With a tug on the door of his math class, Blake Debock (’13) found himself locked out on his first day at San Diego Mesa College. Determined to arrive on time the next day, Debock went to school an hour early, waiting in his car until it was time for class. As he reached his math class just a few minutes late the second time, Debock found himself in the same dilemma as before. His teacher locked him out again.
“I was just two minutes late the second time and the first time too,” Debock said. “So I figured the situation was a disaster, and I took it as a sign. I spent two days there, realized it wasn’t for me and never went back.”
Without a chosen major or set plan for his college career, Debock decided the best thing for him to do next was to pursue his interest in photography.
“When I was young, I was interested in wildlife, landscape, and fine art, but originally I thought I would get into maybe music or filmmaking,” Debock said. “I started to discover photography towards the end of high school, and that’s where everything shifted. At the time, I was most interested in backpacking in the mountains and surfing and skateboarding. I found inspiration from magazines and wanted to create images from my perspective of these places that were hard to get to, like the barrel of a wave that only a surfer ever has the chance to see or a place that can only be visited with several days of hiking.”
After he left college, Debock began surfing more in his free time, chasing unique shots from a surfer’s perspective. When he heard about renowned surf photographer Aaron Chang’s new gallery in Solana Beach, Debock decided to stop by and inquire about a job, a career opportunity that combined both his interests.
“I got a job with one of the most well-known surf photographers in the world,” Debock said. “I drove down to Solana Beach, walked into the gallery, and there he was. I carried this big 18x18x12 portfolio of my photographic prints, and when I got to Aaron, he took it and basically hired me as his assistant on the spot. It was a major turning point for me when I got the job with Aaron. Instantly I was immersed in the world of surf photography and was spending my days right next to the greatest in the industry. It took years and years working for him, but I slowly came to creative realizations and expanded and developed my eye as a photographer.”
During the six years that Debock worked for Chang, he learned everything from production management to photo prints to running a gallery. Debock got an insider’s view and through field experiences with Chang, was able to grow and improve as a photographer.
“Assisting someone who was an expert in his craft and at the pinnacle of the industry while being so young myself, I certainly made many mistakes,” Debock said. “Aaron’s standards were so high and every small detail was always of immense importance. That could be a stressful environment for most, but for me, it was a place of significant learning. That’s the type of mentor you want because you don’t get to where he’s at without it. Working and making mistakes in that environment will teach you a lot very fast, if you can take criticism constructively. It was important that I always learned from it rather than taking it personally and because of that I was able to witness it all from behind the scenes during such an exciting time in his career. I would assist him out in the field, shooting surf photography and I also worked in his gallery.”
Out of the six years that Debock worked for Chang, he spent six months each year for three years in South America exploring the cultures and landscapes of its countries at the recommendation of his friends. Using his college funds, Debock traveled to Chile, Argentina, Peru, Panama, and Costa Rica, cultivating his passion for wildlife photography.
“I went to the furthest tip of South America my first time leaving the country, to a place called Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia in Chile,” Debock said. “ “I was going down to South America half the year, every year for three years and I would travel off $1,000 for six months each time. I learned pretty fast during my trips that if you choose to chase your dreams and put yourself out there into the world, most people would rather help you than hurt you. It gave me the confidence to push hard towards what I was doing at the time, from learning to track and photograph dangerous animals to hitchhiking down a road that sees only a few cars a day, never overreacting and taking my problems head-on with a clear mind. I was able to overcome any situation I found myself in no matter how bad.”
When COVID-19 hit, Debock was temporarily laid off from Chang’s gallery. Using it as an opportunity, Debock didn’t return to Chang’s employment and instead decided to pursue his own passions. Wanting to travel, he explored the Western United States, finding inspiration in the national parks. After a year of traveling through Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and California, Debock carefully considered the next step in his career, ultimately deciding to open his first gallery at the age of 27. He chose Mammoth Lakes as his opening location, a place where he grew up camping with his family.
“I always wanted to open a gallery because that’s what I watched [Chang] do,” Debock said. “My parents were really supportive and helped me achieve that dream. All of a sudden I thought, ‘Well, okay, I’m 27, I watched Aaron run his gallery. From the insider’s perspective, I got to see every piece of it. I know how to run a gallery,’ My parents ended up helping me find the spot to open my gallery.”
Debock quickly became a success in the mountain town, bringing in $50,000 within the first few months of opening. With his steady business, Debock hopes to open more galleries in the future in similar mountain towns. He is currently working on photographs of wild horses, using his art as a platform to inspire others to advocate for wildlife conservation.
“I’m spending a lot of time now photographing wild horses and trying to advocate [against] inhumanely rounding [them] up and [taking them off our public land here in the United States,” Debock said. “For me, I want to advocate for all the wild animals and ecosystems that I can.”
With his photography, Debock aims to showcase the beauty of the natural world and inspire those around him.
“You can make great photos anywhere you are,” Debock said. “You can make things that inspire people if you have the right eye and the right intentions, it doesn’t have to be the biggest and grandest thing in the world.”
