Rising Stars: Meet Aaron Daye

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Daye.

Hi Aaron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
Throughout my life, I have experienced a lot of firsts. I was a part of the first graduating class of my high school, Durham School of the Arts. The first in my family to graduate from college and the first Black photographer for The Gainesville Sun Newspaper, Sante Fe College, and the University of Florida. I have been a creative person my entire life, inclusive of drawing, painting, photography, and graphic design, but photography was always the one skill that allowed me to be a visual storyteller and tell not just my story but the stories of others around me. 

After graduating from North Carolina Central University in 2005, I was nationally accepted as one of four student photographers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to join the third fellowship class at The New York Times Student Journalism Institute (NYTSJI) at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. For several weeks, we covered stories in New Orleans and surrounding areas to produce a 28-page newspaper. During my time there, I made a lot of valuable connections and relationships. My tenacity allowed my talent to shine, and my persistence led to me producing more photos in the newspaper than any other photographer in the fellowship. 

Shortly afterward, being recognized for my hard work, I was offered a 10-week internship with the New York Times newspaper, The Gainesville’s Sun, in Gainesville, Florida. Within weeks, that 10-week internship was extended to 1 year. After that year, I was later hired as the first black staff photographer in The Gainesville Sun Newspaper’s 129-year history. I did not expect to be in Florida longer than those initial 10 weeks for than internship. Eventually, those 10 weeks turned into nearly 19 years of living in Florida. During that time, I collaboratively founded the Gainesville Guardian newspaper, a daily newspaper and website that communicated important news impacting the African American community. Predominantly East Gainesville, Florida. 

I have received several awards and have had my photography works published in numerous publications, including The New York, USA Today, Ebony Magazine, and Sports Illustrated. Eventually, I transitioned my photography career from photojournalism to strategic communications and marketing photography. This provided me the opportunity to travel and photograph amazing people who have contributed phenomenal attributes to multiple causes. During my tenure at Santa Fe College, I was able to utilize my graphic design and photography skills to rebrand the Athletics program, create the Santa Fe College Alumni and Friends network from the ground up, and develop marketing and strategic communications for multimillion-dollar branding and fundraising campaigns. 

In 2017, I was added to a social group on GroupMe called “Gainesville Transplants,” it was through that GroupMe that I met my business partner, Trey Ford, III. Trey, at the time, had published two very successful neighborhood magazines. We instantly connected over shared stories of our college days and our current careers as professionals in the Gainesville community. Being photographers, we brainstormed on how to figure out if we could collaborate on projects. We eventually decided to combine our talents, myself as a creative and his success in marketing/advertising, to originate Gainesville Black Wall Street. Our purpose for creating Gainesville Black Wall Street was to assist in brand development for local black-owned businesses. 

Unfortunately, small businesses often lack the resources to reinvest in their business and cannot afford the services that we provide. A few months later, as publicity was developing around the upcoming Marvel Studios Movie Black Panther, we decided to change perspectives and host a private screening. Having been a huge comic book fan and loving the stories told in the Black Panther comic books, the thought of this comic book and revolutionary character, T’Challa/The Back Panther, played by the late Chadwick Boseman, was inspiring! We envisioned this as an opportunity to work with local minority-owned businesses, providing them an opportunity to expand their brand and advertise their businesses on the screen before and after the film screening. Thus, founding our company, Black Films Matters. 

Since conception, we have produced over 40 private-themed film screenings not only at theaters but unique venues offering memorable experiences centered around Black cinema and culture. This has allowed us to connect audiences, local minority-owned small businesses, and organizations while celebrating diversity through black stories and cultivating thought-provoking discussions over various types of film projects that are directed, produced, and feature predominately people of color. Black Films Matters wholeheartedly believes that representation matters and continues to help foster and shed light on the underrepresented. 

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?
The road has been treacherous throughout my journey. I have experienced mountain highs and valley lows, but in the end accomplished many achievements. As the journalism industry has shifted, I struggled with evolving from photojournalism to multimedia expert and finding my niche or facing the fact that I could have become extinct. I am grateful to have had mentors who provided me with an opportunity to learn and become a versatile photographer, not placed in a box. With the photography industry today, it is easy to be overlooked because the public may view photos without the untrained eye or technicalities of photography. My training and experience have allowed me to produce some of my best works, even through adversity. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer, graphic designer, entrepreneur, and author. As a photographer, I started taking pictures in middle/high school, capturing everyday life and stories. My sister Nikki worked at Food Lion and would bring home disposable Kodak cameras. She would never use them, so instead of letting them collect dust; I would take them to school to take photos of my friends, my crushes, and just the things of interest to me. 

I specialize in digital photo retouching, manipulation, and restoration. Working in marketing and strategic communications, I often interact and have a rapport with philanthropists who donate millions of dollars towards causes that they are sincere about, and it is my job to capture those moments. Shooting photos is the easy part, but the tedious work is in the post-production editing. 

What sets me apart is my years of experience as a photographer and my versatility in photographing diverse genres. Most of the photographers that I meet photograph mainly two categories: events and portraits. Although I love their works, my passion for photography is to create a diverse portfolio. I have been afforded the opportunity to travel across the country and capture moments that evoke emotions, such as the Quran Burning at a local church in Gainesville, Florida, which became nationally reported; as well as nature and natural disasters from hurricanes to the seaside cliffs and coastline of Big Sur in California, the beautiful solstices of an autumnal equinox. 

One of my proudest moments was becoming an author and being able to share my journey from graduating from North Carolina Central University to becoming the first Black photographer for The Gainesville Sun Newspaper, Santa Fe College, and the University of Florida. My business partner and I invited a collective of people from various walks of life to share their pivotal moments and valuable insights of success in the book series entitled, Ten Toes Down. Not only was I fortunate to be one of the authors, but I was also the lead photographer for this project. In Volume 2 of the Ten Toes Down series, my chapter titled “The Right Connections: Unlocking Who You Are Meant to Be” speaks about my faith and courage to move to Florida and overcome homelessness while being persistent in following my dreams as a photographer. 

What’s next?
I am excited for what the future holds, not only consisting of photography but also in my entrepreneurial endeavors. I am looking forward to geographically expanding the Ten Toes Down series to be inclusive of a collective of people residing in North Carolina. Currently, I am in the beginning stages of developing my first solo photography exhibit that explores street and portrait images to tell the stories of everyday people and unsung heroes in my hometown of Durham, NC, and surrounding areas. From a business perspective, I am venturing into opening my own studio and creating a safe space for all creatives to feel free to create their passions and visions. Lastly, I am looking forward to teaching photography from novice to experienced photographers. In 2025, Black Films Matters will be expanding into new markets, and we are collaborating with other partners to launch the Afrofuturism Film Festival, which will be held in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adayephoto.tumblr.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aarondayephoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aarondayephoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarondaye/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aarondayephoto
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aarondayephotography1070
• Other: https://linktr.ee/aarondaye

Image Credits
Aaron Daye
Brenton Richardson
Brianne Lehan
James Hardy
LeSherl Stoudermire