Interview with Greg Sims – Photog of The Boise State Broncos

Oct 1st, 2010 | Cliff Marks Jr.

I had the chance to catch up with Greg Sims of Tri-Digital Group. He is an amazingly “Epic” photographer (I think the word “Epic” is very overused but I know he loves it so I threw it in). Check out the interview and some of his work. You’ll definitely recognize his work.

BTN: Greg you work has been seen everywhere from the side of Bronco Stadium to billboards around town, yet no one knows the man behind the lens. Can you give us a quick bio and tell us what you are all about?

GS: Well I am tall for one thing, so it is difficult for me to hide in a room. I was born and raised in So. Cal and received all my formal photography training there. I moved to Boise with my wife and daughter in 1991. I had a portrait studio on Bannock for about 10 years. Loved the work but I wasn’t crazy about retail. After shooting portraits for so many years, and feeling like I pretty much did everything I wanted to in that genre, I left the portrait industry and teamed up with my business partner Jim Armstrong around 2000 and formed Tri-Digital Group. I have been shooting commercial imagery ever since. We began shooting for National clients primarily food, tons of it, which is still a big part of our business. After a few years of mostly food photography I started exploring other techniques and genres that were visually interesting to me.

I started experimenting with composting (combining several images into one). I quickly realized that this workflow provided my clients endless possibilities for creativity. The development of this portion of the business has been my main focus for the last couple of years.

BTN: How did your relationship with Boise State begin?

GS: We met with Brad Larrondo from Boise State a few years ago and he was very interested in having us help with their imagery. Brad introduced us to Ben Coranado, owner of Touch Fall Marketing, who was starting to publish The Blue Magazine. Ben hired us to help with the imagery of Boise State for his magazine and the rest is history.

BTN: What inspires the creativity for your work with the student athletes?

GS: It comes from a passion for creating unique imagery. I spend a lot of time studying art, movies, people watching and photography. I challenge myself with each image to push the limits, learn new techniques. Telling visual stories in a new way is what floats my boat. Sitting down at the computer and seeing if I can create a tornado, or turbulent ocean or lightning. Making a submarine at a dock look like it is steaming for a fight during a storm. Taking images of the BSU players and creating a dramatic image that illustrates the determination, talent and intensity of the players and then building on the previous campaign.

BTN: Do you have a favorite story or occurrence during a photo shoot?

GS: Yeah every time we have a player shoot suddenly we have a whole lot of female staff willing to do “makeup’ for free.

BTN: Who has been the easiest to shoot so far?

GS: All the guys have been great, seriously. The first two players we photographed were Kyle Wilson and Ritchie Brockel.. They got it right off the bat and were totally into whatever we could dream up. After their images were published we had a lot of great response which gave us credibility with the other players. Everyone gets it and trusts us now, which allows us to direct the them in ways that might normally be outside their comfort zone. That is where the magic comes in.

BTN: What is up next for Boise State? Basketball? More Football? Can you give us a nugget?

GS: Well we just completed 5 new banners on the outside of the gym of outstanding female athletes. I see the visual branding growing there. Brad Larrondo and the marketing team are very progressive, and imaginative. We have strong support from the staff and Bronco Nation. As a collaborative group we are going to continue to push the boundaries of creativity.

BTN: How long does it take to create one of your images?