When you discover the profile of Sam Kolder on social networks, you discover an artist whose content never ceases to fascinate you, with each photo or each video (in short, with each publication) because his work is tremendously captivating. Nothing much can be found about his personal life and early childhood as he is very private about such information. Be that as it may, he lets his work speak for itself, and has consequently managed to gather millions of fans and followers around the world who enjoy his beautiful work every day. Who is he?
Sam Kolder, or “Kold”, is a visual artist born 25 years ago in Toronto, Canada. After finishing high school, Sam Kolder was rejected from college and decided to take a year off for himself. And the truth is, he couldn’t have made a better decision. In that trip around the world that he made, he got to know very closely and began to collaborate with the music group “The Chainsmokers”, managing the content of their social networks. Of course, his career in photography and filmmaking was already on the rise, and Sam Kolder has gotten himself quite a reputation in a short time.
But how much does Sam Kolder make from all of his hard work?
How Much Does Sam Kolder Make?
YouTube
Sam Kolder’s YouTube channel “kold” currently has 1,18 million subscribers and over 50M views. Now, the way Youtube works is that popular channels can earn money from ads, sponsors, and promotion contracts. It is impossible to exactly calculate how much Sam Kolder makes this way, but based on the number of subscribers and views, it is safe to assume that Sam Kolder can make around $20-30 thousand dollars per month. Of course, this is an approximate average, and while being in the photography business, the high-end tech companies can offer Kolder an enormous sum of money to advertise their products.
While Instagram is not his main source of earning, he is still considered to be a “top-tier influencer” with his account having over 1.7 million followers. The more followers you have, the better the payment. With almost 2 million followers, it is expected to earn approximately between 1000 and 2000 dollars per post. Now, Sam Kolder has 487 posts at the moment, and while not every photo has given him thousands of dollars, many actually have. The exact number Sam Kolder has earned from Instagram is unknown, but at this rate (if he posts regularly and gains more followers), he could earn about $20-30 thousand per month, just like from his YouTube channel.
Other
Being a superstar photographer and filmmaker certainly provides a good financial boost every year. The band Chainsmokers have offered cooperation which Sam gladly accepted. Numerous other companies have enlisted Sam as their ambassador, and while we can only speculate the numbers, a contract or two like this per year is more than enough to live a good life.
Total
All in all, it is estimated that Sam Kolder makes around 40,000 dollars per month, while his net worth stands somewhat over $1M.
Work
Kolder’s productions have a lot of classic film appropriations, such as the inheritance of color editing, transitions called “revealing” or a complex montage of sound editing. But his videos do not stop there and he has innovated many types of new transitions, such as the exploitation of the “luma fading”, the classic “teal and orange” (inspired by the big screen but taken by him to the world of YouTube), or the creation of the so-called “travel filmmakers”, who are dedicated to traveling the world, recording it and charging for the views or advertising.
Some artists bet on traveling to bring a different point of view to their projects. While Sam Kolder follows the same line, he has taken it to the extreme! His life consists of moving around the world to offer a documentary work of the places you can visit. The work is much more complete, out of monotony and boredom. Kold as a visual artist transmits with each one of his works an absolute mastery, he creates transitions, points of view, or images that you did not think could be created. His photographs follow the same line, they point to the same objectives and trends at the level of intentions with the viewer (awakening according to what emotions or response in him). This Canadian photographer uses videos as the main tool to achieve levels of expressiveness that are difficult to achieve for a static photograph.
His work routine is simple, short trips of 48 or 72 hours, with which he gathers a lot of content from the place, a hectic pace of work but which allows him to show the viewer a very broad vision of the place. Kold, despite his youth, has managed to create a super attractive style for his content, working with all kinds of companies and artists with which he can continue with his dream – travel the world creating content freely according to his mood, or whatever his mind suggests him to do at the time.
What Gear Does Sam Kolder Use?
In case you have been wondering what gear Sam Kolder uses to get such high results, here is a shortlist of the equipment with which his name has been affiliated.
Cameras
Sam Kolder’s main camera is Canon EOS-1DX Mark II. The Canon EOS 1D X Mark II is the company’s high-end full-frame DSLR, replacing the original 1D X and video-centric 1D C models. And it really is a serious kit, it can capture everything with ease, from disused underground water caverns in very low light to high-speed car chases, (literally) explosive setups – anything.
The number two camera is the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. This is Canon’s best crop camera in the crop class. The camera is designed for professionals such as Sam Kolder. It is heavy (990gr), difficult to master, especially if it is someone’s first camera, and very, very expensive. Canon cameras are very reliable, especially the professional class cameras with protection against dust and humidity, to which the Canon EOS 7D Mark II belongs.
Lenses
Of course, a professional photographer will have various lenses in his backpack, as these greatly improve photo quality. Taking photos with these will require no further image editing most of the time. These are the lenses Sam Kolder uses:
- Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
- Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens
- Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Lens
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens
- Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Lens
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II.
Tripods
For steady photography and film shootings, tripods are of utmost importance. No matter how steady your hands may be, a tripod is completely fixed and therefore the results will be satisfying. Sam Kolder uses JOBY GorillaPod 3K Kit Compact tripod for light travels and smaller spaces. For normal conditions, the JOBY GorillaPod 5K Kit tripod will do the job perfectly.
Air Support
As Sam Kolder is mainly a filmmaker, having flying cameras is always a good investment. With these, he has managed to capture breathtaking shots over amazingly looking sceneries, not to mention Chainsmokers concerts from above. How important drones are to Sam Kolder can be seen from the fact that he has three of them, and he uses them all equally. The three drones are:
- DJI Mavic Pro Drone
- DJI Inspire 2 Drone
- DJI Mavic Air.
Free Quiz: Find Your Ideal Gear Setup in 1 Minute or Less 📷
Frequently Asked Questions About Sam Kolder
In the following section, we will cover some of the most frequently asked questions about Sam Kolder. Let’s dive in!
Does Sam Kolder have a girlfriend?
No one really knows. It appears that Sam Kolder is currently single, taking his time after going through a breakup with Chelsea Yamase, at least, according to the Celebs Dating website. If he does have a girlfriend, he is keeping it a good secret.
How many followers does Sam Kolder have on Instagram?
His Instagram profile has 1.7m Followers who can enjoy his 487 Posts. You can see his Instagram photos and videos at @samkolder.
What is Kolder Creative Masterclass?
Sam Kolder has released a complete tutorial on his work. Whoever downloads this package will receive over 80 videos of Sam Kolder’s work processes and over 10 hours of filmmaking pieces of training. Sam has provided examples of his skills and techniques in filmmaking, how to use editing tools, how to gain clients on social media, and much more. Any photography or filmmaking enthusiast should definitely check it out.
A Final Word From Run Gun Shoot
Artists like Sam Kolder have opened a gap in the world of audiovisual creation, showing that we can all be capable of transmitting a lot with very little financial effort but with a lot of effort at the level of training and learning. They have taught many that you can work for very large brands, make a living, and compete against large industries only thanks to ingenuity, work ethic, and originality. They have contributed to creating a freer world that is open to all of us creating art, expressing ourselves, and sharing it.
