Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Dubroc.
Hi Joel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a photographer, artist, and creative director from Louisiana — born and raised on the Northshore outside of New Orleans. My journey into photography started young, but it truly took shape when I realized a camera could be more than just a tool; it could preserve memory, reveal identity, and build a world of my own making.
I studied photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where I learned everything from analog processes to next-gen digital production, and spent a formative chapter at SCAD Hong Kong. After school, I began working with David LaChapelle — first as an intern, then as his studio manager. That time shaped the way I approach life and photography
I’m drawn to storytelling that blends warped memory with intimacy. My work often centers Southern identity, queerness, mythology, and the ways we make meaning out of beauty and grief. My models are my gods, my false idols. I photograph them like saints, maybe.
I’ve made a point to keep my base in Louisiana, even while traveling for shoots, because there’s something sacred about the land and the people here. No one like us. The best people in the world. There’s something in the mud. It keeps my work grounded and personal, even when the projects are large-scale but cheap. Every photo I take feels like a conversation between past and present, between beauty and chaos. A beautiful chaos.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road’s been beautiful.
I’ve dealt with financial instability, rejection, and long stretches of silence where I wondered if my work mattered to anyone but me. I’ve created whole bodies of work with no budget, no team, no guarantee anyone would ever see them, just a silly vision I couldn’t let go of. I guess that’s why I create. I create art because if I don’t, it would drive me nuts. Just a bunch of ideas with no home besides my head. It would make me go crazy. I don’t create for others or for people to view it. I create because it’s my life, my truest love.
I wear every hat: photographer, producer, editor, creative director, even marketing manager. I’ve worked full-time jobs to support my art. I’ve sent countless cold emails that were never opened. I’ve lost collaborators. I guess I have to teach myself how to keep going when the water is still.
I wouldn’t trade the hard parts. They made the work honest.
Honestly, I think I’m in the thick of the worst of it right now. But I believe the work will be magical. I hope to create a beautiful soul album, not musically, but in still photographs. I hope to hear the photos sing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a photographer and creative director who does everything myself — from concept, styling, hair, makeup, shooting, editing, producing, art directing, lighting, to even making some of the clothing. Having full control over every part of the process allows me to create work that’s truly authentic and personal. I’ve touched every detail — these photographs are me.
I don’t want to sound proud, but I do think what sets me apart is this commitment to owning the entire creative process. It’s not about ego — it’s about making sure the vision stays consistent and that the work reflects who I am in every frame. I’m constantly learning and evolving, and I try to stay open to whatever the work needs to become.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck? Honestly, I hate luck. Or maybe I don’t, I’m not really sure. I guess I just don’t understand the concept because I don’t feel like I’ve ever experienced it. If I depended on luck, I wouldn’t have any ideas or thoughts. Maybe it’s lucky to think, or to have a cool idea? But honestly, I doubt any of the imagery I’m creating now will still feel cool in three years.
Maybe it’s lucky that I’ve moved past the point of relying on luck. Or maybe I was never lucky to begin with. What I’m trying to say is: what really differentiates luck in life’s design? Is it something planned from birth, or does it alter the chemistry of a person’s life and change the original path?
I don’t know why we do the things we do to keep ourselves happy or occupied. Maybe it’s just survival. Maybe there’s no need for luck at all, just survive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joeldubroc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeldubroc/
Image Credits
Photograph: Joel Dubroc
Styling: Joel Dubroc
Hair: Joel Dubroc
Makeup: Joel Dubroc
Post production: Joel Dubroc
