With the inception of social media platforms such as Instagram and others, the idea of photography as a true art form has slightly lost its luster. Some would say that these platforms give the landscape for casuals to tap into their creativity while others feel that the ease of access leads to the overshadowing of true artists. This month's N_Ovator of the month, Aquil Tajiddin, is surely one to maintain the artistic value in photography.
Tajiddin grew up in North Philadelphia and fully realized his dream to pursue art as a career upon graduating high school. “In high school, I recorded and shot fashion shows and it was something that I took a liking to at that time,” he said. Once he started college
at Hampton University, Tajiddin began taking bookings and pushed art to the forefront of his career goals.
When Tajiddin started booking his first shoots, he admitted that while not completely green, he had his fair share of nerves. “I just hope I have my settings right,” he said laughingly as he reflected on his thoughts from his first shoot. “When I came into it, I knew what I wanted to create and I had to make sure the person who I’m working with gets it and that I get them.”
In every craft, artists always make a point to ensure their personal style shows in their work. For Tajiddin, evoking a natural feel is what he sets out to do. “I shoot with a partner Dakota and we go by FILM (Photos in Live Motion) and we try to create a cinematic feel while still letting the emotion fall through,” he said. “We’ll pretty much create a character or concept for a person and we just want them to live through it on set.”
In keeping with the idea of photography as an art form rather than a casual hobby, Tajiddin feels that having a clear and distinct thought process is what separates photographers from people who just take pictures. “The thought process of whether you are displaying a real intentional perspective,” he said. “I have my own perspective but I tend to leave it open enough so that there’s room for interpretation.” Tajiddin also explores the other side of spectrum with pure documentarian work, but recognizes the difference between the two.
Though Tajiddin tends to stay away from finding inspiration in one single person, he does recognize Kanye West as someone whose drive he admires. “He doesn’t always have the most firm understanding of how things work from the roots, but he has a firm drive to figure things out and that’s what I admire.”
Tajiddin draws his own inspiration from an idea from Ovid that separates man from other animals and distinctively points out the fact that humans are meant to continuously question things and maintain wonder. That sense of wonder is what he uses to tap into non-traditional ideas.
When it comes to figuring out his own brand down the line, Tajiddin wants to see his work in major publications and wants to be seen “in places where people need to know what’s going on.”
“A lot of times when you talk about beauty, there’s a very specific idea of what that is and what people don’t realize is the creator really does have a lot of say in that,” he added. His goal remains to present his own spin on messages that need to get across.
Tajiddin draws his own inspiration from an idea from Ovid that separates man from other animals and distinctively points out the fact that humans are meant to continuously question things and maintain wonder. That sense of wonder is what he uses to tap into non-traditional ideas.
For other up and coming artists who wish to get their brand across to others, Tajiddin’s advice is to always be where the business is. “You can’t always get noticed if you don’t expand outside of where you already are,” he said. “Be where the most influential people are so that when you’re in front of them, you can make the most of the moment.”
To get a clearer picture of the artistic mind of Aquil Tajiddin, check out his episode of N_Ov8TV premiering on July 17th.
By: Matt Brown