Legacy in Black Photography

What shapes an artist’s lens? LA-based photographer Sean joins us to share his extraordinary journey, from being inspired by his grandfather to capturing authentic moments that resonate deeply. Growing up with an independent film producer mother, Sean was exposed to the art of professional presentation early on. He reveals how his upbringing in a predominantly white school system influenced his unique approach to making his subjects feel genuinely seen and understood through his photography.

Host KC Carnage (@iamkccarnage), Sean (@@goldn_charmr) 

Chapters

• 0:00 Black Photographer's Unique Lens
• 4:17 Photography, Diversity, and Inspiration
• 10:31 Creative Community Expansion and Recognition
• 17:07 Photographer Advice and Contact Information

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

You know, growing up, my mom was an independent film producer, so I've always kind of grown up on set. I've grown up in LA. I kind of know how things are supposed to be presented in like a professional way, and I have that knowledge that I want to give back to my people as well. And the way that I look at people is I. I really have a love for what I do. I have a love for connecting with people and putting those things together. I shoot people how they would probably see themselves. You know how you look in the mirror, how you look in the phone before you take a selfie and you know you're thinking you're going to take that perfect image of yourself. That's the image I always strive for. I want to shoot people how they see themselves. That's it, that's all. Tell me how you feel. That's it, that's all.

Speaker 2: 0:44

That's it, that's all. Black excellence at its finest. How that skin glows, she's a true diamond, with the world right out back. She's still smiling, never left that crown till she stayed thriving. That's it, that's all. That's it, that's all. Keep it real. That's it, that's all. That's it. That's all. Keep it real. That's it, that's all. That's it, that's all. Is that really it, though? What up, what up? What up? Welcome to. That's it, that's All.

Speaker 2: 1:10

I'm your host, kasey. You know what we're here for. It's an opinionated podcast through the lens of black women and black creators. And today, our guest, we have Sean Michael Ryan. Welcome, hey, thanks for having me. Okay, just a little snippet about him. You know he does amazing photography work. I met him at an event. One of my good friends, who has also been on the show you know, was hosting, and it was just the way you were capturing people, even like looking in, like the preview that's what you call it, the preview. I said, okay, you got a little eye. I see you, I see you, I see you. You'll see some of his work. He's worked with a lot of people Janelle Monae, ruby Rose, danny Lee Gazzelia. The list goes on. I won't keep talking about him, because that's what he's here to do. Welcome how you doing.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Yeah, thanks for having me again. I'm good Excited to check out your podcast and just chat with you. Chop it up a little bit All right cool.

Speaker 2: 2:05

So tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into photography?

Speaker 1: 2:09

Well, so first, I'm from LA. I'm an LA native there's not many of us left out here, but my family's from Cleveland, Ohio. My inspiration for photography actually really came from my grandfather. He was the family photographer and the patriarch of the family Kind of kept everyone together but also, like captured these moments. And one of the things he instilled in me is that, like, if you love something, take a picture of it. That way you have it forever, you know. And when he passed, he lost his bowel cancer and passed away and I kind of like took it, you know, as something. I was like you, like I want to keep his legacy going forward and I was like okay, At the same time, I was also trying to figure out what I want to do with my life as well.

Speaker 1: 2:53

Around. What age was this? I want to say it was around 20, 20, or no.

Speaker 1: 2:57

No, it was actually sorry, it was around 24, I believe that he passed, but I had already been doing photography a little bit here and there like dabbling in it, but I was also working like the corporate structure and everything like that, and I was just like this doesn't feel right for me, but I need, so I need to find something else. And when he passed, it was a sign that you know, just do this, go, go all the way into this and keep learning, keep building on it. You're an amateur right now, but if you keep pushing into it, keep learning, educating yourself, you can actually grow it, and and it's something he always loved to do too so now, every time I do it, I think of him as well oh sweet.

Speaker 2: 3:30

So you like the family photographer now, like when you do all the christmas stuff and the family unions. They're like get sean I'm everyone's photographer.

Speaker 1: 3:38

Now, everyone who knows me um, yeah, it's, yeah, it was great. I it.

Speaker 2: 3:43

So the love of photography came through your grandfather. Now you all know. You know this show is definitely about you know our people and how we show up and present ourselves. Do you find how do you, how do you like, move around the world as a black photographer? Like, do you feel like you have been presenting some challenges that maybe your counterparts haven't? Or do you think that your style in different in showcasing yourself in this world? How has that been?

Speaker 1: 4:10

Yeah, I kind of see things through a unique lens, I believe.

Speaker 1: 4:17

Where I kind of grew up, going to a mostly white school system, my parents wanted me or my mom wanted me to be in one of the better schools.

Speaker 1: 4:25

My school was like one of the top five in the country of public schools anyway, and it was. I was one of like six black kids that was there, but during that experience I actually got to have, um, an experience growing up with, like you know, that kind of environment, as well as being black in America as well and dealing with things I'm dealing with, as you know, growing up as a black man. And now, through that lens, the way I see things is like. I see a lot of like how things are are presented in the the way that the United States is typically presented on TV, and I kind of want to take those same ideas and insert some people that look like me and people that I grew up you know, they are my family, that I grown up around and everything, and make it more diverse and open up those things, those doors for other diverse people you know, um, so and kind of.

Speaker 1: 5:15

I feel like that kind of brings balance to the world and that's kind of what I want to do and want to continue pushing for as I grow okay, and what is your unique touch on your photography?

Speaker 2: 5:24

if you had to put it in words, like, why would I want to hire you or why would I want you to be behind the camera and when I'm doing these things? Because I do know that, like originality and authenticity, every creator has a little bit of that that they want to show.

Speaker 1: 5:42

Yeah, to put put it in like you know short words, I'd just say, like you know, growing up my mom was an independent film producer, so I've always kind of grown up on set. I've grown up in LA. I kind of know how things are supposed to be presented in like a professional way, and I have that knowledge that I want to give back to my people as well. And the way that I look at people is I really have a love for what I do. I have a love for connecting with people and putting those things together.

Speaker 1: 6:10

I shoot people how they would probably see themselves. You know how you look in the mirror, how you look in the phone before you take a selfie and you know you're thinking you're going to take that perfect image of yourself. That's the image I always strive for. I want to shoot people how they see themselves. That's the image I always strive for. I want to. I want to shoot people how they see themselves and I get to know that by getting to know them and looking at them with like, not just like. They're not just my customer.

Speaker 2: 6:29

This is someone I actually like, I value and have interest in wanting to shoot, so it's funny that you said that you like to shoot people in the way where they can see themselves did you find anything about yourself that your photography brought to you.

Speaker 1: 6:47

Yeah, I mean, I guess, like I was always, like I grew up as a shy person, I'm still kind of shy, you know, in a sense. But you know, I kind of always wanted to see myself in a certain light and few people could actually capture that. So, you know, my mindset was like, okay, if not many people can do this, then I need to be the person who does it, you know. So that kind of taught me about something about myself where I'm like, you know, I'm the type of person who's like, you know, if no one's doing it, then I'm going to hop in there and I'm the one who's going to take care of it and make sure it gets done.

Speaker 2: 7:21

Nice and make sure it gets done, nice. So, at the end of all of this, if you had a dream I mean, we all have dreams, but where do you think your end game is, or if there is an end game, in what you want, your career, how you see yourself in your work.

Speaker 1: 7:40

I think the end game is I want to climb that Hollywood ladder, so to speak, and kind of be up there. Not so much, you know, I don't really care about the fame per se, but I do want to make a name for myself, make a legacy for myself and for my family as well. I just really want to see how far I can take it, how many people can see my art Because I create art for it to be seen and if I can get more people to see it and appreciate it. I like feeling that love and that, you know, like sharing things and having them be just as excited about it as I am, and I want to see how far I can push that. I actually want to become a cinematographer in Hollywood, and if I can be one of the top cinematographers in Hollywood, I think I've done my job.

Speaker 2: 8:24

Have you ever thought about doing an art show?

Speaker 1: 8:27

Possibly. Yeah, I keep hearing about that. Now People keep pushing me to take it just offline and bring things to art galleries and things like that, so that might be the next step.

Speaker 2: 8:37

I mean bringing it to the people. I always feel like that guerrilla style has always. I mean, the internet is the internet? Right, it's given us a lot of access to the world. But I think that the reason why people like people or the reason why people enjoy a certain thing, is because usually there's a personal touch to it right.

Speaker 2: 8:57

One of the reasons why you wanted to get into photography because your grandfather was doing it was a personal touch to you. So I asked about the art galleries because I I personally enjoy our galleries, and more so like I like photography and um sculptures like those are the two that I'll usually seek out because I feel like seeing what you see, because you only have your eyes right, and so it's always unique, as a creator myself, to try to decipher what were you thinking about when you took this shot.

Speaker 1: 9:27

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:28

Like, what were you looking at? Like, is that what you really meant to shoot?

Speaker 1: 9:34

Exactly yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:35

So I always think about that. But what has been some of your like inspirations like, um, do you have any photographers you have like kind of looked up to?

Speaker 1: 9:44

or yeah, um, there's there's, there's there's so many um, both men and women that I look up to. Um, there's Layla Stefani, she's my homegirl out there. Um, beast Williams, um, there's a lot theo hype, um, he got me, he actually really helped, uh, bring it out of me. Um, when I after covet happened, he was, you know, kind of like a driving force but kind of like, you know, showing me how to get this money on my own and really build and kind of pave me the way, because he showed me how he went about it, going from just being like a freelancer to working with, you know, sony pictures and stuff like that. So, um, I've had, I've had my my fair share of people that I've met and looked up to and had mentored me and things like that, and I hope to mentor someone else as well, nice, nice.

Speaker 2: 10:31

I mean again, like we're all community right um, has your, has your community expanded? You think within your creativity, because you said you came from um a corporate background um what do you think your community is like now versus it was then?

Speaker 1: 10:47

um, it's a lot broader now. Yeah, it's uh, you know, the reach. The reach is is great, like I have people who I meet at parties and stuff sometimes are like when they find out who I am because they don't usually see my face, but if they find out who I am because they don't usually see my face, but if they find out who I am they're like, oh my God, yeah, I've seen your work. Yeah, like, I've shared it with people. I've, you know, I've talked to people about it and now to actually meet you is great and it's like damn, is this what fame feels?

Speaker 2: 11:10

like oh, you famous, you know it's nice, you know, yeah, I mean, you gotta be proud of what you do and it's one of those things where you have a product right or you shoot a picture and you do it because you love it or not even sometimes that you love it. Let's just get rid of the love that you have for it. The fact that you had to do a job and the amount of joy and emotion that it evokes from people is the most intriguing thing. Sometimes, Like you're like oh, yeah, I did that, and most of the time it's like I do it because I do it.

Speaker 1: 11:45

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 11:45

But like isn't it crazy that like sometimes our intention conveys something else than what we actually intended to do?

Speaker 1: 11:53

Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2: 11:54

Like, do you have any art like any paintings? I mean not paintings, you know. Yeah, that's true. Like, do you have any art like any paintings?

Speaker 1: 11:58

I mean not paintings.

Speaker 2: 11:59

you know, paint Photographer, blah, blah blah. Do you have any photos that like maybe it's your favorite one that you've taken?

Speaker 1: 12:09

Why that's really hard. I you know I like I usually don't hold on to that feeling for too long. It's usually like I take it, I relish in the moment, I love that photo, but then it's always about what's next you know, so like.

Speaker 2: 12:25

But if you had to choose?

Speaker 1: 12:25

one. Yeah, if I choose one, Okay so the one that's like your favorite.

Speaker 2: 12:28

What would you say? The most sentimental or the most like powerful one you felt was powerful?

Speaker 1: 12:37

So I do. I have a lot of powerful work. I've um shot a lot of different people and everything. Um, I gotta say, though, like the, the biggest thing that I want to shout out is, like, when I shoot with my girlfriend, rosemary lewis, who's also a model, a fashion model like, I love shooting with her because her photo is just like we always. We always get talked about, they're always shared, they're always great, they always come out great and there's a true passion behind it. So each one of those I can definitely be proud of every single time. Other ones outside of that, I've done some that were black-oriented and historical. I'm trying to think what, what I can say? Um, like my girl armani, she's got some, she's got some good work on my page, for sure yeah, definitely check out some of her, her photos.

Speaker 1: 13:32

Um yeah, man, just go to my page. I like I can't call it just one. They're all beautiful to me. I mean that's fair, that's fair, that's fair.

Speaker 2: 13:42

So we're going to get into a game. We like games.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 13:46

All right, we're going to play Black Card Revoked.

Speaker 1: 13:51

Okay.

Speaker 2: 13:51

And this is the original flavor X. So this one's supposed to be better, bolder and blacker. Okay, and basically he's going to answer some questions. We're going to see if you know the answer and some of these. I've looked through these cards and some of them are very like historical, so I'm not going to judge you on those, but there's some that we all should know. You ready, All right, it's going to be a multiple choice. In which classic film does a Classic film? Does a woman yell get your shit and get out before burning her ex's car? A thin line between love and hate. A Diary of a mad black woman. B. Waiting to exhale. C. What's love got to do with it? D.

Speaker 1: 14:30

It's going to be number one A thin line between love and hate.

Speaker 2: 14:35

No, she blew up his car.

Speaker 1: 14:36

Oh.

Speaker 2: 14:37

But waiting to exhale gosh. Okay, all right. Yeah, all right. Which classic movie might have you heard? You ain't got a forehead, you got a five head. A friday b all about the benjamins. C I got the hookup. D White Men Can't Jump.

Speaker 1: 14:59

Is it B? Yep, yep, gotcha, yep, gotcha. Oh my gosh, he's funny.

Speaker 2: 15:05

All right, which classic movie might you heard? Some of us got to use what we got to get what we want. A, roots B. The Players Club C Paid in Full.

Speaker 1: 15:17

D Soul playing B the Players Club. Okay, you good, you good, you good, you keeping it, you keeping it.

Speaker 2: 15:23

All right, all right, all right. Which state can we trace most of our families to because of the majority of slaves landed there first? A, north Carolina, b, georgia, c, virginia, d, south Carolina.

Speaker 1: 15:38

Ooh, I'll say D South Carolina.

Speaker 2: 15:40

Ooh, you good, you good Okay. You keeping your card, you keeping your card, all right. Which legendary artist had boiling hot grits thrown on him by a former girlfriend? A Peter Gunz, b Future, c Al Green, d Marvin Gaye.

Speaker 1: 15:59

Ooh, okay, I think it C Al Green, D Marvin Gaye. Okay, I think it's either Al Green or Marvin Gaye.

Speaker 2: 16:03

Which one.

Speaker 1: 16:04

This is tough. I don't really pay attention to that story, but I'm trying to think. Was it Al Green?

Speaker 2: 16:13

Yeah, this is the last one and for me this is the classic, so I will judge you. Yeah, yeah, okay, this is the last one and for me this is the classic, so I will judge you Okay.

Speaker 1: 16:22

Okay.

Speaker 2: 16:22

Okay, who famously sang nights like this? I wish raindrops would fall in a parking lot. A Eddie Cain, B Choir Boy. C Eddie King Jr, D Dresser.

Speaker 1: 16:39

Okay, okay, I'm going to go with C Eddie King Jr.

Speaker 2: 16:43

Oh.

Speaker 1: 16:44

Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig. All right, there we go.

Speaker 2: 16:45

Nice like this. I wish raindrops would fall. Well, good job.

Speaker 1: 16:51

Thanks, there we go, guys. That was our edition of Black Car Revolt.

Speaker 2: 16:53

Boulder, wait, what is it? Let there we go, guys. That was our rendition of Black Car Revolt. Boulder wait, wait a second. Let me go back. Black Car Revolt, original flavor X better, bolder, blacker. Okay, sean. Well, thanks for having, thanks for coming on the show. I got a lot of information, a lot of insight of what you do. At the end of my shows, I definitely like to give some type of message. Whether I definitely like to give some type of message, whether it's to your younger self, whether it's to an upcoming photographer or, you know, a young black male photographer that's like you know, getting into this. This field of work can be challenging. What kind of advice would you give to them?

Speaker 1: 17:28

Just keep learning, keep growing. Don't take things too personally. Just keep experiencing life and just letting it mold you as you grow. That's it.

Speaker 2: 17:38

Okay, and where can they find you?

Speaker 1: 17:40

All right, my social media is going to be Golden Charmer. No, e's Just G-O-L-D-N underscore C-A-R-M-R Golden Charmer.

Speaker 2: 17:50

Okay, well, thanks again, sean Y'all, if y'all enjoyed this show and y'all had any more questions for Sean or you know, you basically want to you know, maybe hire him to work. That's what we're here about building community, reaching out while we reach in. Please like, subscribe, share this post Again. We'll have his information in our feeds and videos and things like that, but don't be afraid to reach out to either us or him Other than that that's it.

Speaker 2: 18:20

That's all. That's it. That's all is written by me, casey Carnage, and produced by myself and Rick Barrio-Dill. Associate producer, brie Corey, audio and video engineering and studio facilities provided by Slap Studios LA with distribution through our collective Slap the Network. If you have any ideas for a show you want to hear or see, please email us at info at slapthepowercom and, as always, go to no-transcript. Get your shit and get out before burning her ex's car.

Speaker 2: 23:48

A a thin line between love and hate. B diarrhea of a mad black woman. C waiting to exhale. D what's love got to do with it?

Speaker 1: 23:58

I think it's a thin line between love and hate. Say that again. I think you said diarrhea of a black woman.

Speaker 2: 24:06

Diarrhea of a. Yeah, okay, so then you said diarrhea.

Speaker 1: 24:10

Okay, okay.

Speaker 2: 24:11

Okay.