Daily Inspiration: Meet Moses Mitchell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Moses Mitchell.

Hi Moses, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was blessed to have an amazing father who recognized that I had learning disabilities early. He made sure I saw it as my superhero strength, not a disability; he put a camera in my hand at age three, and by the time I was five, it was something I had to take everywhere. I had to take pictures every day to explain what I saw and why I thought it was important. A little bit more to the backstory: my father was a cameraman for CBS News, so I was around a lot of stuff in the 80s, if you could imagine and being in the field with him, the most important thing I took from my lessons with him was how important it was always to document the culture of black and brown people and light, and not to portray a stereotypes as my superpower my responsibility is to my culture

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m not sure any independent artist can say the road has been smooth. I definitely have had access that most would never have and I had a father who taught me that nepotism was how you moved through the business but it was your actions and your work that kept you working so I’m a firm believer and I am the great example of someone who had advantages with my father and his friends that put me in places that most people would never be able to get to without help but at the same time my work speaks for itself and that is what This kept me getting the callbacks for over 35 years

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What do I do, and what do I specialize in? I capture the essence of the soul, whether it’s a campaign or a portrait; as a photographer, I create art, not photos.

I’m known for disappearing on set, which allows people to be most comfortable and not see a camera but see a friend who wants to show the world how beautiful they are

What I’m most proud of is being a father and giving my children the idea that anything and everything they want to do is open to them. My son is his own man, at the same time. He has taken on the family trade as a fourth-generation photographer, and he also has his own clothing brand. I’m very proud of him; I couldn’t ask for a better son. My daughter is the absolute heart of our family. She brings the family together. Her energy is absolutely amazing. I’m so happy and proud to be her father. She’s in photography, but she is more into acting and singing and is very good at it.

What sets me apart is that no one can do what I do. Anyone can pick up a camera and take a photo, but very few can pick up a camera and create art that shows the soul of a campaign, our person, or a subject.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Learn the craft, and that’s not going on YouTube taking five-minute classes that’s reaching out to your elders in the craft and being humble and listening to the stories and learning the craft through the stories and then developing yourself as an artist and understanding that you have your own story to tell, but your story being told is off the shoulders of the people that came before you and how important it is to learn the craft

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mosesmitchellwork.myportfolio.com/work
• Instagram: Moses Mitchell