Today we’d like to introduce you to Khamaree Owens.
Hi Khamaree, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Filmmaking and storytelling are something that came back around full circle.
As a kid, I had some of the best toys and my favorites were a Barbie video and polaroid camera, a telescope, and of course my Nintendo 64! I can remember making home videos of everyday life with my family and taking pictures of random things. Big shout out to my mother and my grandparents for exposing me to so many great things in my early development.
Fast forward to 2016, I had just moved to Baltimore to attend Notre Dame of Maryland University to play lacrosse and I changed my major from IT to studio Art. At the time, I had only my iPhone and my class film camera but my partner noticed how much I had fallen in love with taking pictures. She gave me this postcard with an old-school Nikon camera on it and said one day she’ll get me a real one. That really meant a lot to me because it was something that I hadn’t recognized I enjoyed so much, it just felt like second nature.
One Sunday, my Art history class took a trip to the Walters Museum, and afterward, I found myself taking pictures around Mount Vernon. There was a guy walking in my direction with a few other people and he said “Take my picture!” Of course, I did take his picture and after I learned he was currently conducting a photoshoot. I asked to join for a bit to observe and a few months later I reached back out to work with him and his team.
That was my introduction to video and filmmaking, filming weddings knowing absolutely nothing! From there I fell in love with the craft and studied a lot, still do honestly, there’s always something to learn.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, it’s been a smooth road to be in the business of filmmaking, but there are slower periods and challenges that come along the way.
One of the challenges is maintaining income as a freelancer during slower periods, but I’m happy to say it’s one I’ve overcome because I’ve found ways to diversify my income. At the end of the day, it’s about the art of the hustle, it’s always a hustle.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a storyteller! I specialize in cinematography and filmmaking, which is what I’m mainly known for.
A few works that I’m really proud of are my most recent short film “Black Womxn Missing” and the music visual “Being Blxck”. I’m most proud of these works because I love the thesis behind them. They both explore blackness in a visually artistic way, and I approached them as experiments, which I think made them even more enjoyable for me to create.
I think what makes me different from others is my storytelling approach. Storytelling for me will always be at the forefront of all of my works and it’s almost impossible for me to not find a story in even the smallest ways. I really like to experiment with tools, concepts, and anything that I haven’t tried before. I also would never have my subject or talent do anything that I wouldn’t.
For example, in “Being Blxck” there’s a scene where the artist, Black Assets, is in the water grooving, and of course to get the shot I got right in there with her fully clothed and all! It was a great time, to say the least!
Any big plans?
I’m really looking forward to creating an agency with other talented individuals, getting into writing, and at some point creating a horror film. I’m looking forward to planning bigger productions and eventually workshops for our youth. As far as big changes, I did recently rebrand khamdoArt so I’m excited about rolling that out!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.khamdoart.xyz
- Instagram: instagram.com/khamdoart
- Facebook: Facebook.com/khamdoart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWub7qzmfY8l3gfMnj_-Pw/featured
Image Credits
Willis Aybar and Juan Gordon
