Taylor Foiles

It’s 2012. These days there are tens of thousands of photographers in the industry. We’re bringing you our favorites, the most talented and the most well known. This week’s pick is Taylor Foiles. You may recognize his name from his huge client list or maybe you’re familiar with Let’s Get It. Either way – he’s going even bigger places with his work. We had Taylor fill out our photographer profile. Read about his story below and be sure to check out more of his work using the links we’ve provided.

Name: Taylor Foiles
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Website: http://www.taylorfoiles.com
Clients: Substream, AltPress, Fearless Records, Solid State Records, Rise Records, Fueled By Ramen, Velocity Reocords. To name a few.

Personal story: Photography found me through riding bmx. From age 14-21 riding bikes was a huge part of my life, I miss it. I would travel around the midwest riding with friends, even going to NYC just to ride the streets and sleep in a car for a weekend. During this time I took a liking to the photography part of traveling. It so happens my grandmother (a novice photographer) bought a Nikon D100 (digital) right when it came out. At the time I was using a Canon AE-1 (film). She got frustrated with the new tech of digital SLRs and went back to shooting her film. The camera sat for a few months before I found out she abandoned it, I asked nicely and she gave it to me. This was in 2003. I proceeded to use the body and one lens to shoot some bmx and parties…thats all I shot until the end of 2005 when I shot my first band. The basics and flash work I learned from shooting bmx set me apart from everyone else in the local music photo scene. Here’s how it went down: I shot portraits of my friends band “Words As Weapons” those photos got me to “Surcease” those got me “12 Tribes” (Ferret Records and first paid shoot) those got me “The Devil Wears Prada”. I shot TDWP right before their first tour and those first photos defined my career until I shot Paramore. Right time right place and the right skills equals a photography career, I am fortunate and grateful.

Personal career highlights: Shooting my first magazine cover in 2007. Flying to L.A. for the first time in 2008 at age 20 to shoot All Time Low and Mayday Parade.

Favorite tour memory:I toured in a band for two years (Let’s Get It) so besides that…My first tour as strictly a photographer was with Gwen Stacy and Once Nothing before both of them where signed. My favorite memory of that tour was sitting in a walmart parking lot drinking a beer with Todd the singer of Once Nothing. At the time I was so new to this lifestyle and at that moment I got soak in the experience of being on the road with a band.

What you want to accomplish still in your career: I’ve been on the hunt for a band I can really get behind. Developing an artist beyond just finding them a manager or label is a goal I still hold. Also I have yet to tour Europe and the U.K. it’s always been a dream of mine.

Be sure to check out:
http://www.velocityrecords.com
http://www.substreammusicpress.com
http://www.tfoiles.tumblr.com

 A few of Taylor’s personal favorite shots:

The Devil Wears Prada

Owl City