Today we’d like to introduce you to Phillip Herring.
Hi Phillip, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I picked up a camera in 2012, and what started as curiosity turned into a way of seeing the world. I’m rooted in Palmer Park, in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and that sense of place, of paying attention to the people and rhythms around me has shaped everything about how I shoot. Over the years my work grew into cinematic portraiture and street documentary, and I started chasing that same eye for light and story across places like Zimbabwe, London, Washington DC, and New Orleans.
This past July, I brought a lot of that journey together in my debut solo exhibition, *Chasing Light*, at Station 3510 in Mount Rainier, thirty photographs spanning those four places and over a decade of work. Alongside the photography, I’ve also found myself drawn to writing and storytelling more broadly. I wrote a memoir, *Common Ground*, rooted in stories from Palmer Park, and I’m working on a novel, *The Well Between Worlds*. I also co-host the Creative Habits Podcast, where I get to talk shop with other creatives about the discipline behind the craft.
For me, it’s all connected, the photography, the writing, the conversations. It’s about chasing light in every sense: finding it in a face, a street corner, a memory, and figuring out how to hold onto it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, no. It’s been anything but a straight line. Building an independent photography practice means wearing every hat: shooter, editor, marketer, bookkeeper, gallery liaison. There’s no single moment where it “clicked.” It’s been a steady grind of figuring out pricing, chasing down partnerships, and learning the business side of a creative career that nobody really teaches you.
Putting together my first solo exhibition, *Chasing Light*, was a huge undertaking. It meant coordinating everything from the checklist and titling of thirty photographs to promotion, partnerships, and sales, all while keeping the creative work itself moving forward. And like a lot of independent artists, I’ve had to balance the photography with other work to keep things stable, which means the hours are long and the road isn’t always glamorous.
But every struggle has sharpened the work. The setbacks taught me patience, and they taught me to trust the process, to keep showing up with the camera even when the business side feels uncertain.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At my core, I’m a portrait and street documentary photographer. I specialize in cinematic portraiture, work that treats an individual moment or a single face with the same weight and intention as a film still, paired with a street documentary eye that captures people in the middle of real life. I’ve shot across Zimbabwe, London, Washington DC, and New Orleans, and what ties that body of work together is an interest in dignity, presence, and light. I’m drawn to the quiet, in between moments: someone minding a market stall, someone waiting, someone at prayer.
What I’m known for, and what I’m proudest of, is my debut solo exhibition *Chasing Light*, thirty photographs spanning over a decade of work across those four places. Bringing it to life at Station 3510 in Mount Rainier was the biggest undertaking of my career so far, and seeing that full arc of my work on gallery walls, from Zimbabwe to New Orleans, was a full circle moment. Beyond the photography, I’m also an author. I wrote a memoir, *Common Ground*, rooted in stories from Palmer Park, and I’m working on an Afrofuturist novel, *The Well Between Worlds*. I also co-host the Creative Habits Podcast, where I dig into the discipline and habits behind creative work.
What sets me apart is that I don’t separate the photography from the storytelling. Every image I make is part of a bigger narrative, whether that’s ancestral, cultural, or personal. I’m someone who thinks in terms of legacy and lineage, and that shows up in how I frame a person, choose a location, and sequence a body of work. It’s not just about a good shot. It’s about where that shot fits in a larger story I’m trying to tell.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
The biggest thing I’d tell someone starting out is: don’t wait until you feel ready to call yourself a photographer. I started in 2012, and looking back, I spent a lot of energy trying to earn the title instead of just doing the work and letting the title catch up to me. Shoot constantly. Put yourself in rooms and streets and situations where real moments are happening, and trust that your eye will sharpen over time.
I also wish I’d understood earlier that this is a business, not just a craft. Nobody teaches you pricing, contracts, marketing, or how to run a gallery show. I learned that hard way, piece by piece, while also trying to keep growing creatively. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to treat the business side with the same seriousness as the artistic side from day one, instead of learning it reactively.
And I’d say: find your throughline early. For me, it took years to realize that my photography, my writing, and my interest in ancestry and legacy were all part of the same story I was trying to tell. Once I saw that connection, everything I made started to feel more intentional. My advice to anyone starting out is to ask yourself not just “what do I want to shoot,” but “what story am I actually trying to tell with my life’s work.” That question will save you a lot of wandering.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://phillipanthonyportraits.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillipanthonyportaits?igsi=Z292Nmh2ZXJoY2li&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://phillipanthonyportraits.printful.me/
