Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Towns.
Blake, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been into photography but never took it serious until one day I saw a sign outside my job. The sign read “Do what you love while making money!” and was a senior portraits studio. I walked in and asked for the manager.
We met, he sat me down and before he could even finish with his introduction I said “I know that I can do this. All I need is the equipment (which was provided) and I will do all of the learning of my own.” He was impressed. He offered me the job and I started working in the studio from 8-4 and would change into my serving clothes and go right next door from 4:30-11 every day of the week. Once I finally got to the point where I was comfortable I started marketing myself and had made a name for myself on Instagram.
Within 4 months I had made a few connections and was invited to shoot at the 420 Fest in April of 2017. I kept shooting portraits and other small gigs until September. I finally had put two and two together. I needed to get into the music industry. I started with a young rapper on the east side of Atlanta. I was unaware of who he was or his connections but he let me come to the studio and shoot. My work and my name were passed along and I eventually had more clients and more success not only through my work but also word of mouth.
From September 2017 to May 2018 I have fortunately been able to meet and shoot with some of the biggest music artists in the hip-hop industry. I’ve made great relationships with some of the best behind the scenes magicians such as Engineers, Dj’s, Producers, and promoters. I’ve also been able to work my way into becoming a published photojournalist and writing for a show on the famous Atlanta radio station Hot 107.9 as well as complete my first national tour.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been a relatively smooth road. However, my biggest challenges have always been with myself. I critique my own pictures so much and constantly remind myself I’m not as good as I think I am. I’m not a fan of envy though I do admire the work of others. I appreciate the growth and struggle that I see from them because it lets me know I’m still in a positive position even when I think I’m not.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Atlanta Digital story. Tell us more about the business.
Imagine a target with 3 layers that describe how you market yourself or your product. The outer layer is “What We Do”, the middle layer is “How We Do It” and the inner layer is “Why We Do It.” Most companies market themselves based off what they do or what they can do. I choose to market myself based off why I do what I do rather than what I do.
For example, when speaking with a potential client I may say, “I wanna give you that unprecedented feeling of happiness and reminiscence when you look at this picture. Each time you go back and look, I want you to be able to feel, see, taste and breath what it felt like when the picture was snapped. How do I do that? By capturing a moment in time without altering the feeling or emotion of what’s going. What’s my product, you ask? I take pictures!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’d like to think that everything happens for a reason. But! In September, when I first started getting into music, I reached out to a big name, highly respected promoter/manager at about 2: 30 am…
Later I found out that she has 6 phones all for business… So the fact that she answered my text and gave me the permission I was looking for was definitely some good luck!
Contact Info:
- Email: Shotbyblake@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/atlantadigital
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
