Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Frempong.
Leslie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was actually really focused on drawing before, hoping to become a manga artist someday. I later dove into photography during my last two years of undergrad. At the time, I had a Canon T3i Rebel that I had bought with my own savings for a course called “Photo and Film” which required us to purchase our own equipment.
Unfortunately, the course didn’t focus on digital photography and video as I assumed but medium format film photography instead. I ended up dropping the course since I had used all of my money on the T3i and didn’t have enough to buy another camera in time. I taught myself and watched YouTube videos whenever I felt stuck or wanted to learn something new.
But I wasn’t really interested in photography. Later on, I was lucky enough to land a photography internship with my university’s communication and marketing team and they were phenomenal. They taught me everything.
I was David Allen’s apprentice, he’s this super-brilliant-shadow-prince-photography-master who knows almost everything. He didn’t just teach me how to operate a camera but also how a camera operates, and everything else related. There’s no way I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for him.
After that internship, I got more involved in portrait photography and then branched out into fashion and lifestyle. And with that, I took what I had learned and applied to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s graduate program. I didn’t expect to get in, but here I am finishing my first year.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was a pretty bumpy road, just like it probably is for other artists out there. I come from a family of hard sciences, they’re not really a fan of the arts. I mean they’re not anti-art but they definitely see it as a “luxurious hobby” not as a profession.
So they were pretty concerned for my well-being when I wanted to pursue the arts as a scholar. It was very rough and frustrating in the beginning, but I think my family has finally begun to come around and support my decision. I had the same concerns as they did about money but I think the biggest thing for me at the time was consent.
I didn’t want to pursue photography until I had my family’s approval. I guess I just wanted to not have to worry about that. Financial stability and all that other stuff were less stressful in comparison. (laughter) After that was actually becoming a decent photographer, and I’m still working on that.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business is something my mother helped me establish, she was a super helpful resource and mentor about branding and management. I kept the “Pcho” part since it was part of my digital identity. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t misspell “psycho”.
P: Poptarts, my favorite snack in school
CHO: Japanese for “butterfly”
BERRY: Main character from Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode, the first manga I purchased
I think right now, I’m proud that my company is versatile in photography, affordability, and diverse in gender and race. People can scroll through and see someone similar to them, that’s one of my biggest rules as a photographer.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Chicago is a great place to start out as a business or even for connections. Chicago is a city of artists, that’s obvious from the architecture to the monthly instameets downtown.
If there’s one thing I wish the city would do is have a more organized and central group of models, photographers, and stylists. There’s an array of Facebook groups but none that everyone has heard of or “certified”.
Pricing:
- 2019 Wedding Packages Available starting at $500!
- 10% off April Quickshot Sessions!
Contact Info:
- Address: Sullivan Galleries 36 S Wabash Avenue Chicago, IL 60603
- Website: https://www.pchopictures.com/
- Phone: (828) 301-3008
- Email: pchopictures@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pchoberry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pchopictures
- Other: http://www.visualandcritical.org/user/lfrempong
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
