While many photographers use their name to create their brand, here at IRIS Outdoors Co I wanted to take a different approach to stand apart from the crowd. That being said, there is still a single person behind the lens, and my name is Brian Hall. For today’s post, I wanted to finally introduce myself and give a little background on who I am, where I’ve been, and how I ended up here. Hang on tight, I promise it’s been a hell of a ride.

Growing up in the small town of Oviedo, just east of Orlando, I was immersed in nature from a very young age. My father was a huge bass fisherman and I was fortunate enough to spend every chance possible with him chasing after largemouths. Yes we had a boat, but I was just as happy walking the banks of neighborhood backyards and every golf course lake I could access. Dad also insisted I pursued his childhood passions of surfing and skateboarding, so naturally those became a large piece of my childhood, and would easily enough lead to other extreme sports like BMX, wakeboarding, and snowboarding. It was through high school that I really got into fishing through the help of a few buddies, and from then on that became my focus.

I made my way to FSU for college and found myself surrounded by many more fellow outdoorsmen. It was during those 4 years that I would come to meet some of my best fishing friends, and narrow down my passion to the shallow waters, sight fishing for redfish. I was hooked and there was no turning back. Weekends were spent making the trek back to Mosquito Lagoon in search of the next tail, and my ambition to network profusely in Tallahassee would lead me to many fishing trips along the forgotten coast in towns like St. Marks, Carabelle, and Apalachicola. New fish were found, but I quickly learned it was meaning a lot more to me than just the fish. To connect with people who share a similar passion is something special, and I was quickly making some lifelong friends.

After college I was hellbent on becoming a custom homebuilder, so I networked and got started with a builder in Tallahassee. Almost a year after graduating I got the phone call that would change everything. Through all those years of networking, I’d become good friends with a buddy who attended UCF, Matt Norman. We kept in touch and one day late in May 2012, he gave me a call asking if I was interested in coming to work for Hell’s Bay Boatworks in a sales position. Of course I was interested! But, I was leaving for a 10 day trip to Spain the following morning, so I asked what the timeframe was. He knew there was no set timeframe, but it was certainly urgent. Without being able to cancel my trip, I took off for Europe with my stomach twisting as I felt this crazy opportunity slipping away. Returning from Spain, I reached out to Matt for an update. Sure enough they had interviewed his roommate while I was gone, and offered him the job just a few days prior to my call. But, he hadn’t accepted it yet. Matt let me know he’d keep me posted, and I went to sleep that night feeling sick to my stomach. The following morning I got the text, “He didn’t take the job.”

I was put in touch with Todd Fuller of Hell’s Bay and scheduled an interview later that week. We met, chatted, connected on many levels, and that afternoon I was offered the job. I was 23 years old, marketing degree in hand, working in construction, and offered an opportunity to come sell the world’s finest skiffs, without any technical sales background. To say I’m thankful for both Matt and Todd would be a huge understatement. It was from a simple connection made over the internet years prior that I was now walking into a true “dream job.”

I would end up spending 4 years with Hell’s Bay. I traveled every inch of coastline from Charleston, SC to Rockport, TX. I had a boat behind my truck more often than not. I fished prestigious tournaments with prestigious guides. I worked boat shows, fishing events, conservation banquets, demo days, community cleanups, guide rendezvous, owner’s tournaments, and everything in between. I learned sales, real marketing, event planning, project management, customer service, and so many more skills that one person typically doesn’t get to learn in just one job. But above all else, I met some of the absolute greatest people in the world. My clients came from all walks of life, ranging from startup fishing guides to TV show hosts to professional athletes to billionaire business owners. Clients became friends, and together we shared the passion of fishing shallow waters. While I wouldn't trade a single minute of it, it was after 4 years that I knew I was ready to move on.

By moving on I mean leaving HB without any plan at all. I was young and anxious, and felt overrun. Stress can be a silly thing, but I’ll be damned if it’s not one of the realest things in life. When stress starts to make you feel unhappy, you owe it to yourself to make a change. And that’s what I knew I had to do. I figured I would take a little time off and figure out what was next. After 5 months of having fun, fishing, traveling, relaxing, and plenty of soul searching, I was offered a sales and business development job by one of my clients who owned a company building marinas. I felt my world was coming full circle as this was an opportunity to learn about construction, something I’d wanted to do so badly just a few years before. I would spend the next 2 years traveling the coastal Southeast once again, learning the ins and outs of developers, land owners, contractors, engineers, state and federal regulations, bid processes, permitting, and every little detail that goes into building structures over water. I can’t say it was easy, but I sure as hell learned a lot, and for that I’m grateful.

It was over this course of time that I was able to help with the marketing aspects of the company as well. I was starting to shoot photos of jobs progressing, creating sales literature, starting a social media presence, and I loved every minute of it. As I moved on from the company, I could feel my creative wheels spinning and I decided it was time to put some things into motion while I had the time to do so. I learned Illustrator, Photoshop and Lightroom. I bought a new camera. I bought a web domain and learned how to make a website. I started social media pages. And I got out there and started taking pictures. Once again I would be thankful for the connections I had as one thing led to another and I very quickly picked up some consistent work for some up and coming brands.

But as luck would have it, a full time job would present itself in May of this year. Another sales role, but this time as a territory manager for a manufacturers rep group in the marine space. An opportunity to get back into the boating side of things, something I found myself missing quite a bit. Also, an opportunity to be in the face of almost every boat builder throughout Florida, and a perfect opportunity to offer photography services to them.

So here we are, at the beginning of a new decade, and the end of my first year as IRIS Outdoors Co. It’s been an awesome year with some great clients, and I am beyond excited to see what this next year has in store. I’m grateful that my journey has led me here, in the way it has. The knowledge and understanding I’ve come to know from being in the sales side of the outdoors industry grants me a very different view of consumers and how they operate. It is my goal to help bridge the gap between brands and consumers in the most thoughtful ways, and I’m thankful to have the opportunities to do so.

Thanks for hanging in there, and please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime with questions or just to chat. We all share the same pursuits, and they are all lived out ONE FRAME AT A TIME.

All my best,