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

Raphael , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always been into the arts as far as creative writing, poetry, and visual arts. My dad could draw anything you could imagine. My dad was a big inspiration for me. It wasn’t until I got tired of taking pictures with my phone that made me want to purchase a camera and really take off. Specifically, I took a picture of a turkey that I saw at my job. I got as close as I could and the picture turned out great, at least I thought it did. From the day forward, I knew I had to pick up a camera.

Raphael , 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?

I was born in Jacksonville, Florida but I have lived in the Atlanta area for forever. Florida will forever be home however. I got into the photography industry because I wanted to turn my phone pictures into something more meaningful and something I could be proud of. Specifically, I wanted to put in the work to get the exact shot I want.

I provide outstanding customer service, beautiful images of families, engagement photos, headshots, and occasionally weddings.

I believe what sets me apart is that I cater to veterans as I’m a veteran myself. I offer a veterans discount for my packages.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first got started, I wanted to make money right away. Like as soon as I finished editing and uploaded the picture to my laptop, money needed to be in my account. I scoured the Internet trying to find any site that you could sell your work to. I found a few but in the end, I didn’t make much. I felt like quitting altogether.

However, a friend of mine was honest with me and said that I’m losing the reason why I got started. Don’t worry about the money. Do it for the art and the money will come. I haven’t looked back since.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to become a photographer that people won’t recognize by face, but my art is most notably recognized.

Contact Info:

• Website: rlathepoet.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: @rlathepoet

Image Credits
Jasmine Syfuss