Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Cornish.
Christopher, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Photography is actually a slightly newer passion of mine. Growing up I was heavily involved with theatrical productions and technical work. I always loved being behind the scenes of entertainment and gravitated to audio engineering.
One day on a family vacation I got handed the camera and became the “family photographer” for the trip. Getting bored I took the camera out of auto mode and began experimenting. I was immediately hooked on photography and needed to learn as much as I could as fast as I can. I spent an extremely large amount of any free time I had taking online courses, watching tutorial videos, and experimenting with new topics in the field. Being mostly self-taught and taught by online classes, I was very lucky to have friends and family that would sit and model for me time and time again for me to practice relentlessly.
These days, I photograph primarily people, with the occasional landscapes. I have always been a horror geek and love all haunted attractions and events, so a good amount of my studio work tends to have a darker and horror vibe to it. I also currently am the residing Technical Supervisor at Orange Lutheran High School’s Nechita Center for the Performing Arts where I also will be seen photographing live performances and minor studio work.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting out its always rough trying to get your name out there and getting clients. I have been blessed with an amazing group of talented friends that have helped me out along the way, whether it be posing as a free model for me to practice, or makeup artists to collaborate with. The biggest struggle as an emerging photographer definitely has to be establishing a client base, which is something that only comes with time and hard work.
Please tell us about Chris Cornish Photography.
I started Chris Cornish Photography with the intention of specializing in head shots, on sight events, and most importantly, monsters! I tend to mostly do acting head shots and group portraits for events such as Proms. Whenever I get the chance though I will work with spooky and horror based themes. My favorite work that I have put out has definitely been my monsters in the fog studio work where I had the blessing of a very talented Lighting Designer, Johnny Haaland, to constantly deliver unique and creative lighting and special effect changes to assist in the shoot. It definitely leads to some unique shots!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over I would definitely have begun earlier and put more time into classes. You can’t be a successful photographer without a super solid understanding of the basics. The sooner you have the core understanding, the sooner you can get creative and experiment with a unique style and approach. With that said, I’m super grateful for my experiences and those who have helped me. It has shaped my style in such a special way to me, that I wouldn’t want to ever trade it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chriscornishphotography/
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chriscornishphotography/
Image Credit:
ChrisCornishPhotography
JennsBeautyFx
Models: Destinie Peters, Mike Butin, Molly Bennett, Ruth Duckworth, Anthony Lierl, Carson Inouye, Mia Battaglia
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