When I first picked up a camera, I was interested in what all the buttons did. That led me to do a bunch of research and watch a ton of YouTube videos to figure out how to elevate my photos. Taking pictures was only step one, but I wanted to learn how to “edit” my photos and manipulate colors. I’ve always loved art but was only a viewer, wondering to myself, “how do they get their photos to look like that?”. After 6 months of using someone’s camera, I bought my own. 6 months after that, I enrolled for art school majoring in Digital Filmmaking. Art school is where I really became an Artist.

I was dedicated to becoming great, learning as much as I could, asking lots of questions, showing up early and leaving late. Having access to state of the art equipment is also what helped me advance. Anytime new equipment would arrive, I’d rent it out so I could learn how to use it, and figure out how I could utilize it for my own projects outside of school.

Learning all aspects of production was essential to my growth. Not just being a photographer, but being able to setup lighting, sound, composing a nice shot, directing actors, all of these aspects helped me advance as an artist.

The largest obstacle that stood in the way of me learning more, was mastering screenwriting to the same level as my other skills. Being able to shoot a film by yourself is cool, but no one will care if the storyline sucks.

I first got the ball rolling by shooting music videos and taking photos for local independent rappers in the Bay Area, California. I had a cousin who rapped, so I hung out with him a lot, met his network of other artists and began working with them. This led to working with clothing brands, and meeting other individuals in different fields. Saying yes to everything that came my way. I was always looking forward to working on a project I hadn’t done before. The challenge was for myself, making a client happy no matter the subject of material. When you make a client happy, whether you understand it or not, you’ve gained access to their network.

My parents were also huge supporters of me. My mom got me hired for some photography gigs through her corporate job, to photograph events, which led to family photos, and other side business projects that her co-workers had going on. Being skilled in photography, filmmaking and editing allowed me to say yes to just about every inquiry that came my way.

I realized quickly that I could really make a living off of my skillset, that it didn’t have to just be a hobby, so I studied graphic design, and also asked animation students I went to school with a lot of questions so I could create my own logo, website and begin marketing my services.

Finding a niche is always recommended but I made sure to stay away from that, I wanted to provide “great” images and video no matter the subject. I would always be honest with potential clients, for instance, before I ever shot wedding, I’d accept a wedding gig and tell them I’ve never done it before, so I’d offer them a low rate that they couldn’t say no to. After completing the project and the client being happy, I then had a portfolio of photos to make good money the next time around.

If I hadn’t done a certain project before, I’d either do it for free, or really cheap simply to get the experience and add to my portfolio. Eventually, clients noticed my work was in various fields, so they didn’t need to see specific references, they understood I knew what I was capable of based on what I had available.

I believe this was only possible because I feel as though I’m a forever student of my craft. Until my brand is known by the masses, there is always more to learn.

What makes me proud is remembering that I’ve been doing this for over a decade, exceeding client expectations and making them happy with my work. Even if I felt like I didn’t “want” to shoot a certain project, nothing feels better than the client being ecstatic about the results. Happy clients equal referrals and you never know who is one phone call away from changing your life, or providing you new experiences.

The repeating question I receive from non-creatives is “how do you do it?”. This question comes after I explain how many projects I’m working on at any given time, as well as living alone without roommates. Living in the Bay Area is not a simple task, it’s very expensive and also very common to have roommates, even if they’re strangers. The answer is, staying busy and having good time-management.

I don’t party, I barely see my friends and commonly only see family on holidays or celebrations. Fortunately they understand what path I’ve chosen, but when I ask the non-creatives about their schedules and habits, it commonly involves vacations, trips, eating out at restaurants, partying / clubbing, frivolous spending. To me, it makes sense why they can’t get ahead, to them, they think I live a boring yet over-worked life. I learned that even though they tend to make more money than me from their 9-5 job, they don’t have positive spending habits, making them always feel broke.

You have to sacrifice what you’re doing to get where you’re going, I understood that early and made sure to keep my focuses aligned at all times.

I believe what helped me build my reputation within my market is availability. I’ve made a strong effort to remain a full time freelancer, even if that means driving Lyft or Uber to compensate for funds. I highly disliked driving for those services, but it allowed me to keep my free time, being available for clients whenever they needed me.

Even when I had to get a full time job, I’d use sick days to shoot with clients. Building relationships and meeting new people will always be more important to me. Maybe if I had an important job, my feelings could have been different, but I worked in a warehouse to simply pay bills. I understood there wasn’t a real future in “elevating” as an artist while barely getting by as a warehouse worker.

A lot of gigs came my way simply because of availability. For instance, I photographed a studio session for Too $hort as he prepared for his 50th Birthday Celebration Show, that gig only came my way because the original photographer was out of town. Producer DaBoyDame (Producer signed to Yo Gotti’s label CMG) posted on Instagram, “Need a photographer for a session in the next hour” and there I was. I could’ve enjoyed the day off, but instead gathered my equipment instantly and got to meet a legend.

My long time friend and client Cash Campain also had a photographer before we met, but the photographer broke his leg, and couldn’t make it to an important show. I volunteered to shoot for free, and we’ve been rockin’ ever since. AVAILIBILITY! If you want to progress, you need to step up for those that need you.