Today we’re excited to be connecting with Doug Sweet again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.
Doug, thanks for joining us again. Just to level set a bit for folks who may have missed our last interview together, can you briefly introduce yourself?
Doug Sweet Jr., a freelance journalist working in Houston, Texas. When not on assignment, he can be found cooking, teaching photography, writing and podcasting as well as running his film photography group, Pixel x Shutter. After years as fashion and editorial photographer, he switched focus to photojournalism. Doug has been a mainstay in the Houston photography community for well over a decade. Over the years his photography knowledge, and his ability to get people hooked on photography in general has garnered him the nickname “Gateway Doug”.
Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
Since we last spoke, I switched my focus and where I point my camera. I left the fashion world and took up the mantle of journalism, which was my goal when I originally picked up a camera. I fell for journalism the minute I picked up a camera, but fashion kind of fell into my lap. Since going to journalism, I’ve had the privilege to witness history first hand and capture the stories that need to be told. Now, for the good and the bad of it all. The good, the variation of the work, the people I’ve meet and the relationships I’ve formed. I may be covering a school board meeting one day and inside a burning container for fire fighter training the next, (yes, that was awesome !). The bad of it, you don’t get into journalism to get rich. It’s a literal grind. If you can get pass that and you still love it, you’ll find that it doesn’t always love you, but you become addicted to it. My next chapters, I’ve stsrted a youtube, published a zine and currently working on a limited edition coffee table book. I’m always adding another iron to my multiple fires.
We have now arrived at one of our favorite parts of the interview – the lightning round. We’ll ask you a few quick questions to give us all some fun insights about you.
- Favorite Book: Tie between Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and Black Boy by Richard Wright
- Favorite TV Show: I can’t pick one, so Longmire, Peaky Blinders and Reacher
- Favorite Band or Artist: Led Zeppelin
- Sweet or Savory: Although I have a supernatural sweet tooth, I have to lean savory
- Mountains or Beach: Beach, the water resets me
- Favorite Sport (to watch): Rugby
- Favorite Sport (to play): My knees don’t know what you’re talking about
- Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): Football, basketball, a little skateboarding and some soccer
- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: Astronaut, cowboy, detective. I that didn’t work out, a writer
- French Fries or Onion Rings: Fries or their other accepted form, tots
- Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Tommy Shelby
- Favorite Cartoon growing up: Tom and Jerry
- Favorite Childhood movie: Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Favorite Breakfast Food: Omlette
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
More opportunities, more growth and I look forward to finally bringing to reality some of the ideas I’ve had stuck in my head for so long.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dougsweetjr.com
- Instagram: @dougsweetjr
- Facebook: Meh
- LinkedIn: Douglas Sweet Jr
- Twitter: Nope
- Youtube: itsdougsweetjr
Image Credits
Photo of me taken by Marie De Jesus
