Today we’d like to introduce you to Araby Patch.
Araby, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began doing photography about 35 years ago when my father had a B&W darkroom in his office. My first assignments were shooting sports (soccer and tennis). By the time I was 12 years old I was loading my own film, developing it, and printing for publication in the local sports papers my father managed. It didn’t take long before I was turning the lens on subjects outside of sports that interested me, such as portraits and landscapes. I did all the normal yearbook / newspaper jobs in HS and for the local newspaper, then in college I became the EIC of my university’s student newspaper where I continued to run a darkroom and shoot. After college, I continued with photography and became very focused on street photography (I ran a Canon AE1 and a 24mm lens exclusively), until one day I just stopped. It wasn’t until last year that I picked up the camera again with serious intent. Shooting digital is obviously much quicker in terms of processing, but the tenants of good photography have never changed — good lighting, good framing, and capturing a moment that compels the imagination.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve had the fortune (or misfortune) of equating life experiences to capital, meaning as long as I found myself in new places and situations I considered myself rich, regardless of my bank account. I always wanted to create a personal story with my life, and to live it out to the fullest. There have been plenty of struggles, but looking back the road appears entirely magical.
What are some of the influences that have played the biggest role in your journey so far?
My parents always encouraged me to take photos and gave me the creative space to decide what I was interested in photographing. Thankfully my father had a decent camera kit and the tolerance to allow me to take it out without him. Besides my parents, I’ve always gotten compliments from people, especially the street portraits – I can’t even count how many social media profile pics I’m responsible for.
What type of clients or projects do you look forward to most?
I love taking photos of people doing what they love. Shooting people is my absolute favorite. I’m also super excited about a new photography workshop company I just launched with legendary surf photographer, Brian Bielmann, and veteran action sports movie producer, Chad Jackson. These two guys are amazing, and the workshops we’re putting together are insane. The company is called Developing Legends. It celebrates the photographers whose images have helped propel their respective sports forward by making legends out of the athletes, and we’re also focused on educating the next generation of content creators by giving them access to guys like Brian and Chad, and the opportunity to learn while shooting in actual pro environments.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I don’t want to sound arrogant, but my answer is nothing. It’s impossible to know if any changes in my past could put me in a better place today. No life is without its challenges, and the challenges I’ve faced and overcome in the past have set me up to succeed today. I cherish the bumps in the road because without them I’d never gain any true confidence, or enjoy the feeling of finding solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arabypatch.com
- Phone: 310-896-6997
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @arabypatch
