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

Tone, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

Which job?? I’ve had so many jobs before choosing photography as my career. I was a server for 6 years, I was in logistics, sales, a high school coach at some point and most importantly – I was also a semi-successful rapper. Many would say, those paths don’t make any sense but the main things I learned across the board was multitasking, contracts and networking.

All those jobs require some sort of self-motivation, problem solving and building genuine relationships. All of which I use today and has helped me grow in this industry.

For example: As a server it’s not just waiting tables. Servers have to wear many hats like having to do side work while taking tables, talking to guests to make them feel comfortable, rally other servers at the end of the night so you all can clean quickly and efficiently in order to get out at a decent time. This all translates to now where I need to talk to clients to make them feel comfortable with me handling their brand, rallying assistants, glam teams etc to execute the vision, and doing side work (creative directing, retouching, setting up lighting etc).

Then as a semi-successful rapper, I was in a group of three and we would work with Def Jam to record demos, do shows, marketing, a tons of other things that is unglamorous. I learned the most from this era in my life, because it taught me how to hustle and meet/work with the right people that’s mutually beneficial. I also learned about contracts! For any/everyone reading this – READ YOUR CONTRACTS, and if you don’t understand what it’s saying, you’re allowed to take a few days to get it looked over by a lawyer. Yes, it costs money but it’s cheaper than getting screwed over on the backend.

Tone, 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 am a freelance beauty / fashion photographer and retoucher based in NYC. I initially started out as a retoucher about 8 years ago. Focusing more commercial product work during that time helped me develop my eye and understand what the human eye is attracted to then developing my own style over time. Though I was shooting prior to retouching I never took it that seriously. At least not until I felt like the images that I wanted to see I had to create.

When working with clients I try to understand the language that they are trying to use so that the imagery can will marry into that seamlessly. Or at times I assist them on revamping a whole new new look. Either way the main focus is to make sure that their target market will see the imagery and it resonates with them in some way or at least tell a story.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Honestly, my entire life is a pivot and a story of resilience. From being an athlete to a rapper to a teacher, I’ve constantly pivoted until I felt like the industry I was in was a good fit for me. However, since I was young I was always interested in the fashion and beauty industry but, I never knew being a photographer in the industry was a real job or even attainable. So when I finally picked up a camera and knew it was a career that I wanted, there was only one problem. I didn’t know anyone in the industry to work with. It’s not like I could’ve just applied for a position or anything so, I instead I started working in the tech world creating content. I used that field to develop my eye and network while also working with local influencers around the fashion and beauty world. From there I just kept working until I got to where I am now, I am nowhere near where I want to be and that’s the beauty of this journey. Being able to look back at all the benchmarks that I have reached and being able to set new ones.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think my reputation was built by just being fun to work with, collaborative, professional and good at what I do. I’m a constant student to image making. I’m always finding and experimenting with new techniques, speaking with other photographers to understand their process but also studying the greats. I study how/why their work became iconic and I try to mirror myself to their philosophies with my own spin. The main things that I hear about my work is that it’s clean, the skin is beautiful and that I shoot POC’s beautifully.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tonewoolfe.com
• Instagram: @tonewoolfe
• Twitter: @tonewoolfe