Rising Stars: Meet Phil Young

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Young.

Hi Phil, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I think the first moments when I became interested in photography as an art was after I had graduated college and started working in the music industry. (2016) Learning how to market musicians, I was constantly seeing content that looked so amazing. The photographers I had worked with were constantly capturing photos that put you (the viewer) into the moment. Taking good photos is an art-form in of itself, but being able to capture moments that connected you, your artwork, and the viewer was something I wanted to do; I didn’t want to take GOOD photos, I wanted to take MEANINGFUL photos. However, without any equipment or spare time to hone my skills I had sort of put this on the backburner. My focus was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life working by working in the music industry.

Fast forward to 2018, I had tested out several different job paths in the music business to see what I wanted to do. After being on tour with the local band Sundressed a few times, I found that I wanted to one day be a full time road manager. Being a tour manager is tricky – there is no “clock in/clock out” structure, it’s highly competitive, and each tour always comes to an end. Most (if not all road managers) have skills under their belt to make them more hireable – whether it’s knowing how to build light shows, mix sound, or be a master instrument technician. I needed to find something else.

It took meeting my significant other – a phenomenal fashion photographer (His work is insanely good – his name is Orlando Pelagio – seriously go check his stuff out!) – to work towards both. Orlando taught me the basics – how to operate a DSLR, simple technical knowledge, and lighting adjustments, and then booked my first shoot for a friend’s musical project. I was hella nervous for this shoot – these pictures were going to be used as promo so I needed to make sure they were good. It took a few dozen photos, but I soon got the hang of it, and started snapping really fun pictures!

From there, I gradually started to book more sessions and challenge myself. Portrait photography is fun and all, but I definitely wanted to dive into concert photography, promotional photography, and hone my skills with digital editing to create some amazing artwork. I do have some of these under my belt, but I’m still growing and learning as I go. I often look to photographer’s whose work inspire me to challenge myself and ultimately build my portfolio. While my journey feels like it just begun, I’m looking forward to where photography will take me, the new friends and connections that I can make from it, and ultimately the moments that I can capture.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Challenging, but rewarding. When you’re taking photos there is NO better feeling during a shoot than knowing that you captured a good image. However, being able to nail your lighting is crucial and can sometimes get in your way.

Imposter syndrome is definitely real. When culling through images from sessions to be used as proofs, you see a lot of potential images that could be so much better if some tiny adjustments were made. By the time you pick and produce your photos, you often thing that you did a subpar job. When they’re well received by the client it almost doesn’t feel real! A lot of times, you’ve got to quiet that small voice in your head that is telling you “eh, these photos are alright” and embrace the feedback that you get from those who your photos truly matter to.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a photographer, I specialize in musical promotional photography and portraits (for now). It’s hard to know what I’m known for with my work – I’d have to say being able to capture a very cinematic photo to emphasize a subject (Thanks Orlando!). My “brand” is called Heart Sleeve based around the notion of “Wearing your heart on your sleeve” or rather – being unapologetically authentic. That’s a lot of what I want to capture in my sessions – real, authentic, moments.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The Phoenix metro has been my home for almost 6 years now. Coming from a small town in New Mexico, I feel at home here! I love that for a large city, it still feels connected like a small town. There’s tons of opportunity here, you just have to chase it. There’s so much fantastic gems here – the food community, music community, art community it’s a really awesome place to call home.

I do wish it were much cooler during the summers though.

Pricing:

• General Portrait Work: $150, Headshots: $50 per person
• Family / Couples shots: starting rate $200
• Music promo: $150. Concert photography: $150
• All other inquires, get in touch!
• *Note: while these are my base rates, I am no stranger to working to fit a budget if need be!

Contact Info:

• Email: pcyoungphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartsleevesnaps/