October 22, 2016

Meet West Hollywood Photographer: Grant Komjakraphan

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant Komjakraphan.

Grant, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and went to the University of California Irvine majoring in Studio Art which sparked my interest in photography which turned into a passion. Growing up, I had always been interested in fashion so it put two things I loved into a career. I started out at Revolve Clothing as a photo editor, but quickly moved up and became one of the photographers for Revolve Clothing and Forward by Elyse Walker. After gaining lots of experience there, I then worked for a variety of e-commerce companies while doing freelance fashion photography on the side. A few years ago I got the opportunity to change industries and now I am currently the Visual Director for American Tea Room. We are a premium tea brand in a growing market. Although I am not shooting models nor working in the fashion industry I still love fashion and keep up with everything to inspire me with my creativity. Whenever I get the chance to do shoots I still make the time to create something beautiful.

Has it been a smooth road?
There have been numerous challenges throughout my career, but I think that happens in all industries. The biggest one I would have to say would be my coworkers and directors. Working in a creative environment and having lots of ideas where the creative director and the photographer don’t see eye it eye creates a challenging space to collaborate. I’ve worked with challenging individuals, but I have also worked with amazing ones where they have helped shape my work today.

Tell us about your childhood, what were you like growing up?
When I was growing up I was always interested in creating things with my hands. My parents owned a number of businesses and I always wanted to help and learn how to do the things they did. We had a restaurant so I learned how to cook, we had a hair salon so I learned how to dye hair and they currently have a flower shop so I learned how to arrange flowers. I like to think I was a very inquisitive kid and continue to be which is why I always want to continue to learn new things and I’ve ended up where I am currently in my career.

To be completely honest about my personality, when I was younger I was very quiet, reserved and to myself; I didn’t put myself out there for people to notice. When I got a bit older like in high school and college I made it a goal to be more outgoing, make more friends and loose weight (i was bit heavier). I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but learning from my mistakes and just continuing to chip at my goals I was able to grow and become a more well-rounded person. I Still have a lot to work on, but who doesn’t and that’s the fun part.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park and a few other national monuments. I remember being surrounded by nature and seeing the beauty of the natural earth all around us. There were so many vibrant colors and shapes, I definitely want to return and photograph it someday. During this trip, I remember staying at a motel next to a corn field where my grandma had plucked a couple of ears of corn and we cooked it in a rice cooker we brought with us. Growing up and going on vacations we never stayed at the nicest places, but my parents and family made it fun which makes me appreciate them even more so now.

So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
I plan on just continuing to create art and learning. I have been interested in U/X and packaging design so I might look into learning more about those fields. What I do plan on doing in the immediate future is traveling more and photographing in film. The depth a film camera has, the meticulousness of photographing an image and not knowing the outcome until later is something I do miss.

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