Today we’d like to introduce you to Ameer Mussard-afcari
Hi Ameer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I picked up my first camera when I was 18. It was a 35mm film camera that my dad got for me before I went off to college; he taught me the basics of exposure, the mechanisms of the camera — how an image is captured on a roll of film. Fascinating stuff. I quickly found that I loved photography. While studying fashion business and marketing at FIT in New York City, I became interested in photojournalism. Eventually I switched to a cheap DSLR to try photojournalism for myself — I started running around the city and documenting events and happenings that piqued my interest, things that I wanted to know more about. The camera was my way of getting close to the action and witnessing things that I felt were worthy of attention. Anti-vaxx protests, coal miner strikes, police funerals — I was there photographing anything I found interesting. I got a NYC press pass and decided to train myself as a photojournalist by showing up wherever the professionals showed up and documenting those same events; I saw improvement in my work and and became much less interested in a career in marketing. After graduating I returned to the Bay Area and joined Berkeley Times — a local newspaper in Berkeley, CA — as a staff photojournalist. The editor, Todd Kerr, gave me an opportunity; he gave me all sorts of assignments, and his full trust and support and confirmed for me that I could and should become a photojournalist. After traveling throughout Colombia and Brazil in 2023, I relocated to Southern California and am now an independent photojournalist and freelance photographer. I’m currently working to expand my portfolio of commercial work, but my focus as a photographer is still in photojournalism and visual storytelling. I plan on returning to Colombia as soon as I can to continue working on a project I began last year.
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?
My biggest challenge has been figuring out how to pivot from what I studied (marketing) to what I love (photography). I feel like I got a late start, like I’m a little behind where I’d like to be in terms of career trajectory as a photographer. Selling my services has been a challenge as well, as I’ve been somewhat reluctant to market myself as a “freelance photographer”. There have been many other challenges — money and self-doubt come to mind — and I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, but I’m convinced that it’s the right road and it’ll take me somewhere worthwhile.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a photographer specializing in documentary photography and visual storytelling. I focus on non-fiction, on showing little slices of the world that I think are important or interesting or even just curious. In terms of style or creative approaches, I honestly don’t think there’s much that sets me apart from others. I consciously try not to embed my own “aesthetic” into my images; of course its still there to some degree, but it’s not my intention to create my own unique style. What sets me apart has nothing to do with the camera. My greatest strength as a photojournalist — someone who explains things with pictures — is my ability to gain access, to connect with people from ALL walks of life, and to gain their trust and demonstrate that I care about more than the photo that I get from them.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I’ve found that learning makes me happy. When something new enters my consciousness — a new fact, a great quote, a new skill, a fantastic song — I get a little bit of that happy feeling. I’ve never thought of it as a state of being, more so a feeling that comes and goes. I wouldn’t say “I am happy”, I’d say “I feel happy”. You know what I mean? So learning makes me happy and photography makes me happy (and sad too but when everything goes right and I capture a piece of something worthwhile I feel real joy) and a long long list of other things make me happy but I try not to worry too much about living in that feeling all of the time.
Pricing:
- I work with all budgets and will always overdeliver. Events, food, portraits — you name it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ameermussardafcari.com
- Instagram: @ameermussardafcari
Image Credits
Ameer Mussard-Afcari
