Check out Byron Mosley’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Byron Mosley.

Byron, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
One could say that photography is in my blood. I was just too stubborn to pursue it immediately. My father was a professional wedding and events photographer back when it was 35mm, not an SD card. He knew his stuff, and I remember going through his old albums and having fun with my super cheap cameras back in the day. Fast forward to adulthood, and I always had that hint of passion for taking pictures still, but in the digital age and with living paycheck to paycheck, I never invested and shrugged it off. Out of sight, out of mind, right? It wasn’t until after dating my girlfriend, who by the way is SUCH an amazing photographer herself, that I took the leap and jumped into the DSLR lifestyle. I struggled a bit, not only with my finances but with my confidence, but as time went by, I recovered from both. Now here I am getting an interview, and I’m just blown away, you know? I understand I still have SO much to learn, and I don’t think you can really ever finish learning a trade, but I look forward to it every day now at this point. It has become more than a hobby, but a way for me to get out, explore the backyard I spent my entire life ignoring, and learning more about myself and my purpose along the way. It’s like, who would have thought that this little machine would show more about what’s going on inside than what I see outside. It’s pretty groovy if you ask me.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do, why, and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a bit of a wandering photographer, just looking to see what’s up in the world. I’ve geared towards landscape and naturescape, with a healthy dose of cityscape and architecture, but I’m starting to dabble in the portrait world. I love the idea of being able to just drive away from the people and enter my own little world while taking photos of the scenery around me, it’s super peaceful and gets me in a state of meditation almost? Question mark? But I also love the opposite for different reasons; being surrounded by the people and watching them live their lives, that’s therapeutic in its own way. I have no idea how artists can stick with one niche because let me tell you, every category has its own challenges and obstacles and I’m loving every one of them.

Going back to the portraiture, I’ve done a few headshots and pose shoots for a few people. To help them with their own pursuits and paths, but the feeling of being able to connect with someone in such a way that makes you both vulnerable, this platonic notion of capturing their truest self, combined with my artistic rendition of the image… I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did.

I think because of that, I will venture off towards more photoshoot opportunities, so if anyone is interested in the Phoenix or East Valley area…holler! Haha but seriously, I think photography for me is pretty simple: capture the beauty that many may not have the chance or give the time to see. We live in a world of borrowed land and someone else’s art. Even the cookie-cutter houses you see have an artsy vibe surrounding them; you just have to let your eyes adjust to the unseen sometimes. Same with nature. I have lived here my entire life and always lived looking at the floor in front of me. It wasn’t until I looked up and opened my eyes that I saw all the beauty around me. The desert may not be too exciting for a native born, but there’s a good portion of the world that has never seen this stuff. My thing is, let me show you.

Whoa, that went on way longer than I thought. Not even sorry! Let’s do some more of this.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I’m not really sure how to answer that, haha. Easier or harder in terms of success? But how do you define success? By how many followers on social media one gets? How much one makes in a week, month, or year? Or how happy one is at the end of the day? If it’s the money, then I mean, you have two sides of that. It’s way easier for people to reach a clientele than ever before because the use of social media reaches out to people across the globe. No previous generation had it that easy. But because of that, every local artist has to compete with global artists because of the click of a button orders a piece of art from another country. So, in that case, yeah super hard. I don’t know though. As long as you’re passionate about your art and you’re happy at the end of the day, the money should follow naturally? That’s my take on it. Probably swimming against the current with that one. The term “starving artists” isn’t infamous for nothing, after all.

However, some suggestions could be for cities to host local friendly competitions. Engage the community. Collaborate with artists to create events, whether they be free, cheap, or otherwise. Make the population want to attend and encourage the artists to appear. Society has become too afraid of one another, and it’s depressing!

If you want to support your local artists here in the Valley already, attend those arts and craft fairs. Phoenix does their First Friday every month. I know there was AlohaFest just recently at Tempe which caters to the island/Hawaiian lifestyle. Fountain Hills does a huge event where people across the country attend as both sellers and buyers. And most of them are free entry. Even if you don’t plan to spend, it’s still a fun thing to do away from that TV screen.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I’m in the process of creating my own website (yeah I’m a coding nerd, too) so right now the only outlet I’m really using is Instagram. But I’ll definitely share with everyone when I’ll have my full site gallery for viewing. If you want to support my journey ahead, you can message me on IG or email for quotes on prints or shoots, or just show me some love in the form of good ol’ comments and “likes.” If you REALLY love my ish, hit that follow button and I’ll keep you in the loop for sure.

Contact Info:

• Email: shrunkenheadphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: @shrunkenheadphotography

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.