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

Marcus, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Most photographers are lured by technological advancements released by the industry’s top camera makers. However, none of these advanced features will make you a better photographer. There are three things that you have to become good at to become a proficient photographer, and none of the areas are technology based. First, you must understand how to manipulate light, composition, and mood. Take, for instance, the new advancements in auto-focusing with eye tracking; the feature is outstanding, but because photographers rely so much on the eye tracking feature, they forget about composition.

I am obsessed with getting things right on camera and the final out of the photo. This is why I switched from Sony and Canon to Fujifilm Camera System. I currently have the Fujifilm X-H1, X-T4, X100V, GFX50R, and GFX50SII. Three of these cameras have an APS-C Sensor, and two have a Medium Format Sensor. The combination of these cameras gives me commercial high-end results for studio and commercial work and the ability to travel light in all types of weather situations to get outstanding photographic results.

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?

I have been doing professional photography for over ten years. I have been doing imagery manipulation since 1994. I have used every major image editing software released since 1994. My goal in photography is to capture the most beautiful images possible, whether it’s a boudoir, wedding, landscape, street photography, or portrait. Photography is just capturing moments in time. Those moments that you capture only happen once. There are no repeats or do-overs.

We’re prepared to capture those moments that will bring you a lifetime of reflection and happiness. Passion is too small of a word to describe our dedication to the art of photography. All we have in life is our reflections of the past, and sometimes, our faces and places are distorted in our minds. Thank GOD for the ability to record those moments that will trigger emotions about things that you might have otherwise forgotten. Those memories that you can share for decades and pass down to generations. That’s what we do in photography, record those moments in time that only happens once.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Photography is a costly career field to get started in; it’s not uncommon for experienced photographers to amass over $100,000 in gear only. I just recently converted my home double car garage into a photography studio. The conversion cost was about $11,000. I would not encourage anyone to quit their full-time job unless they have enough capital and assess capital to make the transition as smoothly as possible. You can do both, have a job, do photography work, and succeed at it. Take your time, learn the craft, and accumulate the gear you need. There are a lot of individuals on social media that are distorting and just right out lying about achieving success in photography. Your digital darkroom. Skills will play a massive part in achieving high-end results

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

If you are in the photography field for popularity and to meet young women or men for personal reasons, you should find another avenue because you are headed for trouble. There is a dark and ugly side of photography that needs to be spoken about more openly. The camera can be more addicting than a narcotic (look at Instagram and what people will do to get views and likes). I do anything I can to keep photography as an art form for myself. When your creative passion becomes business first, you’re in trouble. A quote from “Alan Watts” defines the meaning of a job, and he basically says, “A job is something so abominable that there have to pay you to it!” There is nothing wrong with jobs in general, but how do people work their jobs because they love them, and how many do it because it pays the bill?

My point does not to let your creativity be about just making money because if you do, you will start doing things just to make money, and some of those things could eventually damage or hurt your reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lashahstudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lashah_studio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lashah/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lashah28
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MarcusWalkerlashahdigitalstudio/

Image Credits
The Models in the photos: Marissa Polizzi Malia Rice Luisa Perkins Ashely Logan Makala Burch Ariana Guadarrama Alondra Cornejo