Hidden Gems: Meet Emmaus of 4Keys Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmaus.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Eric Harris and I have known each other for 10+ years. We’ve been really good friends since freshman year of high school. 4Keys officially started in August 2025 after we successfully teamed up to capture a handful of events, ranging from birthday parties to a nonprofit educational fest. During our time in college and after, we both honed our skills and practiced photography and/or videography in different ways. The chemistry, combined with our passion and work ethic, made us realize how much sense it made to finally start our business together.

Eric Harris started off as a video editor which evolved to taking photos and videos of sports and music/concerts. He got his first job at a company that specialized in taking school portraits. Shortly after he began to capture sports for the creative department at Kennesaw State University (KSU). His passions include wildlife photography and animation. This draws from his love for animals and cartoons as a kid.

I started taking photos during my time at the University of Miami (UM). My dad always took pictures of me and my brothers growing up and at the time it was annoying, but when I grew up I realized how important it was to capture those moments. For this reason, I was no stranger to a camera. I enrolled in a photography class at UM and my father bought my first camera, as it was required. As time went by, my interest continued to grow. Immediately after, I enrolled in my 2nd photography class and then I began taking photos for me and my roommate’s clothing brand. I continued taking classes, with a pivotal one being architectural photography since my major was architecture and the two disciplines really speak to each other. I was blessed for people to inquire about me taking their grad photos and that became the soft launch of me turning a passion to a business. After graduating and moving back to Atlanta, I continued to get photo bookings and even started videography. Soon enough, me and Eric did our first event together and the rest is history.

– Emmaus Yonas

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a smooth road but there has and always will be struggles and obstacles to overcome. Getting over them and learning is what gets people to where they want to be in all aspects of life. You have to figure out your way to keep moving forward and not be held down by failures.
– Eric Harris

Because of our like-mindedness, it has been mostly a smooth road. Some of the struggles relate to the action of preserving your passion after turning it to a business. It’s easy for things to get complicated when money gets involved so we do our best to hold ourselves to a certain standard and also make sure we are still having fun with it. It would make no sense to continue, if we didn’t enjoy our work, which we do. Other struggles are just learning business in general, and figuring out things we were never taught. Luckily, we have been advised by many great mentors and friends and have used this to our benefit.
– Emmaus Yonas

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
You should know that 4Keys Collective is here to stay and to grow with the brands in Atlanta (and beyond), building media we need in our city. If you take anything from our interview, we are here to be a part of your journey to get you to that place through genuine care and visual development for your grand idea’s that need to be brought to reality. Working together is what we do and collaborating is what we can accomplish together.
We specialize in photography and videography but we don’t necessarily have a niche. Although most of our bookings have been for events, we are deeply committed to our versatility and being open to capture anything that is asked of us.
I think what sets us apart from others is we truly have distinct styles that become something completely new when mixed. While having a unique way of expression and creation we also have a strong foundation in the basics and are always learning from different cultures and eras of how we can make an idea fresh. With that being said, growth isn’t a finish line. We always learn from mentors and our fellow creators. It’s a journey where you don’t receive everything at once, but the hard lessons really persist and can be used the next time around.
We are most proud of the people we have been able to collaborate with. They are people that have been living their life to the fullest, from helping the community to bringing loved ones together. We have both been photographers for over 5 years and it just seems like we have streamlined this ability to connect with more people in a meaningful way that is harder to explain, but easier to feel.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love about Atlanta it is home to all those memories as kids: going to Braves games, running through the water fountains at Centennial Olympic Park, driving through the embodiment of a south made city. Although we don’t have mountains to snowboard, we have almost every other biome and ecosystem to explore. The creators in the city always want to collaborate and make something special it really is amazing to work in the city of Atlanta.
– Eric Harris

I love Atlanta because I feel like it shows the true meaning of southern hospitality. There are so many warm people here that genuinely want to see you succeed. Aside from that, I grew up here after moving from Ethiopia as a baby. Most of my family and friends are here. I’m blessed to have a connection and love for my home city and also for having the ability to do business here.
– Emmaus Yonas

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/4keys.collective
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4keys.collective
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/4Keys-Collective-LLC-61579313552042/?_rdr
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/4keys-collective-llc?trk=public_profile_topcard-current-company