How I Work: Ben Bloom, Creative Director, Landscape
Ben Bloom likes to take surf breaks during his work day. Image: c/o Ben Bloom. Design by Barbara Cadorna.
Ben Bloom is a New Zealand–based Creative Director, Content at Landscape, a boutique brand strategy and design studio in San Francisco. A lifelong enthusiast of film and photography, Bloom joined Landscape in 2018 and immerses himself in all stages of the creative process — from content creation and broad exploration to sharp production.
Bloom creates meticulous, concept-driven brand campaigns, and oversees Landscape’s content and production programs. Greater than his enthusiasm for image-making is his passion for positive social change. He has worked collaboratively with innovative, culturally relevant brands including Mindbloom, Checkr, Good & Common, Upside, Torsa, and Seed. Here, he shares how an afternoon surf helps him clear his brain and why his dream studio is a sailboat.
Rise and Shine
The time difference between California and New Zealand (and a hungry cat) usually gets me up pretty early. I put on a record, light some incense, make a cup of tea, and try to sit on my deck staring at the water for a few minutes before I get sucked into my computer.
I’m usually pretty scatterbrained in the morning when I catch up on emails, but I quickly get into the flow once I’ve cleared my inbox.
Work Uniform
I’ve made a strict rule since working from home that I have to get dressed as if I’m leaving the house. That’s never much more than pants and a t-shirt, but sitting around in sweatpants all day would destroy any semblance of sanity for me.
How I Structure My Day
I usually work like hell for the first few hours until most of the California crew is wrapping up their day. Then I get to take a break in the afternoon to go for a surf and step away from the computer for a few hours. I’m much more productive at night, so this allows me to come back to work when Slack is a little quieter and my cat is on her eighth nap of the day.
The flexibility we have to work from home and (mostly) on our own time has been a huge shift in productivity and creative flow. I love being able to check in with everyone for a few hours before I get to dial into photo edits for a campaign or a new video piece. It lets me get the best of both worlds and still get enough virtual inspiration from all my incredibly talented coworkers.
Playlist Favorites
I fly through phases with my working music. It goes from deep house to jazz to stoner metal. I need music playing all day when I’m working and can’t imagine sitting in silence trying to edit photos.
Tools of the Trade
I definitely have a hoarding problem with old cameras. I just love how much variety you get with different medium-format 35mm and 16mm cameras. They also break constantly, so it’s important to have some backups. I’m not great at sticking with one medium, so I tend to fall into different approaches for a few months until I try something else.
We’ve had amazing clients that have trusted us to pick the tools that we think suit the imagery or video best. Being able to shoot film for a big editorial piece or commercial project is an amazing experience, especially when your client supports it. We really try to understand what medium will create the most impactful, strategic, and interesting visual language — hence my large camera collection.
I’ve also been shooting a lot of 16mm video work and it’s something we’re trying to bring into the client space more. It’s not always the right approach, but it’s an incredibly beautiful, emotive format for storytelling.
Dream Studio
Definitely a sailboat. Something small, old, and painted a weird color. I’d love to be able to send off a client photoshoot from somewhere at sea, then jump in the water for a quick surf. What a dream.
One Unique Thing About My Work Process
I don’t think I’m too unique in my process… I may not be the most organized or efficient photographer, but I try. I feel like I need to bounce around on projects throughout the day. If I look at the same set of photos or the same video for too long, I start to lose my rhythm. It helps to break away from it and come back an hour or two later.
Mantra
You gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet.
My Bright Idea that Never Saw the Light of Day
I have so many photo projects written down that I just haven’t gotten around to. I like to think someday I’ll do them, but time is a tricky thing. I’ve always wanted to shoot a series of dry cleaners in San Francisco. I’ve watched that city change dramatically over the last 20 years, but the dry cleaners and laundromats have such an iconic, untouched look to them. They’re filled with character and haven’t moved even as the city shifts.
To-Do List Item That Keeps Me Up At Night
Doing my timesheets…
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