Meet Taylor Ballantyne | Director & Photographer

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

Hi Taylor, why did you pursue a creative career?
I grew up in the creative industry as a young kid, surrounded by all different types of artists. It was the world I knew and what I felt most connected to. Both my parents worked in film and television. I was raised around a writer and a producer. Story telling and the power of it was a huge discussion in our home. I fell in love with photography at 13 years old, and ended up starting my own business at 16. Photography taught me how to create a story within a single image. Learning how to master this allowed me to expand on a larger scale. As a director and photographer my job is to connect with people on an emotional and personal level to learn how best to tell their story. What drives me each day is telling other people’s stories and the challenge of learning how people will digest and receive those narratives. Dedicating my life to storytelling has given me so much perspective, understanding and compassion for people and for myself.

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 X-Factor is my ability to align with my subjects energy, reproduce it through the lens and allow their authentic selves to shine through. My journey to where I am today was an extremely unique path; from starting my own photography business at 16 years old shooting god knows what for god knows how much, all the way to shooting Sports Illustrated Covers, took an immense amount of stamina and will to succeed.

Working with motion and stills in commercial, advertising, editorial and film environments gives me the privilege and opportunity to reach the masses. I’ve hit many milestones in my career thus far that I am very proud of and am honored to have been been recognized for my photo and video work on large platforms such as the Cannes Lions Film Festival, Good Morning America, Sports Illustrated Covers and having a number one music video hit charts in multiple genres.

The road to where I am today in my professional career was not an easy path. Though I found my purpose and calling at a young age, continuing to choose it along the way was very challenging. It came with a lot of sacrifice and learning how to surrender while valuing myself and my time amongst adversity.

In order to overcome challenges like rejection, disbelief or just plain timing, I had to learn the most important lesson of all; how to VALUE myself and what I bring to the table. I continue to work on that everyday (even 20 years into this business). I had to learn to trust my work ethic, creative ability, technical talent, my ideas and inspiration without fear taking over. Trusting your knowledge and value even when drawing a creative blank, navigating business politics or difficult personalities is a challenging commitment but a rewarding one on the other side.

Implementing basic routine and discipline is a way I have been able to overcome a lot of challenges. I’ve had to put a lot of work into developing a routine for myself, which I still haven’t mastered – from the way I eat, sleep, workout and pray/meditate. Striving to create a balanced rhythm is what keeps me accountable for my time and my creative energy. Taking care of self and having faith as a creative is the most important thing to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up in Malibu, CA then moved to NYC when I was 20. I lived in NYC for 12 years until I recently relocated to Nashville, TN. I’ve lived and visited many cities all around the US and internationally. No matter where I am I love a good martini and appetizers, love a grill vibe for dinner and places with lively energy… whether that’s live music or dancing… somewhere that allows you to be free and meet people from all walks of life.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate this shoutout article to my parents who gave me the tools and a supportive environment to harness my creative abilities all the while instilling in me the belief that I am good enough. And to my mentor, photo-journalist Ken Regan, who taught me how to create that magic moment by being connected to my intuition.

Website: https://www.taylorballantyne.com

Instagram: @taylorbphoto, @taylorbfilm

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorballantyne/

Twitter: @taylorbphoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073776456435

Image Credits
©Ballantyne Films Inc