Today we’d like to introduce you to Malachi Israel
Hi Malachi, 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?
My name is Malachi from Yazoo City, MS and I’ve been doing photography since 2012, i did not start off with the intentions to be a photographer music was always my dream. Back in 2011 i went to college to be major in music to one day become a music producer and as i was in school i was working with some local artist and picked up videography to help them with their visuals, and after doing videos for them they needed more marketing so after linking up with a graphic designer i had to start taking pictures for them, Once those pictures started surfacing people started to tell me that i should start taking pictures for more people so i took the advice and started marketing myself as a photographer. After a few month i connected with a schoolmate that was already into photography and we got together to start a photography business together. This lasted until 2017 and business wasn’t as good and i started to lose interest in it to so i left the business and stopped doing photography. A year later after joining a new church i would use my camera to take pictures at different gatherings we had and some the members notice how good the pictures came out and they asked did i do it professionally and if i didn’t that i needed too. So after many month of them convincing me that i should start back doing it as a business i actual took that leap of faith and stepped back into it in 2019 in a new location (Jackson, MS, but i knew i wanted a new name to go with the new me. It took many names i tried out but finally i came up with the name Twelve Vision and it stuck. After a few months of working with local models, makeup artist, and hair stylist the name Twelve Vision became the talk of the city, so in January 2020 i chose to do it full time and since then I’ve been making hundreds of clients smile and satisfied and that is what keep me driving til this day.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I can honestly say that it has not been a very smooth road coming into a new city that no one really knows me i had to sacrifice a lot of time and free work to get my name known. And doing that it made it hard to actually charge for my work and compete with the other price the other photographers were charging but after some patience all of that work and sacrifice paid off and now i have a consistent clientele.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in mainly portrait photography, I am known for my creative sleek images and my high quality skin retouching which is what I’m most proud of because when i began i really wasn’t that good at it and i didn’t want to learn the long way to do it so I came up with my own method of skin retouching which is not complex and I’ve had the opportunity to share my technique with other photographers and the things which sets me apart from others as my clients would say is that I’m very professional, patient and take my craft very serious. The most proudest moment in my career was my first time submitting to be published in a magazine and one of the images were chosen for the cover of the magazine.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding a mentor would be great for anyone getting into photography because you can learn a lot from them to avoid making mistakes that most photographers make and get the experience needed to go your own way. What worked for me was just being around other photographers and just learning little things from them that i can add to my skills
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.twelvevision.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twelve_vision/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068573929500
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@twelvevision
