They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That a single photo can be more powerful than the narrative itself. There is no denying the influence photography has made on our society. Since its creation, it has captured the best and worst of the human condition. Photography not only preserves a moment but also conveys a message without necessarily having to say anything at all. Not all photos are created equal, however. And in the age of social media, it’s refreshing when you find someone whose work is both captivating and authentic.
Brandon Thomas Brown is a self-taught visual artist based out of New York via Maryland. His first passion was actually filmmaking, but he transitioned to photography after traveling to Africa to study abroad and taking a film course in college. After graduating from Delaware State University, Brown went back to Maryland after doing a little stint in New York. He describes being lost during this period, not really knowing his next move. He spent most of his time going to Michael’s to get supplies and props for his shoots. He was really fascinated with using string to create illusions by way of dimensions and shapes. “Even lost,” he says, “I knew deep down that I had a series in hand.”
Like every single one of his works, he named this series “untitled”. When asked why he doesn’t name his pieces, he answered that he doesn’t like naming his work because he doesn’t like putting a hold on his art. He added, “If I make something, I don’t want it to block the perceiver’s interpretation of it.” In other words, he wants to create an experience that invites a true, unbiased reaction. When you see his photos, you immediately sense the “raw and pure” energy behind his work. He started shooting landscape and nature, practicing and getting to know his style. As he grew, he was instantly drawn to portraiture of the self and select subjects. He likes to focus on the contrast of skin, anatomy and evoking intense emotion from his subjects.
Brown has been shooting for the past seven years, but he didn’t start calling himself a photographer until three years ago. He explains how he once let fear hold him back, and it wasn’t until he broke out of that mentality that he was able to fully commit to his craft and accept his power.
What does his art say to you?
How did you get into photography? How long have you been shooting?
I just walked into photography. During my senior year of college, I had to take an elective, saw there was a film course and decided why not. My grandfather actually found out I was taking the course and he gifted me his Pentax camera, which I still use today. But even after the course I still wasn’t fully committed to photography. It took another year before I actually thought I can really make something with this. I’ve been shooting all together for roughly 7 years. But I’ll say the last 3 years I really started taking it seriously.
What’s your style of photography?
Great question. So there is this interview with ODB (Ol’ dirty bastard) from the Wu-Tang Clan. When asked about his style of rapping, he said that he called himself Ol’ Dirty Bastard because there “ain’t no father to [his] style”. That’s how I feel about my style and technique: it’s raw and pure. I wasn’t taught anything. No one told me what was right and wrong when it came to photography. I took everything, good and bad, and have been able to allow my style to grow and do its own thing—untainted. This has personally allowed me to grow and experiment. It’s been a really great thing to witness.
You mentioned the importance of speaking affirmations into existence and trusting your intuition. In your opinion, how important is trusting the process? How does it play in your work?
Well everyone has their own beliefs. I know what works for me now. If you want something you just have to know it’s coming. And when it does, you have to be ready for it. I believe a lot of people say they want this or that, but when it shows up they get frightened by it. But I can’t knock anyone for feeling that feeling, because that was once me. I was afraid of my own powers. As far as it playing a role in my work, I just now have a clear understanding of the things I need and should ask for.
As a photographer working a shoot for a client, or on a personal project, is creative discretion essential? At what point do you draw the line?
Creative discretion is very important. You know, honesty is the best policy. It’s good to keep conversation open. We all want the same thing, and that’s to put out the best work we can. So if we aren’t on the same page then what are we really trying to accomplish?
What do you think is the most disrespectful thing a client can do to a photographer’s work?
There are a few things that are a no-no for me. And once those lines are crossed, we probably won’t be working together again. The biggest thing is finding out that the client put edits (filters) on retouched photos, that were exclusively for them. Especially if it was agreed upon that no extra work would be done. It’s almost like a slap in a face. If you commissioned someone for a painting and once it was delivered to you, would you add extra paint?
You recently finished your first major project with Puma Hoops. Can you tell us a little bit about it? What advice would you give aspiring photographers that are trying to work with different brands?
Yeah having the opportunity to work for a brand like Puma was really great. I saw that Puma Hoops was looking for a new photographer to work with on their next product drop. So, I sent over my portfolio and a few hours later, I just opened my Instagram and I had a message saying they wanted to collab on the drop. To be honest I wasn’t expecting it, but then again, going back to affirmations, working with brands has been something that I’ve been telling myself was going to happen. They pretty much gave me the green light to create what I wanted. They mentioned what they were looking for aesthetics wise (streetwear, fashion, etc.) and that they wanted it all on film. I already knew who I wanted to work with, that was the easy part. The challenge came when it was time to think of a concept. I had three days to come up with something. So whatever I was going to do I had to make sure it was solid, there isn’t going back on film. In those three days whenever something popped in my head I would just put it in my notes. I’m very observant, so the smallest things around me I would notice and think this could work. Then it hit me, I remember this image of DMX holding two dogs on a leash, shot by photographer Jonathan Mannion, and I knew automatically it would translate. So I did some research on their previous collabs; not in a competitive way, I just didn’t want to do something that had already been done. There’s no fun in that. That doesn’t get my spirit moving. I wanted this release to tell a story. I wanted to make sure you would remember what I did. The advice I would give is to just keep shooting. Put yourself out there, and this is coming from someone who is super introverted. Like I could be at a party of fifty plus people and you’d see me chilling by myself in a corner in my own world. But you have to realize we work in an industry where you have to talk to people. Keep shooting and be honest about the work you are creating. Be as pure as possible with it. Treat your abilities as you would treat yourself. Find new ways to shoot, do something that hasn’t been done before. You lose when you don’t try or think you don’t have a chance because you don’t have a certain amount of followers. All that extra noise outside of the work is nothing. It doesn’t exist if you don’t allow it.
The majority of your work is ‘untitled’ because you believe naming a piece would cause the perceiver to have a biased response. Can you expound on that? Would you agree that, in a way, not naming your work is also a statement in and of itself?
Well, naming my work untitled started way back. When I tried to name a piece that I worked on it just didn’t feel right to me. It felt forced, and I hate forcing anything. So I would either say “this piece” or “untitled” or “unknown”. That’s exactly what it is, it’s unknown to me. Yes, I created it but I don’t know what it is. It’s a little freaky because I don’t have any attachment to my work. It was made because it was something that I just happen to make. And maybe a month, years from now it’ll hit me like, “Oh, this is what this is”. My work is allowed to be free. I like for it to just live. It’s simply existing, and that’s what it’s supposed to do. Exist for whoever may need it in that moment. I guess you could say it’s a statement in and of itself. But when I’m making something, I’m not sure if I’m thinking about what statement will this make. Maybe it’s something I should think about. All I know right now is that I’m in a space that’s unlimited; there aren’t any boundaries. It’s infinite, and I don’t see an end.
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Interview by Rahel Tekle