First
of all, I would like to thank all of you for the absolutely amazing and
overwhelming feedback that A Look Through My Lens, Part 1 received. I
got so many e-mails, messages, comments, tweets, etc. from a multitude of
people from literally all around the world saying how inspiring the post was
and how excited they are about this series. I too am very excited about this
series and I appreciate all the love and support that you showed my first 2
photographers, Nakeya Brown & Shako Oteka. In addition to
all the encouraging feedback that was sent my way, I received e-mails from many
photographers saying that they were interested in being apart of the series. I
wish I could tell you how happy it makes me to see so many limitlessly talented
individuals wanting to be apart of something I brought about. So to all the
photographers who contacted me, thank you so, so much. I look
forward to working with each and every one of you.
For this second installment of A
Look Through My Lens, I have 3 amazing photographers to share with you all. I
plan on featuring anywhere from 2-4 photographers per post to ensure that
everyone who contacted me and everyone I reached out to personally gets
featured in as timely a manner as possible. These posts will be once a month,
most likely during the first week of each month. I will try my hardest to be as
consistent as possible. Now that I have all that out of the way, please allow
me to introduce my 3 photographers: Rog
Walker, King Texas & Chris Charles (Creative Silence). As
in Part 1, I interviewed all the photographers and their responses to the
questions I asked accompany their photos. Enjoy!
About a year and seven months ago, I didn’t know anything about photography. I’ve only been shooting for a year and a half. I didn’t even know what a DSLR camera was two years ago. But I’ve always been into art though; my background is actually in website design. I was doing that before I got into photography. A friend of mine had all these amazing photos and I reached out to him and asked him how his photos were so dope. He taught me the basics of photography and the rest was self teaching. It’s only been a year and a half and it’s been love. All love.
For me photography doesn't fall into a category, it falls into a goal. My goal is to communicate creativity. If that’s through an editorial, fine. If that is through landscape, that is fine too because the type always varies. For me, generally, fashion is an element of my photography. Fashion is one of the highest forms of communication in my opinion. It’s not the only type of photos that I take, but it is what I’m most known for.
The 3 words I would use to classify my style are the 3 C’s: communication, creativity, and completion because for me a complete shot is making sure all the elements of the image are taken into mind. My shots are complete, creative, and they communicate.
I love capturing identities. My favorite thing to capture in photos is the essence of the identity. There are so many creative people out there and it’s amazing to go out on a dope set and capture these individuals' style, their swag.
When asked which photographer I admire, Richard Avedon is the only photographer that I will ever mention. I have a book by him titled The Sixties sitting right on my bookshelf. It is full of these amazing portraits and truly iconic images. As you look through the book, you see all these great figures within the 60s but the greatest thing about it is that you feel you are being brought right into the era. He captured the essence of a point in time. The same way in which he captures the era is the same way I capture identity. I want my pictures to tell a story.
I shoot with a Canon 1Ds. I started shooting a year and a half ago with a D40x, that’s about as low as you can go. But I love photography so it wasn’t about having the best equipment; it was just about the photography. The most important thing is the thought and creativity. There is nothing that separates the look, what makes the image iconic is the thought.
I started shooting in 2005 and pursued it even more in 2007. It's definitely been a long journey. I got into photography for many different reasons. To see things differently, to heal, to grow, and to be more honest with the world and myself. I find the reasons change as you grow older. You can begin something and do it just for fun, then it turns into something serious, and before you know it you cannot live without doing it.
I try to take very sincere photos that reveal the story behind of whatever or whoever I am photographing.
What are 3 words I would use to classify my photographic style? Growth. Progression. Honesty.
What is my favorite thing to capture in photos? Energy.
I admire a lot of artists, not only photographers. I actually haven't been inspired by a current photographer in a very long time. I do admire these artists though (old and new): Brown Bomber (musician), Abcents (musician), Diane Arbus (photographer), Antoine D'Gata (photographer), Dante Fried Chicken, Jasmine Solano (DJ/Musician), Emilo Sparks (King!), and a lot of others.
I bought a Canon 5D a couple years ago. I purchased it because it was one of the cheapest professional cameras at the time. I wouldn't say I use it for any particular reason than it being digital. I also shoot with a 35MM Nikon FM 10 and I prefer that much more to digital. Unfortunately, film is very expensive. At the end of the day, the type of camera you have really doesn't matter. The artist behind the camera does.
I've been involved with photography since I was about 10 years old. I can remember going on family vacations and being fascinated with the science and beauty of photography. Photography was always an important part of my family and upbringing. I soon developed a little obsession with my first SLR which was an old Olympus camera and the rest is history. I've been shooting professionally for about 3 years now. I initially pursued architectural photography as a hobby but it never dawned on me to place actual people within the compositions. When the lightbulb finally went off I decided to also let that be a style I incorporate in my work. Every session I do on location I try to use the environment as a compositional element. I try to be versatile and be skilled in natural light and studio lighting.
I specialize primarily in modern portraiture, fine art and wedding photography, however I dabble in product and I still life to include architecture and spaces. I also plan on getting more into hard core fashion work this year.
The 3 words I would use to classify my photographic style are timeless, minimalist and sound (technically). I believe it is important for photographers to study the craft and become technically sound. Know your equipment inside and out that way no situation is impossible when time to shoot. I think being able to convey emotion through the lens is paramount, and I am very adamant about my work from today being relevant not only today, but for years down the road. I think that is why I currently try to avoid over editing of images. I still want an organic and contrasty feel without my subjects not looking "real".
I love capturing the human face and form through portraiture. There is something about a strong, ambiguous portrait that speaks volumes to me so I try to embody that in my work; the kind of portrait that leaves the viewer to imagine the mood of the subject at the time. I think the mark of a great photograph is the subtle nuances captured, a slight smirk, or the way an off camera gaze makes you wonder. I rarely make straight up "smile for the camera" portraits for my clients. I also enjoy a bit of abstract photography. I think it is good to be break the rules every now and then and experiment. This can be with composition, editing, etc. I like a slightly left of center style.
There are quite a few photographers whose work I admire. Kareem Black for his ability to ride the fine line between commercial photographer (Verizon, Gatorade) and pop culture photographer. Kwesi Abbensents of course for his use of color and the style of modern portraiture he does, Anne Leibovitz for her longevity in the industry and classic portraits of iconic figures. I can't forget the iconic Gordon Parkes, especially for his work with Time Magazine as well as James Van Der Zee for his classic images taken during the Harlem Renaissance. Also, just about any photographer who shoots for National Geographic (lol).
I currently shoot with a Canon 5DMKII and 40D. I've been using the Canon system for a few years now and I am very familiar with how they work. I love the way the 40D renders shadows and colors but the 5DMKII is amazing regarding detail and resolution. Plus it shoots high definition video. I am, however, not opposed to changing systems (Nikon). For my portrait work I like to stick with prime lenses. The 50mm 1.4 is something I use quite often. I also plan on purchasing a medium format camera film camera this year.
