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

Erik, appreciate you 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.

Photography started out for me as a Music Engineer/Producer for my own recording studio Hi-Def Recording studios. I grew up in church playing piano and drums, producing beats, and taking pictures to produce cover artwork for local rappers in the area, never imagining that music would lead me to what God revealed was my real true passion- yes Photography! I didn’t even consider myself as a photographer in the moment because Music/Running my own recording studio is what I really honestly thought was my passion and my calling as most people would state when they heard my work, but God had something different planned. I had to really take a step back, pause, pray and process this next pivot that was about to take place in my life that would change everything for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I transitioned from music to photography in 2012, with no experience other than watching youtube videos and getting out and offering free sessions for nearly 2 years to learn the camera, shooting in natural light and with off-camera flash. I was later offered the opportunity to shoot 5k races for various organizations in Valdosta Ga and surrounding areas for almost 4 years every weekend for free, giving back to the community and being acknowledged in the local newspaper, which is what initially kickstarted Erik Revills Photography. Was it a hard transition? Yes, it was because there were times when I reached out to multiple photographers who I admired but never received any help or responses which almost caused me to quit and give up, but I was blessed to come across a truly experienced wedding/portrait photographer in Boston MA through a photography lighting group on Facebook who helped me in so many ways and still remain friends today. The knowledge and insight I gained from him activated this burning inside of me and I was more excited than ever because finally for once I felt like I was on the right track. I begin to receive inquiries for family, couples, and wedding photography services. With no real sense of what my niche was, I jumped into with the mindset to just shoot a little bit of everything to get my feet wet and to see honestly what I was most passionate about capturing and developing a consistent cohesive look so that my work stood out. Went through a few life-changing events in my life that took a toll on my photography. But little did I know that one of the hugest opportunities would come my way to reignite the fire internally. In July 2018 I received a message from a 5k runner “Mrs. Patsy Casteen” who became like family to me, she was needing me for photography services and stated that the director of photography for woman’s world magazine would be calling me to go over the details for her weight loss story. My heart dropped, I thought it was literally a dream. How in the world is it possible that the magazine I used to look at as a kid would be the same magazine I would be producing a spread and cover image for, which led to them offering me a contract for a number of other weight loss stories that took me on travel journeys to Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. Photography has done so much for me in so many ways from transitioning me out of being an introvert to overcoming some of my biggest fears and meeting some of the most awesome people in the world who have become like family to me from couples to families.

Photography means the world to me and to see my clients share their thoughts on my work in social media posts along with images I’ve captured of them is like no other feeling. Every opportunity I get I try to encourage other photographers that reach out because as Proverbs 27:17 says Iron sharpens Iron, and so one person sharpens another. The knowledge I’ve gained from my mentor/friend and through my own shooting experience I pass it on because I want to see others be great, and see them pass it on to the next generation to see them become great creatives as well and not give up or quit on what you most passionate about. We all have a purpose here on earth and I believe as we travel through the valleys of life, God connects us with the things, people, and places that walk us right into what we are destined to be!

I have to give the Glory to God because without Him I would not be where I am nor would I have had the opportunities I’ve had and still acquiring if I had not trusted Him in the process and got out and done the work! You have to get out and do the work and yourself in a position for what you want to happen in your Life!

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

I honestly believe what helped build my reputation within my target market was in the way of how I connected with my clients and their families. If and when a client arrives at the place where they trust you enough to invest in you, that moment will carry over into more referable moments. I value my clients and they are just another photoshoot for me or just another dollar, because truth be told if I wasn’t making money off of photographer I would still be shooting it. I’ve worked hard to develop the look for my work because I wanted to be able to provide every client with a timeless experience not just high end paying clients but even the budget clients. I wanted everyone that stepped in front of my camera to walk away with the same experience no matter if I had gotten paid $150 or $3000. No client is better than the other and throughout my career in photography God has helped me develop consistency in my business and myself character wise. I’m proud of where I am and that I’m still learning and growing and helping others elevate in their photography careers to become better than me because the millennials that are rising up are far more advanced in what their creative minds are producing so anyway I can assist them I do it!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I Can Do All Things Through Christ which Strengthens Me | Philippians 4:13

That scripture is what has been the driving force of my creative journey. So many people feel less than. Unqualified in ways that creates doubt within their minds that says “If I don’t have a degree in photography I’ll never do this or that or I’ll never reach this place in my life” and with God all things are possible! Moments like this I tell people God doesn’t call the Qualified, he Qualifies the Called! I get asked a lot, Erik how in the world did you go from just being a local photographer to being in a global magazine and getting booked to travel to different areas of the world to shoot what you passionate about and my response is always I prayed and I asked God to show me the way and if photography was a part of my purpose to reveal and confirm it and I just started doing the work even before God showed me anything because one thing I know if something isn’t your purpose it’ll be the thing that leads you to the thing that leads you to your purpose!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erikrevillsphotography.com
• Instagram: @erikrevillsphotography
• Facebook: erikrevillsphotography
• Other: TikTok

Image Credits
Erik Revills Photography