‘Do what you’re excited about’: IU alumnus Zach Dobson shares his path in photography
Photojournalist Zach Dobson’s first day on the Indiana Daily Student was scheduled to be Sept. 11, 2001. His training was postponed, and 24 hours later, his first assignment had him shooting a 9/11 vigil at Showalter Fountain. He quickly saw the effect photographers could have in capturing historic events.
Dobson, BAJ’04, believed in the power of photography long before college, he said, getting his first hands-on experience on his 8th grade class trip to Washington, D.C. with a point-and-shoot camera. He said he always connected more to the photos in his history books than the words, so he knew he was interested in contributing to the form.
“As I started to do it, I became interested in the composition and creative side of it,” Dobson said. “Whenever I’d see photos, that impacted me a lot more than whatever I was reading about history, so I was drawn to those famous images throughout history, and I thought ‘Well, this could be interesting to do as a career.’”
He wasn’t able to take his first formal photography class until his senior year of high school, and chose IU for its strong photojournalism program, Dobson said.
“I was one of the rare people who actually went through all four years of college and graduated with the degree they started out with the intention of getting,” he said.
He worked for the IDS and the Arbutus for three of his years in college, learning about photojournalism through experience in addition to his coursework.
The educational component of photography remains important to him. He said he gives talks at schools, connects with young photographers and creates introductory TikToks to share his knowledge.
“Educating people is part of what I do,” he said.
His TikToks, garnering up to 650,000 views, detail documentary photography, street photography, introductory storytelling and insight into the trade.
He said he wants students to know their paths don’t have to be linear to be successful.
“Don’t limit yourself to a specific path,” he said. “Do what you’re excited about.”
Dobson originally thought he would spend his career in news and magazine photography, but eventually created his own business geared toward documentary and commercial photography.
His favorite project so far, he said, was a documentary-style shoot at a comedy festival in Los Angeles. He served as the lead photographer at the festival for four different years.
“I had a lot of freedom to photograph the way I wanted to photograph. I did available-light only, so I wasn’t using a flash, I wasn’t using lighting, and it was a fun challenge to work in these really dark spaces without adding any light,” Dobson said. “It made for more dynamic photos that I think better reflected what it was like to be there at the time.”
Operating his own business allows him the freedom to travel, set his own schedule and create, Dobson said. With five children, he always has willing subjects.
“I’ve photographed them literally since the moment they were born, since their first breath,” he said.
Though rewarding, his independence also presents challenges, he said.
“It can be really difficult at times,” Dobson said. “There can be a lot of uncertainty to it.”
His favorite part is that he has the ability to create his own art and have that actually be his work, too.
“I really have my sights set on making a living from creating my own art,” Dobson said.
He’s interested in having his own prints, art zines and books be a larger part of what he does, he said.
“I think a lot of people, especially students, have this kind of thought process of ‘What should I do?’ like there’s some right or wrong approach,” Dobson said. “I think that the better approach to take is more ‘What do I want? What do I care about? What makes me feel excited, alive? What do I find engaging?’”
Dobson’s passion comes through in his popular TikTok tutorials.
“When you’re excited about what you do, what you photograph or what you’re creating, then that excitement comes through in your work,” Dobson said.