INTERVIEW - PHOTOGRAPHY
Recently acknowledged by I-D as one of ‘20 photographers capturing the beauty of Modern Africa to follow in 2020’, Bronx photographer Kreshonna K talks to us about her work with Ssunday school and her recent rising in action facetime photoshootshoots.
INTERVIEW BY ARHANTIKA REBELLO
Hey! How’s it going? How’s quarantine treating you?
Hey, it’s going! Haha. Quarantine hasn’t been too bad. I really miss my nail salon being open but other than that I’m really enjoying the time. It almost feels like Christmas vacation with no expiration date.
For everyone who doesn’t know, tell us a bit about the type of photography you do?
I would consider myself a portrait/editorial style photographer. My subjects tend to be people in specific environments; conceptualised, planned and placed purposefully. Although, sometimes I do wing it with the locations I shoot in haha.
You recently shot Bamskelly for Ssunday School, and the pictures are so dope. How did this opportunity come about and what inspired the creative direction behind this shoot?
I did, I did, thank you! To be completely honest with you... I don’t even know! Haha, it was truly a blessing. I discovered Ssunday School on Instagram in like March of 2019. I reached out to them the following month, they were solely based in Toronto at the time, offering myself as a creative looking to work with them wherever and however possible. Josef Adamu, the founder and director of Ssunday School moved to New York this year and when I found out I immediately reached out and said we have to connect! Eventually we did, and Bamskelly for Ssunday School came about. Josef came in with a vision inspired by artists in the 70s such as Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley. We scouted our model together and Josef creative directed it. Being able to bounce ideas off of another creative and allow someone else to take creative control was a breath of fresh air to me because I’m usually the one wearing all the different hats and controlling all the moving parts.
You’ve also been producing facetime photoshoots that have blown up. Talk to me about your creative process and what keeps you motivated to stay creative during quarantine?
I have! The motivation for me comes from the feeling I get when I create. There’s a rush and almost a sense of fear even, every time I shoot and edit. I refuse to lose that feeling just because we can’t go outside. So I found a way to make it work for me indoors! The creative process is constantly changing! The thing about these FaceTime Shoots is that every experience is unique. But a person books, we discuss possible concept/wardrobe/location ideas ahead of time (sometimes day of) and we jump on a FaceTime call. I direct the person by telling them where to position any available light or artificial light and where to place the phone so that I can get the angles I need. The direction I would say is the hardest part! It has really been teaching me how to understand what I need to execute a vision and then to clearly articulate that to someone else. I think that’ll be a really valuable skill to use once we get out of quarantine.
Where do you hope to take your photography from here?
I know for a fact I am going to see exponential growth in my work after quarantine just by applying the skills I’ve learned during this time. I am aiming to have my work published in magazines and do more creative collaborations such as Bamskelly for Ssunday School. That is the direction I’m heading in! I am speaking that into existence.
What advice do you have for young creatives trying to make it out there?
For any young creatives just trying to make it, please keep going! Don’t stop because someone else doesn’t believe in your vision, or because you don’t have all the tools you think you need, or because you’re stuck in quarantine and you feel like there is no way. Creativity can only be restricted or contained if you allow it to be. Innovation is key.
