Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Ashby.
Hi Steve, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello my name is Steve, I am currently am working in all things related to music and film, both creatively and the production aspect as well. To give a bit of backstory, quite honestly besides when I was younger I had never really traveled outside of LA, not the county but the actual city itself. So after finishing up junior college I was able to transfer out of state. After realizing that I most likely might never return to these places after college, I decided to buy a point and shoot 35mm film camera to document the places that were captivating me. My family has always keep old picture books of 4×6 cutouts or Polaroids, & the feeling that is almost unexplainably nostalgic you get from looking at physical copies of photos is what initially sparked my interest. Unknown to me, trying to recreate these type of photos would snowball into trying to capture those same types of moments on production & film sets. I would also like to recognize and thank Robin Roberson & Gilda Hagood for passing down addition film cameras & photography books which allowed me to grow as well as learn tremendously when I first returned to Los Angeles pursuing film photography.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not necessarily, at the time when I first started I wasn’t very knowledgeable. so when I upgraded from a point and shoot to an actual film camera with dials, knobs & levers, it made absolutely no sense to me. I didn’t even have a clue as to what ISO meant or even did. Being in a new & unfamiliar state at the time, No one I knew even owned a camera. And on top of it all not having a phone during that period of my life didn’t help. I definitely took the long route of trial and error. But I am thankful because in not knowing, I was able to make mistakes that I now use on purpose and above all else it have I’ve learned an important tool to have in life…patience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am firstly a Photographer, film preferably, although in saying this I do not limit myself. I have been able to take on many different roles as currently on my journey I have been a Director, Producer, AD, BTS, Assistant Camera, Production Designer, Set Designer, Background Extra, and Production Assistant. If I am able to pickup work that is reasonable to me I’m willing to do it. Being from South Central something that holds personal value to me a would be working on the production for a commercial involving The Marathon Clothing Store & Ethika. Another being traveling around America and shooting some of the artist & crew from Dom Kennedy’s 2025 USA Tour. I know I am talented, so are a lot of other people. I believe what might separate myself from others is that I am not afraid to fail, in public or private which allows me to just “keep going”.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: steveflaneurs & flaneur.filmw
- Twitter: steveflaneurs
Image Credits
Andrew “AB” Brown (@1kdigital__)
Victor “Vic” Ramirez (@shotbyhittah)
Nande Kalenga (@n9day)
