We recently connected with Kris Gibbs and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kris, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

I would spend time & energy more intentionally by utilizing connections as potential business and honing in on a cleaner overall brand. I’d also stop doing free shoots.

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

I picked up my first camera in the summer of 2015, attended a ‘photo meetup’ in Grand Rapids that fall, and moved here in 2016. Since then, I’ve shot over 100,000 photos for projects with music festivals, clothing brands, creative studios, modeling agencies, and other artists around the country.

In 2020 I released a 6″ x 9″ gloss zine which contained 46 pages of my best Grand Rapids photos. I partnered with designer Leon Sarfoh to produce 40 copies of the book and we sold out completely within two weeks.

In the same year, I uploaded four different Instagram filters, which have since amassed over 50 million impressions worldwide.

I adopted a heavy passion for dynamic lifestyle and brand photography early on, which eventually turned into me being a one-man creative agency. Now I service photo, web design, brand identity, and social media management projects.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Consistently creating + posting good work.

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

Looking back at the things I’ve accomplished and the art that I’ve created.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.krisgibbs.us/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtvkribbs/