Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tony Redmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tony, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It’s easy for it to feel like you have to dedicate your entire existence to your art. If you don’t, you’re less valid as an artist. But I have found that mentality unsustainable for the age we live in.

We aren’t artists in the renaissance on government grants, given all the time and space we need to create masterworks. We are 21st century artists living under challenging economic circumstances in a world that perpetually leans away from human creativity.

I don’t make a full time living off of photography, but I do make a full time living as an artist. My time is split between photography and making art for video games. For a long time I tried to focus on just one of those two paths, but by doing both I’m able to have security that I wouldn’t have otherwise. And as an added bonus, I gain a much broader sense of inputs by not being limited by the photography medium. I even get to travel and spend meaningful time with friends and family.

We have the right to build our lives however we want. I don’t think devoting our existence to a medium was ever really the right answer for me. Instead I prefer to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, and to channel inspiration into the medium of my choice.

Tony, 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’m a fashion & beauty photographer based between Austin and New York. My work is focussed on natural beauty, often with little to no makeup and occasionally unretouched. I’m drawn to images that feel complete.

I grew up in the pacific northwest, with no real awareness of the fashion industry. I stumbled into photography in my 20s, and had no big plan or desire to do anything serious with it. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to recreate the images I saw online and started thinking for myself that I became interested in photography.

Since then I’ve been exploring and creating a network of people I love working with. In some ways I feel photography is an excuse for me to spend time with people. I’m often more invested in the stories and experiences of those around me than I am my own success.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first started learning photography, I was constantly searching for articles and tutorials online. I was so focussed on trying to do everything “right” – the right equipment, right lighting, right styling, etc.

Photography has little to do with cameras, and it takes very little time to operate one. Photographers skip the years of refining technique, where artists in other mediums are finding their voice by taking the time to think purely; to observe and reflect.

Instead, photographers have to consciously create space to observe ourselves. And that’s not something that can be learned by reading tutorials online.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

By trade I’m a photographer, but generally I don’t think very highly of the medium. Today it feels increasingly like photography is used to present ourselves even more artificially than before.

Somewhere along the line we stopped capturing images of ourselves to remember our lives, and started capturing images of ourselves to prove something to others. Images of people should not be for the viewer, they belong to the subject.

Over the course of our lives we accumulate discomforts around all aspects of our physical bodies. Even beyond appearance, it’s natural to feel unhappy withx how our body moves when we walk, how we stand or sit still in a chair, or even how we breathe.

My work is primarily focused on removing the stigmas placed on us by our world and by ourselves. I’m drawn to moments of solitude or silence – the space in which we are simply existing. In that space we are both highly connected to our minds, and often most unobservant of our bodies.

Contact Info:

• Website: studioredmer.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/tonyredmer

Image Credits
1. Haley Camille with makeup by Stephanie Cantu (unretouched) 2. Helena Roy of Mazza Models (unretouched) 3. Coy White of One Management NY (retouched) 4. Ryan Bailey Potter (retouched) 5. Haley Camille with makeup by Stephanie Cantu (retouched) 6. Bousso with JAG Models (retouched) 7. Lexie Schmelzer with JAG Models (retouched) 8. Tim Henson of Polyphia with makeup by Megan Davis (retouched)