Meet Taylor Gilliam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Gilliam.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I came to Phoenix in 2013 on a scholarship to Arizona State, and I grew to love the area. Downtown Phoenix especially has such thriving arts and food scene, and my first two years in Arizona were mostly spent wandering the shops when I wasn’t occupied with school. I soon was given the privilege to run ASU’s music blog for its radio station, Blaze Radio, and explored my passion for music. It seemed like graduation marked the end of the music-related pursuits until a former Blaze writer brought me onto their project, Atlas Artist Group. Atlas is a multifaceted publication, artist management, and booking company, and I started as just a writer. As usual, I had the itch to do more, so when I saw an acquaintance selling her brand new DSLR for cheap, I knew I had to make the jump. That was a year ago, and I’ve since gotten to attend dozens of concerts and a handful of festivals honing my craft. There’s nothing better than being in the pit, mere feet from my favorite artists, capturing key moments of each performance. The thrill hasn’t worn off, and I hope it never does.

Please tell us about your art.
I am a live music photographer, so my art is part capture/composition and part the work of editing. There is so much to capture at a show, from the artists’ antics on stage to the rapt audiences. I was so overwhelmed at first, but now I create based on what I feel and try to tap into that flow every time I shoot. I’m inspired by the amazing women whose work I see on Instagram, such as Briar Burns, Mae Krell, Kelly Fox, and so many more. Matty Vogel has also been a tremendous help (and inspiration) with his blog posts and preset packs that were a hands-on way to learn Adobe Lightroom. Now that I had a grasp on it, I consider the editing process to be just as important as getting the shots. I try to enhance the emotion or movement in each photo and match the colors to the energy. Hopefully, people take away a sense of being right there in the front row.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
This will sound so overdone, but artists face a huge financial challenge. Many people love their full-time salaried jobs, but artists don’t often have that privilege. Instead, they rely on part-time work to pay the bills and pursue their art on the side. In a perfect world, artists would be paid steady livable wages and would have the freedom to create art full time.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is best viewed on Instagram @tgilliam.photo or on my portfolio at bit.ly/tgilliam-photo. People can also visit Atlas Artist Group’s site or social channels. I’m always eager for work, so if you are or work with an artist who needs promo photos or live coverage done, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I’m also saving up for new gear—my Venmo and PayPal links are both @tgilliam94.

Contact Info:

• Website: bit.ly/tgilliam-photo
• Phone: 208-863-1828
• Email: gilliam.taylorm@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgilliam.photo/

Image Credit:
Taylor Gilliam

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