Conversations with Mohamed Gaye

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mohamed Gaye.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I remember being in 8th grade, bored during my free time, so I’d take pictures on my old Samsung phone, just little things I saw every day, small moments I thought would be cool to look back on. I’d throw colorful edits on them, and for a while it was just a fun hobby. When I got to high school, I took a photography class. At the time I was playing football, and a few of my teammates were in that class, so it turned into a lot of joking around. I couldn’t really focus and I ended up failing the class. After that, photography kind of slipped to the background and I moved on to other hobbies. It wasn’t until the summer before my freshman year of college that it came back around. A friend needed help with a project and handed me a VHS camera. Once I started using it, I fell right back in love with the feeling of holding a camera and capturing something real. From there, I worked and saved for months until I could buy my first camera kit. I started taking pictures at parties because it felt like an easy way to meet people. That opened the door to all kinds of aspiring creatives painters, photographers, creative directors. Shooting with them really expanded my creativity and gave me space to grow as a person and I’m genuinely grateful for that. Since then, it’s been about growing and learning how to capture my feelings and experiences in the most honest way I can and that’s what led me to where I am today.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely had its ups and downs, but when I look back at a lot of those moments now, I honestly laugh. The biggest obstacle for me has been confidence. It took a long time for me to genuinely believe that I had the ability to be a photographer. Growing up in a West African household and I know this is relatable for a lot of people with similar backgrounds the creative field wasn’t really encouraged or seen as a realistic path. So it never occurred to me that this was something I could actually pursue. That created a lot of self-doubt, a lot of anxiety about my work and my skills, and a constant feeling of questioning myself. Looking back now, most of that stress came from my own head. I wish I could go back and tell that version of me to calm down, trust himself, and understand that the passion was enough to build on.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core i’m a photographer but from time to time i’ll do some directing , some videography and really whatever sounds fun at the moment. I feel like i’m known for really trying to build community with my work. I have a movement going on right now called #Madewithluv and it stems from me just trying to advise others to not forget what makes us people and human and a look into the perspectives of those around us. I’m also the most proud of that for real, I really formed this from a genuine place and I’m so grateful everytime I see someone use the hashtag or tell me they’re happy when they see my work. I think what sets me apart is my authenticity. Everything i’ve shot has been a reflection of a real experience wether it’s mine or the person i’m capturing and I hope people will see that

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
When I was a kid my mom had a rule. During the week we had to eat what was at home but fridays was fast food friday so we’d get to go out as a family and get whenever we decided on that day and I still think to this day that’s why I associate fast food with happiness which I think leads into my doordash addiction so I think it’s not my fault.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://madewithluv.myportfolio.com/work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iluvahk?igsh=dWozam5veW82N3R5&utm_source=qr