Meet Chanelle McMillan | Photographer and creative director

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

Hi Chanelle, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
There is a quote by Alice Walker “ whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul” like many other creatives, our artistry is an outlet. When I’m creating it’s truly a euphoric feeling. To be able to be paid for what I love to do as well as inspire others is truly icing on the cake

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.
I create strongly based off of this quote, “be honest with yourself about what you want to create, and then create it” it’s very important to me to create art that resonates with me. One of my biggest challenges when I began was the mentality that I needed to have it all figured out, have the best equipment, and a million connections. I overcame this actually by not picking up my camera for 6 months, but I did not want to continue feeling the miserably stagnant energy of not doing what I love,creating. I decided then that I would not let these things stop me anymore, and I began to allow my passion and my drive to propel me. With these, you can overcome any challenge. I learned that you cannot wait for opportunities to come to you. You have to be very action-oriented to get anywhere in this field. Community is everything. I’ve also learned that in order to consistently cultivate new creative energy you really must take care of yourself. You cannot create when you’re feeling drained. I feel what sets me apart is that with every image, I am not simply aiming to produce a high quality and interesting photo. With every shoot I aspire to invoke a particular feeling or emotion, to visually transport you to a specific place and time. Which brings me to what I’m most excited about. I will very soon be diving into the world of film photography. Film never fails to portray the exact concept that I aim to do with my current work. It just captures raw beauty in a way that cannot be replicated as much as we digital photographers may try. My brand is centered around bringing to the forefront the extraordinary beauty of the seemingly ordinary everyday things and people.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am dedicating my shoutout to my good friend of 10+ years and mentor Jeremy Coleman. He helped me choose my first camera and gave me all the tools of success I needed to get started. He is still Always a call away if I have a question. An organization that serves as a major inspiration for me is called Sunday School. I admire how they employ black creatives from around the world, bringing beauty and culture to everyday brands.

Instagram: Chanellemphotos

Image Credits
Last image — set designer @sentribe on Instagram