Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Abou.
Kelly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. I come from immigrant parents, my mother is Salvadorian, and my father is Iraqi. Growing up, I was exposed to two very different cultures in which I’ve learned to appreciate, part of learning about my parents’ journey was through photos. I’ve always had a love for photography, but my passion really grew founder within the last few years.
It all started by taking pictures on my iPhone of architectural, street and landscape photography. A few years ago, I was gifted a Sony Alpha A6000 and never fully took advantage of it until the last couple years when I realized I had everything I needed to continue my passion and needed to make time for what I really loved aside from my 9-5 job. I took it with me everywhere I went from museums, vacations, birthday parties, or just around the city. I made a list of places I wanted to photograph in Los Angeles and started from there. I never went to school or have taken a photography class but felt like I always had “a good eye” and so I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone and go on photo missions alone and learn how to navigate my camera to its full capacity.
It’s been a few years now and I’ve learned many things about being a photographer but still go through the challenges of creativity/editing and feeling like something can always be better but that all goes away when I receive the feedback that people enjoy my work. I never really followed a certain photography trend. Instead, I just look at my surroundings and capture what I find to be appealing which is usually architecture, murals, nature, and anything with a pop of color. I’ve recently started doing videography as well as a learning curve and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Has it been a smooth road?
The most challenging part has been teaching myself and really pushing to improve on errors I’ve made in the past. Editing can be a fun yet an extremely challenging process as I mentioned before. I’m not always 100% satisfied with the outcome and always feel like I can make it look a little better, when I experience this I try to step away for a second to feel refreshed and then get back into focus mode.
Another struggle I face from time to time is photographing in a busy location, for example it can be challenging to capture the perfect moment or angle when you have a crowd of people in your way and you’re on a time crunch, but it’s all about timing, being observant and patience!
Overall, I wouldn’t change the “struggles” that come along with photography, as the end results are extremely satisfying.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a freelance Photographer/Videographer, I specialize in photos and video creating. I’m most proud about the quality and effort I put into my work. I’m open to any type of content and know I can excel in what is needed from a client, I am flexible and not afraid of challenging myself.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I do believe photographers have many opportunities in Los Angeles but overall A great photographer can transcend in any location.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotsbyabou/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotsbyabou/
Image Credit:
shotsbyabou
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