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

Tion, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My journey into photography first started around 2017 when I was participating in an after school program that my mother had signed me and my sisters up for. During the program I ended up meeting this wonderful lady named Ms. Erin, who provided me with my initial experience with a camera. She taught me how to network with others, appreciate the value of the craft, and forward my skills for my future. When I had my first shoot I admit I was extremely nervous of the outcome and my performance, but she helped me overcome my anxiety even in my most unfortunate of situations. Ms. Erin had a Non-profit organization she started called Struggles-to-strengths which she used to engage with the youth of the community and offer them opportunities to have a brighter future. I met plenty of wonderful people during my shoots which helped me gain clientele and build my skills.

While I did learn a lot, I could’ve sped my learning process up by being more confident in my abilities to approach more people and gain more social experience. I could have also have sharpened my skills more by offering my service to others I knew (Family and Friends etc.). My nervousness held me back from a lot of opportunities that could have positively influenced my future. The skills that were most essential to me were the social skills I gained from my exposure to other photographers, the basic works of a camera overtime, how to optimize my time and appreciate my craft.

My family has had a huge impact on my progression in my craft due to having their own qualms and misunderstandings. I try my best though even with the interference of my family. I admit it does get hard sometimes because of all the overwhelming energy that flows throughout the house. Regardless of all that though, I would say i have done good with how I’ve been dealing with things so I can’t complain at progress.

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

I would like to think of myself as a young man trying to achieve something great while balancing every obstacle the universe pulls my way. When I was young I had a extreme fascination with the outdoors and creating things. This fascination led me to joining The Boy Scouts Of America, which gave me a lot of the experiences I was hoping to find. I got to travel to new places, meet people I have things in common with and much more. Being outdoors also taught me about having a great deal of patience, especially when it comes down to working together with others and connecting with nature. I believe that my interest in the outdoors is what helped inspire my want to pursue photography, engineering, and anything else I happen to find intriguing.

As of right now I am mainly focused on building my photography business which I have been working on this past year. I have made great progress and met more amazing people who could give my future a more positive outlook. I like to provide my clients and or potential clients with a heartwarming/unique memory in the form of an image. So far I am proud of the accomplishments and obstacles I have overcome these past few months. I hope to keep progressing in my journey as a young intelligent black man. I would like to also thank my friends(brothers) and family for supporting my endeavors.

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

What drives me to pursue this craft and attain more general knowledge of this world we live in would be as plain as wanting to evolve yourself and enjoying the fruits of your labor. I feel that everyone should want to bring out their full potential and achieve something the world has yet to witness.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I would say I had a pivot during my years in high school when I had times where I wouldn’t believe in myself enough to push through certain road blocks. Like for example classes would become overwhelming and I would start to isolate myself from those who wanted to push me forward. After awhile I had came to realize (with the help of my best friend/brother) that all my potential lies in my hands and that I could have the life and things I want if I just put forth the time and energy. Thank You Dontavius (best friend/brother).

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Fanged.photos and @K1d.t

Image Credits
Tion Thomas (@fanged.photos)