Erick Hercules: No Photoshop

It is my pleasure to present an incredible interview conducted by the Art of Visuals podcast featuring my brother and photographer extraordinaire, Erick Hercules.

The insightful sit-down touches on Erick’s humble beginnings as an opera singer, his unworldly metamorphosis into an elite lensman and everything else in between. Grab a pen and notepad to jot down all of the gems that are bursting out of this conversation. 

Erick Hercules and Frendy doing what they do best

Enjoy below: (press play and wait a few seconds)

The NewNYer

Sincere Dennis’ moniker “The NewNYer,” is quite deceiving, simply because he’s been gallivanting the concrete jungle for some time now.  Honestly, I forgot where we initially met (most likely at a music event or BAPE) but what I do recollect is his warm, welcoming energy and uncanny resemblance to Kid Cudi back in 2007.

Sin is an underground New York legend who’s captured the pulse of the city for nearly a decade.  Ask any Downtown cool kid and they’ll most likely share a humorous story about bumping shoulders or chugging an ice cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer at a Lower East Side pub with the forever-grinning photographer. Although he may seem like a party animal, Sincere strategically camouflages himself in festive environments, which in turn causes his subjects to feel at ease in front of the camera.

The Bronx-born stereoscopic shooter’s career is brighter than ever as he is now an official member of ASAP Rocky’s AWGE creative agency.  I recently sat down with Dennis to discuss his everlasting relationship with NYC, affiliation with the mob, creative endeavors and carefree lifestyle.

Check out the condensed transcript of our two hours long conversation below.

FRENDY:  What’s going on bro, How are you feeling today?

SINCERE:  Today is a good day.  I feel energetic, but out of it at the same time.

FRENDY:  You just came from the gym right?

SINCERE:  Yeah, a little work out. Not too long, I’m only in there for about 30-45 minutes.  I don’t need to be in there sweating my ass off.

FRENDY:  I got you.  So new year, new you?

SINCERE: Same me, just better health *Laughs*.  More healthy shit—no more Backwoods.  I got to chill on Backwoods. That shit takes a toll on you, it makes me feel fatigued. I’ll stick to oils and extracts.  You know, keep it easy.

FRENDY:  Man, you don’t know how much you remind me of Cudi.  This is actually the very first time we’re having a full blown conversation, and to my surprise, I see you even sound like him *Laughs*.  How often do you hear this from people?

SINCERE:  Not so often these days, but people are still saying it.  Like Ferg would see me and be like: “yo, that’s Kid Budi right there,” a whole other nickname, and I’m just like “you’re crazy, bro” *Laughs*.  I started hearing the comparisons around 2007-2008 when I first came Downtown.  That’s how people knew me, the dude that looked like Kid Cudi.

FRENDY:  How’d you find out about the Soho area?

SINCERE:  A girl brought me down here.  She was like “Oh, I’m going to go shopping—you should meet in Soho,” I was like “I don’t know, I’m from Uptown.  We go to 125th for shopping.” So we ended up going Downtown and I’m like, “I thought we were going to Soho?” She was like, “we are in Soho!” and I was like, “oh shit, ok.”

Kid Robot was the very first job I had in Soho. And then I worked at American Apparel, Urban Outfitters.  I deliberately put myself in Soho to be around the people that were moving and shaking in the industry. I knew the people I needed to be around were there.  I had to get away from Uptown. When you’re an Uptown dude that’s all you know. I remember one time leaving a party at Black Ink tattoo shop, and it was me, Rocky and Bari.  I told them I was about to leave to go Downtown to this party and they were like, “bet! let’s go.” We get outside of Black Ink and I guess Bari got a call or text message to go to this house party etc.  They eventually went about their own way and I went mines. They never really wanted to come Downtown and party. Trying to get Uptown dudes to come Downtown was like pulling teeth. Eventually, they got Downtown.

FRENDY:  What were the hottest shops on 125th at the time?

SINCERE:  Jimmy’s [Jimmy Jazz] *Laughs*.  Fuckin’....Atmos...that was it.  I didn’t know anything else—I barely even shopped, really.  A lot of my homies made clothes back then so I mostly wore their shit.  I do that to this day.

FRENDY:  So that means fashion wasn’t really your strong point?

SINCERE:  Yeah, I wasn’t really big on all that fashion shit because I ain’t have that money *Laughs*.  I didn’t have the money to do all that. I had my first apartment on 129th and rent was due! I just can’t be buying clothes.  I decided to stick with what I know.

FRENDY:  Which part of Harlem did you start kicking it in?

SINCERE:  On the East side.  Harlem was chill, those were the days I started coming outside and meeting people.  That’s how I met everybody who I know today. Harlem was an experience.  You got Teyana Taylor who I’ve known, for like, forever.  She’s been doing her thing for a while, now she has an album out etc. She just kept grinding with patience.

FRENDY:  Yeah, I’ve been following Teyana for quite some time now, since her BBC/Ice Cream days. I’m glad she’s getting such a great reception right now.  When did you first meet Rocky?

SINCERE:  I think we first met at Black Ink on 127th and 7th before it became what it is on TV.  I hate that place now, it’s not the same. Most of the original workers are there, but they have all these new characters now.  And I call them characters because they’re not the real people that built up the shop. Puma was my introduction to the shop. He told me to stop by one day to chill.  We really didn’t have anywhere else to go so why not.

I used to see them [the A$AP mob] at random house parties, community center gatherings and just jump-offs.  Once we realized we hung around the same group of people, we became cool. They see me as a familiar face and when we got to Black Ink they were like, “you family.’

FRENDY:  I may sound ignorant, but is Harlem close to the Bronx?

SINCERE:  Yeah, so when you get further up into Harlem, you get to the heights {Washington Heights} and then there’s a bridge where you can go to the Bronx.

FRENDY: Ok, cool. What year did you start thinking of getting into photography?

SINCERE:  In 2012 when the mob got big.  I was like, “shit, I need to find a way to document this.” Around that time I was taking pictures of the homies. I was hanging around Rocky, and the entire crew, and no one was taking pictures.  I mean there were a few people taking pics, but no one was assigned as their official photographer. It didn’t work out how I thought it would, but it was still fine, I still saw them all the time at shows, took pictures, said what up.

I remember a few times, they would come up to me and ask me where’s my camera.  There was a time where I got caught up in just wanting to enjoy and be a part of the experience.  They were asking because they figured I would be able to shoot for them. But at the time I was caught between two worlds: it’s either I’m this person that’s going to capture shit, or I’m going to be a person that’s just out here partying.

FRENDY:  What was the first camera you purchased?

SINCERE:  I had a Canon Rebel T2i.  I had gotten a Nike check for a commercial I did and I bought a camera.  That was it—it was either I take this serious or not. When I noticed there was a lot of people becoming photographers, I was like “shit I don’t want to do this anymore,” because now I’m battling to get the same image somebody else got.  We’re just taking the same pictures in a different angle. I just had to figure out a way. So years passed and I was still shooting digital.

FRENDY:  Photography propelled you to go out even more?

SINCERE:  Yeah, of course!  Because I was sitting at home with no pictures to edit.  Nothing to post on Instagram. If you go all the way back to my early posts you’ll see that I was making memes. I didn’t fuckin’ know what a meme was, but I was doing em *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  I actually dug deep into your gram and saw that you were experimenting with moving images many moons ago…

SINCERE:  Yeah, I was doing these little digital moving photos, like real subtle.  I never really liked still photos, I was always trying to make my photos move.  

FRENDY:  Because you’re a “mover” as well…

SINCERE:  Right, there is something about a photo not just being a still, 2D photo, you know?  So years passed, I got tired of digital. In 2012 or maybe even earlier, I saw this Complex {magazine} interview with Mr. GIF.  He does a lot of 3D work and he was breaking down how he was making these moving photos. I was like “shit that’s crazy,” because no one was doing that at the time.  Months past and I’m looking on eBay and I saw the exact camera he used to produced the moving images. It was only $25, I thought it was going to be like $300 or something like that!  So I bought it, it came, and I sat on it for like a year and a half. And then finally, I said fuck this digital stuff.

FRENDY:  Why did you sit on it for so long?

SINCERE:  I was probably working a crazy retail job that I didn’t want.  I was going out, but not in the mindset where I needed to take photos.  Someone is performing at a open bar? I’m going! But then around late 2012, I decided to start shooting in 35mm film.  In early 2013, I had all these rolls of film and I didn’t develop them until a year later. I went to this one spot in the East Village and they were the only ones that were able to do it right.  So now I’m editing these shits and they’re looking cool as fuck.

After that, I started going to shows and made sure I’m always up in the front. I always wanted to get that close up shot of artists.  No one ever sees me because I hardly have my camera out. I only take it out when it’s time to use it—I go up, snap, and then go back to enjoy the performance. I found a real balance in just enjoying a show and also getting some work done.  Soon after, I started putting them up on Instagram, but then I had to find an app that could keep the same quality. That’s one advantage I have over a lot of people who are shooting moving images, they can’t ever put up a great quality stereoscopic flick.

FRENDY:  When I see these other cats do it, their pics can’t compare to yours at all.  Your moving pics are just so damn crisp! You don’t have to give away your secret by the way…

SINCERE:  I don’t even know what it is.  That’s just the way I’ve always been doing it.  I tell people that I got it from Mr. GIF. I read his Complex {magazine] interview, I don’t even think it exists anymore. I tried looking it up on Google.  Now people are coming up to me asking so many questions. The actual form of photography is called stereoscopic and then lenticular is actually what I print out.  The prints are lenticular.

FRENDY:  What does that mean?

SINCERE:  I don’t know what lenticular means really *Laughs*.  It basically gives a 3D effect on prints.  It gives it that movement. As soon as I started doing that, which was almost a year and a half ago now, things took off.

My homie Jared, who’s my partner in all of this, found me on Instagram under one company’s comments asking them how to print these things.  We spoke but they weren’t really trying to help me. So Jared saw my comment and then replied saying that he was able to help me print the lenticular prints. He sent me a direct message and the rest is history. Since then, he’s been aiding me print all of my lenticular prints.  We had like 3 shows, we sold a bunch of pieces.

FRENDY: Congrats! There aren’t much pictures of you circulating online. Is that intentional?

SINCERE:  I’m just chilling. I rather my work be the face of me.  You don’t have to know who I am or what I look like to like my work.  People like my work and don’t even know what I look like.

FRENDY: What does AWGE stand for *Laughs* ?

SINCERE: We really can’t say what it means.  Honestly, I still don’t know what it means *Laughs*.   To me it’s just a rag-tag group that have met throughout Rocky’s come up.  I feel like he wanted to have a creative team but didn’t really quite know how to do it. Yeah, he has the rest of the mob but they all have their own thing going on already.  

We all make visuals, but I’m trying to stay away from directing videos right now.  I just think I need some more time before I make a video with Rocky. I have an idea that’s slowly coming along.

FRENDY:  Did you have any doubters in the very beginning of your shooting spree?

SINCERE:  To be honest, I don’t even consider myself a photographer.  For one, I don’t know shit about cameras *Laughs*. I just know how to use the ones that are in my hand.  I just do whatever the fuck I want to do. At first, when I started this Downtown thing, I considered myself a graphic designer. Like fuck it, I know how to use Photoshop….a little bit.  That’s it. And then I was like, oh fuck, Photoshop is not working so I started creating some t-shirts. That shit never really happened.

I never looked up to a photographer’s work and said I wanted to shoot like them.  I’m just taking photos. My inspiration come from watching movies. The way the lighting is in movies and how they capture certain angles.

FRENDY:  It’s the same thing for me as a writer. I didn’t major in Journalism in college or anything, I just love writing stories. Granted, I’ve been working on my craft for like 10 years. I know how to put stories and interviews together really well.

SINCERE:  You got to develop your own process.  There’s a lot of people doing journalism for these websites and they’re trash!  Like, they’re not telling me a story. They’re just telling me the information and the person to answer some questions.

FRENDY: Yup! I know you were a part of Rocky’s Testing album shoot. How was that experience?

SINCERE: We all went to capture content.  The way Rocky work is kind of similar to how we all operate. He actually booked a photographer already, but since we captured so much awesome content, he was questioning if he should use the photographer’s stuff or use the stuff that we got.

FRENDY:  Damn, so he already knew y’all would kill it.

SINCERE: Yeah, he just knew we were the gang, the creative team.  We were going to do what we do. That outing was my first time actually working with the rest of the AWGE team members. That was the first week of January in 2018.  I was like ‘damn, that ball dropped hard!” *Laughs*. As soon as that ball dropped, I got a direct message from Rocky and he said something about joining the home team. And I was like, “bro, I’m ready. Just let me know when.”

FRENDY:  You weren’t even expecting that?

SINCERE:  Nah, I was just doing my own thing. I think I just finished working at Milk {studios].  I was working there for like two and a half years. I was shooting festivals that Milk had partnered with, and some events at the Jam Room. Because of that, I didn’t have to work that whole summer.  All I was doing was just going to music festivals, events, just shooting. The owner of Milk really fucked with me and he wanted to keep me around.

Before I was at Milk, I was doing video and photography for Elite Daily 5 years ago.  After I got let go at Elite Daily I promised myself that I wasn’t going to go back to retail.

FRENDY:  What were some of your duties at Milk?

SINCERE: I had to know everything dealing with photography or not.  I had to deal with figuring out how to fix pipe leaks, if the ice machine broke I had to figure out why it broke, and then call a professional to let them know what’s up.  It taught me discipline and how to act fast. How to react to situations quick. I was there for a reason, I was there to learn some things whether it was about photography or not. It taught me how to move, how to talk to people.

FRENDY:  That’s great, you took everything in stride.  You just did what you had to with no complaints.

SINCERE:  Yup.  There were times I had to be there at 4am after a long night of partying.  It was crazy, man. The last thing I did for Milk was shoot Jonah Hill with Desus and Mero. They {Desus and Mero} do their podcast down in the basement every Friday, and they usually drop the episode on Monday.  They don’t usually have guests on their podcasts, but when they do Milk will try to get me to come and take photos.

FRENDY:  I see you’re not too active on Instagram, as far as posting new stereoscopic flicks.  Is there a particular reason for that?

SINCERE:  Yeah, I had to chill ‘cause now I don’t even have to do anything and I get followers.  I rather let that simmer.

FRENDY:  So you don’t think you have to keep the traction going?

SINCERE:  Nah, I don’t want to over concentrate the market. One of my homegirls from Sweden told me that I don’t have to post so much.  I could be active on my story, but I don’t have to post on my timeline so much. And I was like, damn, that kind of made sense.  And then that gave me another way to put out my personality and document where I go without showing my face. People usually ask me “are you going to post pics from the event you went out to last night?” and I say, “no, I was just there. I didn’t shoot that night.”  

FRENDY:  What does it take for your to bring out your camera then?  A super exclusive event?

SINCERE:  Just AWGE related or an event where I know a particular person is going to attend.  I have an unwritten list of people that I need to take photos of. Sometimes, I just want to burn through a roll of film and I just go out and take pictures of homies.

FRENDY:  How often do you take pictures now?

SINCERE: I don’t know, I just walk around with a camera in my pocket.  Like, nobody ever sees me with my camera out in my hand. When I take a picture of you I’m in the motion.  I see a moment, I strap up and get ready for the shot. And then I put it away right after. That’s it, I don’t want to be walking around with it on my neck.  I carry one at all times though.

FRENDY:  Are you still hitting up Soho like you used to?

SINCERE:  Not that much. I’m usually at the Lower East Side. I feel like its the new hub. Before it was Union Square, then Soho, now it’s just the LES.  We in the bars, we chillin’. My homies work at bars so I pretty much drink at a good price everywhere I go.  I’m more about chill shit these days.

FRENDY:  What does a day in the life of Sin looks likes?

SINCERE:  I just go outside.  I’m fortunate enough to get paid and wake up to figure out things.  That’s one of my perks at AWGE. They want us to grow as us and be able to have that time to not have to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from.  I’m able to pay my rent, I’m able to travel and just do my thing.

FRENDY:  You’re basically working everyday, just not in the conventional sense.

SINCERE:  Yeah, I’m still out here trying to find a way to create content for myself, related to AWGE, and Rocky.  

FRENDY:  What are the things related to AWGE?

SINCERE:  So, I’m not on tour right now but I’m still promoting the shows by posting flyers up on my Insta story, stuff like that.  And when I do go to a show I get my little content, make some GIFs. I’m still working, still doing something that’s contributing to the team. And even though I’m not on tour my posters are sold at the shows.  Like I’m making money for the team, from a piece that I have.

FRENDY:  How do you feel about all of the recognition you’re getting?

SINCERE:  I honestly don’t really care.  I don’t need people to be like “yo, that’s sincere!”  I’m good, I’m ok. I don’t need that energy. People ask me If I do music and stuff like that and I always tell them I don’t need that attention.  I would go crazy if I got it *Laughs*.  I’m from New York, that’s all they need to know.

How To Take Party Photos

It's been a minute since I posted a video from my longtime e-friend Merlin Bronques aka LastNightsParty.  If you're new to the blog, or simply don't know who he is (shame on you), I'll just say that Merlin is a deity when it comes to nightlife photography.  Furthermore, his spellbiding captures of some of the finest female specimens on the planet are unmatched, in my humble opinion.

The multi-talented lensman's latest Youtube upload is a must-see for all budding photographers who are painstakingly avoiding to take bland shots of a poppin' party.

"You miss out on so much of the world by acting cool," Bronques candidly states at the beginning of the clip, right before he mistakenly falls in the hot tub at a Grammys afterparty.  For most, this would be an embarrassing move, but for the smooth Canadian cameraman it is just a perfect segue that easily allows him to flourish.

Check out what transpires next below:

Justin's Vision

I was fortunate enough to become friends with the exceptional photographer Justin Amoafo, right before his ascension into elite lensman status. Justin was only 15-years-old when we initially met, but his tremendously poised demeanor and go-getter mentality positioned him light years ahead of his peers.

Born and raised in Queens, New York by Ghanaian parents, the multi-talented visionary was instilled with an immense value for education.  As a matter of fact, at the age of 11 Justin suggested that he should attend boarding school. “I was always an outcast and wanted to expand my horizons, experience a new environment,” says Amoafo. With his parent’s approval and a lucrative scholarship, the young adventurer was enrolled at the prestigious Eagle Brook in Western Massachusetts. 

Justin was one of only six black kids in the entire institution but the statistic didn’t cast a shadow of fear on his pursuit of enlightenment. Amoafo was so in awe with the refreshing scenery at his new abode, he decided to freeze it all in time.  Using his roommate’s state-of-the-art camera, Justin began to take pictures of the beautiful landscape surrounding Eagle Brook.  Since then, photography instantly became Amoafo’s primary focus. He started posting photos on Flickr, which ultimately led him to gain fans across the world.

Immediately following boarding school, Justin attended Brooklyn Tech HS with an increased passion for snapping.  After a year of saving up lunch money, the bright-eyed shutterbug was able to purchase his very first camera, the Canon t2i. Mastering the art of Flickr, Amoafo leveled up to Tumblr, where he garnered even more admirers.

Justin is currently attending NYU Shanghai with a major in Interactive Media arts and Business, but that isn’t stopping him one bit from putting work in behind the lens.

FRENDY: What compelled you to study abroad after high school?

JUSTIN: As a kid, I always dreamt of traveling the world. After a summer abroad in high school, I made it my business to take advantage of every opportunity to see a new place. Naturally, I had to pursue college options outside of the USA.

FRENDY: Is it difficult for you to find a balance between schoolwork and photography?  Are you able to find steady shooting gigs in Shanghai?

JUSTIN:  One of the most difficult things for humans in general is maintaining a balance. Whenever you find yourself in that comfortable place, life switches up your situation. Thankfully, my major at school and my real life career/hobbies are intertwined, so usually it’s not too difficult.

Work in Shanghai has been steady, thankfully. People here show a lot of love. When they see you doing great work, they’ll always go out of their way to help you get gigs. As usual, staying hungry & seeking out opportunities is also a great way to close gigs.

FRENDY: You’re one of my favorite people to follow on Snapchat due the display of your worldly adventures. Are your travels for leisure or work?

JUSTIN: Both. Living internationally already makes it much easier to pick up clients that require me to travel or have an opportunity abroad. I’m always itching to travel regardless, so most of my free weekends and ‘vacations’ are spent visiting a new city.

FRENDY: How did the relationship with your muse Sira P Kante come about?

JUSTIN: *Laughs* She’s definitely my muse. A modern day Naomi Campbell.  Sira and I met through one of my good friends. We met up for a test shoot one day in Summer 2016 and the rest is history.

FRENDY: I admire your effortless ability to network with the industry’s finest. I noticed that you’ve been shooting superstar musicians and promising actors who are from the motherland. What set of events lead to such astounding opportunities?

JUSTIN: Every connection I’ve made, both business & personal has been organic. I never force relationships, but I’m definitely not above a cold email or intro. That being said, the world is smaller than we all think. It’s so often you want to work with someone and a friend (or friend of a friend) can make the connection for you. Organic networking is the best, especially when you’re already social.

FRENDY: What are the top 3 pictures you’ve ever taken?

JUSTIN: I don’t think I have 3 strict top favorites but here are some that I like:

FRENDY: Are you planning to take your creative talents into new heights?

JUSTIN: I’m always striving to be my best self. Photography is one of my passions, but by no means is it my only means of expression. I am working on expressing myself fully, with no filters or limitations. We’re in the era of the multidimensional artist and I think that’s so great. Everyone should be able to create with no filter.

Bruce Weber: Sex, Lies and Nightmares

Sometime around the year 2000, when I was still in elementary school, I remember walking through my older cousin’s bedroom which was, as is the case with many teenagers, adorned with posters. There was one fixed with pseudo discretion right next to the entryway so that it became partially obscured when the door swung open. It had a vertical orientation with the ephemeral, grainy resolution of film that made its date difficult to pinpoint. In it, a young naked woman with flaxen hair, made luminous by the sun, strolled through a field of wild vegetation in relaxed bliss, a smile spreading across her face. It was Abercrombie & Fitch’s heyday, and I’d grown accustomed to this kind of imagery streaked across shopping bags toted around the mall. I recognized instantly this photograph was related though by what means I didn’t know. It was only later that I learned what connected them was Bruce Weber.

 Weber, 71, is one of the world’s leading photographers who has garnered particular acclaim for his work in glossy publications. He has lensed so many iconic ad campaigns, editorials and personal book projects I doubt even he keeps track. Weber has long been the subject of rumors about what has or has not happened on his exclusive sets, but being the power player that he is, nothing has seemed to stick with any serious consequences. Until now.  A bevy of current and former models, numbering no fewer than 15, who at one time worked with Weber have come forward—first in individual Instagram posts, and now in a damning New York Times exposé that accuses both Weber and fellow fashion titan Mario Testino of gross abuses of authority. I could most definitely make this piece an examination of them both, but, for now, my focus lies squarely on Weber. Though the accusations that have come to light are truly horrific, Weber has always been a problematic figure and whatever the outcome may be, it is long past time for fashion to move on without him. 

A couple of months ago, the men’s fashion magazine VMan promoted a 2018 calendar on social media which featured a different male model for each respective month, all with the chiseled bone structure and sinewy abdominal wall found throughout Weber’s portfolio. The images were indeed beautiful and I instantly messaged one to a good friend who also happens to be a photographer. I mentioned to her how incredible all the men looked, but qualified that I was conflicted having never decided definitively if I thought Weber was exploitative. “I think he is creepy, but talented,” she replied. “Creepy only because he seems like a dirty old man.” She also mentioned apprehension at his glass closet image. I couldn’t help but agree with both points. Despite being married to his agent and studio manager Nan Bush, his homoerotic imagery and apparent intimate detachment from Bush have always led most observers to conclude that their union was one strictly of business. The stories now trickling forth seem to bear that out.

Among other things, Weber is accused of forcibly touching male models using his infamous ‘breathing technique’ whereby he leads a subject through exercises in a supposed attempt to relax them enough to take an astonishing picture. However, from what has been reported in the Times and confirmed by several models independently, this procedure often involved Weber guiding a model’s hands to their genitals as he stood uncomfortably close, sometimes with his fingers in their mouths, and even resulted in forced masturbation in some instances. Those who didn’t comply or were visibly uncomfortable were never contacted for work again, usually killing their career just as it began.

To learn that Weber had a ‘casting couch’ process of sorts didn’t surprise me as the public has become only too aware of these sinister methods as employed by the likes of Harvey Weinstein. These disturbing accounts of Weber using his position to force nudity and unwanted sex acts on those who posed for him both angered me as a human and as a person in the same field. I’ve spent time on sets as a stylist’s assistant helping dress models for shoots, but I always made doubly sure to keep my gaze where it belonged, worked as quickly as possible, touched only when and where absolutely necessary to do the work and maintained conversation to gauge their level of comfort. From what was reported by numerous men, Weber often asked his subjects to strip for ‘test shoots’ in small quarters and made advances while no one else was present. The truth is, that kind of excessive nudity is totally unnecessary even for assignments that require someone to disrobe. As model Jason Fedele astutely said in the Times article, “...If you do get the job, the majority of the time you’re not naked and you’re not in a swimsuit. So what’s really happening is that these guys are gauging whether you’re open or shy or close-minded or, quite frankly, whether you’re gay or hetero and willing either to flirt with them or to submit to an advance.” The youth and inexperience of his alleged victims only made them more susceptible to this manipulative behavior.

For generations of people, Weber’s work has come to embody sex. He took the carefree lightness of 20th century Health Photography, which depicted active people relishing the outdoors and imbued it with an eroticism that shaped how people engaged with everything from Calvin Klein to Ralph Lauren toBanana Republic. As a gay man, I always had an appreciation for these kinds of photographs. They were unabashed in their sexuality and dared you to look with unblinking eyes. I found the featured men adonis-like, and Weber’s eye captured intangible details specific to the gay point of view that appealed to the voyeur lurking in everyone. But even before I heard the rumors, they gave me pause. There was something too invasive and undue about much of what he produced. He wasn’t like George Platt Lynes exploring his own sexuality and giving a face to gay men or even Picasso distorting women in an attempt to physicalize his tumultuous romances with lovers while eradicating traditional form. No matter how wonderfully composed his nude photographs were, elements were amiss and the patterns of predation described with striking similarity by so many buttress my worst assumptions. 

That same VMan calendar that kicked off my renewed processing of Weber’s oeuvre highlighted another issue the fashion industry has seemed content to ignore. It caused more than a little internet chatter when viewers quickly recognized that of the 12 models featured, all were white or, at the very least, so fairly complected that no one who didn’t know them personally would be able to tell otherwise. One Instagram commenter quipped, “Even the dogs are white,” in reference to the Golden Retriever puppies that populated a group shot.  This project—like the poster I remember from years ago, nearly all of his fashion editorials, monographs and advertising—featured people sharply limited in demographics. Yes, Weber has included people of varying backgrounds in the past, but often only when the subject matter or location absolutely demanded it. His vision has become synonymous with the fantasy of America and Americana yet the danger lies in his unwillingness to showcase the people of color who contribute to its social fabric. Other legendary photographers of the past with sexually charged styles, such as Herb Ritts and Robert Mapplethorpe, regularly used models of color and appreciated their beauty along with the different compositions those models allowed them to craft. When fashion claims a need to diversify its ranks, why continue working with someone who so stubbornly refuses to be a part of the solution? 

Many have come to Weber’s defense in recent days citing phenomenal experiences and trusting relationships. I’m sure those people have nothing but good memories. But those statements of support do not and cannot invalidate the stories already amassed, the count of which I’m positive will grow in the coming weeks. Bruce Weber may appear like everyone’s imagined hippy grandfather swathed in billowing scarves and gauzy bandanas that cover his Santa-like white hair, but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of being the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. I believe the men who have come forward and it’s time for a business that casually doles out abuse with a wink and a that’s-just-the-way-we-do-things attitude to do the same.

Written by Martin Lerma

The Silent Shooter

Timothy Smith is a man of few words, but he has a sh*t load of captivating flicks to make up for it. Like most of my creative comrades, the Brooklyn bred lensman and I met at BAPE NYC - where we hardly spoke, yet had great mutual respect for each other.

I haven’t seen Timothy in about five years, so it was a pleasant surprise when he followed me on Instagram last month.  What shocked me even further were the glorious editorial shots featured on his feed, which he photographed himself. I am not in any way, shape or form attempting to downplay Tim’s artistic prowess, but I was Stacey Dash clueless about his exceptional photography skills.  As I mentioned earlier, we never had a conversation that lasted more than one minute - let alone discussed his interest in the visual arts.

This Original Stories series has provided me with the perfect opportunity to have a sitdown with the silent shooter to find out more about his background, passion for picture taking and path to success in the photography industry. Check out our dialogue below:

FRENDY:  It’s a pleasure to finally have a thorough convo with you after all these years *Laughs*. Why didn’t you tell me about your love for photography back in my early BAPE days?

TIM:  I was in my early stages, still insecure about my work. Not very confident in showing my work to others, and also still finding my voice. Like, all of my early work was of cats, street style, carts, landscapes *Laughs*. I was all over the place.

FRENDY:  I respect that, you’re excused *Laughs*. Where were you raised in Brooklyn?

TIM:  I grew up in the East Flatbush/Brownsville area. At the age of 11/12, my grandparents lost our house so I moved over to Queens to live with relatives for a while. When I first moved to Queens I stayed in Ozone park in my great uncle’s basement, then bounced around from Laurelton to South Ozone Park, then eventually landed back in Brooklyn.

FRENDY:  Crazy.  I lived in East Flatbush for most of my life as well.  Which schools did you attend growing up in Brooklyn and Queens?

TIM:  Yeah, it’s funny, you used to actually go to the gym with one of my best friends from childhood over in the BRC I think? I know you guys used to work out together, but I can’t remember where. Well, I will say this, I was fortunate enough to go to “good” schools. I attended Saint Catherine of Genoa in Brooklyn, then I finished my 8th grade year in Saint Teresa in Queens. For high school, I attended Christ the King over in Middle Village.

FRENDY:  Damn, it’s really a small world. Ok nice, those are definitely great schools to attend.  Were you always into photography growing up?

TIM:  *Laughs* Yeah, real small world. My grandparents made it a priority to send me to catholic schools because they believed it was much safer and a better education. I remember not having any lights or heat because my grandparents would have to pay 4 months of back owed tuition, because they truly believed I could do something when I got older.

Funny thing is I always wanted to be a photographer because of Spider-Man! I used to think Peter Parker was f*cking amazing. I used to get all my Spider-Man toys and create “movies” with cereal boxes as video cameras *Laughs*. Cornflakes boxes to be exact!  It wasn’t until my grandmother passed that I really thought about taking photography seriously. I literally spent my student refund check in 2012/2013 to buy a canon 7D, to actually shoot short films, and record myself reviewing video games.

One day I took a photo and all of the feels of being Spider-Man came back to me all at once. So I decided to sell my car to fund my photography addiction, I took an internship back home the summer before I graduated at Management Artist in Chelsea. It was legit the best experience of my life being around all that amazing photo work, it trained my eye very quickly to distinguish good photography from bad photography. It was an amazing summer, I slept on a living floor the entire time and enjoyed everyday of it!  

FRENDY:  Which college did you attend after Christ The King?

TIM:  I attended Saint John's University for one semester, then got kicked out because they didn’t believe my financial situation, regarding to financial aid. So pretty much even with a partial scholarship I couldn’t afford it. Then I took some time off and went to Nassau. After a while, I decided I had to leave because if not I would have gotten in so much trouble and other dumb shit.

So then I went to a small HBCU in North Carolina: ECSU and got my Bachelors. After getting my degree, I came back to Canarsie because my mom ended up getting breast cancer and I wanted to help out the best way I can, and to build a relationship between us. After that, I finally got home and applied to grad school for photography and ended up attending School of Visual Arts in NYC.

FRENDY:  Wow. First off, is your mom alright now?  Also, what kind of trouble would you have gotten yourself into at Nassau? I don’t see you as a troublemaker.

TIM:  Oh yeah, she’s fine now! Thanks for asking. Not really me getting in trouble at Nassau, it was more so I was still hanging around all my friends that always did dumb sh*t. Like I’ve never been a tough guy or whatever, but I’m also a very loyal friend, plus my house was always the hub for all my friends. So I just remember one day playing call of duty and looking around at what my friends we’re doing and was like “bro, I gotta go.” It’s all good though, they always said I shouldn't be about that ‘life’ and they respected my decision.

I would like to give a special thanks to one of my best friends/brother, Fred because when he saw I was serious about photography he gave me a f*cking brand new 5D mark II with flashes and lenses. Like, that's the type of bond me and my friends have - I'm still trying to figure out a good gift for him *Laughs*.

FRENDY:  That’s the definition of true friendship right there. Were you studying photography when you were schooling in NC? Or you started taking photography classes while attending SVA in the city?

TIM:  SVA.  I did a broadcasting class in NC and tried to get funding for a short film, but it never worked out *Laughs*. I did have three extremely amazing teachers; Professor Bright, Professor Washington, and Latoya Monique. They definitely helped me shape my creative vision by giving me the freedom to experiment as much as possible.

FRENDY:  How’d you enjoy SVA?  What did you do after receiving your Master’s in Photography there?

TIM:  SVA was cool, I made some really good friends there. If I had to be honest, you don't really need school in order to become a photographer. I learned so much in my first year of freelance, and assisting.  So right after getting my Master’s I assisted some amazing photographers like; Bon Duke & Yulia Gorbachenko. I still help Yulia out from time to time, but more the most part I’m completely freelance.

FRENDY:  Yeah, one of my great friends, Erick Hercules, is doing his thing without any schooling. Hard work, of course, is the cause of his success in the photography field.  So you said you’re a freelancer, how did you get connected prestigious publications like Vogue Italia, WWD, Vulkan Magazine etc.?

TIM:  Yeah, hard work and networking is the key to photography now - especially with social media being so important. Yeah completely freelance, so I pretty much do all of the leg work with getting jobs etc. Although I finally have an agent, and she has been awesome so far. She actually has been more of a therapist if anything so far *Laughs*.

Let's tackle magazines first.  Every magazine I shot for, so far, I’ve been denied about 100 times when I first started.  I had to constantly practice and figure out my vision. Then finally after harassing everyone I finally got through, and now magazines would reach out to me for work. That’s how I’ve been able to shoot celebrities, etc. The best word a photographer can hear is “no,” because it drives you to get better and it lets you know that there is still room to grow.

So yeah, once you get your vision and your skills up, people will gravitate towards you for your style which is very important.

FRENDY:  Yes, an artist’s style, no matter what field they’re in, has to be unique to stand out. I’ve heard “nos” all my life, which is why I’m doing my own thing in the writing world. I’m blessed enough to have met some great people along the way who are helping me materialize my vision.  All we can do is be kind to ourselves and move forward with grace.

TIM: Exactly and you’re doing fucking amazing right now, like legit you’re killing it!  I would also say one more thing: I encourage people to surround themselves with good energy and like-minded individualds. Like, for example, my queen Dominique Drakeford (melaninass.com) is hands down my best friend ever, she supports my visions, goals etc, and we can always just sit back and talk about dope sh*t.

My friend from college and artist Malcolm Rolling (www.725studios.com) was the one who actually trained me to think like an artist, and encouraged me to be one. We would legit not go to parties and sit in the room and study light and catch up on art history - that sh*t was amazing and very pivotal to how I think now. My brother Jameel Murray who taught me how to endure the journey and to realize that no hard work goes unrewarded. (Fun Fact: before his mom passed away, we were months away from being legal brothers by adoption.)

FRENDY:  Thanks my man, I really appreciate the kind words. Who’s your favorite celebrity to shoot?

TIM:  Oh man, thats a funny question *Laughs*. So everyone offered a unique experience: YG took me by surprise because of how down to earth he was - still hella gangsta though. Omari Hardwick has become a mentor/big brother figure to me, we still talk to this day. Mack Wilds and I spoke about f*cking Street Fighter, he legit has an Akuma tattoo *Laughs*. Bobby Brackins was super chill, and Marianne Mirage was super fun with great energy. Oh Yeah, Ozuna was also cool, even though he had like an intense security squad.

FRENDY:  Do you ever get starstruck?

TIM: Beforehand sometimes, but never on set because my job is to connect with them and bring out the best emotion possible for the image. They are used to everyone treating them a certain way because they are famous - most of them actually just want to have a regular convo with regular human connection.

FRENDY:  Makes sense, for sure.  How often are you shooting for publications?

TIM:  Around three to four times a month.  Honestly, as a professional photographer you spend more time out reaching and securing clients than shooting. Compared to everything else I have to do, shooting only takes up 20%.

FRENDY:  Are you particular about shooting on location? What do you look for in a setting?

TIM: I do actually prefer shooting on location, only because it keeps budgets lower for certain clients. The studio gives you maximum control over everything. I think to be successful you do need to be well versed in both.

FRENDY:  What are you currently working on Photography wise?

TIM: I’m trying to secure a few campaign and lookbook jobs, also thinking about doing a photo project based on people in brooklyn.  I’m working out the details, but I'm looking for funding for that because I want to have an exhibition and have the kids in the neighborhood get involved, get them exposed to the arts.

FRENDY:  You mentioned earlier that you aborted your short film due to funding. Are you willing to complete it at this stage of your career?

TIM:  Ah man! Yea totally - I actually just got the most expensive piec. I brought a cinema camera recently, and now working on the rest. I’m starting to create the storyboard for it and hopefully can start producing by the top of 2018. 

FRENDY:  Would it be a spoiler to tell us what the short is going to be about?

TIM:  Yeah, all I can say is it will be a relatively short fashion film. Two to five minutes long and it's inspired by Nocturnal Animals.

FRENDY:  Where do you ultimately see yourself in this ever expansive photography universe?

TIM:  Living photo legend, decent cinematographer *Laughs*, director, and running a non-profit for underprivileged kids to get into the arts in an early age.

Andre's Way

A stable nine to five does wonders for the psyche due to the fact that it prevents constant worries about unnecessary hassles, such as accumulated, unpaid bills or lack of money for transportation and shelter. However, for wild-hearted artists, a regular corporate gig may be a hindrance preventing them from living life at maximum potential.  Andre L. Perry is an extremely valiant soul who ditched a lucrative career in the digital advertising field to pursue his passion as a lifestyle photographer.

I met Andre at BAPE three years ago, and at first sight, I thought he was a stylist or worked in the entertainment industry in some way. I eventually found out that his occupation was quite the contrary to my calculation.  The suave lad with the cooler-than-thou swag and I kept in touch through Instagram, where I rapidly witnessed his lightspeed growth as a photog—pardon me, a connoisseur in visually capturing “vibes”—particularly of the millennial African-American community.

I recently sat down with the prosperous lensman to converse about his corporate past, drastic career change and life as an entrepreneur. Check out our dialogue below:

FRENDY:  When we initially met you worked for Complex, right?

ANDRE:  I think when we first met I was working for Nylon magazine. I was working in Ad Operations which has nothing to do with what I’m currently doing now. Ad Operations deals with ads you see on a publisher’s website.  The ads you usually see on a publisher's page, I was responsible for managing that. I was responsible for making it appear to the right audience, making sure it clicks through the correct website, making sure that the wording was correct, ect.  There’s a lot of analytics involved, tons of reporting.  I was in excel all day, everyday—again nothing creative, nothing to do with what I’m doing now.

FRENDY:  Oh ok, what were you doing over at Complex?

ANDRE:  Same thing.  Ad Operations.

FRENDY:  Why did you decide to move from Complex to Nylon?

ANDRE:  I got fired. *Laughs*

FRENDY:  *Laughs* Damn, what happened over there?

ANDRE:  I knew Ad Operations was not my thing, and at the time, that was the only craft I was good at—I really didn’t care for it though. As a result, I wasn’t going above and beyond, or producing at the same level as when I first got hired at all of these jobs with the same position.  The only reason why I kind of stayed in the field for such a long time was because it paid well.

FRENDY:  How long did you stay at Complex?

ANDRE:  Almost a year.

FRENDY:  That was your first job out of college?

ANDRE:  No, so my first “real” job out of college was YellowPages.com.   That was when I was living in Atlanta. It was more of a digital sales position—I stayed in the digital world just because I was accustomed to it.

FRENDY:  What did you actually major in college? 

ANDRE:  I went to the Art Institute of Philadelphia and my first major was actually photography.  I was pretty much my professor’s muse, but after my second semester I bailed on the subject because I wasn’t shooting what I wanted to shoot. It was moreso technical than creative, so I had to really make a decision about what I was going to study for the rest of my college career.  I just decided to go into marketing since I had somewhat of an interest in it.

FRENDY:  You’re fully invested in photography right now so it just goes to show how life comes full circle.  When did you realize in Nylon that Ad Operations was no longer something you wanted to do?

ANDRE:  I actually got fired from there as well.  Working at Nylon reignited my interest in photography. I knew I wasn’t going to stay there for long, so I took advantage of the situation and started to express my passion for photography.  I informed people at the job that I was capable of shooting.

I had an idea for featuring the raincoat company Stutterheim on Nylon Guys (which was ran by only just one person).  So I reached out to them, got a couple of coats and models to shoot. I told the person that ran NYLON Guys and got the ok for the spread.  At the end of the day, we were trying to push Nylon Guys but Nylon was trying to discontinue the section because it wasn’t making any money.  It was also around the time when Nylon was transitioning to a different webhost.  Nylon Guys was running from a different host from Nylon.com, so it was almost like they were running as two different businesses which didn’t make sense.  When Nylon.com relaunched, Nylon Guys wasn’t a part of it.

FRENDY:  Crazy.  Let’s take it back for a bit.  Where did you grow up?

ANDRE:  Philadelphia and South Jersey.  I was born and raised in West Philly, moved to South Jersey around Junior high school, and then spent most of my young adult life back in Philly.

FRENDY:  How was it like growing up in Philly?

ANDRE:  Philly at the time was very hood fab.  This was the era of Kim, Biggie, Diddy and Mase--everything was about being flashy, fly and living a music video lifestyle. I didn’t have much friends, I just always knew there was more to life.  I knew if I stayed in Philly I would of been stuck.

FRENDY:  When did you move to Atlanta?

ANDRE: After I graduated college in 2006, I moved to Atlanta and lived there for about four years. To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to do there.  Technically, my first job was working for Sprint in ATL right after college because I simply needed money to live.  After that, I worked for other cellphone companies (including Helio) then worked for the Yellow Pages.

FRENDY:  What was your working title at those cell companies?

ANDRE:  Just selling phones.  Nothing creative or fab.

FRENDY:  How did you go from selling mobile phones to YellowPages.com?

ANDRE:  They simply had an opening in their online advertising department and I needed money.  Back then, there was no company I felt compelled to work for—I just needed to survive. I stayed with them for two years then moved to New York.

I still didn’t know what I really wanted to do when I moved here, so I started working at Zara. I was doing the visuals for their store windows. I just knew somebody on Facebook who referred me to work there.

FRENDY:  Did you enjoy working at Zara?

ANDRE:  I didn’t like the job because it really didn’t leave room for creativity.  The higher ups were very specific in how they wanted their mannequins dressed, and I just realised that I didn’t care so much about the details that goes into dressing them. A piece of clothing could be off by a quarter inch and usually there would be an entire two-hour discussion about it. I stayed there for about eight months and then got fired.   After that situation, I went to selling digital ads for CBS Radio.

FRENDY:  Wait a minute.  You studied marketing in college, how were you getting all of these advertising gigs?

ANDRE:  There’s not necessarily a trade that needs to be studied for selling ads because at the end of the day it’s just sales.

FRENDY:  There are tons of unemployed people out there, you’re telling me they have a good chance of getting work in that particular field?

ANDRE:  Well, it’s not that easy.  Fortunately, my resume is filled with previous sales jobs. Some of them didn’t necessarily involve selling online ads, but there was a quota I had to meet each month. When I went to these job interviews I sold myself on how I met the quotas and how I overcame certain challenges.

FRENDY:  When did you decide to pick up the camera again? Was it during your time at Nylon?

ANDRE:  I actually decided to pick up the camera again while working for Complex in 2014.

FRENDY:  What inspired you to do so?

ANDRE:  It’s a funny story. I’ve always been an android user, and when Instagram came to androids I made a conscious decision to not just post selfies. As everyone knows androids take better pictures than Iphones, so I would always take these dope pics on my phone and post them on the app.  Then, my friends who happen to be bloggers reached out and inquired about the camera I shot with, I said I just used my phone.  Since I didn’t own a camera, they said they would provide me with one to shoot them and I agreed. They provided me with a Canon T3I.  The pictures from that shoot came out great and shortly after I picked up my very first camera (Canon T3i).

FRENDY:  After the shoot were you compelled to take photography seriously?

ANDRE:   Well, I didn’t know I was going to make a career out of it.   I just knew that I liked it at that time.  It was like a drug in a sense where I instantly felt happy when I started shooting, and I wanted to continue it. 

The Four Pins blog actually inspired me to start capturing street style, so I would always hang out in SOHO (which is where we met) to capture cool and stylish people.  I was gradually getting deeper into photography during my Nylon days.

FRENDY:  Where were you posting all of your street style photos?

ANDRE:  Just on my Tumblr and Instagram.

FRENDY:  Let’s fast forward a bit.  What were you doing after you got fired from Nylon?

ANDRE:  I was looking for work. I eventually got hired at BET for Ad Operations and stayed there for just a year.  I actually quit that job and the reason I did so was because I established a good relationship with my boss Nicole Cosby (we were brought on around the same time).  When she announced that she was quitting, I decided to do the same. 

She played a real important role in aiding me to be where I am today. The reason why we left is because BET didn’t have their sh*t together.  We really were rooting for them, but internally it didn’t make sense to be there and invest so much energy in trying to change things around when the company is stuck in their ways.  As much as my boss tried, nothing happened.

After BET, I went over to SpinMedia which consists of Spin Magazine, Vibe magazine etc.  Again same job in Ad Operations, but this time around I was also assigned as a media planner. I didn’t have that much experience in that field and it became overwhelming.  A media planner makes up a plan for a brand’s exposure online, then the plan is sent to a salesperson who pitches it to the company. The salesperson and company would negotiate what the plan would actually be and then it comes back to me to execute. Unfortunately, At SpinMedia I was not only in ad operations but also had the responsibility of coming up with the media plan and executing it.

In SpinMedia’s culture it was normal, but not necessarily normal in other companies.  I wasn’t fully aware of that when I signed up for the job. It was just too much and I left the company after six months.

FRENDY:   So when did you decide to take on photography fully? Of course, I understand that you had to survive which is why you worked all of these jobs, but what made you consciously turn it up a notch as a shooter?

ANDRE:  The good thing about all my jobs was that they all paid great. I had about $30,000 saved in my banking account while I was working at SpinMedia.  I was 33 and then, you know, as a human being we all compare ourselves to how others are living.  I thought I wasn’t living my best life, I wasn’t living my purpose. Photography was my only passion that lasted this long.  There were so much things I thought I loved doing, but over a period of time those passions faded away.  One of my goals before moving to New york was to work for Complex and BET because I always thought it would be cool to work at those companies. When those dreams materialized I was totally disappointed.  But with photography, my high expectations were just like  how thought they would be.

I remember getting out of work on January 14, 2016 and literally crying all the way from the train station to my home because I was fed up with not living my purpose.  Since I had money saved I sent out an email saying, "Effective Immediately: I am quitting this job."

FRENDY:  Wow! Good for you. What did you after quitting SpinMedia?

ANDRE:  Within 2 weeks after I sent the email I moved to Brazil for about a month. I went over there to relax a bit and take pictures.

FRENDY:  Many people who are reading this interview may be thinking, “why is he crying?  This dude has a great job, he has money in the bank. What’s there to be sad about?” What do you have to say in response to that?

ANDRE:  Well, at the time I wasn’t traveling.  You’re always going to want to accomplish more goals after achieving the ones you already set for yourself.  If you have $100,000 in the bank, you’re going to want $200,000. An artist can have the biggest record of the year, they’re going to want an even bigger record the following year. Every goal I set for myself was fulfilling at that time, but then I always needed more.  And as I said before, my passion for photography is endless, so I had to pursue a craft that actually gave me joy rather than financial security.

FRENDY:  What did you do after your Brazil Trip?  Did you move back to New York?

ANDRE:  Before quitting SpinMedia, I reached out to travel a company that documented group trips called, Travel Noire. They wanted me to shoot in Morocco for a long period of time, unfortunately I just started the job at SpinMedia so I couldn’t take the time off.  While I was in Brazil I hit Travel Noire again since I was free and they booked me.  That was my first official photography job during April of 2016.

FRENDY:  How long were you shooting for Travel Noir?

ANDRE:  It was all project based,I shot about 3 trips for them. Two in Brazil and one in Italy.  I did my first trip at Travel Noire back in April of 2016, then when I came back to New York I had nothing.  So in between assignments for the company I was still figuring out what I was going to do for consistent pay. That’s when Nicole Cosby (my former boss at BET) came back in the picture.

When I was over at BET, one of the things I did was share my photography with everyone. I also did that at SpinMedia. Basically, I made sure to let everyone know that I had interest in becoming a photographer at my latest corporate jobs.  Nicole knew that I wanted to become one, so she referred me to RushCard, Russell Simmons’ pre-paid debit card company, since they were looking for photographers. They became my very first major client.  That all happened in June of 2017.

FRENDY:  Was it unexpected for you to get the gig?

ANDRE:  There was a lot of things that went into getting the job. It was an easy sell for them, but it wasn’t necessarily easy where I just had a camera and was at the right place at the right time.  The style of photography that I do is very niche—It’s commercial lifestyle advertising. What I capture is real life moments of real people.  I decided to do that early on because there’s not a lot of black photographers who showcase lifestyle images. I made sure whatever photos I decided to take from that point on would reflect the brands I would want to work for.

When I was shooting for Travel Noir I decided to take on a passion project by creating a coffee table book called, “Happy Black People.” So fast forward to my meeting with RushCard, once Nicole made the connection, I already had a portfolio that represented what the company was looking for. 

FRENDY: It’s all about taking initiative, and not waiting for any particular lucky situation to get a gig.

ANDRE:  Yes, exactly!  One thing that has made me successful is the passion that I have for photography. There’s not a lot of people that would want to make a photobook simply for the love of it.  I didn’t do it to make money, I just created it to share my work. I love showing my photos to people.

FRENDY:  When did your love for photography actually begin? I know you partly studied it in college, but what sparked your interest in shooting?

ANDRE:  *Laughs* It started with the movie, Love Jones. The movie was all about the renaissance black man and I just fell in love with that idea.  Even though Nia Long played the photographer role, that’s what actually sparked my interest in photography.

FRENDY:  What was it about the movie that specifically triggered your interest in photography?  I’m sure you were aware of other photographers prior.

ANDRE:  I didn’t know anything about photography at that time. It was just the idea. This was also during the era that neo-soul was very big, and you know me being in Philly, it was really big there. There was a particular section of neo-soul that sort of had the photography vibe, so it just elevated my love for it.

Whatever someone’s passion is, you kind of like have to go back to where it all sparked and realize it just came from this small source of inspo. And then it just snowballs into this bigger thing.

FRENDY: True love always comes back when you set it free.  Obviously, your love for photography was deep inside of you, but you had to go through the “valley of death,” so to speak, to experience the opposite of your passion just to realize your true purpose.

ANDRE:  Yup!

FRENDY:  How do you go about getting clients as a photographer?

ANDRE:  There’s really no one way of getting them. If you’re a freelancer, you’ll have to rely on your personality.  That’s one thing that I discovered. I’m an introvert at heart, I don’t necessarily like reaching out to people for business so I really have to depend on personal relationships.  If you’re passionate about something, people will be aware.  For example, you’re a writer, that’s pretty much what people are going to instinctively know about you because you are consistently providing new reading content. So if photography is a person’s passion, their name should be easily associated with the craft.  That’s where the opportunities lies.

When it comes to photography most people only think of fashion, celebrity and documentary styles.  But there are a lot more avenues in the field that generate tons of money they aren’t aware of.  There’s architectural photography, sports photography, and many more.  So a person that is interest in shooting pics for a living should study markets that aren’t necessarily popularized.

It’s also good for an aspiring photographer to study the companies they would want to work for and get familiar with their imagery. For example, Condé Nast has a very specific way of shooting the men who are featured in their publications.

FRENDY:  Who have you worked with so far?

ANDRE:  Right now, my main client is RushCard.  Since I signed a contract with them, I’ve been blessed with tons of work.  I shoot for them about 4 to 5 times a month.

FRENDY:  How do you go about booking the models you work with? Through an agency?

ANDRE:  Yup, I use an agency called Instagram *Laughs*.  I use a lot of the same models over and over again, but they also refer me to more. I’m at a point where when I reach out to a model, they either have heard of me already or they simply reach out first.  It’s all about word of mouth and social media for me.

FRENDY:  What’s your daily routine in regards to work?

ANDRE:  Whenever I have an idea, I would share it with my main point of contact at RushCard and they would either say yes or no--most of the time they agree with it.  Prior to presenting the idea, I put together a moodboard so the company could see what I envisioned. Once they agree, I reach out to the models and scout locations for shooting.

FRENDY:  Are you working on anything else other than RushCard projects?

ANDRE:  Well, I’m working on re-doing my contract with them for 2018, with a pay increase.  I’m super happy about that. To be honest, I’m working on building a business, build up my portfolio and save a lot of money.  Next year I plan on getting an employee and renting a studio where I can live and work.

FRENDY:  Did you ever think you would be this successful in your career of choice?

ANDRE:  Hell no!  I never knew that I could actually work for myself and do what I love. It really wasn’t how I was raised, it was just about making money, that’s it.

FRENDY:  Do you have any advice for artist who are trying to make it in their desired field of work?

ANDRE:  If your passion keeps you up at night then there’s no other choice but to make the first step to complete your goal. Don’t ever be too “realistic” because it can deter you from doing what you love.

Photographed by Andre L Perry