Forest Johnson: By Air and By Sea
My name is Forest Johnson. I’m a photographer and cinematographer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and my quality imagery and footage has earned worldwide recognition. Born in Miami, I’ve been a resident of South Florida my entire life and my familiarity with the area has been advantageous to my career. Being around boats since birth has also helped, as well as my passion for aviation.
The east coast of South Florida is well known as the boating capital of the world. Our climate and close proximity to the Bahamas and Caribbean add to the reputation of being a year-round playground. It’s the perfect place for a family whose livelihood revolves around the marine industry.
My father, Forest E. Johnson, is a famous boat-builder who designed and built Prowler Boats. After his passing, I became involved in the family business with my mother, Heidi. Prior to that, photography was only a hobby. My real interest was flying, especially helicopters. As far back as 8 years old, if I received an “A” on my report card, my parents rewarded me with a 15-minute helicopter ride. Armed with a small camera and the thrill of flying, my passion was ignited.
Almost overnight I found myself running a boat-building business. Dwindling build requests and an impending energy crisis made saving money a priority. Without the finances to hire professional photographers for our ads and brochures, I had to do it myself. Using a hand-me-down Nikon F-2 Photomic camera, I harassed all the local operators of photo labs about the best ways to shoot a boat... and received a completely different answer from each one!
As a result, l learned using the trial-and-error method. I had no formal training in photography, so I kept trying different techniques until I found one that worked. After a while, I became really good and efficient.
In 1976, the family business was sold. A year later, I joined the staff at Bertram Yacht, where I truly began to hone my skills as a boat photographer. I spent eight years as the advertising and sales promotion manager, photographing all the products.
In 1986, I began a full-time career as a location and aerial photographer specializing in the marine industry. This profession has since taken me to various corners of the world, all the while meeting and working with many great people. I’ve been fortunate to have won many awards, including International Photographer of the Year for the Bahamas. I was also named by Popular Photo magazine as a true “specialist” in my field. However, one of my favorite accomplishments is photographing more than 1,600 magazine covers... and still counting!
learn more at
ForestJohnson.com
Written and photography by Forest Johnson