Today we’d like to introduce you to Desmond Butler.
Desmond, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m 23 years old, a Virgo; from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I grew up super shy and I got bullied in middle and elementary school. Throughout high school, I grew out my shell as the years progressed. By the time I got to 12th grade, I wanted to be more involved at school. I first began photography as a yearbook staff team member my senior year in high school in 2013-2014. After I graduated, I started photography on my own under DesMarquisPhotography (Desmond Marquis). I initially did the basics such as birthday, graduations, family, etc. Shortly I expanded to weddings, events, and just bringing my camera everywhere, I went to take pictures of friends or random people. In 2017 I started my photo series Melanin Rouge, focused on showcasing the beauty & diversity of black people. Each shoot had a different theme and a different group of people, in total I’ve done 52! In 2019, I got hired at a news station and six months in got promoted to a Photojournalist. It’s helped me look at photography and videos in a different light and has made me elevate the way I take photos. Overall, my goals in creative photography is to either become a traveling photographer, a tour photographer, a print photographer, a director of photography or a director.
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?
Some of the struggles I’ve had along the way are really just minor inconveniences, the typical trials life throws at you and a couple of life-altering situations. There were a couple of times I wanted to give up on everything but each & every time I had a friend there to help pick me back up which is why I’m so appreciative of every friend I have and I try to remind them of that every chance I get.
Please tell us about DesMarquisPhotography.
As a photographer, I try to tell stories through pictures… I try to challenge myself creatively. In 2019, I began studio photography, one day during the summer I just went to the studio, asked some people from my photo series to come let me practice on them and the growth began from them. Studio photography definitely pushed me as a director because I had limited things to work with. Just a few props and a solid background. Without challenge there’s not growth. I’m proud of my business and myself for sticking through the test of time & continuing to grow. I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m such a layered person and I think that translates through most of my work.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
The proudest moment of my career as probably been Melanin Rouge. It started off as an idea of doing one shoot of different shades of black people & 52 shoots later it turned into so much more. A series, a movement, something special, something to look forward to, something that meant something to people, something people wanted to be apart of, something that brought me many blessings after, and something that’s gonna take me so much further. I was able to meet a lot of new people, allot people to step out of their comfort zones and be comfortable in their own skin and show that black people are beautiful in every shade, shape, and size!
Contact Info:
- Website: DesMarquisPhotography.Zenfolio.com
- Phone: 225-936-9123
- Email: desmarquisph@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Desmond B
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