Conversations with Taylor Hess

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Hess.

Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I graduated from the University of Georgia in December 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Art and Design, specializing in photography and fabric design.

I became fascinated with photography because I liked to document the happiest moments of my travels through my cameras and in which, I can share them with family, friends, and other viewers. I fell in love with my 35mm film photographs, especially in college, I was always in the darkroom, developing my film and printing my photographs on silver gelatin paper.

I started experimenting with those finished prints and I would sew on them creating collages. I blended my photographic images in my fabric design and laser-cut artworks.

Since graduating college, I work on my own photography projects with my Canon 5D Mark iii camera–constantly adding to my portfolio, I apply to different art exhibitions, and I collaborate with creative individuals on various projects as well. I am very persistent in traveling to new and exciting places, to build my portfolio and improve my photography skills.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of the struggles that I have faced are having trouble keeping a stable network of artistic creative people.

Ever since I graduated college, it has been difficult to find people who stay focused in the art world and people who work as full-time artists. I have also struggled to find clients who need work done in the art industry, whether it be for portrait or wedding sessions, or to find hotels and businesses who want to put up work up on their walls.

It is difficult to sell artwork because while I do have the motivation and ambition to create artwork, I do not have that business side of selling artwork to customers.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a photographer who is known for photographing landscapes and cityscapes. I love traveling and exploring new places to capture the adventures I go on in my life. I love the way the sunlight cascades across trees, mountains, and waterfalls, and I love to capture the beauty in nature with my Canon cameras.

I love photography because I love capturing a moment in time that I can look back at forever. I plan out my photography through adventures and that takes me to places I have never been. My work stands out because I feel like there is a story behind every landscape and place that I take photographs of. My photographs are memorable for me and my viewers because the story unfolds to each person that sees my work.

A viewer might see something that is familiar to them in one of my photographs and it brings out memory in each of my viewers. I am most proud of my newest work, which means my subject matter is strengthened, my composition is always improving the more I photograph, and every edit is different and more unique because I am getting more practice perfecting my post-processing.

To give a specific example, the trip I took to Savannah, Georgia, was an eye-opening experience to capture new and exciting landscapes on my Canon camera. I am different than other photographers because I am revealing to the world what this world looks like to me in the various places I travel to.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I personally have not taken any risks in my creative career yet. I believe going into a creative field is a risk in itself because to make and create things that you love and want to do for a living, is hard in the world that we humans live in. It is difficult to get paid for the work that you create and still sustain your livelihood.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.taylorhessphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorhess_photography/