Kevin Maya Takes Us Behind-the-Scenes with Hip-Hop Superstars
Kevin Maya Takes Us Behind-the-Scenes with Hip-Hop Superstars
Kevin Maya, the Atlanta-based photographer best known for his behind-the-scenes shots of rap artists including Lil Yachty, Future and Yung Bans, is making his mark. Maya’s unique photographic style, which sees custom light presets and filters layered atop a single image, has begun to garner serious attention especially as a result of his popularity on Instagram. Keen to learn more, The 10,000 had a chance to spend five minutes with Kevin Maya before he heads to New York for a project with social media star Hayes Grier. Scroll on to read what we asked:
How did you first become involved in photography? I always liked taking pictures when I was younger and enjoyed messing around with cameras. Two years ago during summer break I saw a kid sneak into a Kanye West concert with his camera. Basically it inspired me. A week later I went out and bought a camera. That’s when I started to take it seriously.
Who or what continues to inspire your stylistic journey? I’d have to say Petra Collins. I had a chance to see her work when I was on set for one of Yachty’s documentaries – she’s super talented! I hope one day that I can be producing work at a level like her.
What equipment do you use to shoot with and what does your editing process look like? I use all digital to shoot. I also have a few presets I continue to use but I haven’t sold them because I want to keep the specific edits to myself. In terms of video I wouldn’t say I dabble because I take my photography very seriously, but when I do shoot video it’s mainly to capture cool moments I’m seeing.
Tell us about your most memorable shoot to date. What made it so memorable? I would say around the time when Logan Paul was going through everything on YouTube and he was trending across the world. I was in the studio with him for a week capturing content and images while he made music. I was really able to connect with Logan and get some great pictures of him that week. These later received a lot of attention, specifically on his page.
