Meet Chai Chapman Jr | Photographer and Film-maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chai Chapman Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chai, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting my own photography business took a ton of mental steps to see if this was actually what I wanted to do as a career. • The first mental step that I took was to ask myself “Are you wanting to do this for the money? Or because you actually love creating art through the lens of a camera?”. To me, that was a no-brainer because of the feeling I get when I see “the shot” whether it was on a paid gig, or not.
• The next mental step was to ask myself, “if I do this, how will I actually be able to pay my bills? Do I want to work for someone and continue to grow their legacy? Or do I want to begin my own, and grow my legacy?
• Another mental step was to inform myself that running a photography business as a young, African American male, will be extremely difficult solely because of that reason. I am a young, African American male attempting to be successful in a career that is predominately caucasian females.

Once I instilled all of those things in my head, I knew for a fact I wouldn’t let myself don no matter what obstacle I cross.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a photographer who specializes in portraits. Whether it’s on a location out in the field, or in a studio setting. I would much rather have a studio setting because I can manipulate lighting much easier than being out in the field. I am still growing and learning each day, but as long as I’m at least 1% better than I was yesterday, that’s a huge plus in my book.

I just reached out to a couple of new clients in my area that will be willing to basically be my guinea pig with a different style of portraits I am going to master. I’m super excited about that because I think that will make me stand out from the rest of the photographers in my area, as well as reach the eyes of other clients outside of my area. My main goal with being a photographer is to get my work in front of the eyes of the world.

It was not the easiest road to get to where I am today simply because of the small town I’m from. 90% of the people around me don’t believe in me, and if they do see the potential that I actually have, they ignore it and support another photographer from out of town, simply to not give me the business. I am still struggling to this day to score local clients.

I’ve learned that no matter how hard it gets, how frustrated you get, and how fake people you’ve known the longest can be, as long as YOU see the big picture down the road, keep pushing for that and it will become a reality. Manifestation is powerful.

I want the world to know that as long as you’re doing what you love and your faith within you is strong, the evilest person does not have enough power to discourage you enough to stop doing that thing. Manifest your dreams, and you will soon be living them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend from out of town came and visited m,e, I would bring them an hour and a half down the road to Lafayette, Louisiana. I would travel away because the small town where I am isn’t really a getaway place to go to. All we have down here is very good food places. Lafayette, on the other hand, is packed with food places, things to do, and aesthetic places to chill. We would first check to see if there are any festivals going on Downtown or at the Cajundome. Those festivals are all you need for 2 full days. They’re packed with great music, food, and vibes. If there are no festivals going on, we’d definitely go eat at a place called Bon Temps Grill. It is a locally-owned restaurant that has pretty much any and all southern Louisiana foods you can think of, with their own little twist to it. Their dessert is also to die for. To end the night we would go catch a game or fight at a nice non-smoking bar.

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 would love to shout out Rodney “Duke” Woods Jr. Simply because we share the exact same passion, are both in the same boat successfully making it in this field, and we have the same mindset and drive.

Website: https://chaisphotography.org/

Instagram: @_chaisphotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chaisphotography

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCL3gUX7Y-n3HoRZgW4ew5MA

Image Credits
Tin and Wendy Hallee and Hunter Montasiia Dj Michelle Raheem, Rj, and Infinity