Meet Wil Cohen | Photographer

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

Hi Wil, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I’ve tried to be very consistent with the images I work on and produce. That starts with finding the right client to collaborate with, honing my shooting style, and perfecting my retouching techniques. It is important to me that the quality of my work goes up each year, even if it’s just by 1%. I spend a lot of time thinking about ways I can improve my work. Hopefully that comes across in my pictures.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a photographer specializing in celebrity portraits and editorial photography. Breaking into celebrity work in in a large market like Los Angeles hasn’t been easy but has been worth it. I have gotten a chance to meet and work with some great talent. As far as any advice I would give to others, I would just say you need to stop once in a while to relish the grind. My passion for photography runs so deep that I obsess about it at times. Once you accept that it’s not supposed to be easy and stop comparing yourself to others you can then just focus on the craft you love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would draw them a map of the tourist spots they can go on their own without me. Once they get that out of their system I would take them on a bike ride of some grimy spots in the valley that I love to shoot in with all their character. I would probably drive them across the new 6th Street bridge and stop to eat and hangout in Little Tokyo. I love the architecture in Downtown Los Angeles and love walking around with my camera looking for interesting buildings to take pictures of. I would recommend people visit our museums like MOCA or Peterson’s Automotive museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family deserves a lot of credit for my success. In particular my sons Elijah and Teddy have become really helpful to me as they get older. Whenever I get a crazy idea for a lighting schematic or I discover an incredible location they are always willing to jump in front of the lens for me. I have even gotten them to start assisting me on a couple of photoshoots which was was fun. I also have to mention my wife Melissa who has been my partner in crime for 31+ years.

Website: www.wilcohen.com

Instagram: @wilcohen

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wilcohen