Meet William Barclay | Portrait Photographer

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

Hi William, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Taking short breaks and embracing a “just do it” method are two habits that help me be the most excellent version of myself.

I am a person who loves planning projects before I do them. I used to do so much planning for a photography project I would blow them off and say to myself, “Well, it’s planned; I’ll photograph this later.” Saying that would lead to unfinished projects. This mentality had to stop. So, I created a system that gives me four days to finish a photography project.

This system motivated me to do my best within four days. I now plan more quickly and efficiently and get great results. Sometimes, I dive into a project with little to no planning. I taught myself to say, “Just do it!” Yes, the results might not be what you wanted, but seeing where that unexpected and unknown can take you is beautiful. It’s worth the risk.

I work a lot on my computer. I used to have this unhealthy habit of not taking any breaks when working on my laptop. As a university student, I would spend countless hours working on different assignments to complete them. Working like this was detrimental to my thought process. It would slow me down mentally.

Taking short breaks helps me because it is a reset for my brain. Just focusing on something else is so refreshing. Taking a break also helps my eyes to refresh. Just taking a look at the trees blowing outside my window helps. I can’t stress this enough: take that break. You deserve it!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My love for photography started when I was ten years old. I took photos of everything that interested me. I used my iPad mini to capture light, and I would digitally alter the photos to how I dramatically saw them. The way light would hit different objects and would cast complicated shapes of shadows fascinated me so much. In my teens, I focused on the small things in life and dove into the world of macro photography. Through macro, I would create a project called Submerged In Ice, which focused on freezing plants and objects in ice. The objects in the ice create an ice age atmosphere while the plants mimic being frozen in time by a snowstorm. From the creation of this project, I learned that patience is vital. Patience helps me today in my street photography. It doesn’t hurt to wait a while to get your desired photo.

As an artist, I have had my fair share of interests in different mediums, such as 3D modeling, 3D animation, and graphic design. Balancing all of my interests was a challenge. I would spend hours 3D modeling and barely make headroom for photography. It was a halt in my photography. It was easier to balance graphic design because I would merge my photography with it. Ultimately, I had to stop 3D modeling and 3D animation from focusing more on photography. It was hard to give up as I was getting proficient with the two mediums. But I had to make a sacrifice to grow as a photographer.

With much of my work today, I try to unmask personality or something you can’t see with the naked eye. Sometimes, the little things about a person or a spectacle within an object can intrigue me. I am in a time when I am focusing more on portraiture work. With every photo I take of a client in a studio or a stranger on the street, I try to bring out a narrative or story. Outside of my portraiture work, you can still see a portrait of someone in my street photography. The narrative is unmasking itself through my subject’s actions, from a Honduran woman patiently tapping her fingers awaiting her next customer to a man who appears stressed smoking a cigarette.

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.
If they were visiting LA, I would tell them to take their friend to Ayce Gogi for some Korean Barbeque. They have a great all-you-can-eat menu for an affordable price for two. If they are hungry for more Korean food, I would recommend they stop by Jjukku Jjukku in Koreatown.

If it’s a beautiful sunny day, I would recommend the Botanical Gardens at The Huntington. If they want to stay inside, I would recommend The Last Bookstore in Downtown and Break Room LA in Van Nuys.

For a chill evening, take a walk through the LACMA. Ed Ruscha is currently having an exhibit until October. Another chill activity is walking through Little Tokyo and eating at one of the many great restaurants there.

If you want to visit the beach while in the LA area, head down to Sycamore Cove Beach or Zuma Beach. On weekdays, they are usually pretty empty.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shout out everyone willing to be in front of my lens! I am so thankful for every person I have photographed and taken photos with. I also want to thank everyone who supported me throughout my photography journey. I appreciate it a lot, and I won’t forget it!

Website: https://www.wmbarclayphotography.com

Instagram: wmb.photography_

Other: https://pixels.com/profiles/3-william-barclay