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

Gaby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents were super supportive of my artistic pursuits from the beginning. When I was a kid, I was always trying a new art project, painting my room, making a collage, or taking photos. They really encouraged my creative spirit and made me feel like I could be an artist when I grew up. I know that’s not the norm, so I really appreciate all they did for me to foster my creative pursuits.

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

I got started with photography when I was twelve years old. My mom gave me a camera to take to a concert, and I ended up taking hundreds of photos that night and loving it. From there, I started taking my friends senior photos for $50 when I was in high school, and then I decided to study photography in college. I interned for a wedding photographer and a food photographer, both which were fun experiences that showed me different ways to use my creativity with photography. Then, when I was in New York, I had some friends that were in a band ask if I could take photos at their next local concert. I tried it and was hooked. I started making connections in the music industry, and was super lucky to be connected to Charles Reagan, who is based in Austin and is the lead photographer for C3 Presents, who eventually hired me to be on staff at ACL. I’m currently working as J Balvin’s photographer, so anytime he has a concert, music video, etc I will fly to whatever city it is and do the photography. It’s so fun that I get to travel, take photos and meet so many awesome people. I think what keeps me inspired is always mixing it up, trying so many kinds of photography and doing new things. I feel like I’m a pretty creative person, so even when I’m not shooting, I’m doing thrift store projects, crafts at home, etc.

I went to college at Webster University in St. Louis and studied photography and fine art. I received a Masters in Fashion Photography from London College of Fashion in England. After London, I lived in NYC for two years building my photography business and then in 2020 moved to Austin. I’ve been a photographer ever since I was a teenager, and always knew that was the career path I wanted to take. I spent some time doing fashion photography, and got to photograph London, New York and Paris fashion weeks. When I was in New York, I worked as a food photographer, and when I first moved to Austin I was mainly doing wedding photography. Then I got into concert photography, and realized that’s what I wanted to pursue. It’s been fun to try so many different styles of photography and see what I like. In the fall of 2021, I was one of the staff photographers for Austin City Limits music festival, which was so much fun. This year, a highlight was getting to photograph Shawn Mendes’ concert for SXSW. And I just got to go to my first Coachella to photograph J Balvin. I’m excited to see where the rest of the year takes me.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

If I had one piece of advice for someone wanting to get into photography or start their own photography business, it would be that the biggest things that helped me was networking in the industry and just hustling. At the very beginning of my business, I would give out free photoshoots or do trades just to build my portfolio and get my name out there. Now, because of my network and all the time I put into my craft, I can make a living doing what I love, and that feels so empowering. I say this all the time and it’s cheesy but true: follow your dreams!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m always trying to be involved in photo projects that support women. I recently had an art gallery show on South Congress called #BadassWomenATX. The premise of the project was that I spent about a year photographing 50 female business owners that lived in Austin. I also interviewed them about their businesses and advice they would give to someone just starting a business. Once I had all the portraits taken, I held a show at SoCo Modern gallery where I displayed all the images and quotes from the women. It was a really great networking event and space for folks to come get inspired, see cool photos and speak with fellow female business owners.

Contact Info:

• Website: gabydeimeke.com
• Instagram: @gabydeimeke
• Linkedin: @gabydeimeke
• Twitter: @gabydeimeke
• Youtube: @gabydeimeke
• Other: TikTok @gabydeimeke

Image Credits
Photos by Gaby Deimeke