Meet Joel Bull Hendricks | Photographer & Merchandise Manger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joel Bull Hendricks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joel Bull, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Music, art, and the pursuit of being creative has been at the forefront of my existence since I was a kid. Depression always played a roll in my life. Being creative helped me deal with the depression but in some instances, made it worse, at least when it came to being laughed at for some of the music I made in the early days of being a musician. Now, being a photographer, I don’t have to depend on three or four other people to show up and be good at what they/we do. It’s just me and my camera and the world is the canvas. There is a lot of freedom in art. And the community of people who I’ve been able to meet through photography are some of the best people I know.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a musician has pushed me into a mindset of writing lyrics that address issues of racism, depression, social injustice, and the like. I’ve been writing lyrics since I was 20 years old. These days, taking photographs has me looking at everything from the perspective of composition. I could take photos of laundry mats and basketball hoops, and I have, but that’s just another trend on social media. My photography is portrait and street based. I don’t claim to be better than anyone else. My take with my photographs is the dirty streets, the poverty, the struggle, the human condition. And in that range, you’ll see my kids, a homeless person, a street covered with garbage, a burned down RV. I like to go where normal people do not go. I’m not a threat to the people on the street. I’m not doing this for personal gain. Photography is documenting the here and now. It’s been nice to hear people say that I’ve come a long way since I started shooting full time a few years ago. I think that eventually you fall into your rhythm and shooting photos becomes an extension of who you are inside. Having depression makes me want to photograph the dirty streets and graffiti ladened walls, oppression; because it’s the way I feel inside. And when I’m not riddled with depression, I tend to photograph happier things. Since getting on some meds, I’ve been a lot better with my moods. Photography has helped tremendously. I never give up. I always have a camera with me. You never know what’s around the corner. Anything can happen in a moments notice.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would start out for coffee at Flat White in Cypress, CA. Then head to East LA Film Shop for some film for our adventures. Having film in hand we would walk around East LA and take some photos of the iconic scenery from various films that were filmed in the area. Next stop would be some lunch at Mariscos Jalisco for the most insane tacos in ELA. We would then head Olvera Street to shop and shoot more photos. Olvera Street is incredible. On to downtown LA fashion district to walk around and shoot more photos and browse shops and people watch. Parking structures are perfect for a perched view of different views of LA. From there we would head to Venice Beach to catch the sunset at the skate park. Get tattooed at Lincoln Tattoo Company, hit Deus Machine to buy some t-shirts, then have dinner at Crossroads Kitchen. Top the night with drinks at Dan Tana’s. Day two:
Hit Sunken City in San Pedro and check out the Korean Friendship Bell then head to Cabrillo Beach. Grab lunch at San Pedro Fish Market. Then we’d hit 600 Shields Drive where the police raid was filmed in the movie Colors. And Charles Bukowski’s grave site. After that, cross the Vincent Thomas Bridge and hit Roscoe’s on Broadway for lunch which was the last place “Inside Out” played before they became Rage Against The Machine. The building was a music venue called Toe Jam. Night time we would hit a show in Orange County at Garden Grove Amp then stroll to the Huntington Beach Pier for a late night walk.
Day three:
Hike Runyon Canyon then hit the Griffith Observatory and the Ennis House. Then visit some grave sights, (Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart) at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. Grab lunch in Los Feliz at Alcove. Hit Atwater Village and checkout the spot where the Beastie Boys recorded their Check Your Head album. Baseball game at Dodgers Stadium with Dodger Dogs for dinner.
Day four:
Museum of Tolerance. Lunch at Canter’s Deli. Holocaust Museum. Dinner at Farmers Market.
Day five:
LA County Museum of Art. Then hit the Sunset Strip and Hollywood Boulevard to look at Hollywood Walk of Fame. Lunch at In & Out Burger on Sunset. Then go see Johnny & DeeDee Ramone at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Cruise through Silverlake and get coffee at Intelligentsia Coffee Bar. Hit Echo Park “Lady of The Lake” and snap some photos. Then off to The Last Book Store and dinner at Pizzanista.
Day six:
Visit my good friend Rolland Berry in DTLA who is a true artist and clothing designer. Spend the morning with him then head to Skidrow, The Arts District, and the 6th Street Bridge. Dinner and drinks at home.
Day seven:
Beach day. Hangout at the beach in Malibu. Bring food and snacks and go in the water.

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?
Recently, I’ve been reading “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin. This book is a game changer. Yung Pueblo is also a great writer. On a personal level, my wife and kids are always encouraging me to push harder. Kids have a great mindset because there are no rules. They’re a great reminder of how I need to stay in the mode of a childlike mindset. The photography community in Los Angeles is incredible. I’ve had the chance to meet some really incredible people in recent years. Estevan Oriol, Josh “Bagel” Klassman, Ithaka Pappas, Drew Carolan, Pete Kalionzes, Robert Ortiz, Tim Hendricks, Ben Grillo, and many others. Business related inspiration would go to my good friends Mark “Blaster” Evans, Evan Shinder and Chris Cox. They’ve been a major inspiration for me to pursue my dreams and never give up.

Website: www.joelbullphoto.com

Instagram: @joelbullphoto

Other: https://standhardcore.bandcamp.com/album/broken-promises https://joelbull.bigcartel.com/product/urban-struggle-book-of-portraits-by-joel-bull www.247merch.com https://www.teepublic.com/user/joelbull

Image Credits
All photos by me. Joel Bull Hendricks