Photographer Interview:
Pierre
BIO
Pierre is a photographer, filmmaker, cultural documentarian, and multimedia consultant based in New York City, whose vast roster of brand collaborations include Adidas, Converse, Nike, Coach, the US Open, and more. A native of Queens, New York, Pierre’s forte lies in capturing street scenes, cultural movements, intimate celebrity moments, as well as live sporting events. As a professional photographer, he’s often deemed as one of the premier contemporary chroniclers of New York City life.
Pierre’s personal work takes a dive into his walk about towns, his perspective of the daily commute between his ambitious creative endeavors. From the average joe waiting for the bus, or the object poking it’s head asking to be looked at-Pierre finds the beauty and interesting aspect there of.
Tell us a little about yourself? Where you’re from, where you’re based now?
I’m from Far Rockaway, Queens and I currently reside in Harlem.
Tell us a little about yourself beyond the what/where and bio info?
I’m a big dreamer, I often fantasize about the various realities/lives I could be leading and often times for a week or two live them out for a bit.
Any specific moment stands out where you knew you wanted to pursue photography?
I’d say a specific moment when I knew I wanted to pursue photography was when I first shooting short films and I had a canon 7D and then I was like “man this takes photos, I should probably take some” and then it was love ever since.
How long have you been shooting for?
Full time I’d say about 7 years but all together I’d have to say 10.
Did you buy your first camera or was it a gift?
I was working 9-5 and managed to save up some money and purchased my first camera.
You do it all from photography, film, producing a documentary series, magazine the list goes on and on. How do you find the time to produce all this content and consult?
I do manage a lot of projects and honestly time is often a scarcity. As time has passed I’ve learned to trust people more and allow them to help me with things that alleviate the weight and makes things bearable.
Does your environment influence you as a creative?
My environment is probably my number 1 source of inspiration. I’m very observant so being able to be stimulated by the things around me is important.
Would you say you have a consistent style of shooting?
Some might think so but I don’t; I feel like I switch styles and subjects very often I just like creating beautiful images.
Do you prefer digital or analog? Why?
I prefer analog because it just makes me more thoughtful when I’m shooting, my mind is always racing I like how it slows me down.
How do you go about picking what artist or topic to feature in this series?
My selection process currently is pretty simple, I have theme ideas in which I feel the people I choose can best find parallels with. For instance the first episode was ok entrepreneurship so I chose to feature Daily Paper an amazing group of guys who are really changing the game and have known for a few years.
What’s visually appealing to you? That makes the feature on Street Dreams.
We love images that invoke emotion, those kinds of images are very powerful and often move the magazine to feature those photographs.
What inspired you to start Street Dreams?
Street Dreams is really the baby of founders Eric, Steve and Mike but I’m a founding member and when the guys told me about the idea I was on it straight out the gate; creating a source of community for people has always been at the forefront of the things I do so it was a no brainer.
What camera would you want to be your last?
I’d have to say the Mamiya RB645
Candid or posed? Flash or no flash? Why?
Im looking to dive into more night time film photography.
Whats the vision behind the Contemporaries series?
The vision behind Contemporaries was to be a storytelling platform for not only myself but creatives in my community. I said that I’m influenced by my environment but I’m also influenced and inspired by other creators. Contemporaries is a soul searching experience for me all the while gaining understanding and gems from the stories and lives of other creators. The creators featured are people who I have the utmost respect for and foresee them being change agents for the world in the near future.
How did you come up with the name?
Contemporaries started off as a photo project. I’m kinda mixy in NYC so I know a bunch of people, really amazing people and I wanted to keep an archive of these amazing souls as a time capsule for me to look back on. I believe all these people now are my peers and contemporaries and will be the greats of tomorrow.
When it comes to photography what moves you?
Real life moves me; I think life is beautiful and has so many layers and is extremely fragile.
Is there any particular element of shooting you’d like to tackle or explore?
I’d really like to get into wildlife photography hiking 4 hours to get a shot of a rare animal in their habitat sounds pretty dope lol
What would you like people to take away from your work?
I would like people to see my work and tell themselves that they can do anything; i would hope that my work instills inspirations, courage and a desire for more than the cards they’ve been dealt.
Any projects you’re currently working on thats you’d like to mention? Something we should keep an eye out for?
Aside from Contemporaries, I’d say be on the lookout for some future short films with friend and collaborator Joe Cav. As well as my first NFT release coming sometime in April via The NFT Lounge a project geared to be a pipeline for physical artists to enter the digital art space with friend and collaborator Will Nichols and 721 Collective.
Interview by 35s & 45s
03.11.21