Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Fraley.
Dylan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My expression through art began at a fairly young age, however it was not through photography like it is now. Originally my passion was all about music. I got my first guitar for my eighth birthday and I was hooked immediately. Initially I just played covers and fun little riffs but eventually I began singing and full on writing my own music. This continued all through high school and brought me to a handful of talent shows, a school assembly, and even a set at a show for a local venue. However, once I went to college in Virginia for aerospace engineering guitar quickly fell back to a hobby.
As for photography, it was always something on the edge of my interest that seemed really appealing. When I was young I thought being a Nat Geo wildlife photographer was the dream job. Other than that all I did photography-wise was use my mom’s old Canon to shoot flowers in the front yard once every couple of years. It wasn’t until my first summer back from college that I decided to bring my mom’s camera further than the front yard. It was on a hike to Starved Rock State Park with a good friend of mine who also was vaguely interested in photography. The rest of that summer we went on plenty more adventures and brought our moms cameras along every time. Eventually, photography became the entire focus of these trips and the more we learned the more we got consumed by the art form. Now photography is a massive part of my life and I love every bit of it.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
When I originally started photography I would shoot anything I found semi-interesting. I was just trying to gain experience in order to become a better photographer. Over the years I’ve realized that what I really enjoy photographing are the things people take for granted. It’s too easy to get used to where you are and to forget the unique beauty of the world. Downtown Chicago is such a beautiful place with the classic tourist spots like The Bean, Navy Pier, and the skyline view from North Avenue Beach. What people seem to miss is the energy of the city with things like the El trains going over your head, the people flowing up and down Michigan Avenue, or the deep yellow cabs driving in front of the dark black architecture of the Federal Plaza area. I like to shoot things like this, things that people see every day but don’t realize are actually really amazing.
Cities aside, I also spend time shooting landscapes. While at school in Virginia I will go hiking to the known hot spots but my favorite thing to do is to drive down back roads and shoot what I can see from my car. People drive by these views every day and after a while it becomes normal to them. I like to remind people that while they’re getting caught up in their daily lives they should remember to just stop and look around every once in a while. I want to inspire people to slow down and enjoy where they’re at. Simple things like a specific cloud in the sky or an interesting tree in an empty field can be truly beautiful if you take the time to appreciate it. I love photography because it has helped me realize this. Photography has allowed me to experience the simple and the complex beauty of the world. I want to inspire people to enjoy life, find happiness and experience the beauty in the seemingly normal things of life.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Money is always a tough one, especially in photography. Gear is definitely pricey and a hard commitment to make. My advice is to not worry about the gear right away. If you have a phone with a camera on it, you can become a photographer. Even if you have a disposable camera you can become a photographer. Also, remember that a cheaper intro camera is better than what a lot of the older pros used to shoot on. The best thing to do is to just shoot with whatever you have and shoot with the goal to improve. If you actively try to improve and work towards getting better, you will get better. Eventually you’ll get to a point to where people will be willing to pay you for what you’re offering. Then, when you have the money you can consider investing into the pricier gear if you feel like it’s a worthwhile purchase. You don’t need the newest stuff to be good at what you do or what you want to do.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The best place to see my work is to follow me on Instagram @dylanfraley (instagram.com/dylanfraley) or on Facebook at facebook.com/dylanfraleyphotography. The best way to support me is to follow me on Instagram and interact with me. Let me know how a photo of mine makes you feel, give me feedback on my work, or let me know how I inspired you, etc. If you want to buy prints you can message me on Instagram or email me through the contact button on my profile and we can take it from there.
Contact Info:
- Email: dylanf@vt.edu
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dylanfraley/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dylanfraleyphotography
Image Credit:
Personal Picture: Weiqi Yuan
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