Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Poston.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ll try to make this as brief as possible. A lot of things have happened in my life that have led up to where I am now. In 7th grade, I was obsessed with the idea of Photoshop. I begged my parents to get me a copy for Xmas. Sure enough, there under that stupid tree sat a beautiful copy of Photoshop Elements 6.0. It was practically cat-calling me through the wrapping paper.
So yeah, I had become a little hoe for Photoshop (am I allowed to say that? lmao). I would take my mom’s budget DSLR and take photos of things and then experiment in Photoshop for hours. My parents would get mad at me because I would spend hour hours and HOURS on my POS laptop just editing away. I guess they may not have understood that I was just stimulating my passion.
Let’s fast forward a bit to high school. I was taking any elective where we had to use Photoshop. My oh my, was I getting good at this. I would think that to myself as I looked around the room to see most of my peers struggling with the software. Obviously, I was thinking of a career choice, and the words “graphic design” kept rearing their beautiful, aesthetically-pleasing faces at me. So, college it was!
Sure, I had worked a few retail / restaurant jobs in between. I was even in a band. We didn’t have to pay a graphic designer because I was one. I obtained a visual communication degree from Lone Star College. Learned a lot from a couple of my instructors in particular (shout out to Mari Omiri @ the Kingwood Campus and Jerome Duran @ the North Harris Campus). These two specific instructors really helped shape my skillset.
But during my college journey, I decided I wanted to pick up a nice DSLR. Look at me, Mr. Jack of All Trades. Sick guy alert! So, I took that FAFSA refund check, cashed that bad boy, and ordered a Canon 70D and a 50mm 1.4 lens.
THIS WAS THE MOVE. I began shooting every day. I would do these really surreal self-portraits. As you can imagine, photography started becoming something that I enjoyed more than design. I mean, I love design and have a passion for it, don’t get me wrong, but photography just really did it to me creatively, y’know?
So, I keep shooting. I began to shoot more portraits and concerts and what have you, and one day I get an Instagram message from a friend of mine who was touring managing a band called Polyphia (not only the biggest, but also the best metal band in the world). She knew I was a photographer and asked me if I wanted to go on tour with them. I had been feeling pretty down about life at the time. My father had recently passed away, freelance business was slow, my living situation was no good, etc. She asked me if I wanted to go on tour and I said yes. It’s a good thing I did too.
I did a full U.S. tour with them. We jived really well. That band and I have a very special chemistry on creative and personal levels. About halfway through the tour, their guitarist (Tim Henson) asked me if I wanted to go to Europe with them directly after the tour we were on. How on earth was I going to say no to THAT.
So here I am. I tour with them whenever they go on tour. Official member of the crew. Which I’m very proud, and grateful to say. I leave for an Australian tour in September with them and a North American Tour almost directly after that. Not many get to do what I do, so it’s very humbling to know that this is my life now. My attitude about everything has completely changed and I’m a lot happier. Shout out to Scott, Tim, Clay, and Clay for being 4 of the coolest humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing and giving me this insane opportunity.
Please tell us about your art.
I don’t tend to pigeon-hole myself. I am primarily a photographer, but I’m an artist all around. I love to take photos, draw, paint, illustrate, you name it. If it’s creative, I’m probably going to enjoy doing or trying it. Since touring is my gig now, I shoot a lot of behind the scenes stuff. That’s where I shine. Shooting the performance itself is fun but it becomes redundant after a while. Often times on tour (if the daily schedule allows), me and the guys in the band will go explore whatever city we’re in and take photos in the coolest spots we find.
We shoot a lot of behind the scenes and lifestyle content instead of just photos of them playing their instruments on stage every night. This is a good tactic because it showcases the band’s personality beyond their stage presence. I believe the fans might enjoy this kind of content more because it makes them more relatable to the masses which is key to having an online presence these days. These guys are people who do more than just play an instrument, they’re actual personalities. I really like to make these photos look “classic” so to speak. I want the viewer to feel like they’re actually experiencing the same moment I experienced. I hope I achieve that, and if some think I don’t, I’m working very hard to do so.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Do not, by any means, get comfortable. Leave the comfort zone. That’s literally the only way you’re going to grow as an artist. It took me awhile to realize that. Also, be cool.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have an Instagram. It’s @travieshoots. I post there pretty regularly, especially when I’m on tour. And with the list of places I’m going to over the next year, I promise that you want to give me a follow.
I also have an online portfolio: www.travie.net. Soon, I will have a print shop open on my website. That would be a great way to support my work and keep me fed. Plus, who doesn’t like having a nice photo on their wall?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.travie.net
- Email: contact@travie.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/travieshoots
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/travieshoots
Image Credit:
@scottielepage took that photo of me in the car
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