Photography Month is in full swing here on the ADC blog. Each weekday we have featured a new photographer for the world to see. Some are veterans who have been working for years, some are just starting out, and some are just doing it for fun, a passion project of sorts. One thing they have in common: they are all ADC Members, part of our globe-spanning creative community. We hope that you enjoy their work as much as they love creating it!

BRYON SUMMERS
Brooklyn, NY, USA
BrandingBryon.com
BrandingBryon@gmail.com

Follow @bryonsummers

How old were you when you took an interest in photography?

My father was the first person who introduced me to photography. He was hardly ever without his SLR at family functions or just out in the yard with friends.

I was first immersed in photography when my parents sent me to Australia at 14. I remember them getting me a Nikon One Touch Zoom 90 and more rolls of Fuji 400 than I could ever wish for. When I came back from my trip I was hooked.

What do you love most about photography as an artform?

Photography for me is my way of remembering. I love how instant yet personal the medium can be. One push of the shutter release and a memory can be preserved exactly how you wish it to be.

What is your favorite thing to shoot, and why do you love it so much?

Portraits are so classic. Recently, I’ve been shooting a lot underground. Everything from subways to the passengers riding have been my main focus. I still find time to create individual portraits in my favorite stations.

Underground can be a forgotten place. People write it off as too dark or dirty. A lot of the passengers just want to get home and not be bothered. I guess that’s what I like about it. It’s a “one man’s trash” kind of connection. Working with the available light is also a challenge I rarely pass up.

“People write it off as too dark or dirty. A lot of the passengers just want to get home and not be bothered. I guess that’s what I like about it.”

What is your favorite piece of equipment?

I’m falling in love with the Fujifilm x100s. It’s so convenient with an analog aesthetic. For someone who goes back and forth between film and digital, its the perfect camera to live with.

Which person most inspires your photographic passion? Which professional photographers do you look up to?

This is hard for me to answer. I grew up looking at iconic images from [ADC Hall of Fame laureate] Gordon Parks like American Gothic and his shots of Harlem. The contrast in his shots mixed with the message in them have always stuck with me.

If I were to name a person who inspires my passion it would be a very creative young lady by the name of Mary Summers. She introduced me to Smithsonian museums and opened my mind to creative thinking. You may know her by her alias “Mom”.