In Focus w/ Isaiah Joseph
He/Him | @attackisaiah | 24 | Milwaukee, WI
How did you get into photography?
I’ve always been interested in visual mediums. I had an obsession with trying to start a YouTube channel and have always loved watching movies. I picked up my first dslr in 2016 and fell in love with everything about photography. Little did I know at that time, that there are generations of photographers in my family. The way our family took photos of each other was to document that moment, I try to do the same.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
My friends and family, they inspire me to be great everyday! There’s a lot of create feedback with my partner Rithi and I and our friends are amazing empowering us to take control and do our thing. It’s really about who you surround yourself with.
How do you prepare yourself for a shoot?
I try to ask questions about how folks are feeling about this shoot, ask them what photos they gravitate towards, their favorite color… almost anything that can help understand what’s inside their head. From their I’ll go to Pinterest or try to find images that have a similar feel and use that as a mood board. I like to keep things relatively simple and focus on what light is present and how to use that to my advantage.
What do you ultimately want to say with your work?
I want to tell people’s stories, I love taking portraits of people. There’s so much you can from looking at a portrait of someone. It’s in their eyes, it tells you everything you need to know. Also I just want to take badass photos. Something to make people be in awe, something for people to stop and just take a second to take everything in.
If you could give a young photographer any advice, what would you tell em?
I know this is lame, but keep shooting. If you aren’t making pictures you aren’t practicing. Keep shooting, it can be so uncomfortable sometimes but it’s so worth it if this is really a passion of yours. Also ask questions, be obnoxious, closed mouths don’t get fed! I’ve been told no, or haven’t gotten back messages from so many people. But have gotten wonderful opportunities out of just asking. It’s worth a shot.