KINGSTON, Jamaica – For most people, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was a forgettable time, but for 22-year-old Demario Hinds it was the motivation he needed to kickstart his pursuit of becoming a film/digital portrait and concert photographer.

Hinds has been doing photography since 2016 but did not start to take his craft seriously until two years ago.

“My father encouraged me to take pictures of fruits and plants that we had in our backyard. At the time I resided in Portmore, and there was a lot of flora and fauna in the space,” Hinds told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“Eventually, it became a consistent practice which turned into a passion overtime. After receiving my first official camera for my 19th birthday, my friend Timothy encouraged me to take a leap of faith to take it seriously. Like with any skill set, with deliberate practice, anything can be done like the back of a hand. That’s how much I love photography, it’s literally second nature to me, and I cannot see things as an average person would with the creative mindset I have,” explained the photographer.

The passionate photographer says he bases his style predominantly on 90’s aesthetic and credits popular trends and different art forms during that time as his main influence.

”My style or look stems from influences from movies and music. Movies in terms of storytelling and cinematography, by the likes of John Singleton and music within the genre of 90s hip hop, with the likes of 2Pac, Nas, Notorious B I G and more. The common thread with these art forms, is that the body of work released in the era of the 90s are what I gravitate to,” said the 22-year-old.

“As a creative, I tend to see and feel a lot of my influences through these forms of art, with the reality of life. It’s a take in which I see through their art, that life can be both happy, and sad, but more importantly realistic. That is what I try to convey in my work,” continued Hinds.

Hinds in describing his methodology admitted reliance on Kodak Portra and FujiFilm.

“If it’s one thing I’m sure of, shooting the medium of film gives me the look I want. Fine grain, moody shadows, darkened shadows. This medium contributes a whole lot to my style of work, and it’s why I continue to utilise the medium to this day,” Hinds said.

Despite being a budding photographer, the young man has the challenge of balancing school and work and outlined the importance of being ‘consistent’.

“There are definitely challenges, but I embrace them and these are things that set me apart from the rest. I have to manage my time wisely, make plans and schedule in advance for work, school and more importantly rest. There are times when I don’t even want to see my camera or even feel motivated to do work. It’s important to be consistent though, consistency always brings back my motivation to persevere to be the best there is,” said the photographer.

Hinds listed a host of other creatives in the industry he hopes to emulate namely Whosrila, ShotByDeth, Bwoy Pedro, Davy Frsh and Phvrvoah.

Despite being relatively young in the profession, the photographer boasts an impressive resume having had the opportunity to shoot at major concerts such as New Rules, Reggae Sumfest and the Burna Boy concert.

Hinds’ ambitions are very clear as he admitted that he has a lot in the pipeline. The photographer outlined his dreams to one day own a creative entity that enlists the services of photographers and shooters that share the same passion as him.

He aspiring to be the very best in the field.

“I’m definitely working towards being the best there is, and that’s a realistic feat which will take some time, but in all honesty, nothing is far from my reach.”