Israel (Izzy) Douglas
by Mariah Hicks
From one photographer to another, introducing your individual style into such a broad realm can be a difficult process. It comes with the fear of rejection and dealing with the competitiveness of the photography world while also working to compel people to resonate with your work. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Israel Douglas, a Toledo photographer who has been in the game going on two years. As fellow photographers, we discussed what it is to be not just any creative, but a creative who realizes and appreciates the individuality that they bring to the game and how important unique styles are in any form of art. Check out the interview with Izzy below!
MH: Who are you as a creative?
ID: I feel like I’m very laid back. My imagination always creates these crazy ideas so as a creative, I’m always looking for poppy, flashy things that wouldn’t match up, things that don’t make sense, but because it doesn't make sense it makes it different.
MH: When did you start your photography career?
ID: I started photography last year (2018). I started due to me taking ESPN courses at UT, and I realized I would see pictures and be like I can recreate that. My boyfriend started doing videography, and I just kind of took it upon myself after that to do photography.
MH: Can you describe your creative process?
ID: My creative process is solely based off of music. I get most of my ideas from music because it really has different emotions. I love emotions, and I feel like you can just listen to music and my thought process goes off of how I would recreate what I hear.
MH: Who are some of your biggest influences when it comes to your work?
ID: A really well-known one would be Jessica Kobeissi, she’s a fashion photographer and she really got me going with photography. Another big one would be Joelle Grace. I just look for big photographers and aim for the highest.
MH: How do you want people to see you as a creative?
ID: One big thing for me would be that I’m not serious. In saying that, I feel like in professional photography there’s rules to everything, and I want people to see my photography as barrier-breaking. There’s no boundaries, there’s no set rules, there’s no restriction on what you can do because I feel like photos are in the moment.
MH: How do you work through your self doubt?
ID: I have self doubt because I expect a lot from myself as a photographer. I’m pretty sure that’s what anybody aspiring to be great does; they expect to just get to the greatness without realizing the steps. I know I’ve always had expectations set high for me; I’m young and I’ve always been around people who are advancing faster and are older and further along in their careers,so I always expect myself to do more, but in that self doubt I realize that I am young. I just started this a year ago and it takes time just like anything. If I work hard enough, I will get to the level I want to be at.
MH: What advice do you have for other creatives?
ID: Always remember that you are the baddest. In saying this, I just want everybody to know that nobody’s work is better than the other. I don’t like comparing myself to people because everybody has a different vision, everybody considers art very different. I just feel like as creatives you have to understand that not everybody is going to understand your art. Your art is not something for everybody to like therefore, you don’t need everybody’s approval and the little support that you do get, appreciate it because it goes a long way.
As she continues following her passion, Izzy hopes to someday land her dream job as a photographer for Vogue. In the present moment, though, she’s focusing on creating more and collaborating with more photographers around Toledo. Check her out @icreativephotography_ and make sure to book a shoot with her!
