We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kareem Stevens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kareem, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I started my journey in Photography as a musician who sometimes had to film performances for other artists that I worked with. During my time traveling the circuit doing shows and networking I was approached by a hip hop publication and asked to be a journalist interviewing Published Models. Once I started featuring and working with the models and their management and publicists I had the idea that it would be beneficial if I could do photoshoots with some of the models I featured. Over the years I struggled to find my own signature style as a creative and even ventured into fetish photography which allowed me to learn how to use my equipment. I started studying female boudoir photographers and photographers who specialized in dark and moody style portraiture and that is where I saw my inspiration. It wasn’t an easy transition into my new style of creating but once I was able to shoot with a couple of relevant models in my area that’s when the work started circulating amongst the other creatives. I feel good about the progress that I am making and pride myself as being one of the few male photographers who offers the style of work that I do.

Kareem, 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?

My background is deeply rooted in Hip Hop and entertainment. I have been an independent Hip Hop artist most of my life and in my youth I was also known for my art skills. I had a really decent hand for drawing human faces and shading was one of my best attributes. My work behind a camera started as a photojournalist covering Hip Hop festivals across the country and interviewing musicians and Published Models. When it comes to the service I offer I believe that it is more than a photographer service but it is truly a sensual awakening for some of my clients. I am able to create an environment that most of them have never experienced and produce images unlike many of the photographers that they may have worked with already. My ultimate goal is to create as much beautiful art as I can and impact the lives of the clients that I am blessed to work with.

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

I was able to build a reputation in my market for having a service that was kind of untapped into. When I started taking photography more seriously I wanted to be in a lane that wasn’t already oversaturated. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to come in and disrupt what was already going on and so I tried to create my own vibe. Another thing about me is I do not mind working with the clients that are overlooked and possibly under utilized. My clients are primarily women and I have a good reputation amongst the plus size modeling community. I am able to present them in a light that they don’t typically get shown by my understanding of shadows and rich tones.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

At the moment as a photographer I have two separate brand names and only one of them has a decent following. I am in the process of building up my K.Stevens Photography Brand and I plan on doing it organically. My audience consists primarily of people who know of me from my endeavors in the music business and from my time doing media and journalism. My fetish photography brand grew legs of it’s own by way of traveling to do photo and video shoots with models from all walks of life. That whole community embraced me with open arms and word of mouth and other creative giving me recommendations and shout outs helped me grow on Instagram primarily. My advice to any creative who is trying to build a following is to definitely network with other creatives and let the work travel like it’s supposed to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kareemstevens.smugmug.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kstevensphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KStevensPhotographyPage
• Other: https://kavyar.com/ep5ar9vor6lr

Image Credits
Sabrina Whipple Ebony Johnson Dynasty Gilmore Bree Douglas Zekeilia Bellamy Tropica Jones Nzula Kasina Friesian Mami Headshot credit: Bay Mitchell Photography