INFLUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT
Presenting
AMBER
A
MCKEE
I think the hardest part is figuring out what I want. Then, I have to ask for it. Everyone around me has the potential for opportunity.
mber grew up on the east coast before she moved to San Francisco, California for art school where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, focusing in Photography. When she graduated she immediately started assisting as much as she could until she began shooting jobs of her own. Today she lives in Oakland, California and shoots for companies such as the Gap, Land’s End, and eBay. Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path? When I was a kid I was obsessed with Rene Magritte. Obsessed. I know he was not a photographer but it’s the way he saw the world that I was so drawn to. All the rules that governed time and a sense of place were whatever he wanted them to be. He saw the world in a different way and he made it his life’s work. He made me believe a cloud could really come through my bedroom door. I wanted that as a kid and I still want that. What was your career path? How did you get from being an aspiring photographer to actually doing it full time, for a living? I assisted as much as I could. Assisting is invaluable. I shot weddings for a brief period of time while I was assisting commercial photographers. It was like going to photo bootcamp. I learned a ton. Then I naturally started shooting commercially. I was much better at shooting than assisting so I hustled. I’m still hustling.
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FLUENTIAL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
What is it you want to say with your photographs, and how do you actually get your photographs to do that? I am not trying to say anything in particular, it’s just the way I see the world. How do you describe your work style? A lot of trial and error. I also think everything is funny.....until it’s not.
“ A photograph for me is like the feeling of fear or love. A good photo can really make me just stop.
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Amber McKee
What is the power of photography? In my own life, photography is just a way of remembering. On an emotional level, what can a photograph make you feel? A photograph for me is like the feeling of fear or love. A good photo can really make me just stop. How do you build a relationship with the subjects you are photographing? I watch people, their behavior, their body language, and their eyes. A person can’t hide forever. If I can see you, I can take a photo of you. Sometimes I’m just looking for something interesting, something funny, or something lonely or sad. It depends on who you are. It depends on the job. Casting is everything. My photos are definitely my interpretation of someone. I envy those with the gift of objectivity. I’m not objective.