Today we’d like to introduce you to Ahmad Williams
Hi Ahmad, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My cousin Hattie bought me my first camera, it was for me and my sister, so i’ve always enjoyed messing around with cameras and just looking at pictures in general. Whether it be magazines or just the family photo albums. When I got a little bit older I became more interested in film, mainly just watching different ones and paying closer attention to the different shots, colors and camera angles. In college I took it a bit more seriously and did a few short mini documentaries, but then a older guy who was a photographer told me that I should probably study photography and it will help me with doing videos. So I did, and it kinda just stuck. My friend Sherman bought me my first camera to do video and pictures for him and his brother who were starting a rap collective here in Savannah. Through that and word of mouth I started getting booked for more gigs around town and its been great ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say its been pretty smooth for the most part. Of course there has been bumps along the way, but mostly having to do with the business side of it. I try to take a break on taking too many gigs from time to time because going out and shooting just because allows me to be more creative and reminds me of why I even picked up the camera in the first place. As usual capitalism puts a bit of a damper on doing something you love.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a photographer based in Savannah Ga. I mostly do events like weddings, baby showers, birthday parties etc. However my real passion is street photography and capturing people places and things in their natural environment. I’m most proud of how much i’ve learned simply by just going out and doing it. I’m not a person thats really fond of failing in public, but something about photography made me not care, which helped me learn alot as i went along. I try not to clean up my photos too much, meaning when I capture something, I want people to see it as I saw it without a whole lotta edits or bright lighting.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Well definitely AI will have a huge effect on the industry much like phones have. Its hard to say how it will shape photography but even when I use Lightroom now they’re using AI to help us edit the photos. I think all the new advancements in technology will make people have a desire to return to just picking up an actual camera and learning how it functions. Even now we see many young photographers getting into shooting on film, or even plates which I think is a great thing. Anytime there is too much of something, in this case technology, you have a movement start where people want to go back to the basics.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @friendswitdadealer
Image Credits
Photo of Ahmad: Taken by Ramona C. Photography.
All other images taken by AWillPhotography
