Self-taught photographer and videographer, Corey Patton began his career six years ago unbeknownst to how far he would go. It all began with a simple, light-hearted music video on the app VideoStar.

 “I would just make random music videos on the street, just messing around, riding our bikes and stuff. From that I started to get more into photography using my stepdad’s camera,” said Patton. 

From the start, Patton’s family has always been his biggest support group in pursuing his dreams, specifically his sister. She plays the role of his biggest inspiration in addition to being his number one supporter, always pushing him to do more with whatever ideas she can offer. 

Patton has never taken a photography class and has depended on YouTube videos to teach him everything he needs to know about editing. He has now reached a point where he is learning how to do things the way he wants, independent of what other people recommend.

This independence has allowed him to play around and get creative, especially with portraits. In one of his most recent photos, he had the model drape a bedsheet over herself and shot the portrait from under it. His claim to fame is to uniquely incorporate everyday household items into his shots in order to set him apart from others in the photography field. 

Patton confesses that often he does catch himself in a creativity drought, where he begins to lack inspiration and motivation. Recently, busyness with different job opportunities have shied him away from actually enjoying photography and videography. 

“Sometimes I have to take a break and realize that it’s something that I like to do, and I shouldn’t start to make it a chore,” said Patton. He advises whoever undergoes the same struggle to “put the phone away and live in the moment.”

Despite a wedding being the hardest thing Patton has had to shoot, he recognizes what a good opportunity it was to capture his cousin’s wedding. He made it his mission to return the wedding video the following day but admits it was very fast-paced and time-consuming.

“Everything had to be done very quickly because you only get one shot at it,” said Patton. 

The most promising opportunity he has ever been offered was to edit a video directed by the company Johnson and Johnson for their Wiser program. The medical device company reached out to Patton through his Instagram and asked him to edit a video previously shot to promote the education for young girls in Africa. The video was to be displayed at a gala hosted during the fall of 2019. 

When it comes to choosing between photography and videography, Patton says he prefers to shoot and edit videos. Being more knowledgeable in the videography field, he believes there is so much more to do with a video rather than a photo. “[Photography] is just one image, whereas, in a video, it’s more of a story,” said Patton.

The best part of videography and photography is the variety, in which every opportunity offers something new. “My favorite thing about it is that it’s different every time and that everybody has a different story that I get to capture and share with others.”

Although he has developed his own approach, Patton has decided he wants to focus on bigger things in the future. “I’d like to pursue my own business, and do photography and videography for weddings and events, like bands.”