Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Silvera.
Brandon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been a creative person. When I was younger, I would draw a lot. I still have the folder of all my drawings I used to do at school and at home. Eventually, I was introduced to cameras. I had a few points and shoots to take photos for fun. I never did it in an artistic way. In my freshman year of high school, I made a Tumblr account and it introduced me to the art of photography. It really interested me and in 2010, I got my first DSLR for my birthday. It was a Nikon D3100. My mom and I went to BJ’s to look at some and the Nikon just felt right and for the last ten years, I’ve shot nothing but Nikon.
I had a lot of social anxiety, so I would do a lot of shooting in my room. I took a lot of photos of my sneakers at the time and posted them to Tumblr. Those photos are what put me on. A lot of people knew me as JSTFORKICKS. I had a huge presence on sight and had different companies sending me things to shoot and promote. When I think about it, I was an influencer before being an influencer was a thing. It’s kind of funny.
Fast forward to 2014. I was contacted about having photos of my Air Jordans purchased to be published into an encyclopedia about Air Jordans. I was offered $2,000 for all of them and it was the most money I’d ever have in my life, so I said yes. With the money, I bought my Nikon D750, which changed everything. I realized the potential to make a living off photography and went for it.
Somewhere between 2010 and 2014, I had a few friends ask if I could take photos of their cars. I had never done it before but I gave it a shot and it went way better than I thought. I always loved cars but never thought about doing automotive photography. I put shooting lifestyle to the side and focused on cars. I immediately fell in love with it and dedicated my time to getting better. I was still doing a lot of lifestyle work. I had a full-time job at two stores in Ft. Lauderdale is creating content but I got more and more into shooting cars. I left that job and started working valet at BMW. That’s where I met a customer who had been a fan of work and helped me land my first gig with a wheel company. After a few shots with that company, I landed more gigs with other wheel companies. I got the attention of other automotive brands and companies too. It all came so fast and it paid really well. I was full-time freelance for about 1.5 years until it slowed down and I got a job at a Porsche store where I handled their social media accounts and created content. I was still shooting on the side but not as much.
Today, I work at TR3 Performance as their marketing manager/content creator/social media manager. This new job has presented me with a lot of amazing opportunities and experiences. I traveled a lot last year for work and it helped motivate me to get out and do more. I still shoot on the side for a few wheel companies and automotive brands but I am looking to get back into lifestyle and more portraiture again. It’s been a rough 2-3 years but things are getting better. I’ve thought about quitting many times but I can’t. There’s a lot I still want to accomplish.
Despite COVID-19 and all the other crazy things going on in the world, 2020 has been good so far. I’m really confident with the way things are going. My biggest problem has always been my lack of confidence and self-doubt. That and my social anxiety. I’ve missed out on many life-changing opportunities over the last few years, but that’s all in the past now. I have so much love and support from thousands of people worldwide. I can’t express how grateful I am for that. It’s always unreal when I think about it or whenever people tell me I inspire them. I definitely believe in myself now more than ever and I’m not going to miss out on another opportunity that could put me on a path to accomplishing all the goals I set for myself.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Social anxiety. Oversaturated industry due to social media. Struggle for fair compensation. Fear.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a freelance photographer based out of South Florida. My company is 954MM LLC. I specialize in automotive photography, mainly. I’m known for my presence on social media, photos of sneakers and cars. I’m most proud of being able to make a living for myself despite dropping out of college and being able to inspire people. What sets me apart is my style. People can always pick out one of my photos.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The most important thing is my dedication and inability to give up. Anything I want to do, I’ll do it no matter what.
Pricing:
- Automotive Photoshoot 5 edited photos – $150
- Automotive Photoshoot 8-10 edited photos – $250
- Automotive Photoshoot 10+ edited photos – $350
- Automotive Photoshoot with artificial light + $250 to regular prices
Contact Info:
- Website: 954mm.com
- Email: info@954mm.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/954mm
- Facebook: facebook.com/954mm
- Twitter: twitter.com/954px
- Other: youtube.com/954mm
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
