Meet Owen Stallworth

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

Hi Owen, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I would have to say consistency. In this profession, well in any field of art, people will love you and your work, while others will not. That’s part of the journey. You can’t have success without being on the journey to it. And in order to stay on the path, you have to be consistent. No matter what I go through with this craft, I always tell myself to “keep going”.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am primarily a portrait photographer, but I like to say that I am a “people” photographer. I love capturing individuals whether it be in a street photo, dance, modeling etc. I have had amazing opportunities come my way with this craft. My most recent proud moment was being on stage with The Lox and capturing their show. It felt unreal to be on stage with legends of that magnitude. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today professionally if it wasn’t for my work ethic. Going the extra mile to make sure I was in certain places at certain times and networking with certain people greatly helped in my recent success. However, I’ve been in photography for about 9 years now I believe, and I must say it still isn’t easy. There were and still are many challenges. Photography is not easy to make a living out of. I’m still working a regular 9 to 5 job to have a consistent income. Of course I want to make a living with this art, but the passion is what drives me to keep getting better, not the money. If I was in it for the money, I would’ve quit a long time ago. The main lesson I’ve learned is to never give up. There is always someone watching that is being inspired by you, even when you think the world isn’t.

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?
Honestly would probably spend most of the time at cool locations taking photos. Add a hike in there and a couple of rooftop bars for the festivities.

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 huge shout outs to Morrison, Cruch Calhoun, Two, and Henny Blanco. I appreciate all the inspiring conversations we had, especially when I wanted to give up on photography. We gonna make it!

Website: http://www.illvisions.net

Instagram: @ill.visions