October 16, 2016

Meet Conyers Photographer: Kareem Quow

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kareem Quow.

Kareem, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Brooklyn NY, went to college at University of Pittsburgh studying Civil Engineering for 2 years. I switched majors to architecture and transferred to Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston Massachusetts. I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelors of Architecture and two years later moved to Georgia to be closer to my family. I’ve always been creative since I was young; as a sketch artist and poet. I enjoyed photography as an art form only as an observer and never thought of making it a career.

Then one of my friends in Atlanta was/is a neo-soul singer and needed some images for a demo album. Not having the resources to hire a professional she asked me to do it for her and I did. The designer who lent my friend the wardrobe for the shoot saw the images and later offered to hire me to shoot her fashion catalog. Looking back the images weren’t that good at all in terms of quality but I guess it served its purpose and that sparked the interest in me to pursue it further. I started shooting on weekends and in my free time with friends to help me practice. My love for it grew to a point where I didn’t want to do anything else. It allowed me to express my creativity in a very different way. I went full time as a photographer in 2009 and haven’t looked back since. Every year I continue to learn and grow.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all, But it’s definitely gotten smoother over time simply because of experience and lessons learned. After going full-time, financially it was a struggle not having a regular paycheck coming every two weeks because my jobs were sporadic.

Finding people who were team players and as passionate about what they do as I was another challenge. Being inexperienced and finding work without having the portfolio, resources or network to do so was also a struggle. Most of the struggle was on the business side. The Technical applications and information was all out there to be found, researched, and learned.

Has there been people or an institution that has played a pivotal role in your career?
The people in my life whether they have come and gone or if they’re still around who have been supportive of my career have played the biggest role.

My first administrative assistant who was also a model helped give me insight into the industry and really nurtured my interest in photography. My second administrative assistant helped take care of a lot of the peripheral tasks allowing me to concentrate more on the conceptual /creative aspects of the shoots.

My friends and colleagues who allowed me to practice different techniques. All my assistants, interns, mua’s, hair stylists, designers etc who have followed my lead in my personal projects allowing me to express my concepts/ideas without belittling or criticizing my creative vision.

What kind of work do you look forward to most?
My favorite type of client are the ones that have a clear goal even if they don’t have a clear vision of how to achieve it visually. They’re open minded, easy to communicate with ; respectful of my time, and realistic about their goals and their budget.

My favorite projects are editorials, whether it’s beauty, fashion or both. As long as there is a conceptual development phase and we can be creative I’m most likely with it.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I’m not sure if I would’ve done anything differently… Perhaps I would have tried to start as an assistant for a fashion/beauty photographer.

Contact Info: