Judge 2007
Rob Haggart
PHOTO EDITOR, MEN'S JOURNAL
Partial to: "I'm a huge sucker for a punch-you-in-the-face action shot."
Raised in the mountains of the Western U.S., Men's Journal Director of Photography Rob Haggart fell into his career as a means to keep active in the sports he's always loved. Growing up in Idaho, Haggart moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1991 "to be a ski bum," he laughs. Years of experience skiing and rock climbing led him to photo shoots with legendary local lensmen Wade McKoy and Bob Woodall, where, while acting as both subject and assistant, he got interested in the business side of photography. Haggart hooked up with friend Steve Casimiro to edit photos for Core Sports magazine and, later, with John Byorth to do the same for Hooked on the Outdoors, while continuing to coordinate freelance shoots and connect athletes with top-quality local photographers. His work with Core Sports attracted the attention of Outside magazine in 2000, and they invited Haggart on board as photo editor, where he remained until coming on staff with Men's Journal in 2005. Over the years, Haggart has received awards for photo editing from Graphis, American Photography, the Society of Publication Designers, Communication Arts, ASME, and PDN, and was chosen creative team of the year by Ad Week.
Coming from the other side of the lens has given Haggart unique perspective on selecting photos for outdoors-focused publications, and authenticity is his first priority. "It's a huge advantage because when we talk about stories, about places and people and ideas, I can envision all those things because I've seen them [firsthand]. I can tell about [the subject's] clothing and their skis, if they're current, or if people really know what they're doing [action-wise]." What he loves most about being behind the scenes, however, is pairing a talented shooter with an equally talented athlete. "The best thing you can do is to connect the perfect subject with the perfect photographer," he says. "When you get a subject that the photographer's really interested in, they create amazing work."
On trading summits for skyscrapers:
Haggart made the move from Outside's offices in New Mexico to New York based Men's Journal in November 2005, and though the opportunity to connect with more and different photographers has been exciting, there are elements of the mountain lifestyle he definitely longs for. "I miss going skiing before work," he admits. "Santa Fe has a really nice little town hill, so we would ski around before work [at Outside]. We'd go rafting on the weekends in the summer, climbing, fly-fishing ...I miss seeing the sky, really."
