Today we’d like to introduce you to Darius Spain.
Hi Darius, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In high school, my little brother Jawon would take photos of me to post because at the time it was the cool thing to do, plus who doesn’t want free photos. Around December 0f 2017, my mom bought me a camera. Not thinking much of it I just really started to learn how to use it and work on my craft. I was doing free photoshoots, watching YouTube videos, practicing just to become better. My mentor, Joe, is a photographer too and I didn’t find this out until months later, so he would teach me things also. My breakthrough was when I did a maternity photoshoot and that’s when the bookings came along. Along the way, I met Corey, Joel, and a High School friend named JD, and I would learn from them as well and share things I knew with them as well. Over the past three years, I’ve been doing more videos. Ezekiel, my partner joined me Two years ago and we’ve been a nonstop machine. It was a time when he would just come tag along, now we’re in this together. We’ve done over 200+ videos together from wedding videos, commercial videos, and music videos as well. Now hitting my 5-year mark, I’ve built my own team (Ezekiel, Jawon, Allen, Andrea, Brianda, Victoria) and teach, train, and mentor them so they can become better creatives also. Doing photos and videos has completely changed my life. It’s opened so many doors, it’s a blessing. From traveling to meeting new people, it’s a whole different world that picking up a camera has allowed me to explore.
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 it was a smooth road. You have to crawl before you can walk but that’s with anything. The first thing I learned was constructive criticism. You have to learn it quick too. Not everything you do is going to meet people’s standards, but you have to learn that everyone’s vision is different. Time management is another big thing. I was a full-time student, working two jobs at a time and trying to run a business all at once. It was tough but at the end of the day, your responsibility is to give the people a service that they paid for and wanted. Photography and videography can get expensive. As you grow, you’ll learn that you’re going to need a new camera, new lenses, lights, a computer, etc. but most important time. You can’t get that time back. You have to make every moment count. Sometimes you can’t get a second chance, so you have to make the most of it. You have to learn your camera inside and out. Even if you have a super advanced camera, to a camera that’s for a beginner, you have to understand the camera in order to become the best.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m known for people an all-around camera man. I specialize in mostly portrait photography and music videos. From photos to videos, from Senior/Grad Photos, to fancy music videos, my team and I do it all. I’m proud of my versatility. Not too many people can do the things that we do. You hear that everyone works hard but we all work hard. My favorite word of all time is integrity. I learned this from my High School Football Coaches at Arlington Heights High School. What do you do when no when else is looking? Are you chilling? Are you scrolling on your phone? Are you practicing? I’m working. I’m putting in the extra hours. Overtime. Trying to make sure no one can step up to my plate. I don’t want anyone taking my clients or the future jobs. I learned from my coaches that someone is always working harder than you, so it’s my job to make sure that I’m working 10x harder than them to make sure that when it comes down to it, that I win. It’s the Mamba Mentality that Kobe spoke on. That’s what sets me apart from others.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I think probably the big family Christmas’s. All my family would come over early in the morning and wouldn’t leave til late at night. It’s you, all your cousins, sharing new gifts, excited to see each other. The good food that you’ll only get either on Thanksgiving or Christmas so you’re eating as much as you can. Now everyone’s grown and now has their own traditions that they do on Christmas. It’s bittersweet, you cherish those things now since you’re older.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsspainn/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShotsBySpain/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe0Fl7-3bBWNcdsEHCCENTCcGkalEm2Rx
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/shotsbyspain/?hl=en
Image Credits
Ezekiel Kealoha
