Kareem Black

"Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art." - Andy Warhol

There is no denying that throughout the 20th and 21st century, visual artists have been at the forefront of business. From commercial artist C. Harold Willis, who designed the Model T Ford in 1909; to Harvey Ball, who created the world famous smiley face; it's clear that artists have the capacity to sell products and ideas.

New York City-based photographer Kareem Black is one of the most sought after commercial artists in the industry. With clients like VIBE magazine, Sports Illustrated, Samsung, MTV, and Vitamin Water, it's clear that Black is not only a savvy photographer, but a monster in the boardroom.

I caught up with Mr. Black for an interview and this is what was said:

StopBeingFamous:  Let's start with something fun. What is your fascination with Star Trek?

Kareem Black:  Well, I've been a Star Trek fan since I was six. I love all the incarnations of the series except for Voyager and Star Trek Five; they're terrible (laughing).  The original series is about three guys: Kurt, Spock and McCoy.  They represent the three emotions that everyone deals with and tries to balance them in their lives. McCoy is all emotion, Spock is all logic and Kurt is the balance of the two. I love watching the three characters play off of each another. It's a story about friendship and discovering new things. I've been all over the world: Thailand, Prague, Egypt and Morocco.  For me, it's about exploration just like Star Trek is about seeking out new life.

SBF:  You took a photo of rapper T.I. standing on a beach for the cover of Billboard Magazine. Why did you choose that location?

K:  Well, if I'm shooting a Hip-Hop artist, I want to shoot him in a light that people haven't seen him in before. I like taking people out of their element and saying, "Hey, they're human." They have different sides to them just like I do.  I went through a whole phase of taking Hip-Hop artists and shooting them on beaches.  A lot of the people I photograph are more complicated than their persona.  I'm a big nerd if you can't already tell (laughing).  I'm not aware of popular culture. There's a lot of shit that just goes over my head (laughing). Like, I just found out that Doogie Howser is gay.  I didn't know that (laughing). I was like, what? When I shoot people, it's strange not to know where they come from or what they've done or their persona on TV. I want my photos to be about the commonalities. These people shit too, you know what I mean?

SBF:  Definitely.  So, how did you get into celebrity photography in the first place?

K:  I got lucky (laughing). I love music. Well, I love certain music. One of my first clients was The Fader (magazine).  I knew someone at a PR (public relations) agency that was working with what would become The Fader. I shot a band for the cover. After showing the pictures to the publicist, she (the publicist) said, "Hey, this company I've been working for is about to come out with a magazine called The Fader, do you want to shoot for it?" And she said, "We don't have any money."  I was three months out of college and had only been published a couple of times, so I said yes. Yes, I'll totally shoot for The Fader. I don't care what it's going to look like, I wanted to get my work published. Then she asked, " Do you know any other photographers who could shoot for us?"  And I totally did, but I said no (laughing). Fuck that, I'll shoot the whole thing.  So, the first issue of The Fader came out and there's Rev. Run from Run DMC and Zach de la Rocha on the cover. Another photographer shot the cover, but the inside I shot 80 percent of it.  I didn't get paid a fucking dime, but after that my phone wouldn't stop ringing. That's what got my foot in the door.

SBF: Have you ever been star-struck?

K: (Laughing) Yeah. Actually, on two occasions.  The first time I was star-stuck was five or six years ago. I was shooting this guy for Timeout New York, who was in a play on Broadway. He walked in and I was like, "Oh, my God!" I still don't know what is name was, but he played a character named Roger Danaron on Star Trek: The Next Generation (laughing). He was a featured extra. I was like "Dude, what is happening?" (laughing).  The other time I was star-stuck was with Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. One of the first albums I ever owned was Sonic Youth's Dirty.  So, when I was hired to shoot Kim Gordon four years ago, it was of those things, like wow. I was shooting her in this building on Lafayette (in Manhattan) we ended up going to the wrong floor and it was Sofia Coppola's apartment. When Kim and I got to the right apartment, I took a shot of her on her bed, which was great. Then, I went into her bathroom and it was beautiful, it was like something out of the mid to late 1800's.  I said to Kim, "I really want to shoot you in the shower," and she said cool. I remember being there and thinking to myself, things have changed, I've got Kim Gordon in the shower (laughing).

SBF: What's the craziest thing to happen to you while on a shoot?

K: I did a shoot for MTV.  No, I think it was Viacom, for a reality show about firefighters in Compton. And literally, I was in a burning building shooting these firefighters. It was one of those things where it's like, um... hey, yeah, these shots look really good, but, um... the room is on fire (laughing). I mean it was really on fire. I had to protect my equipment with fire proof shit and I couldn't stand straight up. It was too hot. 

SBF: What is it like for you to be behind the camera?  Do you have a check list you go over in your head before snapping each picture?   

K: Absolutely not. I'm very confident in my lighting. I'd rather be caught with my lights than without them. Sometimes I'll bring a bunch of lights on a shoot, but I wont use them; instead I'll shoot day light. I like to meet whoever I'm shooting before hand to see what they're about. Most of the time I haven't seen the location before hand and a lot of the time I don't even care to. I feel like I can go into any situation and make it happen.      

SBF: If there were no boundaries concerning budget, laws of physics and technology; what would you snap a picture of?

K: I have a couple of pictures in my mind that are somewhat weird and disturbing. I would love to shoot Elvis. I have a vision of shooting him on a Pegasus, you know, the horse with wings. Not early Elvis — I want fat, pudgy, Elvis. I imagine him being all greasy and shit (laughing). His cape would be flowing and the wings of the Pegasus would be stretched. That photo would be awesome. End of Interview.