Meet Taylor Washington of Waylor Photo in Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Washington.

Taylor, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The first camera I ever loved was a tiny pink point and shoot I used in the summer going into 8th grade. When it broke and I lost all the pictures on it, I cried. Since that time, I’ve had a variety of cameras and never stopped shooting. I’ve technically been shooting for over a decade now but I’d be a fool to count the years I spent figuring it out on my own, I’ve never been a ‘by the manual’ kind of gal. I’d say my photography started to take on life towards the end of high school, back when my camera was an extension of my own body. I took it with me to the grocery store, lacrosse practice, the movies, any and everywhere you could think of. Almost every weekend I would do photoshoots with my best friends, and upload albums to Facebook with 50+ photos densely edited with a song quote as the album name.. *cringe*.

By the time I entered college, I’d gotten quite comfortable making “pretty portraits”, basically senior photos, family, headshots, and your basic personality portrait shoot. However, these no longer interested me. I still do them when people hire me, but I don’t brand that way anymore. Although I graduated the University of San Diego with a Bachelors in Communication, it was the first time I had a formal education in photography and earned “an emphasis in photography” by learning film for the first time, taking a “Portraits in Photography” class as well as “Color Photography”. Those classes pushed me to new depths and I haven’t stopped applying those concepts and more ever since. When I traveled for 3-4 months, I shot film exclusively, and now my work is based in portraiture with an attention to color. Shout out Andy Cross for seeing me and my passion and pushing me to think further and farther.

Has it been a smooth road?
My road has its ups and downs. On the smooth side, growing up my parents would usually gift me something camera related on Christmases or birthdays and supported my endeavors. I’m eternally grateful for that. The rocky side was more internal and circumstantial. I’ve always struggled with self-doubt which affected my confidence in putting myself out there and getting paid my worth. For a long time, I had a hard time charging people at all! This wasn’t helped by an abusive relationship I was in that kept me from shooting for a whole year, the longest I’ve ever not created with my camera. Escaping that situation and getting to a point where I felt confident shooting again took a lot, but I feel as though I’ve come back even stronger than before. Overcoming my fear of not doing things perfectly every time, but doing them for the sake of expression and forward movement regardless of my circumstances, has been a big lesson for me.

Please tell us about Waylor Photo.
Waylor Photo is focused on people and capturing their essence. I specialize in portraiture but with my own twist. I’m not just trying to take *any* photo. I take pictures that make me feel something and ideally make the viewer feel something too. I am most proud of my ability to adapt. For years I shot any and everything, and I feel this gives me an edge compared to photographers that might be used to only one niche. Also, I’ve taken on a new element to my work: set design. I’ve learned to create immersive environments that add an abstract feel to beautiful portraits. I’ve created everything from a shrine, to the world of a Windows XP scammer, to a set of sets that represent different elements (fire, water, air, earth). I’m confident that whatever I or my client wants to shoot, I can. In all that I do, I’m trying to achieve some sort of balance between organization and chaos, the mundane and the absurd, and I feel my work reflects that.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I moved to LA from San Diego because I needed a change of pace. I needed to be around individuals who were motivated and making moves. For me, moving here was critical to my personal growth and in opening my eyes to the opportunities all around. So I think it depends on what kind of person you are. I’ve noticed a lot of people move here when they don’t know what to do next in their lives. If you know what you want, and just want to be around others riding that same wave, I say come through!

Pricing:

• One Person / 1 Look Portrait Session: $200
• One Person / 2-3 Looks Portrait Session: $300
• Group / 1-2 Looks Portrait Session: $500

Contact Info:

• Website: waylorphoto.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @taytaywash / @waylor.photo / @waylor.art

Image Credit:
Photo of me by Max Harsant

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