ISIAH ALPHONSO

GET TO KNOW PHOTOGRAPHER & CINEMATOGRAPHER ISIAH ALPHONSO.

Isiah Alphonso sits with us and gets candid about his upbringing, his love for his camera, and the things that inspired him to get where he is today. Born and raised in Guyana, now resides in Brooklyn, NY Alphonso is a rising and determined photographer and cinematographer, all around serial entrepreneur, pouring into his community and friends. It was a pleasure getting to know him and rooting for him to continue his great success.

What prompted you to get into photography and videography?

When I was 15, I had a pretty strenuous relationship with my father, and we didn't like each other at all, and I remember he gave my older brother a camera, and I saw them doing some photography stuff. And I was in Guyana at the time, so when I came back to the states, he gave me a camera, and I was like, "what was I supposed to do with this?" So when I got the camera, I told myself, "I will keep this strapped to me all day, every day. And everywhere I go, I'm taking pictures." Then gradually, I started to love what I saw. It wasn't about taking pictures of people for me; it was all about taking a picture that created a memory. So that definitely got me into photography. I remember always being a daredevil; I constantly climbed up high-ass buildings and took pictures of my shoes to freak people out. And that caught a lot of traction, i was like, "oh shit." that's when it was fun for me; it didn't really become something i could make a living out of it until i went to Oregon, granted i was making some money doing photography, but i remember taking a picture on my iPhone, and i made $800 of that photo, i sold it as a 1 of 1. The fact that I could make $800 on that photo with my phone was an eye-opener for me because this was off a phone, and I created art good enough to sell to someone. If i could sell a photo from my iPhone at that cost, i could get triple from my camera. So from there, I was like, "I'm going to take this shit seriously."

You touched a bit on the iPhone; companies are now shooting campaigns with iPhones; what are your thoughts on that?

How I feel about it personally, it's all about convenience. I switched to a mirrorless camera because it's smaller and more compact, and lighter; I can maneuver it around. My phone is smaller and more compact than even that, but my phone has certain limitations that my camera can reach. However, I can do something great on my phone; I can do something even better on my camera. So it's not like I can execute, but I can execute to an even further degree if I have my specific toolset. But for what it's worth, if I'm on vacation, I don't need to carry my camera and gimbal, I can just pull out my phone. So it has its pros, i mean, it's way easier to edit on, you don't need a lot of prior knowledge to use it, it's very accessible, and you can do everything all on one device, but it allows for lack of flexibility in terms of creativeness.

Anything particular that influenced your creativity, primarily being raised in Guyana?

Ever since I was a kid, I was always known for having a don't care attitude just by my persona. And I would always tell people it's not that I don't care about the situation. I don't care about what other people think about my point in the case; I don't care to explain. So the fact that i was creative, i had a lot of backtalk from my family and me hearing that i couldn't do it, or that i was stupid, all the extra different things that came with that, it just encouraged me to do me. When I turned 18, I got kicked out because I was doing a bunch of shit and ended up getting my first apartment, and I have never looked back since. I cut off all ties with my family for about 5 years, and from 18-23, I just lived in N.Y., making it happen for myself. Shit got tumultuous, I ended up being homeless and then stayed in an AirBnB, but I had my camera all this time, i had my camera. If I needed a meal, my camera came through as the ticket. So it was all those "you can't do it." or "being an artist can't feed you." but i had a vision for my shit. If the world is going all digital and shit and everyone wants photos and videos taken, someone needs to be behind the camera. And nobody saw my vision, so it was difficult, but I was always able to close out everyone else's negativity.

How would you say it has affected you now with everything that you've endured?

I mean, just generally, I try to be a good person for the sake of being a good person, and because of that, I have detected a bullshit meter, and I try my best to protect my energy. I am going to provide good energy. But if someone fucks that up, my energy is now mine. I'm not going to retaliate; I'm just going to close that door; you will never get the same access to me again.

Is this a one-man show, or do you have a team?

I have a business partner, and I've been very fortunate to always have my back. And he makes his time always readily available to me for any of my ideas. So I've got enormously blessed in that factor. Because I understand the importance of interdependence, you can't do everything on your own. So in that aspect, I got super lucky. I have been building a team for the past year; I now have an intern I have an engineer in the studio. So I can say I do have a solid team and support system.

How do you pour back into yourself after being a pillar for so many?

That's a loaded question since that is the most challenging thing for me to do. It took me a long time to come to terms with whenever I've faced a problem; I feel better doing stuff for others. And you know it has caused a lot of people to use me, and I had to realize that I was the main factor; it was my fault over the past 2-3 years. I have been doing many things that make me feel fulfilled and happy, and I do it for myself. And if someone wants to join me if it's something they enjoy doing, well, shit, come on for the ride. Because of my open nature, I have built a solid support system around me.

What quote or phrase keeps you going that you can share with A.R.T.S.Y. readers to keep them inspired?

The one that has always helped me since I was 13 years old, "if exceptional is possible, then good just isn't good enough."

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