Author: Sean Sheridan

Sean Sheridan is a photojournalist and author who for the last 16 years has been shooting and writing stories that elevate people and brands. Sheridan has a bachelor of science degree in journalism from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. His first major work project was to help craft the marketing plan surrounding the launch of Bill Gates’ best-selling book, The Road Ahead and produce the CD-ROM version bound into the book. He also contributed to Gates’ second book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, before joining a private production company to shoot film projects around the world. In July 2002, Sheridan started 4:Minute.Media to tell compelling stories through feature writing, photography, film, and publishing. His work has taken him to nearly 60 countries and has been found in SMITHSONIAN magazine and on the cover of The Washington Times, countless development agencies and gallery exhibitions, Testimony Africa—his book about the terrible beauty of AIDS, genocide, and hunger in Africa—and most recently Wahl STORY, his book about renowned graffiti artist Erik Wahl. Sheridan and his family live in Colorado.
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A New Breed of Commercial Work

Most people know my work as deeply ingrained in the non-profit, humanitarian world. And that’s true. However, during my career shooting up close to life’s most intractable issues in the world’s toughest places, I’ve also shot an incredible amount of very cool and amazing commercial and destination event work. In the interest of not getting completely typecast, I want to highlight some of this work. Take a look at some of the selects below, and by all means holler if your company could use some commercial work itself.

GOCO Mountain Biking - Durango, Colorado
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Iconic Images of the Great American West

Recently, given all the time off I have had from regular assignments due to COVID-19, I have been going through my archives looking for iconic images of the American West. I found a few. I would love for you to take a look and see if anything registers to you. In the days ahead I will be adding more, but for now enjoy these…and if you see fit to keep a brother in business, maybe pick up a print or two. Referrals welcome!

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Delivering the Goods

Earlier this year I went on assignment with Water Mission to Indonesia (again) to shoot some of their program work there. I always love these assignments, and I come back with loads of usable images. One of the things I committed to doing with my clients many years ago was to cover everything I possibly could in each location they send me. So–I’m looking for those moments of real human emotion, yes, but I’m also trying to exhaust the possibilities in each scene so that the work gets used. Wides, mediums, closeups, weird angles, whatever I can to give them the most bang for their buck. I really have very little control over how these images get used, but my hope is that they do, and setting up the client with many solid images, some iconic, increases the odds that they will use the work. That’s just good business, and the best way to increase the reach of how the images can affect change. Here are a few samples from that shoot:

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Seeing a Scene

Some thoughts on “seeing” a scene…really this is more about “feeling” a scene; looking for and sensing where the movement and emotion is. So any time I walk into a home like this I’m just waiting for things to unfold naturally. These photos I made in November 2016 in Haiti. Medical Teams International staff and volunteers were setting up and giving care through a Mobile Medical Unit in Chateau Arniquet, Haiti, in response to the need after Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc on rural and coastal communities, blowing over crops, flooding fields and homes, and making life otherwise miserable for many. So I found myself at this recipient’s home. For those that want to know: here’s what I used to take the black and white image: Nikon D4, 24mm Nikkor lens at f/1.4 at 1/5000 of a second; all the others I shot at f/1.4. I’m not in a hurry in these situations. There are multiple shots I know are good, and all these ones I would have thought to myself “yeah, that’s on point.” When I look at them later, there is usually one I gravitate toward, for reasons I really can’t explain. The black and white image in this series is the one that got me. I think it was the mom and the expression on her face.

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I do the occasional wedding video, yes. it’s true

I’m not ashamed by this at all. I get to work with the best of the best (like James x Schultze, two super cool guys). And I get a big dose of beauty, which I often need since I work primarily in places where beauty is sometimes in short supply. Check out this video I did for the incomparable Lauren and Greg in the Vail Valley in late fall.