Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony McCray.
Hi Anthony, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started photography in 2020, months before the pandemic started. I brought my first camera when I was extremely broke in college; it was a Canon Rebel T6. Doing no prior knowledge on how to work my camera, I actually read the user manual to get an idea but I still had no idea, honestly (sigh). My humble beginnings came from taking images of my friends; I use to edit them all over the place because I did not know of any editing methods. Before posting the images, I would always ask for their opinions on the images and it wasn’t the best outcome usually. That would crush my spirit to be honest but over time, I just stopped asking.
In my beginning stages of photography, I actually entered in my school’s art competition. Still had no idea what I was doing but I said hey, why not? Let me challenge myself! Did three different sets of images all in one week, the same week of the deadline. Long story short, I was one of the winners! Crazy right?! I was super happy I won honestly because I felt like my art was appreciated and I was finally taking off!
Fast forward – two years later. I am still banging out art but in a more calculated way now, Before, I was moving aimlessly and shooting any and everything but now, it’s more intentional art being created. I still struggle with being super hard on myself and sometimes not believing in myself but then I always look back at how I got better over the last two years. I went from shooting plants to taking amazing photos of different models and being published in magazines. I still have a lot to work on but I take it one day at a time. My art brings me a different type of happiness that no one can really measure and I will always keep what basically saved my life.
Moving forward, I am looking to get into helping other younger artist find their voice through visual media by creating meaningful art in their work. To help someone not make the same mistakes I made in this process would bring me much joy and I plan on doing that!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Some things do not come easy and this is one of these things. From creating art to being an entrepreneur. It is a lot to take on and I think a lot of others like to show the glam instead of the struggles of being an entrepreneur. I am an artist first & foremost. I do not come from a business background so most things are foreign to me. Of course, I do my research and take advice on how to better my business but most days, it is a lot to take on. I keep the ball rolling because I know that my time will come and it will all pay off.
Other struggles is creating art. Last year I had to take a month’s break from creating because I felt like I hit a plateau. Not being able to create would scare me because I am like, this camera saved my life… how could I not create? But that break was something I needed heavy. I was able to clear my mind and go enjoy doing other things I never knew I liked. I had people hitting me up asking when I was going to drop again, the “streets” miss me, etc… I learned to take my time and appreciate the gift I was given because it can be taken away from me at any given moment.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Creative Freelance Fashion & Beauty photographer. I would like to say I Specialize in creative work and personal branding but Since I am still in my learning transitional phase, I would say I specialize in bringing people’s creative visions to life. I am moving in a more Fine art approach to my photos because over the last two years I realized I am fascinated by the way they use to frame old renaissance paintings. From the composition to the storytelling. I want my images to be timeless and to tell a story through the images I create.
I am most proud of my growth over the last two years. I am always hard on myself saying “I need to get better”. But when you see my old images, compared to my most recent ones – there is definitely a lot of growth. It is all a process and that is what I have to remember.
What sets me apart from others is my Eye. I can only see things from my perspective and I think that is very unique. How my mind runs with a creative idea to better it. I use to have a lot of dreams of future shoots I would do in the future.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Perseverance, hard work and believing in yourself. I believe these are going to be important in my success. It won’t be an easy journey but I know if I just keep believing I can go far, I will make it to where I want to go.
Hard work- Being black means I have to work 10x harder than the next person just to get to where I want to be. I believe having great work ethics really separates you from the others in the surrounding area.
Pricing:
- Birthday packages start at $265
- Creative Packages start at $270
- Test Shoot packages start at $250
- Business and Brand Package starts at $200
- Beauty packages start at $240
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@eyeofant.com
- Website: Eyeofant.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/anthonymccray.photo
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Antphotos
Image Credits:
Anthony McCray of Eye of Ant PhotoCo, LLC Javon Roye of JPR Create, LLC
