+SUVYSHOOTDAMOVIE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO LET US INTERVIEW HIM HERES HOW IT WENT+

Q: Where are you from? What was your experience there?

A: From Brooklyn, born and raised. Park Slope, Boerum Hill section, formerly known as the Cobble Hill section. It was cool. I don’t come from a rich background, so it was rough at times, but my mom made it seem like we weren’t struggling. It was rough, but I enjoyed my childhood.

Q: How did you feel when you first picked up the camera?

A: Honestly, throughout my life, I was someone who was always angry or sad. Growing up with a single mom, she was working a lot, she was at school, so I didn’t learn until I got older how to properly express myself. I wanted to find a new way of doing things, so I took the camera and decided I wasn’t just going to sit there and be depressed and be sad. I’m going to really try to do something. I invested everything into photography. I went broke. I maxed credit cards, whatever, to get all the equipment I needed, so I could really create and do everything I wanted to do. I was tired of being upset and sad and shit, so I wanted to do whatever it would take for me to do what I actually wanted to do. In this life, you can’t get your time back, but you can always make money back.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers who are trying to make a name for themselves?

A: 1) Pick up a book! 2) Be yourself. If more people decided to be themselves, really looked within and accepted the fact that they’re different and they’re not what they see on Instagram, they’d be way more happy. Stop comparing yourself, go out, create, and just focus on you. Love who you are. It’s cool to not be like everyone else.