We were lucky to catch up with Basketball Photography’s Newest Rising Star, CJ McGill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, CJ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

This is a great question and one I feel many business owners, especially content creators dwell on constantly. If I were to start my journey over the only thing I would do differently is put myself out there more and embrace the moments as they come. Many people in my industry move with hesitancy, assuming they don’t have the right equipment to get started, assuming they don’t know enough people, or they don’t have a big enough network. My advice would be to simply grab a camera and a lens that is within YOUR BUDGET and go for it. Go outside and shoot photos at the park, go to a gym and ask the front desk receptionist if you can practice your craft for the day, ask a family member, etc. Literally do anything in your power to get some practice in and go from there. You will be surprised at what taking that time to not only learn your equipment but your craft will lead you to in the long run. You’ll also discover both your style of art and what type of content you love to create. For me that became basketball photography.

For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

My journey into this industry actually spans a great deal of time. I’ve loved the game of basketball ever since I was 5 years old and according to my parents I have always had an inquisitive mind as to how things work and how I can bring something creatively from my brain and manifest it into the real world. As I grew up, I played basketball competitively for of some of North Carolinas most elite organizations and with some of North Carolinas most elite players. Some of whom you probably knew by watching your favorite College and NBA teams a few years back. As time went on and my competitive hunger to play the game began to disappear, I began searching for other means that bring me joy. I attended college, worked jobs in the retail fashion world, took tech courses, started my own marketing business, etc. You name it, I’ve probably had a business or some type of involvement around it. As time continued to progress I kept asking myself, am I happy with what I’m doing? Basic answer…no, I wasn’t. I then looked more into the creative side of things and picked up a camera. This is where things truly began for me. As I had began delving into the creative arts taking random photos here and there to try and find my passion, even becoming a sneaker YouTuber, I think back to a random conversation I had with one of my greatest friends with whom I had met randomly at a bank. Shout out to Milton Chavis, Owner and Lead Basketball Skills Trainer of MDW Basketball for this next part. I remember talking to Milton about business and how I have a new passion for photography and content creation. Milton then invited me to his training sessions and gave me full freedom to produce the best content I could for MDW Basketball. Now the best part is that most of the creative work I did was….well…bad. I would shoot photos and as I showed them to Milton he would give me honest but yet humbling feedback as to how I can improve my craft. I wont’t go into details about those conversations but let’s just say those words stick with me as I progress and continue to improve. My journey, my work ethic and those words have now taken me from being a novice in the industry to a professional basketball photographer. I am now able to produce high level, high quality, professional imagery for organizations and individuals of all types in the basketball realm. If I had to narrow it down to something that I am most proud of, it’s the constant grind I placed on myself to just get better and to reach out to different clubs and programs for opportunities. Because of this, my brand is now on the rise and I can honestly say that I have found “My Thing”. I feel like a kid again, loving the game of basketball as I did before, only difference this time around I am on the baselines taking the best photos versus on the court and shooting jump-shots.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I remember very clearly a moment in time that I will call “The Shift of my Passion”. Early on in my creative journey after I picked up my camera I tried my luck at being a “Sneaker YouTuber” or a “Shoetuber” as some may call it. I would go buy some of the most hyped shoes from various brands and review them on YouTube for my subscribers. Although I was able to grow a solid following with that platform, my views of it all changed when I realized how repetitive I was becoming. My passion for the sneaker Youtube world would soon fade as I would simply buy a shoe, tell you how much it cost, tell you to go buy it, try it on at the end and than tell you to “Like, Comment and Subscribe”. A couple years of doing that would drive anyone crazy and make you do some soul searching. It took a little time but I eventually discovered what I TRULY LOVE DEEP DOWN IN MY BEING. I thought back to the moment of me being a little kid again, and remembered the things I was doing that brought me joy. The only part I had to think about were, what are those things exactly and how do I recreate them now that I am an adult. The first thing that came to mind was the game of basketball and the second was my new found love for photography. You combine those and you have a man destined for greatness following his passion for the game of basketball and using his camera as a vessel to facilitate those pieces of work.

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

Building your brand in a positive light starts with humbling yourself, understanding what you’re good at, working on the things you are not so good at, and taking opportunities that put you in rooms that will set you up for success in the future. A lot of people in my industry come in and leave very quickly because they believe that all you have to do is pick up a camera, turn it on, and now you’re a pro. It’s not like that at all and in most professions from my understanding that will never be the case. For me as a professional basketball photographer, I had to put in the time to my craft and learn the equipment I was using. For some, that may take months, for others it may take years. Regardless you have to humble yourself and move at a pace that is comfortable for you. There will be times where you may have to work for free, but, it is those moments where you are in the room with other creatives in your industry and now it is time to perform. I used those opportunities to learn from industry professionals about settings, lighting, shutter speeds, iso, camera bodies, editing tactics, project/photo deployment and delivery, etc. and that has allowed me to display both a willingness to learn but also create a reputation with my clients that help them understand I will deliver professional work. Humble yourself, stay self-accountable and learn your craf while taking the opportunities you feel will aid in your development and go from there.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @MACTHESHOOTER
• Other: EMAIL FOR BUSINESS INQUIRIES – cjmcgill.biz@gmail.com WEBSITE COMING SOON.

Image Credits
ALL IMAGES CAPTURED BY CJ MCGILL (IG @MACTHESHOOTER)