Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Stoker.
Emily, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m an editorial photographer, book binder and creative director in East Dallas. I was a freelancer for almost ten years before transitioning full time as Creative Director for a large retail company about three years ago. I still shoot on the side and recently finished a project called FIVE MILE RADIUS. I grew up in Fort Worth but soon moved to California to get my bachelors in photography at Brooks Institute of Photography. I have since then traveled around using photography as my go-to medium while using Dallas as my home base.
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?
Definitely not, but I would never expect anything less. The life of an artist is not a linear success, it’s a constant emotional up and down but the mess is worth it. I have lived in lots of tiny apartments that I shared with a few cockroaches, sold all the furniture I had left to make rent, saying YES to everything even if it didn’t suit me or my photographic style so I could pay the bills. So much success in this industry is built on determination and a little scrappiness.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am an editorial photographer who shoots mostly commercial work but I like to use photography as a way to give back to communities as well. During the day, I work as a creative director for Earthbound Trading Company as well as their head photographer and on the side, I also shoot for myself and other clients. I like a full plate, always have and always will.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I was recently granted to be a resident artist at the TX Studio in Oak Cliff, I was given three days to use their photo studio to make an idea come to life. My project was called, FIVE MILE RADIUS, where I offered free black and white portraits to those that live in the five-mile radius of the building I was photographing in. I canvassed the neighborhood knocking on doors and in nine hours, I photographed 52 groups of people. I recently showed the entire collection at the studio and invited the public and the subjects I photographed to come back into the space so neighbors could meet. I am most interested in honest storytelling and community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emilystoker.com
- Email: emily@emilystoker.com
- Instagram: emilystokerphoto
Image Credit:
Emily Stoker
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