Meet Pep Williams | Fine Art Photographer

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

Hi Pep, how does your business help the community?
With my photography I like to educate and inspire. Recently I held a photography show in Malibu at city hall on my prison series “Behind Bars”. I photographed inmates in prison but not what people would expect to see. I have inmates dancing, laughing, and actually riding skateboards inside the prisons. People are always shocked because they forget they are looking at people who are incarcerated. This series is shown all over the world and in museums and when a kid walks up to me and say they have a family member who is incarcerated and my work makes them feel good because it gives them a sense of maybe it’s not so bad and they are doing ok. So it’s why I love what I do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Im a fine art photographer and former pro skateboarder. I believe what sets me apart from most photographers is I shoot by feeling. If I don’t feel it a move on. In the early part of my career it was exceptionally easy. Day rates averaged around 20k and we were shooting all the time. Over the years it just became a job and I was becoming bored. Then I found fine art photography and everything changed. In any business or art the key is consistency. Just don’t stop. If you push and are a little better then you were the day before it’s almost impossible to fail. A little sacrifice and persistence.

One of my goals was to be in museums and when I achieved that my next goal was to have my work studied in the school systems. When I reached that I was excited to know students are doing homework on my art. Now my goal is just to shoot, inspire, and be one of the known photographers of our age.

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?
From being born in raised in LA there are so many cool places popping up weekly. But the tried and true on the west side are Venice Beach, Polo Lounge, Peninsula Hotel, SoHo House WH, Meat On Ocean, Santa Monica’s Farmers Market, and Mélisse Restaurant.

On the East Miceli’s, Flemings Steak House, San Antonio Winery, Niku X, and so many more cool places. And of course Disneyland.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people to thank but a big thanks to My Mom, Pauley Perrette Cesario “BLOCK” Montano, Mike Muir, Asa Soltan Rahmati, RETNA, Khodr Cherry, and James Agnew. These individuals played a special part in my photography career.

Website: HTTP://pepwilliams.com

Instagram: @pepwilliams

Twitter: @Pep_Williams

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PepWilliamsPhotographer/

Image Credits
The photo of me is shot by @streetlens72. The rest are mine.