We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Timothy Conley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Timothy below.

Timothy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned photography by accident. My goal was to be a filmmaker and films are made with cameras. So I picked up a camera and tried to learn as much about it as I could. Slowly I started to take pictures.

If I knew I wanted to learn how to be a photographer I would have dedicated more time to taking pictures and less time focusing on technicalities. The act of taking a picture has always taught me more than reading about taking pictures.

I hindered my progress a lot by creating obstacles. Taking photos of strangers frightened me; even if I did take a stranger’s picture, I was never confident enough to charge them. It was a slow process, but I do enjoy portraits today.

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 am a 20 year old filmmaker but I currently work as a product photographer for Adorama’s used items department. I take pictures of used cameras and gear that get put in an online store. When I am not at Adorama I focus heavily on documentary photography of environments and friends, as well as studio portrait work.

The thing I am most proud of is my slow progression of short films. Every film I make is slightly better than the last and while it might not be Oscar-worthy I believe, with time, it will be.

I have set up my life so that I work on the weekdays and write on the weekends, slowly saving money for my next short. Consistent work and progress are the two greatest parts of my life. Yet, I am in no way an “entrepreneur”. Creating things is my life, not “the grind”.

Filmmaking is an art. Art moves and shapes how we live. It gives us something to hold onto and understand about the world we live in. It is the means by which we deal with our lives. I want to help people do that.

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

My goal is to make at least one good feature-length film. People don’t tend to watch short films. I make short films and even I don’t regularly watch them. Feature films have a longer runtime, allowing a story to be fully fleshed out for maximum impact. That is my goal. To tell a story that has an impact.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

“The Meaning in the Making” by Sean Tucker is a “psychological, philosophical and spiritual” dive into the creative process. It gave me context and an understanding of what I make and why.

Sean Tucker is a philosopher and photographer who regularly posts videos discussing art on his Youtube channel. But back in the day, he use to post tutorials for photography that jump-started my learning process.

No matter what domain or business you are in, if you create things this book is for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.timothyconley.photography/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_sky_tim_02/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChsMFnZuJ_Rz15CSkEqzz3Q/videos