Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Usry.
Luke, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been seriously making photographs for a little over five years and doing so as my full-time profession for two and a half. I’ve always loved telling stories, mostly via the written word for much of my youth and young adult life and was first drawn to the photographic medium by my discovery of the work of legendary street photographers like Diane Arbus and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Gritty, “in media res” images that told stories by means of organic, often candid portraiture. From an educational standpoint, it was the equivalent of learning to swim by leaping into the ocean during a hurricane, but as a hobbyist, I had the advantage of being able to drown as many times as was necessary for me to learn. Over a period of a year or so, my love for and fascination with photography was solidified as my skills improved and interests within the medium expanded. From portraits to fashion to culinary work, I was enthralled by anything involving light and a camera.
It was during this period that I began heavily pursuing Concert and Artist Promo Photography, which quickly became and still remains the focus of a large amount of my creative energy. Music has always been a huge part of my life since long before I knew which end of a camera to look through and I’ve been an avid concertgoer since I was a young teenager. so my interest in live music photography was one that needed little coaxing on my part. After a year or so of shooting some friends’ bands and covering the local music scene for a couple of local publications, I had a solid enough portfolio to start doing part-time professional work for an ever-growing client list of bands and artists. Combined with my portraits, event, and occasional wedding work, it was eventually enough for me to start pursuing my photography full time in 2017.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with and photographing countless people from all walks of life and it truly has been just that – a privilege. I’m extremely grateful to be where I am today. Starting out without much more than a secondhand Canon Rebel and an unbridled devotion for the medium, I’ve come a long way in the last five years. I certainly haven’t done it alone. I hope to keep perfecting my craft and go much further in the next five years and even further in the years beyond. One does not become self-made by means of complacency or small aspirations.
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?
Although I’ve always been a person with heavily creative interests, pretty much all of my educational and career backgrounds prior to the launch of Luke Usry Photography was in the traditional business world. This of course left a very large knowledge gap in between me at 25 years old seriously picking up a camera for the first time and me now doing so daily for a living. I was able to fill that gap with online articles, youtube videos, books and, more than all those put together, lots and lots of practice. I’m grateful for the experience I have and how I acquired it, but I’ve often considered that it would have been a lot more efficient to learn many of the things I have through something more closely resembling formal education rather than it was to learn them the “hard way” i.e. through trial and error. So that knowledge gap was definitely an obstacle.
Please tell us more about your work, what do you specialize in and most proud of.
I am a full-time freelance photographer specializing in music, events, and portraits. I’m probably best known for my work in the music industry with both local and touring artists. I’ve had the opportunity to work with and photograph several iconic and Grammy-winning artists and my work has been published in Billboard online as well as a handful of other publications. But I really find most rewarding the experience of working with up and coming artists who are still staking out their corner of the musical landscape, both in terms of artistry and exposure. Empowering musicians and creatives of all types with the kind of captivating, professional quality images that will represent their artistic vision with the same level of creative drive and attention to detail that they put into it is one of my life’s greatest passions.
That being said, I am available for a vast array of photographic services including live music, artists promo, private/public event coverage, editorial and catalogue style fashion, narrative/editorial, restaurant/culinary, weddings, couples portraits, family portraits, environmental/lifestyle portraits, and an untold plethora of ideas limited only by our combined imaginations and your budget.
So, the next time you find yourself in need of the services of a dedicated creative professional who will work tirelessly to ensure you put your best and most authentic face forward, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Whatever your story is, I want to help you tell it to the world in style.
What were you like growing up?
To get a truly honest and accurate answer you’d really have to ask my parents or someone who knew me growing up. There’s a lot that I don’t remember. I had a wonderful childhood and adolescence that in many ways was typical of my friends growing and in other ways was not at all. I had my share of good friends, some of whom I am still close to today, but certainly wasn’t the captain of the football team, although I did film games for them on occasion. I’ve always been drawn to creative interests – music, movies, books. I developed an interest in reading and creative writing early in life I grew up in a really rural part of the state, so 4-H was a big outlet for me.
After high school, I spent four years in Athens and graduated with a BBA in Management from the Terry College of Business in 2011. I’ve always love to make art in some form or another so even though most of my background is in business, it’s such a blessing to have wound up doing something I am so passionate about.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lukeusryphotography.com
- Phone: 478-293-7042
- Email: luke@lukeusryphotography.com
- Instagram: @lukeusry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lukeusryphotography/
Image Credit:
All photos by Luke Usry
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