Working At It One Frame at a Time
June 29, 2008 | 
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Ric Helstrom is an army brat who was at the right place at the right time. He admits it. He is proud to say that he fell into photography one day when he “did not have anything better to do.” That was the day he accompanied his dad to the base photo lab just to pass the time. Once in the dark room, he experienced the magic that took place when invisible images began to appear in the solution, and he was hooked. From that instant, Ric Helstrom knew what he would be doing for the rest of his life. That rest-of-his-life passion gave him access to photographic opportunities throughout the world.
Ric’s skill with a camera earned him stripes as a high school yearbook photographer, a Washington D.C. photo expert, and facilitated his entry into the prestigious degree program at Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, where he learned “the business of photography.”
“Teachers were really tough,” Ric recalls. Within the first year general curriculum, and the second year of portrait photography and commercial-product program (Ric excelled in both) he discovered that his ability to work independently and in tandem with a team allowed him a rich variety of photographic options.
Upon graduation, the job market took him to Montana, El Paso, and Colorado Springs. In addition to commercial promotions, he discovered how food photography is more than setting a succulent dish and snapping a photo of it straightaway. “It’s more like freeze it, torch it, and pray.” He has the highest regard for food photographers, for so many reasons. CSR+ has not included his menu promotion for a national restaurant chain but can assure our readers that it is unique.
Ric defines himself as a freelance photographer, graphic designer, and ad man in one. He is as comfortable working on a brochure for a fishing lodge in Alaska (“one of the best I ever created, actually”) as he is designing a magazine layout. His passion, however, is fine art photography. It allows him to push the envelope and push himself even further.
“My next piece will always be my favorite,” because it’s another step toward quality and excellence. “I’ve always been able to visualize. It’s so clear. It’s right there. I can basically take an idea in my head and produce what I have in my head.”
Visitors to Helstrom Studios can view the fine art photography that Ric has created over his career. Among his most compelling pieces is a photo of what at first seems a varied Egyptian landscape. (It was featured on PBS.) With Ric’ explanation, however, one can see that it is actually a composite of twelve different images: a pyramid, the Nile at sunset, a tomb wall, the golden mask of King Tut, silhouette of trees at the river, the eye of Horus, a scarab beetle (symbol of eternity) and a female figure, all providing glimpses of the rich tapestry of the land of the pharaohs.
Another of Ric’s favorites is “Digital Warrior”: a circuit board intertwined with the portrait of a Native American. His tribute to those lost in the September 11th, 2001 bombing is entitled “After the Smoke Clears.” It, too, is a composite of Ric’s unique images of isolation and expectation.
When CSR+ asked Ric how he plans to spend time developing his art network even further, he shared his next phase of projects with us. A veteran teacher of graphic design at PPCC, he has been invited to teach within the Visual and Performing Arts program at UCCS in Spring 2009. To reach a larger audience of students and meld elements of photography with graphic design will allow him to “push many more envelopes and reach many more eyes.”
Ric’s work has been displayed at the Craftwood Inn, the Hayden Hayes Gallery, and the Business of Arts Center in Colorado Springs. However, readers interested in learning more about the history of his pieces should call him at the studio on 2506 Robinson. Ric will invite those interested to explore the world of photographic art. Become a patron, or one of the hundreds of clients whom Ric has showcased via individualized business cards. You may just find that he has captured the essence of who you are and what you want your business to become. At a time when we are exploring our “staycation” options, Ric Helstrom’s studio is the perfect place to begin.
Helstrom Studios
1506 Robinson
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904
719-473-3620
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