Today we’d like to introduce you to Basia Bowens.
Basia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My career in photography started about two and a half years ago when I began taking pictures of my sister for her Instagram profile. Growing up, I always had a camera but I never looked at photography as a viable career option. I instead pursued and got my degree in Computer Science. Over time, the content I started creating with my sister captured the eyes of notable influencers and celebrity stylist, Ade Samuel, who had gone to college with my sister. My work with Ade developed my photography skill set, teaching me how to be more confident and assertive when working with others. It also forced me to be more concise when taking photos due to her services being in such high demand and how scarce mine and her time was. During my entire photography career, I have been a full-time software engineer. I found success very early in my software engineering career but my breakthrough in photography came six months in when I was published in Sheen Magazine for a photo I had taken of Ade. We would go on to be published in a few online publications, such as Gilt and LA Times, but my biggest breakthrough was being featured on British Vogue’s website for a 2018 pre-Emmy’s shoot with Letitia Wright, star of Marvel’s Black Panther. Ade was styling Letitia for the Emmy’s and recommended me to capture the content.
Since then, I have continued ironing out my skills in photography and videography, shooting my first commissioned campaign with Dionne Swim by Dayna Francis. I recently just came back from filming a music visual for recording artist Laurent in Paris in November of 2019 but my main focus has been developing my own conceptual shoots, styled, directed and cast by myself. I’m learning a lot on this journey and trying out a lot of new things like shooting the principal photography for a pilot called “The Mels” set to be complete this year (2020). I’m constantly looking for ways to combine my two career paths and I’m looking forward to all the upcoming projects I have in 2020.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My biggest struggles with photography have been knowing my worth, being confident in my abilities, and staying creative through the ruts. I learned that being an artist opens you up to criticism and judgment far more than I’ve endured as a software engineer because my art being an extension of myself causes those criticisms to hit closer to home. Taking those hits with a grain of salt have helped me become a better creative.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
In early 2018, I legitimized myself as Basal House LLC, but I’ve continued doing work under my given name for the time being. Basal House is how I’ve begun to combine my software engineering, business management, and photo/video skills to provide a full-service experience to some of my clients. I provide photo/video content for web experiences, social media, publications, as well as build out the applications end to end to create an entire brand for my clients. What sets me apart from companies like my own is my expertise in Software Engineering and my creative background in photography and videography.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I don’t feel success yet. I know that much. I view success as this far off mark that only comes with time and practice. I define success, really, as independence, ownership, and equity.
Contact Info:
- Website: basiabowens.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basiabowens/
Image Credit:
Basia Bowens
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