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

Hi Dylan, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

100% Sooner. I got a rather late start on my photography journey. I had always been into it and even got accepted to Sac State as a photography major but didn’t follow through due to money and loans. This was all pre-social media before photos were a major daily part of everyone’s lives and creating a career out of it just seemed unobtainable. For some reason, I put it on the back burner, and wasn’t really until the launch of Instagram and advanced technology on cell phone cameras that I rediscovered my passion for it. Looking back on it now it seems that skipping ten years really set me back as to where I could be if I never let it go.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I like to just say I’m a photographer, but when I break it down into what I do to make a living, I’m a wedding and portrait photographer. I’ve always loved creating images. From disposable cameras to my first photography class, I’ve always loved being able to capture memories. But it wasn’t until 2014 when I bought a digital camera for a backpacking trip through New Zealand where the passion caught fire. I started chasing sunsets and capturing light in landscapes and I found something that came so naturally that I actually enjoyed. With enough humbling compliments, I decided to start taking pictures of people. I started by taking pictures of my friends and their kids, but when my boss asked me to photograph his wedding, I never looked back. With just enough to make a portfolio, referrals came in one after another. I was using my landscape background in my wedding photography to sort of make something a little different than the average wedding photographer and I think that’s what drew a lot of people into my style. I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I was following the term, fake it till you make it and it seemed to be working. I took pictures, put them up online, told people a low number of what I charged, and next thing I knew, I was no longer having to wake up every day to go work for someone else. I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I was so lost for so long that when I found something that I loved, that supported me, I felt like it gave me a purpose and i wasn’t just bouncing around life from paycheck to paycheck,

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

I think it would have to be that cliche saying that if your job is something you love then it isn’t work. I tried to think of a 100 different answers but this one is what I kept circling back to. I love that I get to take pictures for a living. I get to meet so many different people and it’s taken me to places and venues and all sorts of fun events that I never would of even thought about going to in my previous life. I get to wake up everyday and I’m my own boss and get to capture moments and create memories for others while still being able to let out some artistic wants while doing so and doing this interview is a great reminder of what I actually have and why I love it.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Honestly supporting artists and creatives seems to be something no one cares about anymore because literally everything we do daily is look at someone else’s content/art. It’s such a normal part of life now to just see photographs and watch videos. I think in my world of photography, pictures are so normal to everyone that they forget that someone else had to take them. The easiest way to support a photographer is to tag and credit them on social media and it seems to be such a hard task for so many people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dylankylephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylankylephotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylankylephotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-k-916144178
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dylankylephotography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dylan-kyle-photography-san-luis-obispo

Image Credits
Dylan Kyle