“We are a community of people that like showcasing pictures with our unique flow and process.”
Breaking down the photography process into simple yet critical steps, Chester Marc explains the slow but progressive creation of his photography journey to MPS Perspective. The Las Vegas photographer is a senior in college, who loves to spend his time showcasing his art in a vibrant, colorful form. He tells us how his success came down to taking his work slowly, and three important drives: Practice, Practice, and Patience.
As a college student, an A Cappella coach, and a photographer, Chester says his key to managing it all is “taking it slow.” This way, he is able to dedicate the desired time to all of his commitments, without losing his grasp on his art. “I try not to push myself to the fullest extent,” he says, “I try to take things one at a time. A system that I like doing is dedicating certain days for specific reasons. So for my schedule, I set my Monday and Wednesday for school only days, my Tuesday and Thursday will be my coaching classes, plus photography, and lastly, Friday to Sunday is a workday, unless a client would like the schedule for the weekends, I would have to put a time request off for work.”
Not only is Chester a direct example of time management and work ethic, he tells us all about how his love for enjoying himself led to growth in his found passion for photography. “I used to make YouTube videos with my old DSLR at the time,” he says, “I tapped into the photography area about 4 years ago. I started taking pictures, and began to like the outcome through the photos.”
Ever since then, Chester has continued to find what really draws him to photography, “What really inspires me to continually do photography is that we are free to do what we vision creatively. I love capturing moments where moments usually cannot be captured. Setting the emotion to a picture can mean so much as a photographer.” This aspect is one that sets Chester apart from other artists, making him able to find a vision full of meaning and dimension, allowing him to find a deeper meaning to his love for photography. “Emotions are an everyday feeling,” he says, “Whether you are excited to even be confused. We react to many things in life, physically or mentally. Just like walking through an art gallery and seeing some very impactful pictures. It shows meaning.”
This meaning is what brings us to how we all know Chester, his Instagram platform. He believes that this meaning of artistry is what he tries to showcase to his audience. “To show you what my artwork is like through my account, I try to showcase more vibrant color throughout my page. Blues, greens, yellows, and many more colors I try to show. I show that my pictures are meant to be described in the good light rather than being sadder, more emotional so to speak.” Chester’s color taste and color palette bring him not only views and followers but success and drive.
Having said all that, despite all the positives he and many other photographers receive, it can be a challenge not to compare your art to other work. Chester gives MPS Perspective insight on his beliefs on the social platform. “I’ve learned thus far, that you should not compare yourself to others. Every photographer has their unique ‘style’ to their portfolio and that’s what makes every individual creative. I’ve also learned not to push your pictures down if you feel your pictures aren’t that ‘great’ compared to others,” he says, “People compare their vision to others. Which hurts, tremendously to me. Everybody is creative. To step yourself down to other photographers really won’t get you to the highest peak. It’s up to you on how you want to build your portfolio, not complaining and worrying that other people are ‘better’.”
Chester was inspired by Laurie Hernandez, a gymnast from the 2016 Summer Olympics. They’ve been good friends for a while and even had a photo shoot prior to the Coronavirus. He wishes to inspire our readers as well. His motivation and success brought him to a thorough understanding of the business and what it has to provide. “Do not feel photography is a ‘competitive business’,” he tells MPS, “We are a community of people that like showcasing pictures with our unique flow and process. Yet, it is sad to think that some people compete with other communities of photographers to get more money and such.”
Overall, Chester’s best advice to us is to not compare our art, and not be afraid to go slow. He is not a believer in others defining success for himself, that being said, he tells us, “Defining success is very hard. It is all depending on what goal you are trying to aim for. For myself, my goal is to be traveling all over the world for clients and even photographing a huge group on tour. I am a sucker for travel,” he jokes, “and if photography happens to be in that same line, I am in it.”
Just like Chester told us earlier, practice, practice, patience, leads to success. After lots of work, dedication, desire, effort, and motivation, Chester proudly tells us, “I’m so happy to be where I am today.”
You can check out more of Chester's work here: https://www.instagram.com/chestermarc/
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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