Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary Kemper.
Zachary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up in Los Angeles offers an individual many different perspectives to live by. I have been deeply influenced by TV/Film, Theatre, Dance, and Photography throughout my entire life. I grew up acting, studying theatre at LA County High School for the Arts and New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Now, studying Sociology at UC Irvine, I hope to use that knowledge to help inform the artwork that I create. While I will always love the craft of acting, I have taken on photography as my main form of expression. I feel most in control of the work I create which fulfills me more than any other form of art I have ever practiced. Studying Sociology also strengthens my eye for art as it tells me to look at things with a sociological imagination, something not many of us have.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has never been a smooth road, it’s never a smooth road. If someone tells you they had a smooth road they are either lying or riding on the back of someone else. I would have graduated from Pace University in New York City for Acting in 2017 but after a year there I dropped out. I moved back to LA with the intention of booking acting jobs right away. I made a short film with Brandon Zuck called “A Song for your Mixtape” which highlights depression and suicide. The story came from a dream I had which was a clear message that I needed professional help and a career change.
After a brief rehab stint, I realized that I needed to use my brain in a more active way than I had ever done in the past while studying acting. This is how I came to studying Sociology and expressing myself through photography. I needed to step away from something that I always identified with, and when it dawned on me that I no longer identified with being an actor, I felt lost and empowered at the same time. I was lucky enough to have support from my family to help me get on track and find myself anew. I finally will have earned my bachelors degree in 2021, four years after I initially would have gotten my degree had I never dropped out. I am grateful for the years of experience I gained because now school means so much more to me than it ever did.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
For the past two years, I have been a freelance portrait photographer, building my brand which I see as constantly evolving, and creating honest connections with the artists in Los Angeles. I believe in unconventionality, I really dislike the norm or what is expected of us from society. This makes me not want to call myself a businessman or say I have a company. An artist isn’t a businessman, because if they are in it for money, they are in it for the wrong reasons.
Art is fluid and constantly changing because they are an expression of the artist who is constantly evolving and changing (if they are an enlightened human). I take great pride in the photographs I create, the people I photograph, and the experiences I get from that. I love dancers, who make up the majority of my portraits, I think what they do takes immense focus and effort. I’m very inspired by people with strong mindsets. They are the best subjects to photograph because they understand the art of conversation, how to tell a story with their bodies, and I think that’s what is needed in a portrait photo.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success should be defined by how someone feels within. No amount of extrinsic rewards can guarantee this idea of success that so many people have, “Oh once I make this amount of money I will be successful” or “Once I get this job I will be successful.” That’s a form of success, sure, but I know people who are working the job they dreamed of doing when they were a teenager, and my question is, what next? If we define success through external objects, jobs, or wealth and power, we will never be completely happy. I believe success is understanding your personal meaning of life and the power we all have within ourselves to reach our fullest potential. When we discover what our own meaning of life is, the outcome is success. But when we chase success, the outcome is never good enough, and the chase continues on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zachary-kemper.format.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: zachspic
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
