Life & Work with Vincent Taylor of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vincent Taylor

Hi Vincent, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a visual storyteller, color creator, and a renowned film and television colorist. I am working both locally in Los Angeles and globally. I Majored as a Director of Photography at Australia’s premier film school, the Victorian College of the Arts carving out a career in the visual arts.

Coming from a background as a multi-award-winning cinematographer I have worked across commercials, music videos, documentaries, and short films, earning twelve awards from the Australian Cinematographers Society and also a nomination for an Australian Film Industry award. I Transitioned from behind the camera to the world of color grading and built a strong reputation in Australia, China, and now the United States over two decades!

In the background, there has been a consistent theme: photography. I have always had a camera at hand, starting as a lover of film photography, 35MM and medium format (which will always be the case!), and then growing with digital photography as the technology has matured. After becoming a Dad, my focus on capturing special moments of my kids growing up naturally evolved into my love of bespoke portrait photography. All of this mixed into one gigantic recipe and Chuckle Media was born. Now all of those years of storytelling skills and my professional background as a cinematographer and a film colorist overflow into my skills as a portrait and event photographer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think if the journey was a smooth one it wouldn’t be real life! We all know that growth, both personal and professional, comes from struggles big and small. As much as that can sometimes be frustrating I actually wouldn’t change a thing – ultimately I am a much better photographer because of the journey I have been on. I read a quote only just yesterday from actor/ producer Matthew McConaughey that said ‘Remember to enjoy your journey’ and he is 100 percent right about that.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my career in the film industry, I have worked on Documentary, Drama, Music Videos, and commercial projects. All of these have storytelling in common. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 90-minute documentary or a 30-second commercial there is still a story that needs to be told. Photography is no different. Even with a still image, there is a story that is aching to be told – the adage ‘A picture paints 1000 words’ is very true! My strength as a storyteller and photographer is communication. It sounds pretty simple I know but to be able to listen to a client and get from them exactly what it is they would like to see in a photograph or to capture their truth or their personality is all about listening, at least for me! I have lived all over the world because of my profession and I have taken photos of people everywhere along the way. I feel like I’m cheating somehow to call it a job because I love it so much.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
As a photographer, you are spoilt in Los Angeles. No matter where you point your camera there is something worth capturing. The environment, the light, the architecture, and, of course, the people. Sometimes the things you see are not so nice to see of course, but, it’s those moments that are still very much part of the story of Los Angeles and should still be told. I have a guilty pleasure which, if you promise not to tell anyone, I will let you in on. I love Cactus and succulents. I think they look like they are from another planet and they’re beautiful and ‘dangerous’ at exactly the same time. As a result, I have far too many photographs of cactus. Now that I’ve written that down I’ve realized that it’s not a guilty pleasure at all – I don’t feel guilty about it at all!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chucklemedia.com/ and https://vincenttaylorcolor.com/
• Instagram: #chucklemediaphotography and #vincenttaylorcolor and #bionicvincent
• Other: https://colortimerpodcast.mixinglight.com/

Image Credits
Chuckle Media