Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Couch.
Hi Justin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
So I was the stereotypical kid that was ALWAYS stealing my parents cameras. From cheap disposable film cameras, the the giant “throw on your shoulder” VHS camcorders. I just always loved shooting in some form or fashion. But the moment I consider becoming a “photographer” was in 2008 when I was a freshman in high school. I went to a very small school out in West Texas in a town called Sanderson. I was only 1 of a handful of guys who wasn’t on the football team. But I was very close with the computer teacher who was also in charge of the schools media. After hearing that I had an interest in cameras, he asked me one night if I’d be willing to learn the schools DSLR, and shoot a football game with him. At the time, this was a VERY intimidating task, but of course I said yes. He ran me through the basics, and we hit the field. The fact that I could be THAT close to the action, be in SOME sort of danger, AND get to be using a REAL camera, all were the worms that caused me to be instantly hooked. I quickly started saving every penny I could and eventually bought my own setup that ended up traveling to San Antonio with me when I moved to attend UTSA. Thankfully, I had a lot of hobbies in the action sports world that kept me shooting. I joined the UTSA longboarding club, and the collegiate paintball team. Once again, stuff that moved, and put my gear and I in the line of fire (sometimes literally when it came to paintball). Ironically enough, it was this venture into paintball that landed me my first professional gig. My skills on the field quickly grabbed the attention of Spantastik Media, which at the time was a grassroots media company that covered the national paintball circuit (yup. that’s a thing). It was this gig in particular that I credit with REALLY getting my feet underneath me as a photographer. Just like with any other discipline, practice is key. And at some of these national events, I would be shooting for 10-12 hours a day, sometimes over 4 day events. The pay was garbage, the job was extremely physically demanding, but I loved every second of it. This position led to my first publication in the form of a shot from the Russian national team (Russion Legion) being featured in the catalog of one of their main sponsors. After a few years though, real life started to get in the way, and I drifted away from photography (and really all media) for a bit until 2016. While working a mind-numbingly boring job working as a data analyst for a major insurance company, I stumbled across a genre on YouTube referred to as “motovlogging”. Essentially a rider wearing a GoPro or some sort of other helmet mounted camera with a microphone. Now I had grown up riding dirt bikes. My dad raced motocross back in the 70s, and it was one of the only things that kept my father and I’s relationship in tact. So I almost instantly wanted to throw my hat in the ring. At the time, almost all of these “motovloggers” were on sport bikes. I had owned one previously, and they weren’t my thing. But I had always been interested in Harleys. More specifically, the building and modifying of Harleys. So that was the plan. Buy a Harley and use my media skills and equipment that I had acquired to start a YouTube channel to cure that “creative” itch that I had since leaving photography. And that’s exactly what I did. I started a channel called “Bike N’ Bird” that quickly became one of the biggest Harley focused channels on the platform. But after 5 years or so, the dirt was calling. So I bought a dirt bike and decided to get into cross country racing (think motocross, but the track doesn’t have any jumps, and is only about 3ft wide with trees on either side. Super safe right?) Well all of this is to tell you that seeing all of these bikes hauling butt through the trees in some extremely picturesque landscapes lit that photography fire once again. By this time, I had quit my day job as a data analyst and was doing YouTube full-time… but it wasn’t the dream I’d hoped it would be. This was just after Covid, and the algorithm had drastically changed since I had started the channel, and I caught myself chasing views, as opposed to making content I enjoyed. So I decided I’d buy an upgraded camera setup to what I had at the time, and just see how much I could make by shooting these dirt bike events. It was after the first few events that I realized that I absolutely loved shooting this niche, and the feedback I got was leaps and bounds over what I could have ever imagined. This is what gave birth to Hyperic Photography which I run to this day. I’m one of the head photographers for multiple racing series including TX2 Cross Country (cross country dirt bikes), Tx4 Cross Country (cross country quads and side-by-sides), TSCEC (Texas State Championship Enduro Circuit), and I’m the head of media for Colin Edward’s Texas Tornado Bootcamp which is a flat track school that’s frequented by some of the most talented motorcycle riders in the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly I’d have to say it’s been a pretty smooth road. Reason being, my progression to where I’m at today has been an 18 year journey with no real rush to “make it” since I never really thought I’d be able to pursue it as a career. So I guess you could say that slow and steady really “won” the race in my case. As with any creative process, there’s been ups and downs, but no major events that stick out. I’d say my biggest struggle today is that I just don’t give myself enough credit. I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others and struggle with “imposter syndrome”.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
What sets you apart from others? I’d say the thing that sets me apart from others the most is I’m not afraid to take risks. Both creatively, and physically. At races it’s not uncommon for me to hike through cactus and mesquite, just to get a couple feet away from 3,000lb race cars going way faster than I could ever get out of the way of. Reason being, I want that shot. I want that shot that no one else is willing to even attempt to get. Sometimes it’s very worth it, sometimes its a complete waste of time. But either way I’m going to find out. There’s a famous quote by David Alan Harvey that says “Don’t shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like.” That would be the best way I can describe my style. I incorporate a lot of foreground elements with whatever textures are present. I want the viewer to almost be able to SMELL the picture they’re looking at.
What are you most proud brand wise?
I absolutely love my brand name and logo, mostly for sentimental reasons. So a quick backstory, I’m a huge space nerd. My truck looks like a space shuttle, I have a full sleeve tattoo of all things NASA, and my daughters name is Luna. When thinking of a name for this business venture, I wanted something that meant a lot. Now I’m not a religious person, but I do believe there’s some type of force in the universe, and when it speaks, I listen. So I wanted the brand to be tied into my daughter in some way, so I looked up “who is the father of the greek goddess Luna?”. The answer is the God of Hyperion… the god of light. Photography is nothing but capturing light. I got goosebumps. So that was the birth of Hyperic Photography, with the logo being the face of Hyperion.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me today is drastically different than what I what I would have described years even 5 years ago. In simple terms, success to me is being able to do something you love, while experiencing interesting and unique opportunities, while still being able to be a family man. My dad worked as a railroader his whole life. Over 40 years with the same company. Made over 6 figures pretty much my entire life. Yeah we had the nice vehicles, I got all the nice toys, the cool clothes. But he missed so much. So many missed birthdays, holidays, sports games, you name it. I would have traded all those toys for a Dad. Now don’t get me wrong, I know he loved me and don’t fault him one bit for doing it, but I knew I wanted to at least try a different approach whenever I became a father. So while yes, I am away from home a bit when I’m out covering races and events, but I’m home 90% of the time and have so much flexibility to do things with my daughter during the week. That’s success.
Contact Info:
- Website: hypericphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypericphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HypericPhotography
