Today we’d like to introduce you to Das Mitchell.
Hi Das, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My household growing up was extremely artistically inclined. My father was a writer and my mother is still a jack-of-all trades when it comes to creative expression. Growing up in that environment I feel was extremely conducive to me becoming a creative mind, however, the ability to express my creative nature didn’t materialize until a lot later on in my life. On top of being in a creative household, we were also extremely driven by sports. My father played D1 baseball at Morehouse and my mother, in her time with my father, picked up sports. They ran a youth baseball organization called the GreenSox that occupied a lion share of our time as a family; I either had practice, lessons, or tournaments that took up up to 6 days a week, while my parents oversaw all of our teams and ensured everything was in order. This organization, despite going under, is where my first camera came from. My mother bought a Canon 70d along with a myriad of other accessories to aid in providing photo coverage that would fuel the organizations’ social media and website. When they ultimately decided that the GreenSox organization had played its final season that aforementioned camera sat dormant until my later high school years. During Covid, amidst all of the boredom, I made it my mission to learn how to properly use that camera just to have something to do. I kept shooting into college in an informal (and sloppy) manner and didn’t realize I had a prospective career until my collegiate baseball career came to an end. I had shoulder surgery in the winter of 2022 which ultimately spelled the end of my baseball days. The decision to not go back to baseball opened the door for me to connect two things in my life I previously hadn’t realized could be connected: sports and photography. Over the last three years I’ve spent time honing my craft in sports photo and also branching off into different areas such as: lifestyle, event coverage, and creative work directed by myself.
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?
It’s been a road with ups and downs for sure. Internally, it’s extremely easy for me to forget that comparison is the thief of joy. I tend to compare myself to other photographers who may be further along in their journey or career than I am which is a fairly destructive thing to do. Learning how to navigate through the human instinct to compare myself to other creatives has taught me a lot about myself and a lot about the resolve I have to get to where I want to go. Externally, costs have been tricky to navigate. Rental fees, equipment costs, and tons of other expenses tend to eat at you, especially when things get tight. Having made it to a point where I’ve pieced together my set up & tailored my equipment to my needs makes me feel grateful to have the opportunity to have the tools I have at my disposal. The biggest hurdle however has been handling Imposter Syndrome. I’ve had bouts with it where it’s all but eaten me alive. The feeling of feeling sub par, self imposed by yourself has really damaged me and my confidence in my ability at times. I found that looking back and seeing the improvement in my own work from the early days to now, grounds me and helps me realized that that growth should be there when I look back in the future into where I am now.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As of now it’s freelance work in Sports Photo. I’ve shot all of the major sports but I’d say I specialize in baseball, football, and hockey simply due to the sheer volume I’ve shot the trio. My immediate goal for working in the sports field is to find permanent work on behalf of a major organization or something similar. I’d like to think I’m “known” for being able to find a balance of being able to capture action, provide enough context for the story of the image to be told, and putting my own creative spin on an image. I mentioned earlier that I was proud of my progress and that happens to be what I’m most proud of. I don’t intend to come off as over-confident but I feel as if my progression over the last few years has been very sudden and very aggressive. I really do feel as sense of pride in my work. I feel as if I have a fairly advanced perception of some sports due to my extensive background playing them or being a fan of them. I also mentioned that embracing competition has been something that has been a part of my life from some of my earliest memories, I try and apply that to my work, my goal is to essentially try and show everyone why I belong.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Dallas for the feel of the city. Dallas in my eyes is more of a place where everyone is chasing something. Everyone is looking for money or fulfillment and that “hunger” I feel pushes myself and others forward. I’m also grateful of Dallas for the accessibility it provides, from my area I’m 20 minutes from either major airport, 15 from downtown, and 30 minutes max to anywhere in the DFW worth going. Dallas, however, can be a bit of a stale city from an attractions stand point. People tend to frequent the same places and do the same things over and over. I love to explore and at this point in my life I feel as if I’ve seen most of what Dallas has to offer.
Pricing:
- $130
- ¢.67 per mile (over 15 miles)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dasmitchell.myportfolio.com/work
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmitchellmedia/
