Meet Anthony Taylor: Director, Photographer

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

Hi Anthony, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Bet on yourself. Every time. Always. Taking risks has played a major role in my life and career. I figuratively have an issue with treading water and/or staying in the same place for too long. If I’m not moving forward then I’ll start to fall backward, thats not the case for everyone but I know myself. Sometimes the best opportunities have been unscheduled and came out of nowhere, which can be unsettling and nerve-racking. But once you take that first step on that path, that fear can act as motivation. There are folks I know that are scared to lose something simply because its become comfortable, but if you want to grow you have to be ok with change. I do my best to not let the general idea of failing be something that will influence my decisions, but focus on the outcome and the benefit of its succeeding.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Photography/Video will be the medium that I use to story tell, but I elevate my vision by tapping into my experience in the world of design and build. Designing/building the sets, the outfits, any props and curating the lighting to really highlight my focal point. I found my passion in photography through documentary style work, I was always interested in hearing how others are inspired and hearing about their own unorthodox journey. There’s a laundry list of things we have to overcome simply being an African American in the US, add being any form of creative in the mix and you can imagine. But regardless staying on my grind by working nights to pay the bills and using the days to grow my freelance business. Staying true to myself as an Artist and not changing my personal taste to be more appealing was the most important. Move with love, pay it forward when you can. I’ve never had extra in my life so I do my best to share that extra space and knowledge to those who are interested. I’m proud to say that I own and operate my own Photography Studio in Portland, providing everything needed to produce and capture the desire vision.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Fortunate enough to be able to go the mountains and the coast in the same day. If you’re into being outdoors there are hikes and trails for days, just choose a direction.
Food & Drink: Jacks Chicken (Alberta Market), Ex Patriot, Nongs, Deadstock Coffee Shops: CULT, Unspoken, Focus Group, Produce, Settlemiers 

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All the black creatives that are able to thrive in a city (Portland) that lacks self representation. The ones who support each other with open arms and do their best to create our own sense of home and community.

Website: http://www.byanthonytaylor.com/

Instagram: byanthonytaylor

Twitter: byanthonytaylor