Passion over Disability - with Special Guest Chad Madson AKA Chaxl

Chad Madson AKA Chaxl is a wheelchair bound photographer who has use of one arm.  Chad shares his story and love of photography and how he overcame cerebral palsy to pursue his passion and make a living.  To learn more about Chad, please visit https://www.campixphoto.com/  

Transcript

Chad Madson Podcast
Thu, 6/2 4:16PM • 10:51
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
photography, camera, photographer, chad, shoot, portrait, photos, podcast, cowboys, slr camera, arm, scenic, enjoy, cerebral palsy, assistant, learn, eggheads, tripod, nonverbal, sell
SPEAKERS
Intro, Sam Fischer, Chad Madson

Intro  00:00
Welcome to cowboys, not Eggheads, home of the brave, not home of the fearful. The world needs more cowboys and fewer eggheads. We're everywhere podcasts are found. So tell your fellow cowboys, and let's keep the conversation alive on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Remember to subscribe, rate review and share and now cowboys not Eggheads with Sam Fisher.

Sam Fischer  00:32
Today is going to be great podcast I'm excited to welcome Chad Madsen on to the podcast. I was reading the Lincoln Journal Star a couple months ago and read an article about Chad I did not know him prior to this podcast. Chad Matson is a wheelchair bound, nonverbal, and only has use of one arm photographer. He hasn't let his disability from cerebral palsy keep him from pursuing his passion for photography and starting his own business called cam pics, photography. Even with his physical limitations, Chad takes professional quality photos with the help of a custom made tripod attachment for his wheelchair. As listeners have probably figured out by now, I love to share the stories of folks who have been through adversities and broken through the adversity. This is one of those cases because Chad is nonverbal. The way that we did this podcast is different than the way that I normally do it. And that is usually having a live conversation. So my interaction with Chad was only through email. And so I emailed him the questions and he has a software that he's able to respond to the questions and then it comes through a voice in his computer. And so that's what you will hear, but it is Chad's thoughts. And it's just a great story and it's a great inspiration for everybody. I hope so enjoy the podcast. Chad, how long have you lived with cerebral palsy?

Chad Madson  02:11
I've had cerebral palsy since I was three months old as a result of a hospital accident.

Sam Fischer  02:17
What were your dreams as a child?

02:20
As a child, I wanted to be an all star wrestler. I'd watch W W F every Sunday then react to the matches with my wrestler figures later that day. As I grew older, I wanted to be in a heavy metal band. Then I got into horror books and I've written some short fiction. My short stories are just for fun and I am not a serious writer. I'm more focused on my photography now and promoting it in any way I am

Sam Fischer  02:46
able to have you always been interested in photography, I have always had

02:51
an artistic mind and appreciation of art in general. Before the pandemic. I enjoyed participating in First Friday art walks in which several times I have showcased my own displays. I hope to get back doing more displays now since it's safer. I do have a display scheduled for me at the University of Nebraska on these to campus inside the Student Union Building. Third floor my obstacle that I've overcome have been learning most of my photography skills from watching tutorials on YouTube. I've never taken a photography class I like to learn at my own pace. I also build my own photography website from watching tutorials.

Sam Fischer  03:34
You only have use of one arm. How do you take photographs with only one arm

03:39
at the beginning of my camera on journey 15 years ago, the first camera I bought was actually a mini webcam that clipped onto my laptop. knowing very little about cameras back then I tried the webcam for fun. I thought I was hot stuff taking still images from it. Soon afterwards. As my interest grew stronger. So did my passion for photography. I was determined to learn about regular cameras one day at Barnes and Noble my assistant and I saw that in a camera magazine for gorilla arms. Grill alarms are those mini tripods that have legs in which can be wrapped around sturdy platforms such as an armrest or a tree branch. I used that thing on the arm of my power chair so many times that it lost its tightness over time. As for my current camera adaption we had a welder that banked with my dad making it we bought a regular tripod, then he just sawed off the top and made a bottom that slides into the slot where my iPad goes on my power chair. My camera is a high end point and shoot that doesn't change lenses. Having control over just one arm. A camera that changes lenses would be difficult for me. That's okay though. I love my Canon SX 50 as it has a 50x Zoom and takes sharp photos Buy a huge plus with this camera or any of the PowerShot SX series as it is remote capable. Instead of pushing the shutter button on top to snap, I can push the remote without even touching my camera. This is a huge benefit to me as with my cerebral palsy I sometimes shake since having my camera on my power chair in front of me, I am able to independently do all of the camera settings without any help I can adjust the ISO and the aperture with my good hand. Is there

Sam Fischer  05:30
a particular photograph or maybe a photographer who has inspired you, the one

05:35
famous photographer and find inspiration and his Ansel Adams in the past, some people have quoted my work of being similar to his he was a great landscape photographer, and I particularly am fond of black and white photography in general. I also enjoy watching YouTube videos on portrait challenges. They are very fun, and I learned from them, they opened my mind up, I follow a photographer on YouTube named Jessica, what's unique about her videos are she usually has three or four different photographers do the same challenge. For instance, one challenge might be the model has to hold an object in the photoshoot and each photographer has to incorporate the object without losing the portrait field. I really enjoy them as I get to see three different perspectives using the same theme.

Sam Fischer  06:27
Do you specialize in any specific types of photographs and why?

06:32
I wouldn't classify myself with a specific subject as I shoot all times. However, the ones I'm most passionate about are abandoned barns, landscapes and black and whites.

Sam Fischer  06:44
If you could name what people would like people to know you for would it be your personality, your character or your ability as a photographer? To be honest,

06:55
all the above is important. personality goes a long ways in the field of photography, especially with selling character is very important. On the portrait side, I've met all kinds of people and when my assistant and I are energetic toward customers, the shoot feels more like just hanging out, which makes the participants more relaxed. Also during a session, I'd always ask if they themselves have some ideas of pauses the ability to shoot it's also very important in trying to establish your own style. If my photos look the same as everyone else's, they might not be unique and probably wouldn't sell off. But that's why it was important to me that I learned all of the different settings on my camera. Instead of using the auto mode feature. I tried to keep my prices reasonable for everyone. Whether doing portraits, or selling my Scenic prints. There are a lot of people who deserve professional process portraits, but their situation limits them on how much that I can actually afford. I want to give them the opportunity of having high quality portrait settle reduced rate as for my Scenic prints, and why I tend to keep them at the low end. And also here is my philosophy. I would rather sell five of my scenic photos at reasonable prices than one photo and a high end because to me, five new followers is better for my promotion than just one.

Sam Fischer  08:22
How has your disability handicapped helped you as a man and as a photographer?

08:28
It has opened a whole new world for me. I get excited after I shoot the landscapes. I can't wait to load them on my computer and see what I shot. I get excited when I sell one of my photos, especially for someone I don't know.

Sam Fischer  08:44
What advice do you have for someone who wants to follow their passion?

08:48
For someone who is interested in photography, they should experiment with the camera and its various settings want you to tutorials on ISO, shutter speed and aperture there is always the auto feature on all cameras, which I never use because auto can occasionally mistake certain colors depending on the lighting. Plus, if everyone just used auto, every single picture would look exactly the same. I actually enjoy learning about ISOs and the other settings. Also newcomers shouldn't go out and buy a $1,000 SLR camera just because their neighbor has one people actually need to do research. I will never say negative things about SLR cameras. They are great for the people who started their career using them. However, as you know, I don't use one I use a high end point and shoot because I like my independence and I don't want to depend on my assistants to change my lens with my current point and shoot. I have a 50 times zoom and they'd also have a slot for a regular flash not just the pop up one. I have used my regular flash several times any Is wonderful with my point and shoot camera. I have sold many photos. I think I currently have photos in seven states. I'm not recommending for them to completely ignore the possibility of an SLR. I'm simply saying point and shoots have come a long ways and they just improve with more pixels and increased in zoom capability.

Sam Fischer  10:22
Thanks again to Chad for a great podcast. I really appreciate it. If any of my listeners would like to get get a hold of Chad or learn more about Chad. You can visit his website and that's WWW dot campix photo.com. Thanks for listening