Allen Cooley
TalkingWithTami: How did you get into photography? I realized I wanted to cultivate myself. The african american renaissance man. Take pictures and play piano. My father had a camera, I couldn’t afford the piano, so I started taking pictures.
TalkingWithTami: You went to college, what did you study while you were there? My undergrad is in computer science. My masters is in Fine Arts with an emphasis in photography. My first photography job was of my friend Denise, she is a model. I shot her in 2004.
TalkingWithTami: Who is someone you would love to shoot? I would love to shoot Gordon Parks. He was an older photographer. He wrote Shaft. He made the movie shaft because african americans didnt have super heroes.
TalkingWithTami: Tell us some people you have worked with? Hmm, I’ve shot, Kandi Buruss,Lisa Wu Hartwell, and sooo many more. I really love to shoot commercial and fashion ads. I’m very interested in construction and Deconstruction. I love to change the paradigm. I like doing commercial portraits too.
TalkingWithTami: Besides shooting lovely models and things whats another interest of yours? Spoken word and Slam Competitions! I love aggressive style of poetry.
