Today we’d like to introduce you to Elroy Johnson.
Elroy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I first fell in love with photography while living in South Louisiana (Baton Rouge). As a hobby on the weekends, I would pick a different town, parish (same as a county in other states) to visit. I would use my cell phone at first then my iPad to document the architecture, landscape, and culture that could be found around Louisiana. So, my introduction to photography wasn’t even through a camera, use what you have! Eventually, my love for photography continued to grow into E. Johnson IV Photography.
When I returned to Dallas, I began to get into photojournalism and portrait photography. I spent a lot of time trying to learn the mechanics of working a camera and the different styles of photography. I spent countless hours on YouTube, did some shadowing, and eventually found my love for documentary photography.
I have spent the last three years documenting the neighborhood of Oak Cliff (The Oak Cliff Documentary). The neighborhood played an important role in my childhood and I truly believe it is the jewel of Dallas. My hope is that the ongoing photo series which will soon start to incorporate video interviews will continue to preserve the history and heritage of this special Dallas neighborhood. The content can be found on Facebook and Instagram via The Oak Cliff Documentary.
Outside of my documentary work and freelancing, I am an event and portrait photographer. I have the honor of documenting many events for different clients around the metroplex and documenting special moments for my clients such as graduations or headshots to launch new businesses.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always struggles along the way when creating a business and learning a new skill. When I moved back to Texas, I had to really learn the ins/outs of photography. It is much more than pushing a button. I am still learning today. I had to take a lot of time to invest in something I was passionate about. If you’re passionate about something you’ll pursue it. For me, it was tons of YouTube videos, shadowing other photographers, even taking a short summer course. All of it played a role in my foundation and as I said, I am still learning, we should always be students of our craft and passion.
Then, there was the learning curve of creating a business and learning how to work with different publications as a freelancer. So, I had to be dedicated to learning photography, business, and journalism. I did have a Marketing background so that helped, but self-motivation was key. I am still on the journey but, I am grateful for every moment to learn something new.
Alright – so let’s talk about your work. Tell us about The Oak Cliff Documentary – what should we know?
So, at the core of it, I am a photographer that is passionate about documentary photography, documenting humanity. As a freelancer, my work has been published in local and national publications including The Dallas Observer, The Dallas Weekly, ProPublica, The Huffington Post, and other media outlets.
Currently, I have been focusing my work on documenting the history and culture of the Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas. A neighborhood that played an important role in my childhood and continues to play an important role for me today. Growing up, my family and I moved around a few different times. However, the one place that always felt like home was Oak Cliff, a neighborhood located in Southwest Dallas. The neighborhood was where most summers, many weekends, and a lot of holidays were spent. I spent a lot of time in South Oak Cliff at both my mawmaw’s (maternal grandmother) and paternal grandmother’s houses.
Now, I spend a lot of my time documenting the neighborhood. I often find myself documenting stories of family members, community organizers, small business owners, and local architecture. My goal is that the project, The Oak Cliff Documentary will help to preserve the history and heritage of the neighborhood through photography and videography. Lately, I have been able to team up with different videographers and editors to start interviewing area residents and business owners. The video series will be launching sometime this spring. Hopefully, the interviews help to give a voice to the many stories that are held within the neighborhood.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My curiosity. I have always been curious about everything, this curiosity has allowed me to become a photojournalist, someone who wants to know about individuals and their stories. We all have a story and so many go untold. In addition to this, photography helps to preserve or document that story or moment. I love being able to help someone document a special moment in their life as much as I love the process of telling a story.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ejmultimedia.com
- Phone: www.ejohnsonivphoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ejohnsoniv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oakcliffdocumentary
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/oakcliffdocumentary
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