Meet Tristan Ervin | Photographer and Film Maker

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

Hi Tristan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I feel like it’s been the perfect way to express myself, my interests, and sharing my thoughts with anyone who cares enough to be interested in the things I’m interested in.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I didn’t really consider being an artist or creative until after high school. I went to college for one year, majoring in Business Administration, and right off the bat, I knew that wasn’t the direction I wanted to go. Around this time is when I picked up a camera and starting taking pictures. Didn’t really take it seriously at first – it was just a fun hobby for me to pass the time. People started recognizing my work, and that’s when I started to take it seriously. I changed my major to Photography, graduated college, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment photography.

That move didn’t pan out how I wanted. I was doing my best to network, getting my name out there, going to different events, but it just felt like things weren’t moving like I had expected them to. Honestly, LA was a different beast, and I came to realize that that lifestyle wasn’t meant for me, which is when I moved out of LA to Orange County.

During this time, I had almost completely given up on my photography career. It got to a point to where I listed ALL of my photo gear on eBay and Craigslist. My girlfriend – now wife – encouraged me just to put everything away in storage, and when the time comes, everything will be there. That’s exactly what happened.

I started watching a YouTuber by the name of Casey Neistat in the beginning of 2018. Every night I got home from my 9-5, I’d binge watch him. I did this for 4 months and came to the realization that I wanted to do the same thing he does – daily YouTube content. Maybe not daily though, because I had my 9-5, but at least during the weekends, I could create content.

Fast-forward to 4 years later, I’ve built my channel up to 12.2k subscribers and have found my niche audience of photo/filmmakers, tech, and electric videos.

I guess I type all that to say – never give up on your dreams. Kind of cliche, but it’s true. Had gone through with selling all of my gear, I would’ve sold myself short in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. The journey is NOT supposed to be easy. If it was, everybody would be successful, and that success wouldn’t be as valuable. It’s supposed to be challenging – and that’s where I find the beauty of any journey.

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.
By default, I always take my friends to the beach. That’s always the first thing we do. I’m from Atlanta, and most of my friends are still there. The nearest beach is 4 hours away, so it’s only right that I give them a little taste of the beach out here when they’re in town.

Next, I’d take them to Knott’s Berry Farm in Anaheim. THE best amusement park in Orange County.

Friday comes around, we take them to get Sushi. That’s been something my wife and I have done since we met – we get sushi EVERY Friday night.

We’d probably cruise around Newport Beach on our electric bikes, take them to a rooftop bar along PCH, and maybe venture down to San Diego – there’s always a ton to do down there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My buddy Marcus Thompson from Atlanta, GA. He’s a dope graphic artist and skateboard extraordinaire.

Website: tristanervin.com

Instagram: @tristanervin_

Twitter: @tristanervin_

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/TristanErvin