"What drew our team to Chris’s work was his eye, the way he pulls together the subject and the background. It is the perspective he takes as a photographer. His work conveys an authenticity and the accessibility that bleeds through to our audience, conveying what the Filson identity and lifestyle are. It doesn’t mean it is exclusive to ranchers and people living in Montana or Idaho. It’s rooted in our values and accessibility for our broad audience. The connections he makes with folks as subjects, they understand he’s not trying to co-opt or fetishize the Western / Outdoor lifestyle but rather, that he speaks to it in a romantic and real way because he lives it and our audience likewise senses that."
"The beauty Chris captures threads through all timelines and narratives. His knowledge contributes to the legitimacy. It is great to shoot with someone who understands the realm I’m trying to express my work through, versus bringing a New York person out there and asking them to interpret. How he sees the casting and the models, it’s a beautiful culmination of so many different worlds and ideas. Chris knows his terrain and how to get the exact shots fast. There isn’t a ton of fluff. He gets what you need with just him being out there. That experience is more raw, more organic and it turns out brilliant. He’s the last Renaissance Man that I’ve seen in a while."
"We at Resistol have always admired Chris’s work and believe him to be the best photographer in the Western genre. He has an incredible eye for authentic Western and cowboy lifestyles and landscapes. Besides his amazing talent as a photographer, he’s ridden broncs himself, traveled with some of the greatest cowboys, and lives the lifestyle. That spirit of the West is in his soul and shines through his work. He’s an easy choice for the Resistol brand—our cowboy hats are made by cowboys for the ranching and rodeo cowboy."
Chris Douglas was born and raised in East Tennessee along the Clinch River in Anderson County. While attending the University of Tennessee, Chris was approached by a modeling scout and sent to New York to work with world-class photographer Bruce Weber for for famed fashion designer Gianni Versace. For the next four years he lived between New York, Paris and Milan and learned about the inner workings of the fashion business in front of the camera with other notable photographers: Arthur Elgort, Norman Seef, Lance Staedler and Steven Meisel. It was during those adventurous and educational years that Chris’ developed his standards of exceptional quality and his commitment to providing clients with extraordinary imagery.
As an accomplished outdoorsman, Chris began getting disgruntled with city living and put down roots in Southwest Montana in the mid-1990's, where he worked various ranches and competed as a saddle bronc contestant in rodeos throughout Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. It was during that time he was tapped by the producers of the famed 'Duck Dynasty' television program to host and partly shoot the Feeding Frenzy Series for The Discovery Channel (Bear Feeding Frenzy, Crocodile & Alligator Feeding Frenzy, Lion Feeding Frenzy).
These days, Chris’ photography still reflects his life as an outdoorsman, hunter and cowboy and expresses the respect and gratitude he has for his Native American lineage. His images are emotional and engaging; they relate a powerful, physical story and capture every detail of his subjects. His 25 + years of experience in every facet of the industry have enhanced Chris' skills as a sought-after photographer and creative contributing to his unmistakably recognizable style of imagery.
C O M M E R C I A L / E D I T O R I A L W O R K
WARNER MUSIC GROUP
VICTORY JOURNAL
JACQUES MARIE MAGE
WRANGLER
RESISTOL
FILSON
TECOVAS
DISCOVERY CHANNEL
STETSON
ARIAT
MOSSY OAK
KUIU
ARKEN OPTICS
SCHAEFER OUTFITTER
TETON RIDGE
MODERN HUNTSMAN
WHITE'S BOOTS
MEN'S HEALTH
INC MAGAZINE
DANESON
DUCKS UNLIMITED
PARAMOUNT NETWORK
OUTDOOR LIFE
BRIDGER AEROSPACE