Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Karanja.
Tony, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have always had a thing for artistry for as long as I can remember. It really started manifesting when I was in high school and was going through a really tough time in my life. 2008 was by far the hardest and toughest year I have ever had and at the time, I needed something to get my head out of all the stress. When I entered high school, I started experimenting with making web shows entertaining friends and family on Facebook. The work of actually putting the video together became an exciting thing for me more than the entertaining aspect of it. From there, I enrolled into 2 Video Broadcasting classes in my high school in a span of two years and immediately fell in love with video editing! It was a great way for me to release my stress that had burdened me for so long because just being able to sit behind a computer and compose video clips together for hours was therapeutic. After high school, I decided I wanted to major in Mass Media so I went to Georgia Perimeter for mass media for one year then transferred over to Valdosta State University with the same major. After that one year at Valdosta, something came over me and I started thinking of actually doing this as a career and maybe starting a business in the media field. So I moved back to Atlanta and started working as a telemarketer at this Surveillance company. I had a plan on saving up a certain amount to get a camera that would catapult my dream into reality. After months of saving and research, I finally got my first camera and entered the world of photography and videography. Even though at first, it took a lot of practice, I used what I had been researching to get me started into my passion.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a videographer/photographer but I specialize in video directing and editing. I shoot anything from promotional projects to events to wedding. On the photography aspect, I love outdoor portraits but I also specialize in Graduations, Family shoots, Weddings, Headshots, etc.. I use Adobe After effects to edit my videos and Lightroom/Photoshop for my portraits. At first, I did this as a way to suppress my stress and till this day it still does that for me but now it has become a way of making people happy and putting a smile on their face because of my work. I would like to inspire people to be who they are, don’t be defined by your parents/family, your peers or outside influences. Do what you love because it’s what you love and make sure it makes you happy. Happiness isn’t about money, it’s about Joy in life and if you have that you’ll make it very far in life. I want people to know that I am just getting started this is only the beginning. Look out for me soon. Trust Me.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I most definitely think that roles of artists have changed from being artists to also being influencers. People not only look to people’s work to see their art but also to get some type of message and inspiration from their work. As a videographer/photographer, everything in the world is being televised or photographed whether it’s good or bad which makes my job much harder because not only do I want to cover the things that are being covered I also want to cover the things that aren’t covered on a global scale. For example, weddings and graduations, those moments will most likely not make the news but those things are most precious to the people that experience them and just being able to be a part of that means a whole lot to me and is an honor.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can follow my personal/photography page on Instagram @ikimanii and my business/video page @_toshak_ to see my content and get to know me more. My website is www.toshakfilms.com where I post all my exclusive portraits and Full Videos
Contact Info:
- Website: www.toshakfilms.com
- Phone: 4046492288
- Email: 16toshak@gmail.com
- Instagram: ikimanii
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToshakFilms/
Image Credit:
@ikimanii on Instagram
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