Meet Jaden Aikman | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaden Aikman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaden, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am originally from White Plains, New York and moved to Georgia in January of 2015. I moved here for a chance at a better life, I hated living in New York and thought there was not much opportunity there for me to grow. Furthermore, I wanted a different environment to just socialize around because I was not a motivated person. Being from New York, everyone follows in their own paths, but they aren’t big enough. No one wants to set the standard to make something of themselves, instead they would rather follow the path that’s led out for them. People will follow through with just going to college but not trying to have a little business on the side. People will follow their dreams of rapping, but not try to get any serious cyphers or studio times setup. I wanted to actually make the change and be about it instead of talk about it. The difference I wanted to make was to challenge myself to move to a different environment, and create something that is my own, and make it bigger than what anyone could expect.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art of creating beautiful images started from the fact that I don’t like taking pictures of myself because I feel awkward. I like to take pictures of other people though, because I can just see how the image is supposed to look, I just have a clear vision as to what I want in my head. Getting to where I am at now started from inside of my college dorm. It was not easy getting to this point in life. I had to work through a lot of freelancing and make crucial decisions for myself to build credential around Atlanta. I started working with a lot of models and payed for their studio times, so I can go home and practice editing on their pictures. I would use YouTube as my source of reference for editing. Youtube has gotten me everywhere I needed to be in photography seriously! Following along with the tutorials was not hard, but doing the actions behind them was a bit difficult. I would have pictures that look completely different than the edit I desired for them to be, but I overcame the challenge by continued practice, and asking other photographers questions as to what I can do to make my content “better.” I’ve learned that there is no such thing as a “perfect image,” an image is as perfect as YOU can make it! There are no rules in creativity you just reach beyond the limit. I want people to know that this business was started from the bottom! You have to make tough decisions and possibly see rainy days before they get brighter, but when they get brighter…that sun will SHINE!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend from New York was visiting I would take her to Houston’s for a classy dinner date, and JJ’s Fish and Chicken for lunch. Nighttime we would probably got to Buckhead bars like Churchill, or go to the clubs like Medusa and Eleven45 Lounge. To take some nice pictures I’d go on Jackson St Bridge (of course), Piedmont Park, Lillian Webb Park and Roswell Mill. I’d introduce her to my family at Local Trap Star where she’d meet a majority of my best friends.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout to my model Ajiana Dailey who makes my day better every time we shoot. She deserves this recognition, because there has never been a day. a minute, or a moment AJ I couldn’t count on her. She’s a great model and a phenomenal friend, who always checks in on me business and friendship-wise almost every other day. Our relationship has grown from being close business partners to best of friends and I’m very thankful for her because she puts me in better positions than I ever know. Her role in what is to come for the future in my photography is going to be BIG!

Website: https://jadenaikman8a421.myportfolio.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadenshotyou/