Meet Phillip Dias | Creative Director

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

Hi Phillip, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started photography initially I had no intention of starting a business. I would take pictures and post them on Instagram. Over time, I had people ask me if I did events or intimate photo sessions. I started with doing a maternity shoot, and that was my first paid gig. Then the same client asked if I did events, soon after I did a baby shower. This all happened within 2 months’ time. I was on youtube learning how to be more efficient with my workflow, especially since it was just me. Within the year I contacted my business friend, and he helped me price my work. I started doing portrait sessions and weddings. In regards to my thought process, I wanted to create iconic images for my clients. I treated each client as if they were an A-list celebrity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I got started taking pictures of friends, then I started taking pictures of celebrities. Starting the magazine helped me bring awareness to my photography. It was not easy, I had to deal with a lot of drama within the photography and model community. When I started I didn’t know about the industry too much because I was doing my own thing. Knowing the industry news was very important. For example, I needed to know what models or photographers were “blacklisted” or “canceled” before I decided to collab with them. I know it’s crazy, right. I overcame the obstacles by researching people I wanted to work with first. I’ve learned to just focus on building a safe community, I didn’t take people’s word. Action speaks louder than words to me. My photographs take a critical view of women’s encouragement and social issues in the world. I’ve crafted my style to be a mixture of cinema and fine arts. My major influences come from photographers Annie Leibowitz and Peter Lindbergh. Having engaged subjects as diverse as the social movement, fashion, and cinema is my goal.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Hoboken, New Jersey. In the daytime, it has a great view of New York City. At nighttime, you get to visit bars and restaurants that are really good. So many public places to take amazing photos. Hoboken is my original stomping grounds for my photography. I started taking landscape shots of the city at night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So back in 2006, I started as a graphic designer, my cousin got me Photoshop 7 and said: “I know you like to draw maybe this could help you and help my company.” A few years after giving me the software, I started actually to get good at designing stuff online, and I was his senior graphic designer for his website. I had fun with it. I was designing flyers for colleges. Around spring 2013, I wanted to take my pictures, so I started taking pictures here and there like still life. In summer 2013, I was able to afford my camera. My best friend, Lenney, just came back from Florida, and he wanted to link up again. He said he was modeling, and we should do some photoshoots, so yeah, why not. We started doing photo shoots for a few months. Lenney wanted to take it a little further, so he said, “Hey man, you do graphic design. Have you decided on doing the magazine?” Never thought about it until that moment. I was intimidated. I didn’t know where to start. In my mind, I was thinking Vogue and W magazine, so I was discouraged in the beginning. I took a few months to kind of buckle down and figured out a solid direction.

Website: www.iamzainstudios.com

Instagram: @iamzainmagazine

Twitter: @iamzainmagazine

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3TXbcvpuXwv5oSNaAQG4NQ

Image Credits
taken by: I Am Zain Studios