I met Will earlier this year in Seattle. He’s a cool photographer and also the creator of this website. He’s a creative guy with a big heart. He loves a good coffee and took us to Slate in Seattle to share the great experience of the deconstructed latte. His great love is people. Will takes great people photos that capture a story. If you take a look at his instagram and other sites, you’ll find a fresh, innovative and generous approach to creativity.
Anyway, let’s hear from Will!
Will Says:
Hi, I’m Will Foster. I am a photographer and video filmmaker based in Seattle. My artwork has become my job which has landed me work in Microsoft headquarters, with influential musicians, and many different individuals whom I’ve tried to help tell and share their dreams.
What I especially enjoy about my job is the people that I get to meet along the way.
My professional career has been a lot of trial and error. I am completely self taught but I haven’t been doing it for very long. I picked up my first DSLR camera around 2006 after being laid off from a customer service telephone job and I’ve been taking photos every day since.
Over the years I’ve been realizing the importance of stories around us, often times overlooked or only heard by those in close proximity. I have found that with photography or video I am given an amazing opportunity to share these stories to a larger audience.
I’ve also learned to not take myself so seriously.
Here are some places you can find my work:
- www.wfstr.com
- www.instagram.com/wfstr
- www.facebook.com/willfoster
- www.youtube.com/willfosterphoto
- www.vimeo.com/willfoster
When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
My childhood was pretty simple. I climbed apple trees in my backyard and didn’t come down until I was full. I spent the majority of my childhood outside. Then I found my love for building and using computers, so naturally I went that route when I went to college. Although I never did great in college the one thing that I did gain an interest for was video editing & filming. So I started playing around with it, but after all the movies I’ve watched I could never achieve what they would so I gave it up. I eventually dropped out and worked countless jobs before realizing my interest in photography in 2006 which eventually helped me realize that I could create the look from movies with camera equipment that I purchased in 2009. Looking back, I don’t think I really had a huge interest in photography but I would dabble in it with my computer and what ever camera I could get my hands on. I didn’t do much research to find out about film photography to pursue that direction. I have never shot film, although I hope to someday.
What have been some of the detours you’ve taken along the way?
My whole life has become a detour once I went to college. I realized I enjoyed being around people and that computers were not really my thing. It took me a few years of working customer service before I started to find myself and it wasn’t until 2010 that I started taking my craft seriously.
What’s one step on your creative journey that you’re really glad you took?
When I moved to Seattle, Washington in 2010 without any opportunities for work. I knew I wanted to be in a bigger city and I had spent the majority of my life in smaller cities. I wanted to see what living in a big city was all about. I nearly drowned with the realization of what it takes to live in a city like this especially as a creative. I thought that I could take the city by storm, but instead a learned a valuable lesson: that there is so much respect to be given to the industry and the participants. Over the years I have learned how to support other people’s work and be part of something bigger even if my role isn’t significant.
What did it take to discover to your unique voice? Have you found it yet?
My voice is definitely something that I will always be redefining and reworking. Over the years of being in Seattle, and learning my role in the community it has taken me four years to find something that really fit who I am and the things that I love sharing. Over the years I have found a distinct love for food and drinks and the people who prepare them. I have become very passionate about the industries that support that. I recently started talking with restaurants and service industry businesses by providing them with social media consulting. This is a very new development in my business plan, as just months ago this wasn’t even a thought and now I have become connected with many business owners in this field. I have just begun this journey so it will be interesting to see where it takes me.
What have you mastered? Are there tasks, skills, or opportunities you’ve had to develop, or that you are still developing, in your field?
I am always learning, but if there was something that anyone would say that I have mastered, I would hope it would be my photography. I am always learning about new ways to connect and hear about individuals and their stories, and how to share them successfully and without bias.
If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do?
I would probably be a bit self conscious for the people that would then have no time and no money because I would have it all. Sarcasm aside, I would hope that I would use it to bring people together. I have a huge passion for introducing people and networking. I have been extremely limited by what I can do for people over the last few years due to lack of sufficient funds. I would love to pay it back to all the people who have been extremely generous to me.
What change would you like to see in the world?
I would like to see people stop struggling to become the next celebrity. That people would be able to see themselves as special and not need to seek appreciation from others to feel successful. That people would see the value of others that are not successful, and be more generous to others that need help rather than those who can give them the most.
