Here is my bio from a magazine!

Robert Downs calls himself a photographer, but his real job is turning light into gold. Whether shooting drummer Tre Cool for a magazine or documenting the players behind an exciting tech startup, Robert aims to capture the vision and skill, as well as the authenticity and magic, of each subject.

He comes by his photographic gifts naturally, with creative genes and inspiration from both sides of his family. His mother was a graphic artist who made design awareness a centerpiece of his childhood. And, his father was a photojournalist for more than forty years with the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. He’s literally in the family business.

"I used to beg my father to take me to work with him on the weekends," Robert remembers. "My job would be to carry all the staff photographer's cameras to the football field and pick up the film at half-time. I got to use a camera as a reward and dump my film in with the rest of the guys. Whether it was or cruel joke or just fate, my shots started showing up in the paper. I was 13 when I scored the front page of the sports section. It was then I knew that I wanted to be a photographer."

For nearly 25 years Robert has pursued that goal by combining portraiture, live event photography and editorial images that document the activities of client companies. His customers have ranged from the Los Angeles Times and Sony Pictures to Zildjian Cymbals, CBRE, UCLA Anderson School of Management, and CCIM . His work has been featured extensively on covers and editorial spreads for Drum! and Rhythm Magazine as well as Total Guitar and AMP in the UK. Robert works directly with some of the top musicians and touring bands on the charts including Incubus, Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones, Public Enemy, Slipknot, KISS, The Cult, and many more.

Robert finds far more similarities than differences between shooting rock stars and corporate leaders. “They both travel in the same air,” he says. “They’ at 50,000 feet.” Robert says. “Their time is valuable so I’m sensitive to that stress. Their images must communicate a specific and authentic identity. I am trying to capture that through imagery.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As a traveler, I enjoy my travel community. When I am home I love to meet new people especially from other countries and share culture, that usually means eating something amazing!

I make and maintain many relationships that have all formed via couch surfing and find they are the best!

Interests

• arts
• coffee
• movies
• painting
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• video

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Just One?

I was the only photographer allowed to shoot KISS at the LA Forum, I was invited.

I sunk deep into the belly of a sunken freighter while scuba diving looked up and saw a flock of manta rays soaring through the ocean sky.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you to surf and take an amazing selfie.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to cook so maybe my Moms brownie recipe?

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

France