Life & Work with Riley Curtis of Charlotte

Today we’d like to introduce you to Riley Curtis

Hi Riley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A best friend from high school inspired me to get a camera in our senior year, and as I approached college, photography seemed worth giving a go, as I went to the mountains for school. Over the next years, I was using my Canon on hikes, in the apartment, and on shoots for friends. The first class I took dedicated to photography, a ‘history of’ class in my final semester, introduced me to photography as an art, and my perspectives and interests changed.

Since then, I’ve been figuring out how to represent myself with fine art photography, bringing more of a documentary approach to things I experience every day on the way to work and at home.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am fortunate not to rely on photography as a means of living. However, keeping it as just a hobby has made it difficult to make images as often as I would like to and should – it’s my favorite thing to do, but it’s never prioritized.

It’s always a struggle to feel confident in my work, as the direction it’s taken is largely dictated by what I think my existing work could be, rather than the introduction of new bodies that dig into certain messages or narratives. It’s just hard to find time!

I’m also learning that what suits my style, or at least the one I hope to expand going forward, is shooting on medium format film. So, the struggle here is that film (buying, shooting, developing, scanning) is not getting any cheaper. This is part of a greater challenge to figure out what medium supports the work I want to make.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It’s hard to represent myself as a standout. I am not a photographer with a ‘look’ that allows images to remain nameless and still be identified as one of mine. However, I do feel that themes of isolation are visible across my portfolio, whether shown through a single subject among a large sky, a dot of light in darkness, or details such as fingerprints on a window or empty shoes outside a doorstep.

If I had to identify a point of pride in my work, I would say that I know they’re intentional. And I think it’s a good feeling when you can look at your images and know they were carefully composed, thought through, and so on. As much as I’d like to be, I am not the photographer on street corners looking to catch the one in a million moments that some artists I look up to do so well. Which is fine, I am becoming okay with that; pushing away from the pressure to be swiveling my head for action, especially now, living in a big city. I am proud of being able to study the same scene on the way to work, for weeks, and knowing how to take the photo I want to take when the right moment comes around.

I do not think I have a defining factor that sets me apart from anyone. I photograph the life I know, the feelings I know, and in its own way, that can be unique. I consider the images I make from my experiences to be completely my own, and that keeps me content with developing work at my own pace.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I lived across the street from my middle and high school grounds, and for consecutive summers, I would bike over to kick the soccer ball around before anyone else was awake. As we got older, a couple of my closest friends would join, and we’d do it together. So, not one particular memory, but the feeling of being the first footsteps on those fields each morning as the sun came up, completely quiet, is strong enough to make me wish it were possible to do it now, in my mid-20s.

Pricing:

• Contact me directly for all services and pricing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rileycurtis.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rileyjcurtis/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rileylikespoptarts

Image Credits
Sunrise Portrait by Nick Birsa