Diary of a Full-Time Shooter
As of September 2023, it has been 10 years since I first picked up a camera (outside of the 1 time in elementary school when I had to take photos for a school project), and at this point, I finally feel like the dream has been actualized.
Before I go further with this, I’ll take a step back and say that this dream wasn’t one I’ve had since childhood, I never expected to get into photography. Thanks to friends for getting me into the business of photography and Tumblr for introducing me to the art of the craft, my journey of creating artistic photos took shape. Along the way, again in large thanks to Tumblr, I discovered some of the greatest and most distinct fashion photographers to touch a camera with the likes of Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Thierry Mugler, David LaChapelle, Ellen Von Unwerth, Peter Lindbergh, Roy DeCarava & Gordon Parks. These are the artists who shaped how I want my photos to be viewed and the integrity I always want to uphold in my work, whether it plays out that way or not.
These are the artists who made me fall in love with fashion photography and what it represents. If you look at my work, I try to focus on creating cinematic moments, celebrating story and character through through still imagery. And if you look at the work of the incredible artists that I mentioned, the throughline is always the story and the characters in it.
But back to the story.
Within those first few years of taking photos, I had no clue what I was doing but it was the first time since playing sports that I felt invigorated by what I was doing to make money and a living for myself. I worked a lot in clubs and at events, which is the bulk of the work that exists in the DC area when it comes to photography work, but it was hard to get fashion work in the city and even if I had, I probably would have had no clue what I was doing back then. It took me a few years to build the skill to even feel comfortable enough to call myself a professional but since I did, I owned that title. At one point, I was doing 4-6 photoshoots a week with individual concepts and different faces each time. This period is actually what helped establish my name in the area amongst the community of creators.
It’s true what they say, everything in your past prepares you for your present, and that remained true with my photography journey as well. And since I have told this story before, I’ll skip ahead a bit for the sake of the purpose of this post.
After years of freelancing and working as a contractor to brands of varying sizes and industries, I was allowed to join DC’s largest fashion company, Tuckernuck, full-time. Now if you’ve been following the story thus far, it’s clear that working in fashion as a photographer is what I’ve worked so hard to achieve over the past decade, so this should’ve been a no-brainer. But in reality, this decision took a lot of time to digest. In fact, after working for the company for a year, I believe I have finally come to terms with the full scope of a full-time position in the industry. The reality is that there was no way for me, a self-taught, gig-economy photographer to fully grasp what I was stepping into, even after having been a contractor for the company for a year prior. There are quite a few fundamental differences between my experience as a photographer and my current and it’s hard to weigh them against each other because, much like life in general, the nuanced reality is much more a spectrum of grey than a simple black and white.
The most obvious difference, and the one that drove my decision, is the consistency that full-time employment brings. Chasing gig to gig, hunting your prey, and only eating what you kill, can be exhausting. There are so many photographers I know who are forced to work in between mental burnouts, tarnish personal relationships, and miss out on living life because they are consumed with chasing a dollar; all of which are unfortunate hazards of the occupation.
Another big difference, which I guess goes hand-in-hand with the first, is the support of a team behind you along the way. Not having to carry the full weight of projects on your shoulders and being able to share the responsibility of success with others is not only helpful but I would go as far to say it is a necessity for our profession, one which gets easily overlooked when your livelihood in solely in your own hands. There were a few other benefits that I considered as well, like health care and the relief to work on my projects to propel me even further as an artist, fashion photographer, and stepping into the light as an Art Director (something we’ll talk about in another post.
I’d be lying if i said that this position wasn’t a lifestyle change for me and maybe a piece of the adjustment was centered around a personal resistance to that change. But what I gained from the change has made the decision that much sweeter. As a guy who fell in love with fashion photography, to now be working with a brand that prioritizes story and character, while also working with models that have been on my moodboard for years, I am living a dream that started at the beginning of this journey.
(Thanks for coming to my TED Talk lol)
all photos by the homie, Jahns Chavez (@jahnschavez)