HOW IT STARTED

After commuting everyday my first semester i wanted to move to the city which i did my second semester. i was an Interior Design major and we had to carry huge portfolios to class and work in the labs late nights just to finish projects on time so living near school was the perfect solution. Things were starting to go well for me working while going to school until i got caught up in the party scene. i was going to major night clubs every night hanging with the fashion and music crowd it was a whole new world and then the drug scene. i started to turn in late mediocre assignments skipping classes waiting for the night to do it all over again. then it happened i got in trouble with the law, i had to leave school, I was broken I was crushed. Four years i had to start all over and started working for HPD as a timekeeper, a job i needed just to get back in the work force. i meet some great people there who are still my friends today but Art and design was calling me, I needed more. After five years at HPD i asked for a transfer to the Department of Buildings in the photography department. working in the lab in a huge microfilm table camera transferring blueprints to microfilm. After 2 years at the DOB i took a buyout and left city service with a little nest egg. After two months of doing nothing just lil DJ gigs here and there my best friend got a lead roll on a show called New York Undercover and asked me if i wanted to work there and gave me a number to call. i thought about it for 24 hours a decided to go for it and this is how it started.

MY PHOTOGRAPHY CAREER

During my time on New York Undercover in the locations department as a location scout i had to use a camera to take pictures and i had to learn the system real fast. i am a fast learner by trade because i do extensive research so i dug. while shooting locations for the show i would take pictures of people on the streets and when we turned in our daily assignments my boos would see everything on the rolls. one day he called me in the office and complimented on my photography and suggested i pursue it professionally. he also gave me the set locations position where i was on set every day for the remainder of the show. while on set i had my camera every day taking pictures behind the scenes and the cast and crew but more impartially which i didn't know at the time every actor artist musician that guest stared on the show. all the money I made went into buying and developing film and camera equipment, i was self taught. After the show ended i immediately knew i had to pursue a career in photography. i hit the pavement running, i bought a cheep 11x14 portfolio and filled it with street pictures and some model test pictures and hit every Magazine and Modeling Agency i wanted to work for. it was a lot of No"s before the Yes"s started to come in but i never gave up. After achieving success in publishing i went after the Record Companies and Ad Agencies. The Record Companies didn't care about my fashion photography much they waned more street and glam so I did more test like that while developing my own style that stood out. My first album shoot was for Big Jaz who i met through someone I shot before He is a great guy and we did the shoot for $500 just to cover film and development. I had no idea he was affiliated with Jay Z back then and having him in my portfolio opened many doors, the work started to come in.

JOBS

My name was starting to get around and needed an agent asap. i signed with Oliver Piro Agency as the workload continued to grow. My client lis was growing as well which is important to always have new clients coming in. Ive shot video stills for Camron, Jim Jones, Charlie Baltimore, da Brat, Wyclef jean, etc. Ad campaigns for Phat Farm baby Phat, Fubu, Esco, Pepsi, NBA Store, Body Shaping, Fitness Beach, etc. Album Covers Arista, Sony, Def Jam,

Loud, Interscope, Columbia, Motown, Atlantic, Universal, Bad Boy, etc. Artist Albums Da Brat Naughty By Nature, Nas, etc. Publications Vibe, Interview, The Source, XXL Sportswear International, Time Out, Forbes, Glamour, Latin Girl, Honey, Food & Wine, Vanguard Media, TV Guide, Essence etc. 

NEW BEGINNINGS

After 9-11 i put my photography on hiatus for numerous reasons which i wont go into now but i will say digital had a lot to do with it. the industry was changing fast and as a lover of film i was resistant. Ive been back now as a photographer doing what I love and back in the film and television industry as well. Im happy to say I have a new purpose, a new love for what I do and a new direction. in my photography career I am focused on my archives which i have a vast amount that i am releasing to the public. It will be in the form of Gallery Shows, Books, Prints and Merchandising. Looking back on all of my work, and all of the great people I've had the pleasure of shooting brings tears to my eyes at times. Great people who some started out small who became big in their fields and some who have passed or moved on. Im also happy to be shoot new material and subjects of todays generation, happy to see the excitement in these new artist, along with shooting artist Ive shot in the past and the stories we share. And yes Im shooting digital as well and loving it as well. Im currently working on my first Photography Book which will be out in 2024 and it is very exciting with more books to follow. This website is just the beginning and the gateway to many exciting to come from Stephen McBride Photography.

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