Robert LeBlanc is a Los Angeles-based artist who works primarily in photography and video. His projects capture non-traditional communities, including hotshot firefighters, hurricane survivors, and Holiness snake handlers. Through raw, unguarded images, he offers a glimpse of daily life into otherwise rarely-pictured social spaces. He works from the conviction that a meaningful documentary series is made through mutual engagement, transparency, and years of trust-building. LeBlanc is a self-taught photographer who first bought a 35-mm point-and-shoot camera in 2003 to document and share skate culture, and his experience navigating the world on a skateboard. Over the next 12 years, he created an authentic record of day-to-day life in his cohort, culminating in his debut artist book, Unlawful Conduct. Each copy of this limited edition came enclosed in a unique case, die-cut from a specially-made large-scale graffiti mural. Unlawful Conduct sold out before print and was carried in highly selective bookstores worldwide, including museums MoMA PS1 Bookstore and Frye Museum Store.
In 2017, LeBlanc became one of a handful of photographers awarded a government contract to document hotshot wildfires. Over the next four years, he documented Montana and California crews as they risked their lives to battle remote and unpredictable wildfires. This rare and intimate perspective on the proliferation of natural disasters is chronologized in his second publication, Moon Dust. In partnership with Mystery Ranch and Monster Energy Cares, book sale proceeds are donated to the Eric Marsh Foundation, U.S. Hotshot Association, and Backbone Series Scholarship.
LeBlanc’s 2023 monograph, GLORYLAND, pictures not only the last Holiness serpent-handling church in West Virginia but an old mystic religious ritual on the verge of extinction. LeBlanc spent over five years with the church congregation, giving a unique and intimate view of this dying demonstration of devout faith. LeBlanc continues to develop images that bridge the worlds of documentary and surrealism. In a time of great social upheaval and escalating environmental consequences, his work contributes to a broader understanding of the contemporary human experience.
Hi Robert! Thank you for sitting down with me! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Los Angeles?
Robert: I usually start with a coffee, and then I get straight into work, whether it’s pitching projects, editing photos, or working on COMFORT Magazine. I’m always grateful for the days I get out of the office and spend time shooting. I wish I had more of those days rather than punching my keyboard.
I’m curious, growing up, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing, and how did you spend your time?
Robert: I skateboarded all day, every day. I started skating when I was 9, and it’s been an obsession ever since. However, I’m getting old now and have busted knees, so I don’t get to skate as much as I wish.
I know that you’re self taught, and bought your first 35mm camera back in 2003, to document skate culture. Can you tell me about how you got introduced to photography? And how you started out practicing with your camera?
Robert: I got introduced to it through skating; I used to carry a disposable camera with me when we went skating and take photos of us jumping off shit. I started to fall in love with taking pictures as I got older, and in my early 20s, it went from taking photos of me and my friends skating, to me skating around and taking pictures of the world around me. It also gave me a new love for skating as a way to move around within different environments for photography.
With that in mind… What was it about skateboarding that felt so essential to document, and how does that ethos carry into your later projects?
Robert: It’s part adventure, part open-mindedness, and part pure determination. These parts of skating can be applied to anything you do, and the work ethic I developed when I was young as a skater easily translated into my photography and how I approached creating images. Looking back at it now, I can see why I started and still love street photography; finding moments was similar to trying to find a good skate spot.
Do you think being a self-taught photographer has affected how you relate to your subjects or approach storytelling?
Robert: I think so. It’s all part of self discovery. I could be discoving a subculture or a nieghboorhood and having them learn how to use the camera. I have always been a curious mind, and it’s a quality many of us photographers have in common. You have to want to learn how to take good photos just as much as wanting to shoot good subjects.
You’ve spent years building trust with communities that are often misunderstood or unseen. What is your process for gaining acceptance and building relationships with the people you shoot? And what made you want to documenting these communities?
Robert: It’s being honest and genuine. People can smell bullshit from a mile away, and if you give them the respect they deserve, you’ll get that in return. You also need to have a lot of patience. I wanted to document these communities because of the curious mentality I mentioned before. I love the human element; understanding people and discovering why they do things is so fascinating to me.
You emphasize the importance of mutual engagement and transparency in your projects. How do you navigate building this trust while capturing candid, often vulnerable moments?
Robert: It’s time. You have to spend time with people and give them a chance to open up. When people become comfortable with you being around, that is when you start to get the good stuff.
Your work combines documentary and surrealism. How do you balance representing real, often raw moments with creating a visually compelling narrative?
Robert: I think it is all about the project or series and how you want to develop it. My most recent series, Tin Lizards, is all about imagination and the emotion of being a traveler finding beauty in the ordinary. Obviously, this concept opens up the idea of being less literal and more surreal in my image-making. But for example, my book Moon Dust, documenting Hot Shot firefighters, is very much raw and real, and those images need to represent that feeling.
What do you look for when you’re out looking for your next motif to capture?
Robert: I have to be pulled to it and feel inspired; without that, I’m just a liferaft lost at sea. I love complexity and stories with many layers, which I can also dive into, or the challenge of making ordinary moments look interesting.
How important is authenticity in your work? And can a picture still be good, if it does’t have any?
Robert: Pictures can’t be good without authenticity. I look at it like style; everyone can do a kickflip, but only a few make it look sooooo good. Authenticity is extremely important; without it, it’s hard to captivate with viewers of the work. No one likes a vanilla outlook on life.
So what makes photography your preferred medium of expressing yourself?
Robert: It is just what I’m drawn to as a medium. I like art and creating films, but something about the simplicity of photography, where it’s just you, a shutter button, and a moment, excites me the most. There is something magical about freezing a moment in time.
You shoot in black and white and colors. If you were to choose one or the other, which would you prefer and why?
Robert: I love them both. I let the project dictate when it needs to be and lean into that feeling.
Can you tell me about some of your favorite memories from being on shooting in the field?
Robert: There are so many. One moment that really stands out in my mind is the first church service I experienced for GLORYLAND. That was a moment when I knew I was witnessing something special—you just know when you are in the right place. I also loved being up in the wildfires; there’s beauty in something that’s so destructive and powerful.
Other than the camera and lens. Are there any essential items that you always bring with you when shooting?
Robert: I need my headphones and love music. I can set a mood creatively and mentally, and music has so much power. My phone is also quite useful for taking notes and looking at maps to see areas. It’s helped me gain so much access and find resources for my photography. It’s an essential body organ for me at this point.
Alright Robert, so earlier you mentioned Comfort Magazine. I always look up to people who have a physical magazine, so can you tell me more about that project? And what made you want to start a print magazine?
Comfort is a magazine created by myself and my close friend and incredible photographer, Yudo Kurita, in 2020. We wanted to create a magazine that encapsulated a world where the things, ideas, and people we love and looked up to could shine. We wanted to be a tool of inspiration and education for the next generations of creatives who could learn from some of the greats and hopefully help give them a new outlook and be inspired for their own work. We offer the magazine for free and believe that high-quality printed matter should be attainable for everyone regardless of their financial situation. We wanted to build a platform where we could feature big names such as Sterling Ruby and Sam Abell and allow the opportunity for the next generation of creatives to share pages with these massive names. It’s building out our own world onto paper. It’s a true labor of love, but it’s so satisfying and exciting when we release new issues. Because we give it away for free, the physical copies go extremely fast, so all our issues are free on our website, so anyone from anywhere can enjoy them.
Back in 2015 you release your debut book “Unlawful Conduct”, which receives worldwide recognition, and is carried in MoMA PS1 Bookstore, and Frye Museum Store. Can you tell me about that project and what made you want to publish a book?
Robert: It was really a project of self-discovery. I did that work while discovering myself as a photographer, trying to understand my visual language. I look back at it now as it is a time capsule of me in my early 20s, enjoying life and being creative. It was a book with less stress and complexity than I do now and more about just being in the moment. At the start of taking shooting seriously, I always thought that the ultimate achievement for a series was in printed format, and this was my first attempt to create that world between a cover.
You follow that up with the critical acclaimed “Moon Dust”, in 2017, where you documented wildfires. What drew you to this subject, and what was it like witnessing their intense, dangerous work up close?
Robert: Wildfires, to me, are exciting. Growing up in Montana, we had wildfires every summer. I’ve always had respect for and knew people who were wildfire fighters. I think it was part of me being an adrenaline junkie and part of something I grew up with that I wanted to understand more.
And “GLORYLAND”, in 2023, where you captured a rare religious ritual on the verge of extinction. How did this long-term project affect your view on faith and tradition? Can you tell me about that projects as well,and why that topic resonates with you?
Robert: I spent seven years with the church working on the book. I traveled back and forth to West Virginia over those years, and it was something special and a family I really connected with. I have been working on another book on America for about ten years now, and it started as trying to get one frame for that series that depicted this old mystic America we fantasize about. I had no idea that first service would send me off onto a path for almost a decade. It’s just something so special and a culture on the verge of extinction.
Alright Robert, now to something totally different…. In a parallel universe who would you be? and what would you be doing?
Robert: Oof, good question. Hopefully, it’s a mad scientist making LSD or a pro baseball player. I would be happy with either one. They both seem like pretty chill existences.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
Robert: I had the pleasure of sitting down and sharing a breakfast with Sam Abell. I’ve always really looked up to his work, and seeing him react to my photos and share advice was a humbling and reassuring experience for which I feel so grateful.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
Robert: Consistency, reliability, and, most of all, respect for one’s time. Time is something we never get more of, and people who waste other people’s time drive me insane. I have no patience for it, lol.
Anybody you look up to?
Robert: Sam Abell, Eugene Richards, Chopin, my loving girlfriend, and people who are successful and good at what they do—honestly, any true masters of a craft.
What motivates you?
Robert: The adventure challenges the adventure presents, and overcoming those challenges.
How would you describe a perfect day?
Robert: A good coffee with a spliff and a kiss from my girl.
Alright Robert. I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
Robert: Stand By Me. It’s the best childhood story ever—just a crazy summer spent with the homies.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
Robert: CAIN TEJADA by Westside Gunn…. BOOM BOOM BOOOOOM!