Today we’d like to introduce you to McKayla Chandler.
Hi McKayla, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started taking photos as a hobby in my youth in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After years of being interested in art, I finally took a photography class in high school that taught me a lot of fundamentals and pushed me to take the craft more seriously. I decided after a year of college in my hometown that I’d made my way to California, not for art at the time but eventually wanting to get back into it. Fast forward, I played sports in school so after graduating, I decided I finally had the time to pursue photography as a career choice. So far, it’s been a divine experience and I’m excited to continue learning and expanding past my current knowledge and place I’m in.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In anything you do, there’s always going to be some type of fork in the road. For myself, imposter syndrome had me feeling incompetent although I knew how deserving and adequate I really was. I still have moments where I have to find my way through the muck but stepping into different types of artistry has led me to many parts of myself that made me realize how special I truly am.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a mostly self-taught visual artist. I mainly take photos of my community in a very nostalgic, enticing, raw, and poetic way. Naturally, I give off a feeling of nostalgia since a majority of my inspiration comes from my childhood photobook. I love taking portraits of people and working in the documentary realm because it allows my photos to echo their own stories. Photographing black people doing seemingly mundane things in an effortlessly beautiful way is my favorite.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Making my ideas tangible makes me happy because I love watching things change shape and come into fruition.
Contact Info:
- Email: mckayla.c.chandler@gmail.com
- Website: mckaylachandler.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kaystackss
- Twitter: twitter.com/kkaystacks
- Other: https://prints.format.com/shop/u/mckaylachandler/professional-prints
Image Credits:
(Image 3) mua: Jezebella @jezebella.jpeg (Image 8) mua: Jazz @jazzrockmc
