Today we’d like to introduce you to Davonte James.
Photographer Davonte James, professionally known as “Major” is a Bronx, New York native and currently resides in Savannah, Georgia. The 22-year-old content creator is dedicated to shifting the culture all with a lens. Major has always had a love for photography, videography, and all things media related. “I would always look at photos of greats like Diddy, Jay-Z, and more that were taken by photographers who were younger than me and saying ‘if they can do it, I know for sure I can do the same, or even more.’” Major says. His journey as a photographer began in high school when he began capturing photos of events. This allowed Major to realize he could make capturing lifestyles and events his career while in high school. As time progressed, he was granted the opportunity as Lead Photographer for his high school yearbook committee at Jenkins High School. This began the development of his company, MarkedbyMAJOR. Once graduating from high school, Major attended college at Georgia State University and majored in Marketing Communications where he spent more time refining his craft by shooting a multitude of events on college campuses. Recognizing that this what he loved best, Major decided to turn his hobby into a full-fledged career.
Taking a leap of faith in July 2015, Major decided to discontinue his college career and pursued freelance photography full-time. As time progressed, Major re-enrolled into school and now attends Savannah State University where his contributions to the campus are pivotal as a creative director and media liaison for the University as it pertains to concerts, social engagements, and marketing material. He is most known for covering musical and cultural events around the cities of Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. That lens of his has been able to capture some of the most notable names to the Hip Hop culture such as Future, DJ Drama, Bow Wow, and T-Pain and more. Major’s work and photography have also been featured and credited by Shade 45, Streetz Is Watchin Radio, Rolling Out, and Watch The Yard, just to name a few.
Major plans on venturing into more lifestyle photography as well as developing a successful non-profit youth program with an emphasis on teaching youth how to find their passion and talents and educating them how to successfully exchange those talents in the form of networking, profit, and social media exposure. As a millennial with lots to offer, it is safe to say Major is invested in leaving his mark on the culture with his talents as a thriving photographer and videographer.
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 honestly has not been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges I’ve had to face so far when it comes to staying motivated was the passing of my mother in December 2018. When that happened, I felt like all my creativity went downhill.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
MarkedByMAJOR is a content creation company focused on capturing the lifestyles of certain individuals I feel are unique and are changing the culture. Right now, I’m most proud of me being able to put other creative in a position to be next up on the success. Something that sets me apart from others, I’d have to say my customer service and my turn around times. Working with the majority of the people I have while being in Atlanta, I learned that turn-around time is something that has set me apart. along with my style of work.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always with my brother and an older crew, so I’ve always had an older and business mindset that was different from others my age. I was always interested in being in airports and concerts. Just basically being around music, which is something that I want to take and apply to my career.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.markedbymajor.com
- Phone: 9122726524
- Email: markedbyamjor@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/markedbymajor
Image Credit:
@MarkedByMAJOR | @KaylaMadonna
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