What was your earliest memory of having the feeling of wanting to capture moments with your camera?

 1983. at mike chuback's house looking at kodachrome 64 slides he had taken of us motocrossing. we held the slides up to a lamp and it was a mini magic show.

What is it about photography you love so much?

when film was in vogue - going down to the shop to pick up recently shot film and - BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS! opening up the package of slides and flipping through them. the vivid color and saturation! wow so nice. but ultimately it really is about meeting people and travels to fun locations. people are crazy creatures and they never cease to amaze me.

How old where you?

in '83 i was 15. i received a kodak disc camera that christmas. later, i saved up for a 35mm minolta which i bought when i was 18. the minolta was my first real camera and i shot kodachrome 64 because i thought i could submit photos to magazines! the minolta was stolen and i replaced it with a sweet nikon. i shot tons more slide film and submitted it to a magazine and a shot was published. a cover! that was in '91 i think. 

What interests you about photography right now?

i'm still keen on coming across sweet old folks drinking coffee in nice old cafes somewhere out on the road. that will never change. i love stuff with age and character. and what interests me about the actual craft? the tools? tools are slick. i half like modern tools. i still love old smelly cameras. the way the shutter feels. the sound. but i also love technology. i just don't like the speed at which technology advances, leaving a closet filled with out-dated electronics!! lame.

Has it changed a lot from your early days?

no. i'm pretty sure passion levels are consistent. although with a small son named ed... time for picture taking and sorting and such has changed. his patience level is somewhat small when it comes to the amount of time i sit in front of a computer sorting pictures.

Where has photography taken you? Any interesting stand out projects?

this one time in isreal, we heard a bomb go off and then we found out a bit later that a suicide bomber had blown himself up in a hotel close to ours. his head landed on one of the balconies overlooking the street where we were having coffee. and then this one time in south africa when we were riding our mountain bikes with a wild herd of wildebeasts and the sound of beating hooves was overwhelming. and this one other time when i was lost on a trail in australia and followed a kangaroo back to the right trail. and this one time almost running over a cobra on a trial in taiwan. and this one more other time riding through a 5km long mining tunnel in slovenia... there are so many places i have been very fortunate to visit! as a wise person once said... "lucky!"

What have you learned from photography? 

i always find - despite doing research and having solid ideas about an upcoming shoot - i arrive at the location and meet the person i have to photograph, but the person/location is completely different from my conceived ideas. i then find myself scraping the back recesses of my brain to quickly come up with a new idea at the last minute. in short... photography continually teaches me to try be prepared for everything and to always be prepared for rapid brain activity!

What have you learned about people while taking photos?

pretty much no one likes to have their picture taken, so i have to use my psychic powers to find out what can comfort a squirmy person! people like to talk about themselves, so if you encourage them, they'll open up.

You really have to be a self sustaining business person to really make it happen. Lots of support from others.

i suck at business so it helps that i have a super wealthy philanthropist to support my habits. KIDDING! but i still suck at business. i have great support from my lovely lady, jet. she puts up with much and is a huge asset to wilde picture service!

 
What advice would you give to young photographers out there?

find a super wealthy philanthropist! kidding. perseverance. assisting other hot photographers. networking. take a LOT of pictures. most important - find your own personal style. 

I know you probably hate it when I bring this up but How was it assisting Annie Lebowitz out of school? What did you take away from both her and living in New York City?

...take away? i still have a pair of her socks! if i hadn't wanted to ride bicycles more than live in nyc, i would've stayed there. living in new york and working with annie was more than fun. looking back now when you ask... it's like someone else lived that part of my life. going up to the time-life photo lab to drop off a special roll of film for annie, seeing original prints from diane arbus and robert capa on the wall of the lab. meeting editors of vogue and vanity fair and talking to them like they were buddies. going up to annie's apartment to fix her tv/vcr/cable connections. picking up her jeep from the shop. helping waif-ish models into positions. cleaning up their puke. setting up shots for the president. it all seemed like everyday stuff at the time. now looking back... i guess it was someone else putting on my underwear those days. a distant memory i'm honored to have,  but i moved to the mountains to ride bicycles and to travel to foreign lands taking my own pictures and have been happy doing so. an assistant named nick who i worked with at annie's studio is still working with annie. maybe i'd still be working with annie too if i hadn't taken her socks! 

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Stephen Wilde