We recently connected with Joakeem Gaston and have shared our conversation below.

Joakeem, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I initially went to YouTube to learn how to take photos. I had been taking photos on cellphones of family members and friends since they were available to me. However, after considering taking photography in high school, I was told by my counselor I “wouldn’t be able to handle the workload.” granted, I wasn’t a great student in High School by any means, but hearing that initially discouraged my pursuit of photography. When I was a Sophomore, I had finally saved up some money from my first job and decided to splurge on a Canon Rebel T5. That camera purchase is what ignited my love and passion for photography. I had it until I graduated from college, where I was studying Show Production.

Knowing what I know now about photography, I would’ve told myself to study exposure and light initially. I think my initial approach was very “macrospective” since I wanted to get the shot versus understanding the theory behind the core fundamentals that enable me to do so.

To go against what I just mentioned about being “macrospective,” I honestly think that was the core piece that allowed me to take photos and learn quickly. Since I wasn’t too technical at the beginning of my journey, I was able to act on my intuition. As a musician, this is a core principle in improvisation. Acting on innate feelings versus what my ego thought would be good allowed me to learn quickly and accept critique to propel myself further.

What stood in the way then and what does from time to time now is my mind. My perception of the best photo or path to take a photo can get in the way of my creativity. Though this doesn’t happen often, it happens enough that I still consider it an obstacle.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi there, I’m Joakeem Gaston! I am a 22-year-old Boston-based photographer and musician. I started photography when I was about 16 and have been a musician currently. I now currently work in the audio software industry and do photography work outside of my day job.

I got into music/audio from my local Boys and Girls Club. There I learned the fundamentals of recording, playing an instrument, and performing. For photography, I got where I am by trial and error. In addition to learning about how the cameras I used over the years worked, I’ve turned to Youtube as my main teacher. However, I’ve started networking with other photographers and reading more about how the photographers of the past expressed themselves with this medium and why.

When a client comes to me with a vision or idea, I immediately figure out their priorities. Once that is established, I can start planning for what is possible and what part of my skillset I’ll need to focus on during the appointment.

I’m proud of the variety I offer. I’ve been lucky enough to experience different cameras, lighting scenarios, and people. I’ve had unique clientele with unique visions, which I couldn’t be happier about! I used to think because I didn’t have a consistent setting in my images that it was a weakness; however, now I see it as a strength. “Oh, we’ll be shooting in a nightclub with minimal lighting? No problem, I have a flash. Oh, you want me to take 20 headshots of youth in the city who’ve never had a headshot taken? No problem, I’ll do my best to make them comfortable and give them photos that represent them.”

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think society (in the US) needs to channel more attention to the existing platforms in their communities. Genuinely supporting the local artists and treating them with respect versus just as a means of entertainment is integral to the culture of those platforms. Supporting can look like sharing the work of your local artists or having more conversations with the creatives in your community to see how you can personally support their work.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to pave a path for the youth in my community to be creative and treat creativity as a method of expressing their feelings that words can’t. I want them to know it’s okay to be frustrated with your surroundings; however, everyone can make a difference in their way!

Contact Info:

• Website: joakeemgaston.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joakeem.gaston/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joakeemgaston
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoakeemGaston

Image Credits
The images of me, were taken by Tinghui Zeng. His Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/the_lonely_citi/