Driven. Relentless. Passionate. Dreamer. Blessed.
Brian McGee has been behind the camera long before some of our readers were even born. Now more than 25 years into his true passion, and 10 years as a professional in the field, McGee’s photography prowess has continued to improve and amaze us. Without a formal education in the field, it was McGee’s passion that guided him through the school of hard knocks, learning from online tutorials and other photographers until his craft was finely honed. We are beyond grateful to have a man like him on our team!
"I wanna wake up every morning with a Passion. I wanna wake up with a smile on my face and be able to say I love what I do."
ESSENTIALS
Photographer: Brian McGee
Location: Yorba Linda, CA
SOCIAL
Facebook: /itsjustbiran
Instagram: @itsjustbrian
Twitter: @itsjustbrian
EQUIPMENT
- Canon 60D
- Flashpoint XPOLR 600
- Home Depot LED light
- Samsung Note 9
- Photoshop CS5
- Right side of brain
INTERVIEW
PASMAG: Where are you from? Are you currently living there?
Brian McGee: Born in Cebu City, Philippines. From 9 months old, I grew up in Dos Palos, CA, a small farming town in central California. Population: 5000. I'm currently living in Orange County, CA.
Did you go to school to study writing/photography/videography?
School of Hard Knocks. Then Google. Then Youtube. Hard to believe an established photographer with over 60 magazine covers, over 200 features, never went to school for any of this.
How did you get into writing/photography/videography?
My interest started as a kid, my determination began as an adult when a door was slammed in my face. So here was the turning point.
2009 I was invited to cover a high profile event, at the time I only had a small digital pocket camera as I just converted from film to digital. Someone close to me (undisclosed names) had professional equipment that I asked to borrow for the day. Simply so that I could arrive at the event looking and being the part. Long story short, both people denied my from loaning the camera, not one person, but two people.
Completely devastated because I had to decline the offer to attend the high profile event. My goal was not. to see Playmates, but to make sure I was in the conversation amongst those peers.
This is the moment when I said I would never let someone else's decision dictate my future. Mind you that I always done photos as a hobby, but this moment is when I decided photography would be my career.
Food for thought: My determination didn't start from an ah-ha moment, it came from someone trying to close the door on a dream.
How long have you been a writer/photographer/videographer?
Passion over 25 years. Professional for 10 years.
How would you describe your style?
Chameleon. I can easily adapt to any requirements needed for the end-user.Though I'm known more for my lighting painting and strobing techniques.
What equipment and software do you use?
- Canon 60D
- Flashpoint XPOLR 600
- Home Depot LED light
- Samsung Note 9
- Photoshop CS5
- Right side of brain
Where is your favorite location to shoot pictures? Studio? Beaches?
Outside. Anywhere. Just no studios. Outside elements such as backgrounds and existing lighting challenge me to be better.
Are you a Mac or PC user?
PC! How bout that!
What has been your most memorable assignment?
I don't have one; they all become one. I've shot so many cars, events, and models that there is no way to distinguish one from the other. Though I was at a shoot one time and Snoop hot boxed the entire studio!
Are there any photographers/videographers/writers that inspire you? What advice did you get from them?
We are all magicians in this field so it's always hard to ask how someone else how they pull the rabbit out the hat. Though 3 names have been influential on me, not so much from giving advice, but being good at their craft and along the way I was able to get crumbs of knowledge to create my own path.
- Anthony Anderson aka AYO
- William Stern aka The Beard
- Chris Sempek aka Sempek
What would you say to other enthusiast photographers out there who aspire to become a great writer/photographer/videographer?
Go shoot, analyze work, then shoot again. After that, shoot again.
List your work experiences.
Too many to list.I don't know anything but hard work. "You" get to see the results of that as its rare that I acknowledge my accomplishments.I live in brief moments of recognition, I live forever in gratitude. Do work. Appreciate the accomplishments. Move forward with gratitude.
What were some of the challenges you had to overcome?
Everybody, everything, everyday.
"They don't want you to win, they don't want you prosper, they don't want you to succeed," -DJ Khalid
Any finals words?
Work Hard.
Stay Humble.
Live Simply.
Love Generously.
Care Deeply.
Speak Kindly.
Leave the rest to God.
PHOTO GALLERY
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