We are introducing a new interview with a young photographer from New York City. Dexter Storey lives now in Toronto where he’s studing acting at the Claude Watson Art Program at Earl Haig High School. He loves learning and having fun with friends as well as collaborating with like minded artists. He is currently working on a 365 photography challenge which you can see on Flickr.
When did you start to think about photography?
I have loved photography since I was very young. The summer before Grade 11 is when I got my first DSLR: A Canon rebel T3i, and have been avidly taking photographs with it ever since. I began my conceptual portraiture focus this year (Grade 12).
What does photography mean to you? And which kind of photography do you like more?
I like taking conceptual portraits because I love storytelling. A good photograph in my opinion is something that makes you feel a certain way or give you a certain reaction. With my work, I try and make use of aesthetic through colour, framing and symmetry in order to tell stories. I believe that any half decent teenager with a f 1.8 lens and some vsco presets can have aesthetic, but telling a story is something truly rare, and using aesthetic to tell a story, that is when you come across incredible art. This is what I try and do through my photographs and although I am no where near where I want to be, having a clear goal helps me stay focused and continue to grow, which is the whole reason I make art.
When you take a portrait, what is important for you?
Expression. Telling a story through portraiture can be as simple as the look on someone’s face or the emotion portrayed through their environment. Sometimes it comes across just through the internal feelings of the subject without a physical gesture. What I look for in a subject is for them to portray an emotion that others can connect to and try and use my composition and editing to compliment those emotions.
Do you think it’s important to follow a school to learn how to shoot?
I think any way that you can grow is beneficial. If you challenge yourself through schooling, that is excellent. I learned everything so far through youtube tutorials, friends and experience but would love to take classes as well because there is always more to learn.
What’s your photo-mission?
Currently I am in the process of undergoing a 365 day challenge where I take 1 photo per day for three hundred and sixty five days. I want to be able to continue and finish this challenge in order to grow as a photographer and along the way, tell stories that people can understand and connect to emotionally.
