Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamar Gresham.
Hi Jamar, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I remember growing up and being on vacation with my parents I hated being in front of the camera posing for pictures looking like a tourist. I would always rather be behind the camera than in front of it.
I would always borrow my sister’s camera and take pictures of whatever I saw in front of me. When it came to my Junior year in high school and I finally saved up enough money to buy my own camera I jumped on it.
My camera and I were inseparable once I got it. I dove into research whenever I could looking at magazines, watching Youtube videos, and taking any class that I could. My favorite thing to do was study the lighting in advertisements as I walked in the mall. This caused me to want to get any and everyone in front of my lens that I could. I started off taking pictures of friends, taking on jobs within my community, and making a name for myself.
Everyone I encountered knew I was a photographer and saw the passion I had when it came to talking about it. As time has gone on I have built a network and community of photographers that is strong to this day. Thanks to apps like Clubhouse and Instagram I have managed to meet and collaborate with a community of other creatives who are just as passionate as I am when it comes to creating.
In the next few years, I plan to host meetups and workshops that will help creative professionals develop a network and build their portfolios.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My time as a creative has not always been the smoothest. Along the way, I have had to learn some hard lessons and grow from them. Some struggles I have had as a creative was pricing myself too low and not being able to grow as quickly as I wanted to.
As well as dealing with people who want to take advantage of creatives and not having the proper paperwork to protect my work. All of these were struggles that I feel every creative goes through and have to learn from in order to get to the next level.
Since the pandemic hit, I have also had to learn how to pivot and react to the changing times. I am a husband and father to 3 kids under 3 and I found my motivation and desire to create slowly slipping away from me. I needed to find ways to stay creative, so I started involving my family in some of the content I was making to keep my ideas flowing.
It has been fun creating TikToks with my kids and they enjoy being a part of my creative process.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do commercial, portrait, beauty, and fashion photography. I also do commercial product and event videography as well. I am most proud of my videography work which captures moments that help individuals and brands tell their stories.
What sets me apart from others is that I tend to stray away from taking the same shots as others, what everyone may be shooting that seems popular I always look for different angles or ways to shoot. I think people appreciate that the work they get from me is unique.
I am well known for coming up with some off-the-wall idea and executing it in a way that gets people excited. I love seeing the shocked look on a model’s face when they receive the photos and they understand why we shot the way we did.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
One surprising thing that people who know my work may not know about me is that when I don’t have a camera in my hands they can find me in the kitchen.
I enjoy cooking and barbecuing, I am constantly looking up new dishes to wow my family with. I actually want to start making cooking videos one day and add food content to my portfolio.
All of my family love it when I throw a brisket on the smoker they know it’s about to be a good day.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/topflight93/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClnG5tC68Doowdm_YADIePQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@topflight93
