Daily Inspiration: Meet Casha Mosley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Casha Mosley

Hi Casha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello! First, I want to say thanks so much for having me. I’m Casha Mosley and I am a portrait artist based in Durham, NC. I recently announced my return to lifestyle & wedding photography also. I am a Bull City girl, but I will travel anywhere to shoot if the right opportunity presents itself.

I actually started photography in 2014 while serving in the Air Force. I lived in San Antonio, Texas at the time. A few of my friends and I started a booking agency working with models and artist. When we couldn’t find a good photography for brand photos, I used my friend’s camera to take the photos myself and just happened to be good at it. Of course I had to learn how to edit and the fundamentals of photography after that, but I was just really good at creating the images I had in my mind.

The last photoshoot I did in TX of a R&B singer (right before moving to Virginia) is the shoot that really kick started my career in working with musical talents. While living in Hampton from 2016-2018, I worked with lots of musical talents, covered concerts and did lifestyle photography as well. I traveled all up and down the east coast from FL to NY really trying to build my brand.

My style of photography definitely has a vintage feel with modern edge. I love capturing portraits the most – faces and eyes tell stories and I try to evoke my subjects’ emotion through my portraits.

Beyond photography, I would love to take the time off to do some writing, directing, and cinematography for independent documentaries to include my project #FaceForward. They are coming slowly, but surely.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! Photography for me has been a love/hate relationship. I have taken my breaks here and there, but each time I came back to the art, I’m better and refreshed. I think I’ve finally solidified my style of art, which was part of the reason I struggled so much to begin with.

At this point in my career, I’ve learned to turn down clients who only see my camera as opposed to seeing my art. I have to make sure clients are familiar with my style of editing/shooting, before I even touch my camera. Because I approach photography as an artist first. It’s not just about having a skillset for me. There are lots of photographers that just take pictures, but I am indeed an artist and storyteller with my photography. My work is distinct and has a “magazine feel” to it for a reason. I’ve had artist reach out to me because of that, and those artist (and my mentors) have really encouraged me to not give it up.

I’ve persevered through adversity and I finally have a brand identity that people are familiar with now and for that I am proud of myself.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
So as a portrait artist, I love faces. I will literally stop people in public to compliment them and suggest a shoot. I really enjoy helping people realize the beauty in themselves. This is why I honed in on portraits. I specialize in (musical) artist branding. Because of this, my work has been showcased on Times Square not once, but twice! And I would love to have more land there. The next time I have one on Times Square, I will be there to see it in person.

Last year, an artist I worked, with used our images for press, and one landed on Vibe.com, which was really huge for me! Especially being a 90s kid, I remember picking up the actual magazines, feeling those pages and flipping through.. reading the artist interviews and connecting the images of Jonathan Mannion to the articles. It’s just so nostalgic. So for me to have my work land on Vibe it was a real a win for me as a lover of hip-hop.

What matters most to you? Why?
Loving God and being my authentic self means the absolute most to me. My life has been like a “series of books that fell off of a shelf & picked up in the incorrect order” lol. With that being said, I can see just how resilient I am through life and as an artist. Like I previously stated, there’s been times that I have quit, sold all of my equipment and wanted to be completely done (with photography). I wanted to be done because I didn’t feel I could be “me” through my work.

Celebrity photographer Platon is one of my favorites, and my favorite quotes from him is “If it’s necessary, it’s in there. If it’s not necessary, it’s not there. So, strip it down, simplify it. Just go for the core.” This quote is really what I have founded my brand identity on. I don’t over edit & I’m not going to make you skinny lol, I’m going for the core of who YOU are as the subject in front of my camera. That’s my authenticity and my brand stands on that. We’re telling your story, your ideas, your emotions. Beautiful, simplistic photography with me is truly how I believe God uses me.

A session can be therapeutic for people in which they’re encouraged to just be their most authentic selves, even if I have to pull it out of you with good conversation and good music. So that’s what matters most to me; Being used by God with this gift He gave me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cashamosley.com
• Instagram: @cashamosley
• Youtube: @cashamosleytv

Image Credits
Personal Photo – Bryant Lindsay © 2024
Additional Photos – Casha Mosley © 2023