We recently connected with Calvin Henderson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Calvin, thanks for joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?

I’ve been in charge of my social media since its inception. I still remember learning of Facebook in 2005 from a fellow college student walking around campus with a sign saying “www.thefacebook.com”. Little by little then Twitter, then Instagram arrived. It’s because of having grown up with social media in my early 20s that it doesn’t intimidate me now even with so many more apps and the increased reliance on branding, marketing, monetization and analytics. The goal of social media is the same now as it was then: Show off your authentic self and establish your voice without compromise. I still have the same Instagram and Twitter handles I had when I first started using them, to keep uniformity in my voice

Calvin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been a freelance photographer since 2018. I’ve been published in numerous magazines for fashion, portrait and boudoir photos. I also was a part of the street photography exhibition Capture the Movement, which depicted various images of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country during 2020. I don’t view myself as beholden to one style of photography. One of my first paid assignments was an outdoor wedding in Battery Park; I haven’t done another wedding since. Same with engagements or couples. I feel capable of doing any job that requests my services. I adapt to the project.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started getting serious about photography, I started following photographers on Instagram whose style and photos appealed to me. I also looked for as many meetups as I could find in locations I had never been to in New York City. That way I had a creative environment to develop my skills and an avenue for networking. In the last few years I feel like as I’ve gotten better at developing my photography, going to meetups and other shoots allows models and other creatives to match my work with the person behind it and it builds my presence out from there.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In undergraduate college I was a music major. I played trombone in high school and undergrad bands as well as ran sound for events. Then I went to Hofstra for grad school and earned a Masters in Communications. By 2011, when I had completed both, there were no job offers and worse, I still felt like directionless, like I hadn’t found that one thing that would tie in all my abilities and potential. The next year, I started pursuing creative writing and the year after standup comedy. Both forced me out of my comfort zone and forced me to mature emotionally. Photography came two years later as the perfect blend of my creative pursuits, intellectual hunger and emotional needs

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Cal_Ed_
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cal_ed_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calvinedhenderson
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/calvin-henderson
• Twitter: twitter.com/Cal_Ed
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCXp_kIz9tjYvo0gYilSSlgg
• Other: https://calvinhenderson.darkroom.con

Image Credits
All images by Calvin Henderson