1. Give us a personal background on yourself? (Where are you from, where do you reside, what’s your preferred medium? Are you a cat or dog person? We want to know!)
I’m from da crib, born and raised. For those of you that don’t know, da crib is what us locals refer to as Miami. I still currently reside in Miami. My preferred medium is digital photography, I currently shoot with a Sony A7R IV. I’ve also been experimenting with film photography since November 2021. I have a 35mm Canon A1 which originally released in 1978, its old.
2. How did you first start your journey towards becoming an artist?
Although January 2022 officially made 2 years for me. My initial interest in photography was sparked in 2017 by two dope Miami photographers that I followed on Instagram, which are Theo (@theovision1) and Scoe (@biscoelar). They are the reason I impulsively purchased my first camera. The first year or so of having the camera it was just collecting dust, then in 2019 I started experimenting with it doing test shoots of myself with my homegirl Mardi. But it wasn’t until January 2020 I decided to really take it seriously to see where it goes. So, on January 02, 2020, I purchased a new MacBook pro and got to work. It’s been 2 years and I must say I love it here.
3. When was the first time you really saw yourself as an artist?
The first time I really saw myself as an artist/photographer was when I seen how people were gravitating towards my work, sending dope messages about how they love my work. People just don’t know how much those thoughtful and simple messages really keep us creatives going. Another major thing that really made me see myself as an artist is when other dope creatives and photographers began to follow my page and reach out to me from different cities and states. Because being accepted and respected in your field is no easy task.
4. What do you think new artists struggle with the most nowadays?
The one major thing I think most new photographers struggle with the most is patience. They want everything now; they want the accolades, recognition, and the money now. They want to skip the grind and jump straight to the big stage. But like I always tell people, you can’t cheat the grind, you can’t bypass the dirty work. The dirty work is working for free, working at a discounted rate in the beginning to get some valuable practice and experience. Respect the game, patience is key.
5. How did you learn how to set a price on your art/craft?
The way I learned how to price my photography honestly came from experience over my first 2 years in photography. My year 1 price is not year 2’s price. With photography pricing is never really one size fits all. So, a helpful tip I can give is, that for each service you offer you should never just put one set price. You should always list your rates as “starting at” followed by your base rate for each service. For example, if you have a basic shoot package that you offer for $300, instead of listing it as $300 flat you should list it as “starting at $300”. This approach allows you room to increase the price as you see fit for the client and their needs at the time. This is a more effective way to quote potential clients.
6. What has been your favorite piece that you’ve created?
My favorite piece that I’ve created is my “Self-Love” piece. Be everything to you, not everything to everybody.
7. Who’s one of your biggest sources of inspiration right now?
I have this obsession with female photographers. It’s like that because to me it seems a woman entrepreneur knows no limits they continue to evolve, continue to climb, and reach new heights. Whereas the average male, may get some status, women, and money then he loses all his ambition and stops ascending because in his head he has arrived. So, for that main reason female photographers are my biggest source of inspiration.
S/O @jessyjphoto , @visualnarrator , @cloudnai , @tylerkire just to name a few, there’s plenty more.
8. If you could pick one of your pieces to represent you as a person, which one would it be and why?
My happiest moment thus far has been finding my style, my eye, and approach to photography. Although an artist/photographer style is always evolving, it feels good to see that consistency in your work and aesthetic.
9. What has been your happiest moment as an artist?
Mistakes are apart of the journey. The most valuable lesson my mistakes have taught me is that a mistake is nothing but an opportunity to learn and gain even more knowledge. In this creative field If you’re not making mistakes, are you even trying?
10. Have you ever made any mistakes in the industry that have taught you a valuable lesson?
I would be a strawberry cheesecake, because strawberry cheesecake is undefeated, and I love strawberry cheesecake.
11. If you were a dessert, what dessert would you be and why?
I have a playlist that I curated of smooth chill music from a bunch of different artists. But when I’m not listening to that I listen to a lot of Lil Durk.
12. What kind of music do you like to listen to when you work?
My least favorite trend at the moment is creatives and photographers having to do things like dance with their camera in their hand while they attempt the latest viral dance moves and having to make pointless reels for Instagram and Tik Tok that has NOTHING to do with photography just to satisfy an unsatisfiable algorithm. It’s exhausting to watch so I can only imagine how exhausting it is to do.
13. If you could leave us with one thought, what would it be?
Repetition is the father of learning, practice will get you paid and its no such thing as the perfect time, so stop waiting on it.
