FOTO 119 photography boasts of capturing the human spirit, beauty, attitude and complexity through a lens in a captivating way that is at once raw, candid and stylized. Here, celebrity photographer Ty Beal shares his back story.
How did you get started in your profession?
FOTO 119: I was working as a songwriter and started taking pictures as a way of documenting my journey. My friends saw the pictures and started recommending people to shoot with me. Before I knew it, photography had taken off for me in a cool way.
Who or what inspires you to do your work?
Seeing people move beyond their comfort zone inspires me. I like bringing dope pictures into the world and documenting the fly moments in my life.
Who are some of the famous people you have had the opportunity to shoot?
Joe has always been one of the dopest dudes in the R&B game, so when we got to shoot him and he was singing a cappella during the shoot, well that was pretty f—ing cool.
Who do you desire to photograph most?
I think it would be amazing to shoot Prince and Lenny Kravitz — the ultimate rock stars.
What makes for a good photo shoot?
You need balls! A good shoot starts with good music, good energy, faith in the process and a little something to drink. Then you just go for it with your middle fingers in the air.
What makes your photography so unique?
I think our work has a voyeuristic quality to it. We like capturing shots that look like something happened right after the photo that you’re not supposed to see, but wish that you could.
How do you utilize technology to stay relevant?
Social Media is so important. Foto 119 wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for social media. We’re obsessed with pushing people’s buttons and seeing how they react to our photos. That influences our work, and through social media we’re able to find the people that our stuff resonates with, and they’re able to find us.
What advice would you offer to someone wanting to pursue photography as a career?
You have to fall in love with the process. You must trust your instinct and be fearless. Just go out there and create moments that you think are poetic or interesting or hot or whatever. Shoot those moments and trust that eventually somebody with some money will find you and pay you for it.
What is the most valuable lesson life has taught you?
Every decision you make in life is based on either love or fear. And nothing good ever comes out of fear. Be as fearless as you can possibly be in every moment.
What does a perfect Sunday afternoon look like to you?
A perfect Sunday is a home cooked meal with people that love and inspire you, so you can decompress and get your mind right before you go back to the grind on Monday — and a nice bottle just sets it off.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Sour Skittles! I will “eff”‘ a bag of Sour Skittles up!
