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

Hi Brandon , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

I have been a photographer for over a decade. As a black photographer, the climb to profession was a challenge being afforded the same opportunities as other photographers as far as contracts, ambassador relations and more. I have been a flash photographer for about 6 years. I learned along time ago in order for you to achieve a uniqueness in your photos and take your skill to another level you must learn flash and lighting. As I become more and more understanding of flash and using light modifiers like softboxes and beauty dishes to give that nice soft additional light to your pictures, learning off camera flash became second nature to me. Using flash outside on location and in studio. Since the beginning of photography, it has only been known that using a light modifier with either a silver or white interior was the only way to go. One day I was in my garage using a Vflat on the black side to subtract light and I remembered how I loved the look on the model when bouncing light off the negative side and it occurred to me, “What if this same look could be made into a soft box or beauty dish. So I ordered parts off amazon to assemble my own modifier from a pizza dish to represent the interior deflector plate to other parts and built my own beauty dish and painted it black. I then used it in a photoshoot shoot and was blown away on what black does with flash and how it looks on a model vs other modifiers. From I contacted a company in China familiar with photography and beauty dishes and for the next 2 years, we went back and forth with my specifications, dimensions, material requests and more. Once the product achieved my specifications, I organized about 4 photoshoots with different models, different complexions to see how my all new Black beauty dish affected each one. We went through about 6 months of R&D. Once everything was to my liking, The 40″ Blackdish was brought to life. In September of 2022, I officially announced The Blackdish to the world; The very first all black beauty dish light modifier, that gives a much softer light with reduced specularity and more natural tones. The only one in the world. In the world of photography, no black photographer has ever created their own product. Black photographers dont create lenses, flashes, cameras, nothing. After that, the BlackDish LLC was up and running. www.theblackdish.com is more than just a website that sells my light modifier. To date, we have added another all black 22” modifier and I have also added my very own all black C-stand known as The Blackstand, capable of holding monolights or flashes. In the future I will be adding more and more all Black items to add to my brand. To be a black photographer, run a website that features all black items in photography and produce the very first all black modifier of its kind, history was made. To date over 300 photographers around the world, have ordered The Blackdish and other items from me. The reviews have been amazing! We have shipped as far as Germany and Japan. There is no middle man. I am not partnered with other companies to push my product. Manufacturing is done by me and my business partner, the products are then shipped to me, sold by me, housed in storage by me and shipped to consumers by me. I own 100% of The Blackdish with no help from anyone. No grants, nothing. It took all of my savings to bring my idea to life. Going back and forth with China, shipping and more and now it can sustain itself.

Brandon , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I always knew I wanted to be a photographer. As I would see images in magazines, I was fascinated on how photographers had the ability to stop time and capture the beauty of a model. But little did I know this was just the beginning. As I started to learn more about photography and what it takes to be a great photographer, I found out how much dedication and knowledge it takes to achieve shot after shot. I started off with an old Sony A300 and started taking pictures of family. Then I learned about lenses, aperture, ISO, shutter and how the basics of lighting affected my image. Once I learned natural light and using available light to capture my image, it still wasn’t enough. My images were not looking like the magazines I use to read. That’s when I learned flash and begin the master the art of flash photography. Currently I am a professional portrait photographer, but I also shoot weddings, newborn, events or anything my clients request. I have worked with a lot of modeling agencies and models to help models create their portfolios. Influencing, teaching and helping those looking to advance their skill level in photography and modeling has been a big passion of mine. I take the time to teach models and photographers about composition, posing, lighting and more so they can continue to develop their skillset and become better in this industry which is what I think sets me apart from others. I am most proud of my following and the people who have taken the time to learn from me and support me and my journey. It feels great to know that I can go from city to city and photographers will come out to learn from me and my experience as a pro photographer. Photography is something you do not stop learning. It is a constant experience; more techniques, more locations, studio, outside, daytime, nighttime, you never stop learning which is what I love about photography. Something unique about my style is on my Youtube channel and in my work, you see me shooting all types of models. I shoot in studio, on location, I shoot natural light. I try to hit all areas of a photographer so I can appeal to and educate those in all areas and facets of their skillset. When you follow and look at my work or my videos, I always try to make it as educational and fun as possible. There is always something you can learn from me. As an entrepreneur, I am truly proud that I followed my dream and made it into what it is today. So many people said it couldn’t be done or your modifier is “unconventional” and would not work. Never give up on your dream, your passion for anyone. I am proud of the Blackdish and look for it to be as big as any other photography company in the near feature but will be all black products black owned.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met Manny Pierre in 2019. I was doing a photo seminar downtown Norfolk, VA. Manny was one of the photographers who came to my workshop to learn off camera flash. He was an up and coming photographer and wanted to learn more about capturing better images. We remained in contact and became close friends. Manny started coming out more regularly to my normal photoshoots with models to learn and assist with lighting or recording. We have been close ever since. Manny also owns a separate candle business and has ties with companies in China already so his marketing and connections assisted in the inception of The Blackdish.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The particular goal for me right now is to get The Blackdish to the rest of the world. I would like photographers all around the world to know and understand how great of a product I have created. I would like people to understand the story behind the product and the enterprise I am creating. For a black-owned photographer to start a photographer business with a product no one has ever experienced or seen before is monumental. That feeling you get when you have created something and there is not another one NO WHERE in the world or ever created in the history of humanity and you created the first one; it’s a historical feeling. I see The Blackdish introducing more and more all black photography related products to the photography community. I see this company being a one stop shop where photographers can buy the accessories they need and support one of the first black-owned photography companies in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brandoncolephotos.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/brandoncolephotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/brandoncolephotography
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/brandoncolephotography
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/brandoncolephotography
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brandoncolephotography

Image Credits
Model: Sarah Model: Taliah