CHRIS CUFFEE, HERE TO INSPIRE
Photos and Words by Cameron Dorsey
For 23 year-old photographer Chris Cuffee, it seems as if it was written in the stars for him to pick up a camera. After falling into the medium via a high school elective, the Norfolk, VA native has made a name with not only his own conceptual shoots and documentation of the creative scene in his hometown, but has captured some of the best acts in the world doing what they do best, including the likes of Pusha T, Kehlani, Larry June, and more. Learn more about Chris and his art below.
What was your life like growing up?
Life for me was pretty cool, to be honest. I grew up in a single-mother household so she provided everything that she could to the best of her ability. I moved around Norfolk a lot, so I got a lot of different experiences everywhere I went from me growing up and being around my family. So it's like, I'm not gonna say I've seen everything around here, but I've learned a lot and I've seen a lot.
by Chris Cuffee
So what sparked your interest in photography?
So when I was younger, I'd say like 11, 12, 13-ish, my mom had this little camera she bought to take pictures on before she went out and stuff so I was like, well, let me take the pictures for you. So I decided to do that every now and then, but after a little while, I stopped doing it. So my sophomore year of high school, I got put into an elective that I didn't know about, which was photography, so I was like, I might as well just take it and just get it over with. So, once we started doing the actual hands-on stuff with the cameras and everything, I started going around taking pictures in the class and around the school, and everybody was like bro, you really nice with this, and I was just like aight bet, I could do this from here on out. And then there was like a project come around for our class where we shot on film, my teacher was like, Chris, I think yours was probably the best out of the whole class like if you take this seriously, I think I think that she can do pretty good with this, so ever since then I just kept taking photos. So, about my senior year of high school, I went to Granby and I bought my first camera, I'd say was about $50, so it wasn't really much, just like a starter, point-&-shoot joint and I just worked around it just so I can learn the ins and outs of the camera and ISO and all the other stuff. So once I got my first real camera, it was a Sony Alpha, like six or seven or something like that, I just started going off from there. I started doing free shoots to get the hang of finding what I like, what I don't like, what subjects I do like, what subjects I don't like, so I just took pictures of whoever and whatever I can whenever I can. I didn't really get my first paid shoot until I was like, a year and a half, two years into it because I didn't really want to charge people that much. So ever since then I really just started taking it seriously, ever since like late junior year, beginning of my senior year of high school.
I think when you look at your page, it's evident that you are pretty well embedded into the Norfolk creative scene. You're taking pictures of this person, that person, you're at this event, so what's that like maneuvering through that as a photographer and trying to navigate that?
For me, when I first started off doing it, it was kind of hectic because I didn't know how to schedule everything in an orderly manner of sorts. I was like, damn, how do I be here at this time then like when I'm done with that, be there on time and everything. So it was kind of hectic, but it was still fun at the same time because I was doing something that I really wanted to do when I first started off doing photos. Because when I first thought of doing photos, I really wanted to take pictures of concerts and my first concert was an A$AP Ferg show I got put on with my homie, the same homie that put me on with the Kehlani show, and so on and so forth. After I did my first concert I was like, okay, this is really fun, I can really go on with this. So outside of the A$AP Ferg show, I did a Jacquees show, I did a local festival where Larry June was performing and this was way before I even listened to Larry or knew who he was but, over time I got used to it, not like it got boring, but like we're showing who at what time or what show, ok bet, I'll be there on time and I know what shots I want to get and how the artist likes their shots, and they’ll potentially share my work. Kehlani shared my work from her first show out here which was out in Portsmouth but she posted ones I did from her most recent show and it just went up from there.
Kehlani by Chris Cuffee
So far, what have been some of the challenges that you’ve faced growing as an artist?
I’d say the main challenge is trying to set yourself apart from others because everyone wants to be the same. No one wants to be different in a sense of, we could all do the same concept, but it's like how do you set your concept apart from the other one that's quite similar. So I think it’s just finding my identity, which I definitely think I've found for sure because I've been told when people see my work, they know like okay, that's Chris’ work, that's his stuff without even seeing a name or who was tagged or anything like that. So does so. So really just trying to find my identity and who I am as a photographer.
And I would say it is very evident that it is your work when you see it, so how did you find that identity and style?
It really took some time, because of what I said earlier, finding things that I like and what I don't like. So, once I found that niche, like okay, this is the thing I like to do the most, so then it’s figuring out the way to edit the photos and stuff like that, that took a little while to learn because at the beginning I didn’t really know how to work Photoshop and Lightroom and all that stuff, so I went to YouTube university, I went to other peoples’ pages to see how they edit their work and try to take a little bit from them piece of a piece and just put my own twist on it. So basically just trying to figure out how I can make my stuff my own, and once I figured out how to work photoshop and lightroom more, that's when I figured out, okay, this is my style, this is my look. It’s like a soft, comfortable, homey feel to the photo, it’s like you're there watching a story.
by Chris Cuffee
So who were some of those photographers that you took from and inspired you?
Obviously, the main one is Vuhlandes, he's like one of my favorite photographers that I've been watching for a while on YouTube and Instagram. Gunner Stahl, he's one of my favorite rapper photographers as well. Cam Kirk as well, a few of my local homies, you (pinksoxfitted), @playknows, Tyler, the Creator and the stuff he does for his brand too. So, I got stuff from photographers that really stuck with me and artists that inspired me music-wise as well.
You spoke about how much you wanted to do concerts, and also finding your style with the portraits, and you also have done brand work, doing a lot for Serenity Lasts, so what style would you say is your favorite to do?
for Serenity Lasts by Chris Cuffee
I would say conceptual portraits more, and brand shoots that have a concept behind them, because brand product shots are really getting boring nowadays. One brand that we look up to is Joe Freshgoods. His stuff always tells a story behind it, there's never anything dull behind his work, he always wants to tell the story with it, so anything that has a story behind it or has a concept to it like you could tell what's going on with the photo and the concept behind the photo from just looking at it, so that’s what I want to be known for.
What is the end goal for you? Like best case scenario, what are you hoping to get out of your art?
It's trying to inspire people from my area who are less fortunate and trying to help them see that sports and everything else like that are not the only ways out of your situation. You can do arts and come from nothing and go to something better than you possibly ever dreamed of and more. I've seen people who’ve grown up way less fortunate than I have, and they’ve become well known for their art and their work and like their product, so I want to inspire and show that one way is not the only way out. And I also want to get signed by an artist or label and have my work seen around the world and on billboards everywhere around the world.
by Chris Cuffee
