By Stephanie Nguyen
For Knott, there’s nothing that could diminish the passion he has for the camera. His father was a photographer, but his first time picking up a camera was in a photography class during high school. He then started taking photos out in nature—which he loves—and never looked back. He could really take photos of anything, but he liked to capture coastlines, beaches, the mountains; anywhere that he’s been, he’s probably got a photo of it.
His favorite?
“I can’t pick one,” he laughs. “I love so many images that it’s really hard for me to narrow it down.”
Around fifteen to twenty years ago, people took notice of his talent, encouraging him to start a business. “I never actually thought about being a photographer as, like, a trade,” Knott said. “It was just kind of fun and I just kind of did it.”
He owns two websites, Forget Me Knott Photography and Brian Knott Photography; both sell pictures with various frame sizes. The former—which specializes in wedding photos and portraits—has a service that can print photographs on various keepsakes, such as mugs, T-shirts, etc. His secret to capturing the best memories is to set the stage and let his subject(s) do the rest.
“I want it to be organic,” Knott said. “I want them to do their own things so it speaks to who they are. I’m only half of the equation, they do the other half, and I capture that.”
The result is a stress-free, comfortable environment where the camera is hardly noticeable, instead of an awkward, posed photoshoot.
Despite the amount of time he’s been taking pictures, he never lost any of his love for the medium. Although he’s satisfied with where he is now, he’s still on the move for different lenses to look at the world through.
“I think I’ve always been passionate. Because now I want to go out and see more places, and I want to travel more. And I think that helps me feed my passion to be able to create more,” Knott said.
In a couple of weeks from now, he planned to go on a trip to Ireland.
Being so experienced, what’s one thing he would tell newbies dipping their toes into the water?
“Don’t worry about what you might think the audience might want. Do it for you,” Knott said. “Be open to getting different perspectives and different teaching techniques, really expand out there. It’s kind of like music, like, there’s endless possibilities.”
And what would he advise his younger self?
“Well, learn business, learn how to do business,” Knott said. “Practice makes perfect. Like, just get out and just do it.”
His instagram is @brian_knott_photography. All other social media and contact information can be found on either of his websites.
This article was originally published in the 2025 RED Magazine. Stop by room 306 to pick up a copy.
