Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles McDougald.
Hi Charles, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Funny enough, music was the start of everything for me. I grew up with music constantly playing in the house and multiple family members involved in music and the music business, so naturally, music was my comfort zone in the arts. I was the kid making beats on the classroom desk with a pencil, and that passion eventually led me to want to become a music producer. I started making music for friends and artists that I knew in my city and surrounding cities, and once I heard the first completed song, I knew this was what I wanted. I wanted to be top 5 all-time! However, I still had pressure from home to go to school and get a bachelor’s degree. At the time, deviating from that path wasn’t looked at in high regard. But after a few unsuccessful to average school years, it was time to bet on me and make a move. I ended up moving to NYC and enrolling in Audio Engineering since all the producers I looked up to were also exceptional engineers. And within weeks of finishing, my first assistant engineering gig was a Wyclef session. I felt like I made it! That opportunity also led me to get picked up at Jungle City Studios. Even though I’d have to start from the bottom as an intern, it gave me much insight into the business and the creative strategy behind making records.
Not to mention everyone you can think of recorded there, so it was a great place to sharpen up and learn from the best. However, I didn’t anticipate things moving almost too quickly and in line with each other – I was working out of a studio, selling beats in the city, and working with artists trying to get placements on projects. Everything was just music – all the time. It got to a point where I was starting to feel burned out, mainly because I had to hustle around to make enough money for bills. And that’s where photography came in.
It fell in my lap in some ways. As something I enjoyed as a hobby with my phone, it started to grow on me. I could see the potential of the things I could create. I picked up a small mirrorless camera, took some photos on vacation, and immediately got an overwhelming response! It made me want to learn even more and improve, and as I watched hours of tutorials and videos, I wanted to create on a larger scale. I bought a more advanced camera and started taking on more significant projects. In the creative circle I grew up in, I became the music producer who took photos. I was so enamored with photography that I wanted to figure out a way to combine these two passions.
While rolling the dice and taking a chance, I found myself in LA, creating a space for these two things I love. I currently work at one of the largest music streaming platforms and shoot fashion editorial/fine art client work. The shooting process inspired me to step into more of a creative director role and establish a production company. Regardless of the creative medium, I’ve always loved collaboration, and each day I get close to merging these worlds while bringing people along with me. It’s what got me here today, and I’m grateful.
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?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it’s been rewarding. At each step, I had to face certain doubts and projections of what I could and couldn’t do. Dropping out of school to pursue music, interning for free for multiple months, and even wholly switching creative mediums for some time felt crazy! Imagine putting all your heart, energy, and 10,000 hours into a passion, only to put it on the back burner because of the “possibility” of another one. At the time, it felt crazy, not in the sense of wasted time and money, but more like, “you’re too deep in this to put this on pause.” But luckily, with consistency and a bit of foresight, everything seemed to work out.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Regarding photography, I mainly shoot a mix between fashion editorial and fine art. Some would call it Fine Art Portraiture, which might be an easier lens to see through (no pun intended). After I started shooting paid clients and became a part of creative campaigns, I started gravitating toward wanting to shoot covers. I took inspiration from Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Dior while still being influenced stylistically by Fader and i-D magazine. In trying to create a particular type of look, I stumbled into something more meaningful – making people feel as good as they looked. I started caring more about the experience on set and the creative direction of the art than a signature editing style. From that point on, I began noticing a difference in the captured images. Another big part of that was a photographer I looked up to, Tyler Shields, who stepped in as a mentor and challenged me to raise my own bar.
Nowadays, I think both are very present in my art. As much as I have a specific shooting/editing style, I feel the experience behind the imagery is just as much a signature of my own. Photography is a delicate dance, and when someone is entirely comfortable with you, they open up in ways only an image can genuinely show. And that’s the difference – I look for the essence. As far as what I’m most proud of, it would have to be the relationships that have fostered over time. Without Lauren Von Der Pool and Amechi, there would be no Vogue feature. Without Lani, there wouldn’t be a creative visual collaboration for TrueSpirit Co. Without Scienze, I wouldn’t have been in charge of my first creative campaign for “I Would Rob a Whole Bank for You.” People gave me a chance and paid it forward, and I want to make sure I’m doing the same.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory has to be laying on the couch as a kid and listening to all the records my parents would play. I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, so lots of funk and R&B records were played all the time. Because we lived in a quadplex with all my immediate family, I would walk over to my grandparents’ unit afterward and hang out for a bit. Then head over to my Aunt and Uncle’s units to visit and play with my cousin. Those were the days.
Thank you to VoyageLA for the feature, and a special thank you to EJ, the first person I ever captured on camera. None of this happens without you, and I’m forever grateful. Thanks everyone!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wavehouseproductions.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/_charleswallace
Image Credits
Photos include Lani, Corey Staley, Valerie Ehimhen, Chinyere Stevens, Kelz, Amber Jaunai, Jackie Ho, and Jeska Mac. Featured photo of myself taken by Alicia Echevarria.
