Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Rashad.
Hi Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In a nutshell, my journey as a creative started at birth. I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Back then Charlotte wasn’t the vastly growing city that it is today. I was always interested in anything that dealt with creativity whether it be art, music, dance, fashion, and everything else in between. I went to Northwest School of the Arts for my junior high school years and then I graduated in 2006 from Phillip O Berry Academy of Technology. Although I didn’t continue my journey in the artistic academic realm, the creativity fire never dwindled. My eye for things is what made me special as my family would describe it. In 2014, I got my first luxury retail job at Neiman Marcus. This was. a dream come true! Being a lover of the iconic show Sex and the City and the legendary movie ” The Devil Wears Prada” I was in heaven! I soon developed an even deeper passion for fashion. In 2015 I launched my lapel pin line ” B. Dapper” where I sold handcrafted menswear accessories. Within a years times, I had clients such as gospel icons Tye Tribbett and Jonathan Nelson as clients of my brand. I had a good friend of mine tell me that I needed to invest in a camera to really get better quality product photos for my website. I purchased a Canon Rebel T3i and that’s where the seed was planted. 2016 was when I had my very first photo shoot. Gospel singer Monique Walker who is a long time friend, contacted me to take pics for her.
I was a nervous wreck, I knew nothing about real photography. I did what only I knew how to do and that was shoot in AUTO. Most photographers would gasp at the very thought. So from there my love for photography was birthed. In 2017, I relocated to New York to continue my journey in the fashion industry. I worked at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. Living in NY had always been a dream of mine, because its the place where so many careers have taken off and is one of the fashion capital of the world. From New York Fashion week to shopping on 5th Avenue, I felt like I was really living the best chapter of my life. Deciding to leave home right before I turned 30 was the best decision I could have ever made. Over the years, my social media presence grew as an “influencer” and I was really making a name for the Brandon Rashad brand. Meeting iconic people such as June Ambrose, Fern Mallis, I knew I was in the right place. To be in a place where you can be inspired just walking down the street or riding a crowded subway is priceless. I started to dabble into fashion design and photography kind of took a back seat but that was short lived. My photography business started to take off. I served on the media ministry at my church, which really helped sharpen my skills. I really loved photography more and more each day. March 2020, the world stopped. But my story continued. Covid-19 shocked the entire world and this city that never sleeps was resting. I was put on furlough from my job with no idea of when I would return. Thankfully I was able to get unemployment which kept me afloat. I tried to figure out what was next for me. How can I keep creating in the middle of a pandemic? Months had gone by and finally things started to open back up in September. I started back taking on clients to do shoots and at that point I was doing 2-3 shoots a week. Many people started businesses, wrote books and so many other things that they’d need optics for.
October I relocated to Atlanta, GA for an opportunity to continue with the company I worked for in NY. I got an apartment that I moved in to on my birthday and life was good. I soon turned my living room into my studio space and started to promote myself to gain new clients. Since then my portfolio has gotten better and continues to evolve. I was able to connect with world renowned photographers such as Drea Nicole and Nathan Pearcy who have really help me gain new understanding and insight into this industry because its more than just picking up a camera. I’m inspired by so many photographers that look just like me from Derek Blanks, Erick Robinson, James Anthony and so many others and it keeps me pushing and affirms me that I too can make it in this industry. I’m excited to see where this journey as a photographer takes me. My faith has gotten me this far. What’s next? Stay tuned…
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working as an entrepreneur and working a 9-5 was never easy but I would take anything away from the journey. There were definitely times of frustration when photos wouldn’t come out right or my finances wouldn’t allow me to have the gear and equipment I truly desired to have. Every business experience a dry season where business isn’t thriving as anticipated, I used that time to continue learning and picking up my camera every chance that I would get. My biggest obstacle that I still deal with today has been insecurity. People tell me all the time how amazing my work is, but I would let comparison stifle me and dim my own light. I would look at someone’s work in amazement and then look at mine as being subpar. I have to remind myself that I’m looking at the finished product and not the process behind the scenes. I often am reminded of a quote from one of my home town pastor Bishop Brian D. Moore’s “the oil is never seen before the process of crushing the olive.” With time I have learned to develop my own style and not be intimidated by the work of others, especially considering that they’ve worked in the industry much longer than I have. I have to trust my dopeness!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the owner and lead photographer of Brandon Rashad Photography. My brand specializes in providing visual and creative solutions through photography and content creation, that enhances the brand aesthetics for entrepreneurs, creatives, artists and influencers. All in all, I capture people in a way to help them feel more confident in themselves to really take them to the next level. Every shoot I want the client to have a good time in an atmosphere where they feel positive energy and leave encourage. I don’t look at it from a business aspect, its more so a form of ministry for me. A recent shoot I did, the client was moved to tears because she’s never done a photoshoot because she has vitiligo. She felt beautiful and was amazed. That’s really what its about for me, changing lives one shot at a time. I’m most proud of the fact that I didn’t let frustration and insecurity stop me. If I did, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have 4 album covers using my photos on iTunes. All things happen at their appointed time. I think what sets me apart from others aside from the photos is really how I connect with people.
What makes you happy?
Feeling fulfilled and seeing determination pay off makes me happy. I started college in 2006 and didn’t get my degree until 2018. Being the first one in my family to go to college, I owed it to myself to keep going and finish what I started regardless of what obstacles and challenge I may have faced along the way. Being able to encourage and inspire others makes me happy as well. We never know how our story can impact others, so we must keep pressing because there is someone somewhere who our lives we live will change theirs.
Contact Info:
Email: info@brandonrashd.com
Website: www.BrandonRashad.com
Instagram: instagram.com/brandon.rashad
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Deshon Gales of DG creative studio
