Rising Stars: Meet Keenan Hairston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keenan Hairston.

Hi Keenan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started taking photos in my last couple of years of undergrad at NC State. I quickly fell in love with it, taking photos of my friends whenever I could. I had a friend, Ben Salama, who showed me the ins-and-outs of how to use a DSLR, so shouts out to him. I’m very thankful. After I graduated from State, I just kept on shooting all kinds of things until I found the things I really loved to shoot, then I focused in on those.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve definitely had growing pains in the road in the six years I’ve been professionally in this field. Some lessons have been harder than others. There has been a few times where I was filming music videos, for instance, with the wrong people and things could have went south very quick. Times where I ended up working for free, too. However for the most part, I’ve been able to take everything on the chin and keep progressing without any major setbacks. As cliche as it sounds, the joy is definitely in the journey.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
To keep it simple, I just like to say I’m an event photographer. Formal, informal, sports, music, you name it. I shoot everything from huge conventions to kids playing in sandboxes. I just love to photograph people doing things. Especially fun things. I really try to focus on my live music/music festival and college basketball work. Those are what I believe I’m best at, and that type of work is very fun to me. I also enjoy both of things as a fan, and I think that helps me do a better job capturing them.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m a very, very, very relaxed and kind of boring guy in my opinion. I know when people see my work, they think I’m just all over the place but that is usually not the case. Even when I am working, I’m pretty much dialed in and to myself.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: keenanhairston.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/keenanhairston

Image Credits
Photo by Keenan Hairston