Today we’d like to introduce you to Terell Green.
Terell, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always had a passion for film, photography, producing, directing, and being creative. I love bringing ideas to life and capturing my work. Photography was something that came naturally, but I didn’t dive into the world of photography until 2016. Hardship and constantly being in and out of temporary jobs is basically what opened the door for me to pursue photography. I needed to open up more doors for me and put my talent out there. When you are constantly in and out of temporary jobs, you have so much time to think. Think of other possibilities and build on your craft.
As a teenager and in my 20’s, I loved picking up a video camera and capturing family moments or creating videos of me dancing. Therefore the passion for capturing timeless moments was embedded in me. Being a videographer is one thing, but being a photographer is so much greater. They are still images of happiness, joy, pain, beauty, confidence, power, and it embodies one’s personality and alter ego.
I love capturing people; people of all race, gender, and sexuality. It’s their moment in time, not mine and I like to bring them joy when they see the moments I have captured for them. To be a great photographer, you have to have an eye for it. Think of the type of photographer you want to be. I would spend hours online reading, researching, and teaching myself about lenses, camera settings, aperture, photoshop, and shutter speed. You don’t have to have the most powerful camera in the world. All you need is creativity, the right lenses, and be knowledgeable of your camera.
Today, I have opened doors for models, given people opportunities to be model, grown as a photographer, helped build portfolios, given amateur models a chance in believing in themselves, and captured beautiful family moments. I am thankful for the people I have met along my journey. People that took a chance on me as a photographer and people that I continue to work with that I have built a relationship within the name of photography.
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?
Oh God no, the road has not been smooth. There were days when it was hard to land gigs. Some people would be a waste of time. There were days when I would think to myself, “This isn’t working out for me. I need to come up with a new passion.” There would be days when a client would be a no show at a shoot. There would be days when a client would lead you on and the shoot never happen. There are days when I may go weeks or possibly months and not pick up my camera at all. Some people make a living off of being a full time photographer. It’s a hustle that’s for sure. You have to roll with the punches. Every photographer will experience some kind of rough road. You either have to rethink your strategy or approach things differently. At times it feels more like a hobby than anything else.
Please tell us about you work.
Hmmm, good question! Well, first let me say what TGP Imagery means. TGP means Terell Green Photography. TGP Imagery specializes in headshots, portraits, and models. I’m not sure what TGP Imagery is known for. If the company is known for anything, I guess I would have to say, open minded and being diverse. I don’t know what TGP Imagery is known for, to be honest, but I can tell you TGP Imagery loves capturing all walks of life. I hope that when people visit TGP Imagery’s website or social media sites. I hope people say, “Wow, love the diversity.
I am proud of my growth as a photographer. TGP Imagery doesn’t follow the script. Some photographers stick to one field, one look, one crowd. TGP Imagery will do a hotel shoot with a half nude model and turn around and do a family shoot at a park. I don’t limit TGP Imagery to capturing moments. It’s all about representation and taste.
What sets TGP apart from others is that I can’t stand doing the same thing. Each time I do a photo shoot, it has to be different in some kind of way. At times I feel like I am running out of ideas, but it’s important to me to make each model and each person have their own look and different location. Even if the shoot is at the same location, I have to make it different in some kind of way. TGP is all about giving each person their own different shoot. No one personality is the same, so why give each person the same pose and same style. My company needs to think outside the box, take chances on trying something different and just go with it.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Wow, let us see—favorite memory from childhood. I don’t recall a favorite memory from childhood. My childhood was kind of sad for the most part. I was kind of quiet and kept to myself. Being a gay male growing up in a small town. You have moments when you feel like no one likes you. You feel truly alone, so all I pretty much had was music. This is going to be of no surprise for those that know me if they were to read this, but my favorite moments as a child was dancing to Janet Jackson’s music. I would dance to Janet Jackson’s music for hours. Janet’s music would always take my mind to a whole other world. When I would dance I would literally think I am Janet Jackson performing in front of a large crowd. Janet Jackson’s music from the 80’s and 90’s was everything to me. I am smiling thinking about those days. I’m too old now. I don’t dance like a Rhythm Nation dancer anymore. So I guess you can say that dancing is my favorite memory from my childhood. Other people may say that their favorite childhood memory would be a road trip, father and son outing, or a particular birthday, but for me, music was so therapeutic as a child and in my teenage years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tgpimagery.wixsite.com/tgpi
- Email: tgpimagery@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Terell Green, Jose Leiva
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