Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Somerville.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I first became interested in photography when I was about 15 years old. I was an avid skateboarder and my friends and I decided to make a skate video. I borrowed my family camcorder and started filming my friends and pretty immediately realized that I liked capturing people more than actually skateboarding. A few years later I went to college and decided to pursue an art major and that allowed me to study photography.
After college I ended up getting a job outside of the arts because I really didn’t have any guidance or knowledge on how to actually create a career as an artist. After a few years of working I felt like something was missing from my life and decided to give myself a 3 year window to take my art from a hobby to a career. 3 years later on the dot I quit my job and went into photography full time.
I started photographing anything and everything that people would pay me to shoot, but I knew that I wanted to end up in the commercial world. Through lots of trial and error and a lot of hustling and pitching my work to various clients I gradually built up a client roster and developed a unique visual style that has allowed me to further specialize. I’m now 5 years into my career and am shooting with brands that I really identify with and create images that I feel represent me as a person while also supporting me financially,
It’s been a journey and there has been a lot of struggle involved but it’s been a super rewarding process full of growth and self discovery.
Alright, 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?
My journey hasn’t been smooth but it has been relatively linear in retrospect. I’d say the biggest road block for me was overcoming my own self doubt and having the courage to leave a steady job to step into the unknown to pursue a full time career as an artist. Money was definitely tight at first (and honestly this industry just requires a lot of hustle). I have taken jobs photographing any and everything, especially during the first few years. It can be really difficult mentally to not have any guarantee of work or security that jobs will keep coming in. I’ve always managed this anxiety by putting in 100% every day. I work really really hard to perfect my craft and promote myself and at the end of the day I know that’s really all that I have control over.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a commercial photographer that specializes in creating lifestyle images for brands in the fashion, hospitality, and consumer goods space. My images are warm, organic, and fun. I aim to have a common thread in all of my images regardless of the industry that the clients work in. My goal is to evoke memories of the sun on your face and good times spent with close friends.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’ve been lucky to have an incredibly supportive network around me. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for a few creative directors that saw something in me early on and decided to give a guy that was new to the industry a chance. I still work with them 5 years down the road and at this point we’ve become close friends. My wife has also been incredibly supportive and has always encouraged me to push myself and to believe in myself. I’ve also made some close friendships with other photographers that are always up to look over my work and give honest feedback. It takes a village to make it as a creative and I’m so thankful to all of the amazing people that believe in me and support me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drewsomervillephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewsomervillephotography/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-somerville-00b4321b6/
