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Meet Alex Keaton of The Vision Photos – Shot By AK

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Keaton.

Alex, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey of taking pictures all started as a way for me to try something new. My transition into doing photography was unplanned for the most part. I never really had any prior experience with taking pictures, I just picked up a camera. At the time, let’s say spring of 2015 (11th grade), there was a lot of gang & police activity going on in the neighborhood I lived in which pushed me to find a hobby that would get me out of the neighborhood for a few hours a day. At this time, I was suffering from the loss of one of my big brothers due to gun violence that happened down the street from where I lived. So I was desperate to find something productive to do that could help me get my mind off of it. My older sister always had a small digital camera for when she went out with friends and she used it to capture those moments. I always saw her use it, but I never thought much of it. Eventually, as time went by, she stopped using it and I noticed it started collecting dust. So one day out of the blue, I asked her if I could use it, and luckily she let me. The first pictures I ever took on this camera were just of the raw scenery of what I was surrounded by, things like graffiti, the ice cream truck, the neighbor’s flowers, and the corn man who constantly came up and down the block.

From that first day of walking around and capturing moments in time, I became infatuated with the fact that I could take a moment of the day and make it last forever. So I started taking pictures everyday when I got back home from school, and at this point, I had nothing to my name but a bus pass so I used it to my advantage. I went all over LA by myself just to take pictures of landscapes and raw scenery and I enjoyed doing it. Sometimes on the weekend, I would stay out the whole day just to catch the sunset. I started showing the photos to family and I was getting good feedback which only added fuel to my fire to keep going. I never had intentions of taking portraits of people until one day, I took the train to take pictures in Hollywood and I was approached by a group of guys who saw me taking pictures. Right then and there we exchanged information, from there I booked my first official Photo-shoot. It was a dope experience to see that taking pictures could bring people together and form relationships, but then I realized if I was going to be getting clientele, I would need to invest into a better camera. My family knew I had an interest in taking pictures, but I knew getting the funds to buy an up to date camera would be difficult. I reached out to my Grandfather and told him my vision for taking photos, and I showed him my content to let him know I was serious. I knew he was one person that would take my aspirations seriously, and I let him know that this was something I was doing where it allows me to be productive and creative. He was all for it and he invested in me and bought my first DSLR camera.

I was excited and grateful to have something of value that could help me express my creative side, so I continued to travel on solo missions to get the dopest snapshots of the city I could get. On top of that, I started taking my camera to school every other day just to practice, because I learned the first thing most people do when they see a camera is pose! This eventually led to me helping take yearbook pictures, which was a major point of growth for me in my journey. After I graduated high school, I had less time on my hands to just travel and take pictures so I took what started as a hobby and turned it into a business so that I could benefit from my skill set after years of practice. Having a business allowed me the opportunity to work with aspiring and established models, small businesses, stylists and artists who ultimately have gotten me to where I am today. I love to be authentic and transparent with the people I work with because it contributes to my being able to bring their vision to life. What I value most about the content I create is bringing my client’s vision to life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road hasn’t been completely smooth but it’s been a good learning experience. At the beginning, one of the biggest obstacles I faced was the resistance I felt from trying to do something positive. Once I got my new camera and traveled the city by bus & train, I started to feel more like a target with this expensive asset I carried around. Eventually, this motivated me to stop taking public transportation and get a car to get myself where I needed to be. Another huge obstacle I faced was not having my big brother around to show him what I created and the positive direction I was headed in. I know he would be proud. Further along down the line the struggle became making time for my business with a hectic schedule while going to school and working. My ultimate goal was to work to invest back into my craft, but the downside to that was my schedule affecting the consistency of content I put out. The biggest thing for me was making sure that I had the funds to level up my equipment to be able to accept more work and give the best visuals possible. I’m a one man army so there have been times I needed to take weeks even months off to put myself in the best position to be great, such as saving to get new backpacks, laptops, lenses, editing software etc. I initially didn’t have a problem with taking the time I needed to get what I needed, but I had a problem with the appearance of being stagnant. In the long run, taking the time to save up for better equipment was the best thing for me to do, because I’d rather work when I’m fully prepared than put out subpar content. To me, that wouldn’t be fair to my clients.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Vision Photos – Shot By AK – what should we know?
I am in the business of taking photos for clients for whatever their specific needs or wants may be. Lately, I’ve specialized in taking portraits, which I enjoy doing. What I’m known for is in my name, I named my company “The Vision Photos” because bringing my clients vision to life is what I care about most. When I ask my clients what they envision for a project, my job is to correctly and creatively interpret their vision and successfully put it on screen. What I’m most proud of is the good feedback I get from the clients that I work with. I’m always happy to see that my work was satisfactory, it’s rewarding & makes the process worth the while. Ultimately the biggest compliment to my company are referrals and repeated business! I think what sets me apart from others is the fact that my clients and I have a good time when we shoot it helps create an atmosphere where they are comfortable. Also, I build relationships with the people that I work with, which makes them feel more like family. I understand that photography is a people business, there are no automated answers, no weird energy; just genuine and authentic vibes, and those are qualities you can’t get everywhere.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First I would like to give a huge shout out to God who gave me my talent and my Grandfather who invested in me and my vision in the beginning. My older sister deserves a lot of credit for being open to letting me use her camera because honestly she never got it back! Big shout out to my Mother for being a constant supportive backbone. Another person who attributed to my growth as a photographer is Cameron Jackson, who constantly inspires me and gives advice on how to elevate my line of work.

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