Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Davis.
Hi Corey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I got my start as a teenager working at an ABC affiliate television as an intern back home in Memphis. It was there I learned videography, editing, framing, and composition. In 1993, we did a taping of a segment featuring the legendary photographer, Earnest Withers. He was most noted as “The Eye of the Civil Rights Movement” capturing iconic and momentous times in the Civil Right’s Movement in the 60s and 70s. After the segment, he spent time speaking to me about vision, creativity, and even his view of photography. This conversation changed my life forever. I’ve always been very active in the arts being a musician, but something greater was calling me, photography.
The calling was finally answered when I moved to Kansas City. I remember my cousin loaning me an old Nikon film camera. I didn’t know anything about the camera, how to use it, hold it or anything. I just knew it felt right. I reflected back on the conversation Mr. Withers and I had, I trusted my eye and leaned on my vision for shots.
Fast forward, 2 years later, I saved up money and purchased my first DSLR camera, Canon Rebel T3i, to be exact, I struggled. What I mean, I struggled, I STRUGGLED. I struggled to the point where I almost quit. LOL! My images were HORRID!! I continued to shoot here and there and then life happened and I went completed dark on photography world, focusing my time and energy on my newborn daughter and family. I eventually sold my camera because I was not using it all.
It wasn’t until last year when I heard the calling of the “click” again. I went to a local pawn shop and bought a camera, and have not looked back since. I found a mentor in Paul Andrews, (Cap Gun Studios) who was an accomplished and amazing photographer. He taught me about photography essentials, mechanics, angles, composition, and lighting, etc. I rented out his studio from time to time to work on my craft, and then 2021 moving into my own photography studio.
Today, the passion and love for capturing that moment, has landed my work into 27 Magazines around the world. A mayoral candidate billboard. Fashion Runways Shows and working with models and designers around the globe.
If your name is Corey, why name your business Kris Davi?
It’s actually is named after my son, Adavia Kristian Davis. Adavia, we call him “Davi” pronounced Dah-Vee Kristian “Kris”
It was important to me to create a legacy for him. I always love for him to see daddy creating, and it was only fitting for me to create this in his namesake especially as he is an artist as well.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wish I could say I had a street paved of gold with my photography journey. It was not. I quit several times because either, my work was not good enough, I wasn’t understanding my camera, or no bookings were coming, or could not find people to shoot. It was bad sometimes.
I took at 3-year hiatus from photography to focus on life. Last year is when I found my passion again and went full throttle into the art.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
This is a loaded question. LOL. When people ask, “Corey, what is your niche?” I often can’t answer because my niche is anything that brings me joy to shoot. If I can say what is my favorite style of photography, I would say, Fashion Editorial Photography.
The fact that I am not a “technical” photography makes me a little different from other photographers, I do not know a lot of the technical terms for what I do, I feel, see, and do. I believe that technicality takes away from creativity. It forces you to work on the ABC before your know your colors. By that I mean, Letters are something that are black and white. An “A” is an “A”, a “B” is a “B” etc. With colors there’s always a different perspective to look at it. Red is red but is also Burgundy, Blue is blue but blue is also Navy.
With that perspective, I always try to push myself out the box to me more than a niche or a labeled photographer. Also, my studio sessions are the best, I’m a pretty dope DJ if I can say so myself. LOL.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
Pinterest is always my go-to for inspiration. Music is my best resource for my photography. Like music, with photography there’s a visual for every word.
Contact Info:
- Email: krisdaviphotography@gmail.com
- Website: www.KrisDaviPhotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/krisdaviphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/krisdaviphotography
Image Credits:
@BlackRabbitPhotography
