Interview: Jamaica's exceptional photographer Demario Hinds discusses realism in art, pivotal career moments, his commitment to documenting authentic stories, and his vision for the future
Demario Hinds pushes his boundaries through lenses (Photo: Shampagnex)
Demario Hinds has been using photography as a form of expression for a few years now, experimenting with dark themes and backgrounds with a trickle of colour from time to time, highlighting not only the grittiness, but the joy of Jamaican culture. With the late Chi Modu as one of his primary inspirations, you can see parallels of similarities - back when the Nigerian-born American had an array of portraits with Tupac Shakur.
From concert imagery of some of the most popular local and international artiste, black and white street photography inspired photos, and fashion work, Demario Hinds’ image discography speaks out a lot to the realism aspect of everyday life in Jamaica.
He describes himself as a photographer, videographer, creative director, founder of a clothing brand, and most importantly a man of God. On how he started photography, “I started photography around the summer of 2016 when I used to live in Portmore. My father had some plants in the backyard. Initially, my father asked me to take some pictures of a Banana tree.”
"My father encouraged me to continue pursuing it [photography] and ultimately that habit became a passion" (Photo: Shampagnex)
“I decided I didn’t want to take this in any orthodox way, and by extension I found some creative angles and I edited it. The result of this was very good. My father encouraged me to continue pursuing it [photography] and ultimately that habit became a passion.”
His continued practice would result in different instagram accounts that revolved around photography. He would take photos of anything really, just to get the habit in as well as putting himself out there.
Research also went into this phase, getting familiar with the technical side of photography also in editing and other post-production methods.
On the person’s who he looked up to in the creative space, he said, “In the latter years of high school I’d say Shot by Deth, Whosrila, and Pharoah. All three of these persons influenced my creative side, and more so ‘look’ for my visuals.
The creative field in Jamaica isn’t always seen as something viable and profitable in the eyes of older generations, due to the lack of awareness of technological growth and ease of access as the years go on. During his last year at high school, after being at a crossroads to choose between studying media versus something more traditional, he chose media - attending the University of Technology.
Doing something outside of a structured learning environment comes with a lot more trial and error, but it does get you to build a network faster and gives you that confidence. However, choosing to get formal tertiary education while at the same time getting hands-on experience does set you apart further than most people just doing one of those things.
On how he transitioned to Utech, “It was an easy transition for me because I try my best to learn and do the research beforehand, to be prepared with that practice.”
“Granted at Utech it’s actually on a bigger scale, with film and other forms of production. But I took the same approach in any thing that I intended to learn - to just do the research and practice over time, and by extent it was a smoother transition than a difficult one.”
At a specific interval throughout him beginning University, as well as doing photography semi-professionally there had to be a shift to where a more serious and dedicated approach took precedence. Hinds explained it like a “dopamine effect.” He added, “It’s a feeling of finally achieving something you wanted to get, and just feeling motivated to do more, and that motivation led me to take this craft more seriously. It has brought me places, it has provided for me, and people appreciate genuine and real art. So these things contributed to the seriousness of me taking my craft on a different level.”
"New Rules has really changed the trajectory of my career because the images I took at that event led to a whole lot of different opportunities".
On specific events that have elevated him, “You see because I’m a person that remembers dates very vividly, the 2nd of July 2022 was my first concert - New Rules put on by Alkaline and his team. That concert really changed the trajectory of my career because the images I took at that event led to a whole lot of different opportunities - like Reggae Sumfest, the Burna Boy ‘Love Damini’ show, the Chris Brown Concert, Lost In Time etc. A lot of opportunities started from New Rules, and I was able to learn, practice, and better my craft from the different events going forward.”
What makes Demario Hinds unique is that his photos are very different from others. Some might think ‘what’s the point?’ when they realize how dark it is or see an overcast of shadows.
“So my usual theme has a lot to do with realism. Realism in a way of not having a facade or more so creating something that is not there. As a photographer I think it’s my duty to document realistic things. If I try to shape the world in a way that is not real, I don’t think that is being true.”
In terms of his best or favourite body of work, “This one is interesting because every time I shoot I try my best to execute the best way possible, and so ultimately I try to level up after each body of work, I might not get it every time but I definitely push myself to get better. I wouldn’t say a best body of work, but it’s a space I know I excel in, but when I shoot concerts I feel very competent and very comfortable because that’s a zone that I’m sure in. I know how to get different angles, different point of views, and to bring that realistic feel to the performance.
With his latest affiliation with Outtadoor Records, Hinds has steadied himself doing more music videos, in particular for label mate Mxssivh. However, shooting video comes with its own complexities and technical proficiencies, he said, “I understand the importance of composition and also the technical things from a photography point of view, and I just used that knowledge to transition into music videos.”
He continued, “There are more important details in documenting in a music video and I just took the time to research and apply the knowledge - any mistake that I made from shooting these music videos I just use as a stepping stone going forward.
”As a photographer I think it’s my duty to document realistic things. If I try to shape the world in a way that is not real, I don’t think that is being true.”
On if there is any chance of fully transitioning into video Hinds said, “I intend to do more big projects - like campaigns, music videos, or even general photography work. Those are spaces I am confident in at the moment.
On what’s next for him, “I wish I can see in the future to be honest, but only God knows the plans he has for me, and wherever he leads me I will follow. In a creative way though, I definitely want to challenge myself more by doing things in an unorthodox way whether it’s me doing fashion campaigns, editorials, because that’s the direction I’m trying to push myself in more. My most recent body of work was featured in London Fashion Week. But I still think I can do more.
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