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

Hi Charles, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
One of the significant things that’s propelled me into the space I’m in now with photography and creative direction is that I focus on the experience with people. To me, the connection is everything. Technically speaking, you can have the perfect photo, and if you can’t connect with the person in front of you, the image you create feels empty. Before I picked up a camera, I was a music producer and engineer. Whenever you’re working on a song or project, there are so many pieces at play, and early on, you learn how collaborative the process is. And as you grow closer to the music and people involved, you start to feel the magic of the records coming to life. I took that same approach with photography; the difference was night and day. Now, I’m not saying that the photos aren’t as good when I work with someone new. But I’m intentional about making sure the shoot feels the best it can be, and so do the photos. People always remember how you made them feel, and I want everyone to feel like we made magic together.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My creative and professional career has gone through many changes. When I was younger, I thought having a plan B meant you were less fully invested in your dreams. Or that you had to do the exact thing you were working for to be considered a true creative. But as I grew older, I realized I was only shrinking myself to fit into a narrative that didn’t apply to all my interests. Before moving to LA, I was solely a music producer in NYC. I was working in studios, collaborating with artists in the city, and trying to land placements on records. Everything was music. And even though I was telling myself, “This is how you do it; this is the dream,” in the end, I could feel the burnout slowly approaching. The chip on my shoulder that pushed me to create this path of a professional creative started to become doubt, worrying that the timing of everything working out was all an unrealistic dream.
Then, one random afternoon on the couch, an epiphany happened. I turned off the music in the house and sat in silence. I asked myself, “What do you want?” That was immediately followed up with “To be a top 5 music producer ever.” Then, out of nowhere, I asked myself, “That’s it?” My world completely shifted after that moment. Then, I realized that I needed something besides music to fulfill me. I was into so many things but thought it would make me look less like a music producer. At that moment, I stopped trying to fit an image, stopped focusing on how things looked, and started figuring out what made me happy. Once that happened, everything started falling into place. A new sense of confidence and fearlessness also grew, knowing that my whole self was stepping to the plate.
Fast forward to now, I’m an active photographer and creative director. I work in the music side of tech for one of the largest companies in the world, and I still produce music. If there’s anything I want to leave with people, it’s that you can do it all. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into an image of what you think you’re supposed to be. If you do, you’ll never be able to give all of yourself into something. I had to redefine what success was for me, and nowadays, success is being happy. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were coming to visit, we’d have to hit these definite go-to spots. First things first, we’re hitting The Roof at EDITION to grab an old-fashioned and check out the view. Then we’re heading to DTLA to grab food at Joey’s before going to the Lakers game. After the win (of course, the Lakers are winning), we grab a few more people and hit up Cara Cara to chill on the roof (I’m pro-rooftops if you haven’t figured it out yet) before heading to The Continental Club to finish out the night! The next day, we grab brunch at Met Her at a Bar and hit the museum immediately. While checking out the art, we’d plan for the rest of the day/week. Some definite places to hit will include The Art Room, Atrium, Blind Barber (Highland Park), Laurel Hardware, Apt 200, Lock & Key, Mirate, Baar Baar, The Association, and Elbow Room to catch any other games. If any events are happening, El Teteo, Peaches and Cream 2000s party, Everyday People, and Aventuras are the ones we’re looking out for. It’ll be a good week!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many individuals have played a part in my journey, but without this small group of people, I would not be the creative person I am now. First and foremost, I want to shout out to my parents, who surrounded me with the arts at a young age. They invoked a passion inside me that has carried on to this day.
When stepping into the world as an adult, EJ Lykes was the first person to see that passion blossom and empowered me to bet on myself, including dropping out of school and moving to Maryland and eventually New York City. She was also the first person I took photos of when I started my photography journey. When an opportunity to move to LA for work presented itself, EJ was the first person who supported the cross-country transition, and the work wasn’t even guaranteed! She believed and supported when others watched from a distance to see if things would work. For that, I’m forever grateful.
I want to shout out Ann Mincieli and Jungle City Studios for teaching me what discipline and executing on a high level looks like. That recording studio was the training ground that built the habits I still keep today.
I want to shout out my mentor, Tyler Shields, for challenging me to go deeper with my photography and learn film. His success in the field continues to show me what’s possible.
To Alicia and Kelz, we wouldn’t have pulled off our first editorial cover without your art direction and styling, so a BIG shoutout to you both.
Lastly, I want to shout out Jasmine Balais. Without her, this photography journey in LA would have looked entirely different. She was the first person whose shoot gained traction in LA and connected me with many people I continue to work with now. It’s hard to believe that she came across my (more minor) work from social media by chance, and it is the root that sprouted everything happening now. Words could never do justice, thank you.

Website: https://www.wavehouseproductions.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saintcharles__

Image Credits
In photos: Jasmine Balais, Rose Lewis, Leenda Lucia, Johanna Martinez, Chinyere Stevens, Kelz, Jessica Vanessa, and Lupe Fuentes.

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