We were lucky to catch up with Antonio Johns recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Antonio, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to create art. I want to take moments and create works of art with them. May they be in nature, at an event, or just walking around outside. Every time I shoot an event, a photoshoot, or just practice, I hope to create something that someone else would see that would make them feel something. I strive to provide the best photography services that I can to as many people that I can. I want people to be able to look at one of my photos from their shoot or event and feel a sense of happiness even if just for a moment. I hope to spark something in people that would make them want to dive more into photography. To look past what they see on social media like Instagram. With my photography, I hope to be able to teach another or multiple people about photography. I want to help spark that love for photography. I want to show people that it’s more than just me with a fancy camera and a nice big lens pressing a button. There is so much more to it. There is so much to learn and the learning never stops. There is so much that we see and don’t see and my mission is to open people’s eyes to what they didn’t see or how they could’ve seen it differently. My photography and my business are more than just ways to make money, it’s a way for me to help leave a small mark in someone’s life. If I can make someone happy by doing something that I love to do, then why not do it?

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware and moved down to the DMV to attend Howard University. I immediately fell in love with the city and so many different spots here within the DMV. I came to realize that I have a love and a passion for photography while living out here. I had dabbled in it a little bit prior to committing to getting better at the craft and developing my skills and knowledge. Once Covid hit and shut everything down, one of my best friends and I started hiking and checking out different trails throughout Maryland, DC, and Virginia. We joked about me getting a camera so I could start taking landscape photos and one day we found ourselves at Best Buy and she convinced me to buy a Canon Rebel T7 kit camera and lenses. That started me on my photography journey and led to the creation of T.Johns Production. I now offer photography services for personal and corporate events, weddings, portrait shoots, professional headshots, fashion shows, and commercial real estate. By offering a wide variety of services, I’ve been able to learn very quickly through experience. I’ve always focused on what my clients want and try make sure that I offer and go beyond their expectations. I love having candid conversations with my clients to learn more about them and what they want or are looking to accomplish by hiring me. I love using my skills and creativity to provide the best photos that they love and I can feel proud of as a business owner and artist. By giving my all to each client, I’ve been able to retain my clientele and establish more business through social media and word-of-mouth over the past two years of being in business. I want my prospective clients to know and see that they are going to get more than great quality photos. That’s the easiest part of what I do. I want my future clients to know that I make sure that their experience with T.Johns Production is pleasant and stress-free from the beginning. I give my all to every event or shoot. I take my work seriously and when you hire me, you hire more than a Photographer, you are hiring a very passionate artist.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I was able to build my audience on social media by shooting with any and everyone. In the DMV, there are photography meets where a bunch of photographers and models come together to shoot and be creative together. They are great networking opportunities especially for photographers that are just starting out. I started going to the meets early in my career and I was able to meet and learn from other photographers while also working with local models as well. Since I was a new photographer, I would set up photoshoots with who ever I could because I wanted the practice and I would work with models that have an established social media presence. Over time, my followers started to grow thanks to the models posting my work and also having the support of other photographers. I also utilized hashtags and was able to gain followers and clients.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

When I’m shooting, I feel like I am able to get lost in creating art. It allows me to get away from the things that we all stress about like bills, family, work, goals, things that need to be done, etc. When I am behind the camera, I can just focus on what I want to portray in that moment. I get to take a look at what’s in front of me, figure out what I want the scene to look like, and then figure how I can create what I pictured in my mind. I am also able to get lost in the surrounding world and capture those beautiful one time only moments. I am able to capture and truly enjoy seeing people smile, hug, laugh, cry, or frown. I can truly submerse myself into photography and look at the world more creatively. I’m also able to challenge myself to take the most simple, mundane overlooked objects or scenes and use a photo to change one’s perspective of said object or scene, which I greatly enjoy.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tjohnsproduction.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tjohns_production?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Image Credits
Videographer: Omni Hassan Models in frames: Joshlyn Peace, Megana Chinalachaiagari, and Rebecca Chen