Today we’d like to introduce you to Alonzo Williams Jr.
Alonzo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
So I’ve been photographing since 2008. The first few years as a photographer was just me trying to figure out what I enjoyed doing the most (Fashion, Headshots, Weddings, Family, Street, etc.). In 2010, I launched “A Will JR” which is where I provide photography services (anything portrait related). I ran the business all the way up until 2014 which is the same year where things started going downhill. I was going through a difficult time in my life where I wasn’t mentally able to provide my best work to clients. So I took a break.
In 2015, I built up the desire to photograph again, but I wasn’t quite ready to run a photography business just yet. Mentally I was still drained. Instead, I wanted to use my camera to create an outlet to a new world. The thought of that alone was therapeutic. I say this because, in order to do this, I had to do a lot of soul searching to figure out what was my hearts greatest desire and how I can obtain it. The answer was simple but the task was very difficult.
See I’ve spent most of my life as an introvert. In some ways this was good and in others ways, it wasn’t so good. But in the worse ways, I felt like I missed out on plenty of opportunities due to a fear of rejection. So I wanted out of this shell I was in. So what does photography have to do with all of this? I’ll explain.
One cold morning during a business trip to NYC I woke up and challenged myself to photograph at least 50 people in one day. But I couldn’t just photograph them because for me that would’ve been too easy. I had to actually greet them first and ask if I could photograph them. That was the scary part! (true introverts understand this).
Long story short, I photographed over 50 people and was only rejected twice. I believe those two times came from a lack of confidence and displayed fear. People don’t trust that.
Anyway, I was super proud of myself for this that when I flew back to my studio in Houston, I printed out all of those photos I had taken in NYC and made a book out them. Everything felt good until I started flipping through pages of the book. The more I looked at the photographs the more I felt empty. It was like something was missing and it was. I felt like I should have gotten to know these people. The photos were so intriguing to me that it only created this strong curiosity.
So the next day, I made the effort to greet people in Houston, ask if I can photograph them and then ask them a few questions in order to learn something special about them. The end result? Over 100 stories in 2015 and another 100+ stories from strangers in 2016.
This all leads me to my first solo exhibition and my first book that was released a year ago.
In 2017, with the help of the Houston Museum of African American Culture, I decided to try the same thing in 3 countries outside of America (Brazil, Angola, Italy). But before stepping a foot in another culture, I challenged myself to learn the language first because, in order to learn from someone outside of an English speaking country, a language barrier must be broken first.
I’m currently preparing for a trip in Cuba which means I’m learning Spanish now.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most of the struggles I’ve had have always been in the mind. Once I conquered that, things got better. But aside from that, I’ve had to make plenty of sacrifices and difficult decisions in order to achieve what I thought I could never achieve.
Please tell us about Everyday Strangers.
Right now “Everyday Strangers” has been the center of attention for me at the moment. But I am still running a photography business where I’m currently booking photo shoots through the “A Will JR” brand.
With “Everyday Strangers”. We are currently exploring the diversity of the human race. We specialize in documenting the human story. We focus a great deal on individualism.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would probably say experiencing life in Italy as a 7-year-old. Living in another culture definitely expanded my way of thinking.
Pricing:
- Everyday Strangers Volume 1 (Book)- $29.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.everydaystrangers.net
- Phone: 7577530934
- Email: awilljr1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydaystrangers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theeverydaystranger/
- Other: http://www.blurb.com/b/7922639-everyday-strangers
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