Today we’d like to introduce you to ZaRea Khamphiphone.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My journey began from having a simple conversation with a guy that I now call one of my closest yet motivating friends. His name is Koy. Koy and I go to school together and we were hanging out in his living room having a “normal” conversation, I honestly can’t recall what was being said due to the fact that we were bouncing from subject to subject. Then, we got to the topic of us discussing modeling and photography. He stated that the models and of course I told him he was dope, I then mentioned if he ever wanted to shoot then we can do so. I had shown him photos of a mutual friend, Asa. Asa had asked me to take photos of him, he was ready to start his modeling career but I did not think that photography would lead me in this direction. Koy and I did a photoshoot within the same week of us having our conversation. As I was showing him the photos throughout each session, he instantly said “Bro you are dope as fuck, I honestly thought you were going to be trash” “you’re talented and have an eye”. I did not take what was said offensive but I most definitely felt good, I simply smiled as a response. I have always took interest in being hands-on and venturing through social media and graphics such as YouTube and designing banners. However, that interest did not last long as I wanted it to due to our devilish friend …. PROCRASTINATION … After the photoshoot, began the editing process and of course, Koy had helped me with doing so as well. He has been my right-hand man throughout the process. I soon felt motivated to pursue photography and started reaching out to some of my closest friends so that I could begin a portfolio. The moment that I had that conversation, everything had changed from my creativity to my perspective and so forth. So I say this to say, you never know how far a conversation will get you. Which is why they say always network with people.
Please tell us about your art.
The purpose of my art/photography is to allow individuals to be comfortable and not fall under the category of the “standard” placed by social media. I do not tell clients what to wear unless I have a theme in mind. I always get the question “what should I wear?” , it’s not about what I think you should wear but most or less “what makes you comfortable” , “what is makes you feel like you’re on top of the world”. My photos should express a person’s personality without much being said. I want people ( the audience ) to view my work as they (the models) would view themselves. I like to capture raw moments such as off-guards or models being themselves rather than trying to figure out a pose.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
As I mentioned before, in order to network or connect with other artists, you have to communicate. You have to have the desire to reach out. Speaking from personal experience, I wasn’t the type to reach out to others let alone start a conversation until I began working in Retail as well as taking photos. So learn to communicate more and go to events
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is on my Instagram @ZaRea.K & will soon be published on my upcoming website ( stay tuned)!
Contact Info:
- Email: zarea.kphotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/zarea.k
Image Credit:
Models:
Brieannad
Blu3print__
Koyjr
Asa.estz
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
