We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chrisserge Pierre-Louis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chrisserge below.
Chrisserge, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York to two Haitian parents is an experience in and of itself. The juxtaposition of being sheltered in a bustling city creates this sort of “bird in a cage” psychology. Dying to break free from confinement in attempts to experience the beautiful chaos of life. A willingness to shed fear and take the awkward first steps toward the unknown. My parents were protective of me, their youngest boy, rightfully so. I was rebellious and hungry for adventure. Keeping me contained to an extent was in the best interest of the family, but little did I know it would be in my best interest as well. My parents weren’t prison wardens. We’d go to the movies almost every other Sunday and spend 12 hours movie hopping between the newest blockbusters and film flops. On the way home we would rate each movie and explain why we hated or loved them. It was with them that I went to my first art museum. I fell in love with contemporary abstract art and started making my own at home, prompting me to discover my first inspirations in Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat. We would fact check history we saw in TV shows, discuss theology with at home bible study, argued about philosophical ideals and morals learned through their life experiences as well as my own. It was even my father’s interest in landscapes and pictures that turned me into the photographer I am today. On one of our excursions, my father disappeared away from us like he always would, exploring the area alone while my mother brought us around. After 30 minutes, we would eventually look for him and always find him taking a picture of something strange on his brand new Sony camera. This particular time, we found him on one knee pointing the lens at a bench. My brother and I found this hilarious, and for months we would clown him for taking pictures of the most ordinary things as if they were fantastical. Fast forward 15 years, my mom and I were taking a walk in the park with my own camera. I was stopped in my tracks by the most beautiful combination of lighting and craftsmanship on a lamppost that looked like it was preserved since the 1900s. When I stopped to raise the camera to snap the picture, my mom started laughing at the irony. It dawned on me that I’ll always have my parents to thank for the beauty I see in ordinary things and the chaos of the world, much like my dad saw in that bench.
Chrisserge, 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?
When I began photography, it was just for fun. I would take shots on my iPhone whenever I explored the city. It wasn’t until college that I got my first camera and took things to the next level. It started as fun, capturing moments during curated campus events and organizing the participants for impromptu group photo shoots. Pretty soon these participants asked for solo shoots, drawn in by my charisma and willingness to try anything to execute my vision. I began to generate my own buzz and it was after this that I joined a modeling organization, The Genesis Models on Howard University’s campus. I fell in love with runway photography, fashion photoshoots, and conceptual portraiture. So, that became all I did. Today, I continue to run my photography business through my home studio in DC, collaborating with models and designers to execute concepts for their brand campaigns or their own personal photos. I’m most proud of curating a space for my clients to showcase what they’re most passionate about in a creative safe space, where they can bounce ideas off of me while not getting consumed by my own concepts, prioritizing their vision while still incorporating my own.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I feel like I’m in a time of pivoting right now. After doing photography for 3 years I realized there’s so much more to me. It came to me when I was collaborating with one of my frequent collaborators and friends on a video shoot. I was set photographer and it felt so natural. I was interacting with the actors and the cinematographers on set, I even was able to help direct a few key moments in the film and it all felt so natural. My ideas were great and people all just assumed I was a film director by trade but really I was someone with a clear understanding of the main directors vision. I didn’t get directing credits which was fine, but it showed that when I have complete creative control and freedom and a team of talented people that are all connected by a vision and plan, I can make some really cool stuff. I’ve creative directed photoshoots before, my own or someone else’s as a photographer, but doing it on a film set was so much more gratifying since I love all things film and cinema. I am now pivoting more into set photography and directing as I learn more about the fashion industry and marketing so I can merge all of those worlds together and transition my brand into fashion marketing campaigns for brands. Whether it be movies, tv shows, music videos or clothes, I have this new found appreciation and confidence in directing and marketing. I want this pivot to surround me around moments where I achieve flow-state and really use every ounce of my creative well.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that people are not here to see me win. I always assumed, especially beginning my passion in a very competitive environment, that everyone was out to be on top. While this may be true, there are those people who simply love collaboration and connection just like me. People who, whether it’s for me or them, are here to create passionately with other artists who just get it. One of my gifts is that I always can see from others perspective, especially when it comes to an idea or concept. So I am always recruited to be a team member of whatever project. As a result I figured I would never be able to find a team of my own to execute my own vision. I’d get my ideas taken without credit or my contributions would be immense but never properly celebrated. The most recent music video shoot I did changed that notion because ever since my days on set, I’ve been working on so many ideas with the new connections I’ve made. People who are just as invested in my success and vision as I’ve been in theirs. People who genuinely appreciate my contributions and see the direction I want to move with my career. Which is huge to me, especially since I usually work as a freelance photographer and image consultant. I’ve had few chances to just showcase my original ideas and talents of a concept from scratch. That doesn’t come from people wanting to compete, it comes from not yet finding the right community for my vision. Sometimes you have to have faith that you’ll build genuine connections with some really talented people who also want to see you in the same position as themselves and not just take.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: chriss.pierre
