had a clip of Ondine smiling, with the voiceover saying “the cheerleader.” (Ondine is so not a cheerleader.)

What are your three must-haves on a shoot?

A willingness to try something different if plan A fails

A sense of humor

A duplicate of every single cable or screw critical to keeping your camera gear working!

See all of Bevan’s clips

To see more of Bevan and Ondine’s work, visit bevangoldswain.com or ailaimages.com, or follow on Twitter and Vimeo.