Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Paul.
Hi Trevor, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been interested in working with cameras. When I was a kid, I would spend hours taking pictures and videos with my webcam and editing short films with Windows Movie Maker. I studied broadcast television in college thinking I would pursue a career in TV. After graduating, I found myself working a corporate creative job at a major bank in Toronto Canada. Working corporate allowed me to grow in a direction I never thought possible. I learned so much about being a professional and how to communicate with business partners. Even though I was working with cameras, I realized I wasn’t tapping into my full creative potential, so after five years of working in suit and tie, I quit my job and left Canada on what was meant to be a one year backpacking trip. But as time went on, I found myself traveling across the world for another five years working and living in countries like Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Australia, UK and USA to name a few. After some soul searching and much needed life experience, I knew I wanted to eventually build a career in LA like many creatives. I arrived in June 2021 when most countries had closed their borders due to Covid. I came here with one goal, which was to get my work circulating around the LA creative scene and get my pictures in front of the right people. I still feel like there’s more work to be done!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest obstacles was finding the courage to quit my cushy corporate job and venture into the world of freelance. I had little savings and no one to support me if I ran out of money. I was lucky enough to meet all the right people along the way and I’m so grateful for the support system I have today. Covid was obviously another huge obstacle to overcome but we know that’s true for everyone and I’m bored of talking about it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I don’t want my work to be beautiful. I want my work to stand out because it’s weird and unusual. I don’t enjoy taking pictures of perfect people (no shade) but I love working with models who aren’t afraid to look strange or unattractive. It’s about taking pictures that make your audience ask questions. I like pictures that people would describe as creepy. I want to make you uncomfortable!
What makes you happy?
The ability to travel and connect with creatives across the world is what I live for. I love working with models and makeup artists from other countries and cross networking. We have social media to thank for that and I often have to remind myself how lucky we are to have that capability, so I guess Facebook and Instagram are not completely evil…
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/trevorpaul.photos
