Meet Devon Trunk | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Devon Trunk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devon, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Ever since 3 years old, I have been in the creative space. I started off as a ballet dancer attending various dance studios in Orange County. My greatest creative driver was attending OCSA (Orange County School of the Arts) for both middle school and high school. There, I was exposed to a multitude of creative outlets and a plethora of all types of humans.

I didn’t realize how much I learned through my studies there until I got to college. I danced all throughout college but unfortunately lost the passion due to a long depressive episode. No one prepares you for your late teens and early twenties. At the time, I thought my self-identity was gone because it was tied to dancing my entire life. Which, looking back was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I thought my world had crumbled. Until I picked up a camera. The juices just flowed, and I saw the world differently, it was more beautiful than ever. Dance never made me feel the way photography did and to this day, still does.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I got my start in my professional career at Too Faced Cosmetics as a Production Assistant, color-matching components, signing off on batch submissions, and even being the lunch and coffee gopher. Due to my dyscalculia (the struggle with math and inability to read numbers properly) it was just not the job for me and I learned that pretty quickly. Thankfully, I had an amazing boss who wanted me to succeed and she wasn’t at all offended when I told her my plan. Shout out to Jules Laird!

When I saw an opening for a Social Coordinator position, I knew it was time. Once I was in, I took the job and ran with it. Creating as much content as possible. This was in 2014, the start of the social media influencer boom when brands realized how important it was to create a brand identity on social media. I pride myself on being a one-woman band. I was able to learn lighting, styling, and editing quickly and that’s when I knew it was for me. It came naturally.

After quitting my final social job at Urban Decay Cosmetics, my first freelance client started off incredible, the process was seamless, until my point of contact left the brand. The CEO came to me telling me that the images and budgets were not approved. Mind you, I had already delivered all content and paid out my retouchers. The brand was already using my images for PDP, web, ads, social, email, etc. The CEO and I went back and forth for months revising contracts. I even threatened legal action. This was the first time I had to really advocate for myself – it was the most stressful point in my career but I learned more in those 3 months than I ever had about what it takes to work for yourself.

I was so disappointed in myself but looking back, Im proud of how firm I was in what I deserved. As a woman, that can be hard, especially going up against a huge celebrity brand who I had a lot of respect for at the time. I didn’t want to piss anyone off to jeopardize being “blacklisted” within the beauty community.

Thankfully, I wasn’t blacklisted and learned to ALWAYS HAVE A CONTRACT and to never let clients walk over me from there on out. All bad experiences only lead to more knowledge.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As someone who lives in Orange County and works in LA, I have my go-to spots every time I’m in town.

My all-time favorite restaurant is Sugarfish (BASIC I KNOW) but it hits the spot every single time. I have probably spent over 5k on Sugarfish in my lifetime. Some other amazing food spots are Guisados, Bacari, Sage Bistro, and Joe’s Pizza to name a few.

I also would suggest visiting all the amazing museums the city has to offer. The Getty Villa is breathtaking (I’m a sucker for anything Italian), and The Broad in DTLA, but my all-time favorite is the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena as the outdoor garden/pond area is just such a rare find in a city like Los Angeles.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to legitimately every single person I have come in contact with. I know that is vague but, I mean it!

Some honorable and extremely important mentions; My parents, Mike and Carol. My Nana, Paula, and my grandpa Larry. My best friends Morgan, Brooke, and Amy. My loving boyfriend Camden and his extremely supportive family – Amy, Greg, Emily, Sam, and Bethany. As well as my favorite music artists, James Blake, SZA, The Shins, Frank Ocean and many others. They are able to help me express myself when I can’t quite find the words.

This is going to sound crazy, but I also want to thank my ex-boyfriends, even the abusive ones, for helping me find myself through my experiences with them.

Website: devontrunk.com

Instagram: @devontrunk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devon-trunk-4a847b107/

Other: TikTok: @devontrunk

Image Credits
Photo of Devon Trunk shot by Stephy Perea All other images shot by Devon Trunk