Meet Sammie Saxon | Photographer

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

Hi Sammie, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up poor in a small, country town called Talbotton, Georgia. Needless to say, there wasn’t much to do. Thankfully, I was surrounded by artists. My grandfather was a master barber who worked out of the barbershop he built by hand on the family property. My mom also worked as a hair and makeup artist. In addition to her beauty skills, she is an illustrator and painter. My uncle is a folk artist. At an early age, I learned how to use art to escape the country monotony. My mom encouraged my love of art, and introduced me to photography; one day, she brought home a point and shoot camera. I’ve been in love with photography since then.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My start in photography was incredibly difficult. Most people underestimate how f*cking hard it is starting off as a black, broke college student, let alone an art student. I hate when people spew out nonsense about how easy it is to pull yourself out of poverty and become an entrepreneur. If you have zero credit, you find yourself working odd jobs as a bag boy to afford college books, art and photography equipment, rent, and food. Adding to these difficulties, when I started, there were very few photographers in my area, that I knew of, to give me any guidance. Now we have youtube and google to teach us every step of the way.  I feel that the struggle not only gave me more appreciation for where I am today, but also I learned how to create artwork with the bare minimum. Everything from spray painting cardboard boxes to make reflectors to building softboxes with lamps and bedsheets.

But no matter how talented you are, your career depends on the right people seeing your work and you being prepared to drop everything to follow your dreams. I met the right people at crucial moments in my life that pivoted my career. Playing around on facebook I discovered a future Victoria Secret model. Me and my mua were searching for models and we found Maggie Laine. We sent an email for her parents to contact us and waited for a response. Oddly enough, the following week when I went to my internship at SVM, a Columbus Based magazine, the editor asked me to reach out to her to model for an upcoming issue. I was like, “ Oh! I already did! ”  It was kinda fate that we both had discovered the same model. Her career took off, she connected me with her manager,  who then became my manager and close friend. By participating in a Canon camera photo contest, I was selected to be part of a film festival and have my work recreated by Eva Longoria and Biz Stone. With only $60.00 in my bank account, Canon flew my broke ass out to NYC and I got a chance to meet and have drinks with Eva, Ron Howard, Brice Howard Dallas, Jamie Foxx and others that attended the red carpet screening of “Project Imagination”. While in NYC for the screening we responded to a random email, I got to work with Several Models from America’s Next Top Model. Corey, one of the models from the show, took us to a private launch party for Tyra Bank’s flixel app and I got to meet all of the models from that current season. Another time we were lost in New York, someone mistook me for a photographer for TMZ and I got to photograph Tom Hiddleston at a movie premier. On one adventure, my wife and I were escorting a musician to the Grammy’s when security, police with ARs, made us all get out of the car at a checkpoint. It was extremely chaotic and we kept getting pushed around then somehow we ended up on the entrance of the red carpet alongside the likes of  John Legend and DJ Khalid. I got some great photographs from that happy mishap until security realized we didn’t belong and we were carefully escorted off the premises.  It’s comical how just standing still and pretending to belong can get you into some high level places. More recently I took a trip to Japan for my best friend Hiro Motegi’s wedding, and we somehow ended up shooting Fashion Week.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m based out of Columbus, a city not too far from Atlanta. I spend most of my time downtown, bouncing from Fountain City Coffee to Picasso’s Pizza. Most of the art community can be found here. There’s the Garry Pound Studio, the Bo Bartlett Center, CSU’s art department,  the Rankin Art Center, the Do Good Fund Gallery, Springer Opera House, the River Center, and a beautiful river walk.

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 owe most of my thanks to my mom, who struggled to support me as a single parent for years. She remains an inspiration for me today. My Uncle introduced me to painting and wildlife. I credit my police dad and military stepdad for being complete assholes and teaching me how to be respectful and the value of hard work. My family has always been there for me; every gallery opening, I can depend on seeing them or meeting cousins I didn’t know I had. My talented siblings that are always there to lend me a hand, even when it’s total bullshit. Ms. Williams, my high school art teacher, who went the extra mile and helped me get into college with art scholarships. I also have to thank my friend Keith for teaching me around the studio, and a magazine owner that gave me an internship that turned into a career in fashion photography. I would also like to thank my soulmate, who has grown beside me as a makeup artist for my shoots. Last, but not least, I am grateful for having a manager that believes in me enough to send me to New York to meet top agencies.

Website: www.sammiesaxon.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sammiesaxonstudio

Facebook: Sammie Saxon Studio

Image Credits
Hair and makeup by Jessica Nicole