Blog | Pat Wright Photography

The other day, I was retouching an old photo while jamming to Jay-Z’s “On to the Next One,” and there was a line that really summated one of the biggest lessons so far in my career. 

“…don’t be mad cause its all about progression”

I took this image almost two years ago. I was about six months into teaching myself photography and every friend willing, I gladly made my subject. This was one of my first forays into directing a model and using off camera lighting. Everything I wanted was there: chiaroscuro effect, highlight detail, perfect model form, and yet I was so disappointed it didn’t look like the Vogue covers Testino and Meisel were producing—it’s OK, I laugh too now. So I stashed in it the catalog and pined for the day I’d have the really expensive camera to make my photos look amazing. 

So a few months ago, as I scanned the archives for new site worthy images, I come across this testament of scrappy days with a temperamental Canon 10D, some borrowed Lowell lights, and a determined heart. I saw some potential, so I decided to have a second go to see if I could breathe some life in it, and I’d say it was for the better. 

Turns out, I didn’t need a fancier camera or better lighting, what I needed was the knowledge to know how to make good from mediocre. That knowledge comes from experience and the desire to keep learning. 

I’ve spent the majority of the last two years shooting, reading, asking, following, researching and I’ve learned that the true genius of photography is not just showing what’s there, but bringing out what it could be. 

I sent my before and after to a mentor* for a kick at the progress I’ve made along the way, and as mentors are supposed to, he sent it back with a lesson on dodging and burning and ways to make it even stronger. So I gave it another go, and again, I come away amazed at what subtlety can bring out of a photo.

Here’s the gist: photography, as most things in life, is about progression. You can’t settle for where you are, constantly strive to better your talents. Otherwise, what’s the point? I’ve done that in two ways I hope I never become dumb ”good” enough to stop.

• Self-motivation: When I’m not shooting for assignment, I try to consistently shoot for myself. Shooting, reading, asking, researching helps me learn new techniques like skin retouching, proper lighting, etc. There are some great resources available, some even for free, to help you move to the next level, but you have to want to get there. 
• Mentoring: The moment you think you know everything there is to know, hang it up. LaChapelle gleaned the outlandish from Andy Warhol. Testino mastered Beaton’s window light. No one started out knowing everything, and it’s more than OK to admit you’re still learning, we all are.  

So next time you’re frustrated about what you don’t have or what you can’t do, remember it’s all about progression. 

*Thanks to my mentor, Rick Smoak, for always having an answer or a resource for my many questions. 

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of two really good friends. The night before, Jay and Liza, kicked off the weekend with some close friends in anticipation of a beautiful wedding day. 

The chapel was beautiful and Jay and Liza made for a stunning bride and groom. 

Jay and Liza decided to get a sneak peek of each other before the ceremony. It was such a sweet moment to witness. 

The ceremony was such a great look at true love between two amazing people.

And this crowd closed the night in rare form, this was definitely the party to attend!

Last year, I met Miriam when she contracted me to shoot some promos for her music project. We quickly became friends and admirers of each others work. A few months later, Julius contacted me to help with his proposal. You can read more about that proposal over at The Knot.

After pulling off a successful proposal, it was time to capture Julius and Miriam’s wedding day. Miriam made for a absolutely beautiful bride. 

The wedding came and went without a hitch. It was a real privilege to be apart of the Hamilton’s special day!

There have been a lot of things on my heart and mind lately, most pertaining to life and how I live it. My folks were God-fearing people who always taught me to leave things better than how I found them. It’s something I can’t shake. I think about the world and when I finally bow out, and how I’d like to know I bettered it and not stripped it. That just makes sense to me. 

I was tweeting back forth with a famous photographer I admire and we were talking about the existence and prevalence of child sex slavery. He made a comment about how could such a terrible thing happen and how could we have gotten here as a people. I told him that the way I see it, such evil has always existed, it just seems that the ones willing to abate it have grown few. Society has become about the I and not the us, so evil runs amuck.

I’m guilty of that. I’ve spent countless hours of energy fighting to one day become the next star photographer. Hoping to be able to stick my camera in the face of celebs and starlets on the regular, as if that’s what the world needs. As if these famous people we idolize need their story told even louder.

Four years ago I sat in a landfill in the Dominican Republic. I had come with a mission team and our journey had brought us to a Haitian village burrowed among the refuse. I’ll never forget watching one of the kids pull a rotting mango from the trash and eat it, and moments later he was all smiles as he banged away on a drum fashioned from an old oil can. 

Days like today, I wonder what would happen if someone flying aboard their private jet, browsing their iPad came across my work. And what if when they did they were able to see what I saw that day, would it break their heart too? And if it did, could it possibly move them to action? And what if even just some of the people they influenced were motivated to action as well? And so on and so forth. What if I cared more about telling the story of that kid then capturing the curves of Scarlet Johansson? Is there a way to have both?

Right now, I have more questions than answers. But gratefully, I have more resolve than questions. I will find these answers. I will grapple with how to really make my work count for something. I really don’t see another way.