Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Bullocks.
Danny, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was a young, I always enjoyed taking pictures with a point and shoot camera that I’d sneak away from my parents. I had no idea what I was doing, but I liked playing with getting different perspectives of otherwise mundane things. As I got older, I stopped stealing my parents’ point and shoot camera because cell phone cameras became a prevalent and common piece of technology, so I’d always have something with me to take pictures. Eventually, I branched into making music, and I wanted to get nice promo pictures for my band; I felt like a cell phone camera wasn’t going to cut it if I wanted to present ourselves professionally. I bought a Nikon D3300, and the rest is honestly history. I’ve consistently invested in bettering myself and my gear and pushing my creativity as much as possible, while still highlighting things that would be otherwise be mundane. I still don’t do much manipulation to my photos because I find beauty in the way the world is, as opposed to the way the world could be.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all, my first camera got stolen from my car at my apartment, while I was at a concert. Building clientele and an audience for my work has been an uphill journey because I’m not one to share the things I do with people around me, and I just hope that my talent gets acknowledged by other individuals in the community. I’ve experienced the same pitfalls that many creatives experience: last minute cancellations, being promised payment for work and not receiving it, a general lack of consideration for time. So yeah, the experiences have gotten to me, driven me to the point of giving up, but I truly enjoy creating and making art. On top of that, I’ve made some amazing connections and friendships because of this journey. Overall, I’m grateful.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a photographer primarily. I also make films (music videos and narrative). I specialize in capturing people, specifically interacting with nature or with each other. I don’t know that I’m specifically known for anything, but I’d like to say what I try to present in my art is a story or a sense of emotion. I always try to direct the people I work with to carry a certain expression to go with a mood I’m aiming to capture. The thing I’m most proud of with my business is that people consistently tell me how comfortable I make them feel. I find that being comfortable with someone, in my line of work creates a better product. There’s no stress and no pressure, thus things come naturally.
The thing that sets me apart from others is probably how little I manipulate my photos. Nearly everything you see is as it was in the real world version that I saw. That’s not to knock photo manipulation, I just prefer realism in art, both in this medium and every other medium I’m involved in.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was highly extroverted. Had a lot of friends, but was never really able to socialize outside of school, so all my free time went toward my passions. I was interested heavily and the arts and sciences. I wrote poetry (I was actually published by the age of seven), and read books constantly. I also spent a lot of time studying the brain because the mind fascinated me. Toward high school, I let the arts go (regrettably) in favor of focusing on science and sports. But as I got older, I reinvested my heart into the arts, picked up poetry again, started doing spoken word, and from there started making music. Everything always centered around words. Actually, my initial concept for photography was to write poetry and take photos that fit the thematic mood of the poem, or vice versa. It’s actually something I still want to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dabbleinfocus.com
- Phone: 9099535332
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/dabbleinfocus
Image Credit:
Pictured: Saint Javen, SZNZ, Xylah Swan, Nakeyta Moore, Presley Tesch, Anisa Stoffel, T.O.M., Athena Poulos Shelby Loomis
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