7 Pro Tips For Success From The Photographer Who Shoots All Your Fav Celebs
I noticed Kevin Wong’s work since Drake Instagrammed a photo he had taken, with his logo printed directly on the image. It’s rare that Drake will display a photographer’s brand so openly, so I checked out Kevin’s Instagram, and noticed that all of his photos are of the celebs that people want to see. Kendall, Kylie, Gigi, they’re all there. So who is this guy?
His story is pretty inspiring. He’s a Los Angeles native who started out shooting cars in his friends garage, and realized he loved photography. “One day, I decided to take some of the really nice cars at a convention. I showed the guys who were running the show my photos, and they posted them online,” he said. “People liked my work, got in touch with me, and then through that, I met some guys who were in charge of music venues. So I started shooting music artists at shows, and I ended up meeting the Game’s manager. We stayed in touch, I kept showing him my work, and one day he asked me to shoot the Game. That’s how I ended up shooting Drake for the ‘100’ video.”
Los Angeles native Kevin Wong is a photographer who’s worked his ass off to get where he is, and now that he’s there, he’s happy to share his tips to success for anyone looking to become a working artist, and maybe even meet some celebs along the way.
1. People should know who you are before you introduce yourself.
Kevin says that if there’s somebody he really wants to meet and work for that, he’ll find a way to make sure they see his work before they even meet him. “First impressions are really important,” he said. “That way, instead of people having to place your name to your face, they’ll just immediately associate you with your work, which should speak for itself.”
A photo posted by Kevin Wong 📸 (@iamkevinwong) on
2. Women in photographs should display power.
“Whenever I shoot women,” Kevin says, “I do my best to display their power. I’m very inspired by runways, and the way that the models — the good models, that is —walk so fiercely, with such strength and great posture. Body language is really important to me, and I’m constantly trying to be aware of other people’s body language; it’s important for a photographer, and also especially when shooting women. The way women hold themselves makes all the difference.”
A photo posted by Kevin Wong 📸 (@iamkevinwong) on
3. Be patient.
“I learned how to work hard when I was young, because I knew that high school wasn’t the end goal,” he said. Kevin told me he’d been bullied a lot in school, and that influenced the way he learned to relate to his work. “Anytime you love something, you have to be willing to put in the day-to-day work that will eventually get you to where you want to be.”
A photo posted by Kevin Wong 📸 (@iamkevinwong) on
4. There are different types of smart.
While school is important, it can be tough to transition that intelligence to the streets. Kevin says he’s all about street smarts. Not many people apply what they learn in school to real life, and it’s important to figure out how you’ll be able to apply your skills to real-life situations.
“LEGS” – ZZTop 🔥 | @candicepillay Photo 📸 | @iamKevinWong www.iamKevinWong.com
A photo posted by Kevin Wong 📸 (@iamkevinwong) on
5. Be nice to people.
“You’d be surprised at how bad people are at communicating with clients and music artists,” Kevin told me. Kevin says he makes a huge effort to stay open-minded, and be nice to everyone and anyone he’s working with.
A photo posted by Kevin Wong 📸 (@iamkevinwong) on
6. The worst thing you could get is a no.
Keep trying. If your work is that good, then it’ll get somewhere.
7. Focus your goals on the long run.
“I learned how to work in a way that focuses way more on the long run,” Kevin said. I recently wrote an article about how Kanye West and Barack Obama both ascribe to this kind of thinking, so I’ll definitely buy into that.
So there you have it, young photographers of tomorrow. Get out there and show the world what you got. But wait! Before you walk the path to success, check out some of Kevin’s other photos of your favorite celebs below.
Kylie Jenner
Gigi Hadid & Kendall Jenner
Tori Kelly
Chaelin Lee
Check out Kevin Wong’s website for more awesome photographs here.
