Today we’d like to introduce you to William Dey.
William, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a native of Chicago, I began working in the fashion industry as a stylist with Elite Model Management. Fellow Chicagoan, Cindy Crawford, was also with Elite at that time. I worked on photo shoots for Montgomery Ward, Sears, and a number of top fashion catalogs. Subsequently, I moved to New York City and was represented by the Mark Edwards agency. While there, I worked as a stylist alongside top fashion photographers for the New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and many more. I also traveled overseas to work on major magazines, advertising, and editorial shoots.
After the trauma of the 9/11 attack, the Big Apple was losing some of its blush. I considered a number of options and finally decided to relocate to Southern California. Once there, I visited Palm Springs a few times and liked the people, the laid-back lifestyle, and the vintage architecture. Once I had moved there, I wanted to become better acquainted with the community. Since there wasn’t a fashion industry per se in Palm Springs, I found myself with free time and I began visiting various neighborhoods with my camera and taking photographs of the amazing Midcentury Modern homes. I showed the photographs in some local exhibitions and my work was well received. This recognition made me feel that perhaps I had found a second career. I have shown my work at the museum, university and gallery levels. After many years, I decided it was time to head back home to Chicago. I love the city and all it has to offer, and I have family here as well.
I am now photographing this city I love so much, and it seems like I am looking at it with new eyes – because I am concentrating on fine art rather than shooting from an advertising perspective. Mainly, I am shooting architecture, some portraits, and street photography as well. Everywhere I turn there is something that has visual power and its own story. My goal is to capture imagery that reflects the amazingly rich culture that makes up Chicago. I believe that my photographs are a reflection of the unique beauty to be found in the overlooked and unfamiliar.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Life presents us with struggles to overcome, both personally and professionally. My passion for what I do greatly surpasses any obstacles or setbacks. I’ve fought through difficult times but I always believed I had great potential and that my creativity is a gift from God. I concentrate on staying positive and I am determined to pursue what I love doing and what I am passionate about.
William Dey Photography – what should we know? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a fine art photographer. My central focus is on producing a body of work that contains images longevity and staying power. In order for that to happen, to set myself apart, the images need to contain more the photograph itself – think of this as a visual narrative that although unspoken is a constant, seamless part of the image. This is what compels viewers to return again and again to a great image. I photograph and find beauty in all things, many times the obscure, the passed over. Ultimately, photography is about seeing. I find importance and power in looking from the angles, the edges, capturing the essence of the image – whether it’s a skyscraper or a storefront, a news stand, or a street peddler. Each has a story of its own.
I just completed my initial body of work in Chicago. It is a series of old signs and old storefronts. These are things that most people would walk by, take for granted, or not see the beauty in until it has been presented to them through the eyes of an artist.
I love photographing people, sometimes working with models and professionals, but I tend to be more interested in faces with character and uniqueness. My next series of photographs will be comprised of in-the-moment portraits of people on the streets of Chicago.
It has been said that what sets me apart from other photographers is that I constantly discover fresh new angles and ways to present the subject matter. I try to see what surrounds me through a multifaceted lens. There is no absolutely true image, only a means of inviting others to see the world through my eyes. I appreciate the beauty in the discarded or abandoned, the places and people that haven’t had an opportunity to be seen.
By nature I am very curious and interested in a broad spectrum of things – and those interests, combined with extraordinary passion keeps me constantly uncovering and developing new ideas and images. I’m not looking to produce pretty postcards or perfect headshots; what I am focused on is creating art with the intrinsic qualities that give photographic images life and longevity.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
As we grow older, we don’t ‘keep score’ the same way that we did when we were younger. At my age, success is measured by accomplishments and achieved goals. When I began a career as a fine art photographer my goals were modest, and to my surprise and delight I exceeded them. That said, those nascent goals were then replaced with others that I constantly am working toward.
I also feel success and fulfillment after a day of taking some great images. And I feel great satisfaction from the smallest of things – when I’ve come across a place or face that made me thrilled when I took the photograph, or when I see the results of a final image edit and it is exactly what was in my mind when I took the shot.
Of course, having others appreciate your work, and having it purchased or published is an amazing feeling as well. But that’s not the driving force – rather, it’s the satisfaction and incredible high gained from something you’ve created. That is what success feels like to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.williamdey.net
- Phone: 312.505.8503
- Email: williamdeyphotography@gmail.com
- Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/WilliamDeyPhotography/
Image Credit:
William Dey
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