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

Devon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Witnessing the rise of digital photography, social media and now AI has been quite the rollercoaster as a photographer. As an artist that prides himself on “traditional” practices within my craft, I’ve tried to stay as authentic as possible.

Social media was/has never been my favorite thing. I love the early concept of social media platforms like Instagram; being creative, sharing your art for your friends and peers, and that’s it. Now, it has definitely become a place to advertise your business or YOURSElF. I’ve never been one to put myself out there like that, so social media has been a bit of a hurdle for me.

However, I have come to find a middle ground between sharing my art using social media as a means of “advertising”. We can’t deny the advantages of exposure of social media when done correctly. That niche where you can maintain your creative individuality and authenticity while getting your name out there for the people is a great place to operate. it took some time for me to find my place on social media, but it feels good as I settle in and continue to grow.

Digital photography itself has been the standard for many years now. Even though I used film in my early days, I primarily. have shot digital my entire career. Shooting film has mostly just been for fun. With the advancements of digital photography, possibilities are endless, we have infinite gigs worth of space to take endless amounts of photos and we have about 20 different social media platforms to share those photos so we can gather up all of the likes. It all sounds so nice..

With all of that technological advancement, there also comes the down side. The lack of respect for the art itself has definitely become prominent in the photography arena. I am of the thought that photography, and art itself, is mostly about the creative process and not the end result; much like life.

Having all of the tech gear and powerful camera phones has taken a little bit of the magic out of the process. Its saturated the market and made it a little TOO easy to call yourself a “photographer”. It’s important and beneficial to know how and why you are capturing these images, instead of just pushing a button and letting the gear do the talking.

HOWEVER, I don’t want to sound like a complete photography-boomer.. ART IS ART. I think artist, myself included, are finding that niche where the technical gear, AI and social media are being used in a way that COMPLIMENTS the artistic vision. I feel that the over-saturation of the game hit a high and now we are starting to scale back and get in touch with our roots. Much like fashion and music, everything ends up coming full circle. I believe we are now seeing that era where trends like film photography are coming back strong but are now being shared on a digital platform on the regular. THAT is a beautiful place for us artist to be.

Devon, 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?

For the past 8 years, I have been professionally photographing part time. Anything from branding, headshots, family photography, events, you name it.

That aspect of my photography has slowed down significantly in the past year. Life has a way of throwing wrenches in your operation. But those obstacles tend to always turn into opportunities.

With this halt in professional photo work, I’ve been able to really focus on my true love, The reason I got into the hobby: street photography.

I’ve recently opened up an online shop where my art is available to view and purchase. Physical prints are another thing that I believe are coming back into the light. Many years of only viewing art on digital screens has become the norm but the tangible feel of a framed piece of art on high quality paper “hits different” as the kids like to say.

Since I’ve been focusing on creating art that truly means a lot to me and receiving feedback from friends, customers and followers has been amazing. I’ve come to realize that the message(s) that I’m trying to put across in my art its actually resonating with people. That’s the ultimate goal, for me.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I would’ve been able to network with people my age that were into photography when I was younger. I’ve met so many great individuals later in my career via social media or just being out and about. Besides having photographers in my family (Mother and older brother), I’ve learned so much from my peers lately and they continue to inspire me to create more and more.

Social media actually helped facilitate that in a major way. Even though I have a somewhat distant relationship with social media, the more I’ve come around to utilizing it, the more I’ve benefitted from its perks. It does have its upsides!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

By far, the most rewarding part of my art/craft is seeing people resonate with the work and cherish it.

Whether its a family receiving their holiday photos and falling In love with them enough to use them as a Christmas card, or somebody has connects with one of my pieces from my website enough to frame it and hang it up in their home.

I love being able to capture moments in this world from my perspective. Sharing that vision and knowing that others can feel it is priceless to me

Contact Info:

• Website: www.devonsweatphoto.darkroom.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/devonsweat_photo