Today we’d like to introduce you to Mac Kotas.
Mac, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I think like a lot of video guys my age I was influenced by skate videos and the show Jackass growing up. I liked skateboarding and making dumb videos with my friends. When I was younger I was heavily into playing music, guitar, and wanted to be in a band or work in a recording studio. When it came time to go to college I felt like music was a harder road to go down and I always liked doing video stuff so I decided to major in film. Prior to going to film school, I had never considered photos and film to be art. I knew I liked them but never knew why or the technique behind them. So college was really eye opening for me in regards to the composition of shots, editing, pacing, color, and writing. My journey into photography really picked up around this time because I was shooting all my video projects on DSLRs and felt like was only using half to the camera since I really didn’t know a whole lot about photography. So I started watching a bunch of YouTube tutorials and reading up on photography. At the time I was doing a lot of nightlife photography which allowed me to play around with my camera a lot and get paid. After school, I started working for an electronic music promoter in Charlotte, NC as their in-house photographer and got the opportunity to shoot some of the biggest DJs in the world while still honing my photography craft. Honestly shooting clubs/DJs is one of the hardest things to do because the lighting is always changing, things around you are moving fast, and there are distractions everywhere. So if you can shoot club/DJs photos well you can shoot anything. After Charlotte, I moved to LA to focus more on photo/video work and have had the opportunity to shoot for some awesome brands, artists, events, and people.
Has it been a smooth road?
Doing anything creative for a living is a tough road. The toughest part being consistent work and being paid fairly. With everyone now having a camera in their pocket many people have started to devalue photo and the art of taking a picture. While anyone can take a picture it takes someone with skills to compose it well, get the lighting just right, and to edit the photo. You also have to realize you can’t just do photography, you have to pair it with something. Whether it be graphic design, video, or writing doing photography on its own will not make you a lot of money unless you’re one of the lucky few.
What are your plans for the future?
The biggest thing I’m trying to do with my photography is create worlds. It’s easy to take a photo, but its harder to create one. That’s what I’m trying to get better at doing, telling a story with one image. Just looking for more/bigger opportunities. Working with artists directly on photo shoots instead of just doing the live stuff.
Let’s explore some of the challenges you’ve faced along the way. What was the most difficult part of your career so far?
Moving to LA was a big one. It wasn’t hard per se because I wanted to do it and it felt right, but it was such a big life change and it required leaving friends and family behind. Another big struggle I have is staying focused on what I really want to do with my photography and not taking the easy way out for a paycheck.
Are there days when you feel like you’ve done everything you wanted to, careerwise – the “I’ve made it” kind of moments?
The first one was being the in-house photographer for Disco Donnie in Charlotte. Just because I was in the booth and on stage with all these big artists it was like ‘wow, someone trusts me to do this’. The second was being hired on to be Hangout Music Festivals in-house Videographer. Again it was crazy to be on stage with all these huge artists and have an all access pass. Really these moments are like drugs for a creative like myself, because after you have a taste you just want that experience over and over again.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pressplayphotovideo.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: macagraphs
Ray highes
October 18, 2016 at 15:02
Great job, keep up the hard work. Play golf with your dad, he has kept me up updated since you were at ECU. So proud.
Gregory Utton
December 10, 2016 at 00:29
Mac,
A lot of your Dad’s friends have been watching your progress and getting updates from him. It looks like you are doing things right. Best of luck and don’t forget family!