Daniel Leka
Daniel, pictured above.
“I capture elements for the people after me. It’s finding that middle ground. Because you’re never going to be living in the future, or the past, only the present. Always focus on creating stuff for the now and creating in the now. After that, the conversation will be for other people to have. That’s really it.”
I’m in the process of moving houses as I’m writing this. It’s not too far of a move, only a block away from my old place, but it doesn’t stop me from getting things done while I’m doing it. I drive back over to the old house and go into my room. It’s barren now, my desk, a few boxes, and some clothes are still on the floor. The internet is still up, and I use it to get to talking to this interview’s focus: California based photographer and self-declared “creative storyteller”, Daniel Leka (pronounced lee-ka).
I discovered Daniel’s work through some mutual friends of mine I met online. Repostings of his concert photos on their Instagram stories. I was blown away to learn that a lot of his shots from concerts were done on film. It made the show have a different feel to it. Arguably, film photography gives off that feel anyways, but it’s like Daniel has mastered it. It’s present throughout all his work. Intimate portraits shot in black and white to show the color of the subject’s skin, up close and personal taken to the extreme for album shoots, and somber but optimistic for graduation portraits. Daniel’s work is fascinating, especially his other writings and work, like his project entitled “20 YEAR CRISIS”. Interviews with friends and other creatives on what hitting their twenties means for them and what they plan on doing in this decade of existence. Daniel’s work carries on through more than photography, as he knows how to compliment his visual storytelling with literary storytelling to make it a complete and overarching story for you to fully immerse yourself in. Which is what caught me about his work from the jump.
Reaching out to him via email proved to be a great idea, as he was more than willing to do an interview with me. And he mentioned something else in our email conversation: my work. He said, “I like how your portfolio is arranged and how you capture things that catch your eye. That can seem simple but it's becoming rarer to come across that kind of thing so kudos to you for that.”
I sit at my desk and boot up the computer for the interview. I join the Zoom room and he’s sitting down, headphones on, a big smile on his face, and in a hoodie and sweatshorts. He greets me and I tell him about myself, and how I discovered him through our mutuals. “That whole scene is fun man, I met those guys at a concert.” He laughs. “I don’t know how Frankie has all that time to get to these things. He’s always asking me if I’ll be there, and I ask ‘How are you gonna be there?’ I can’t keep up.”
To start, where are you from, where were you born, all that stuff.
Well hey, I’m Daniel. Daniel Leka. I’m from Southern California. Born in Glendora. Grew up in La Verne, and moved to LA for school. Downtown, West Hollywood, all those things, and have been out here ever since. Been freelancing the past couple years, doing my thing, trying to find a niche and trying to create my own scene in the LA art scene, that’s kind of a little different than what a lot of people expect. I had a recent stint in the Bay Area during my college years, so I was going between LA and the Bay. It was a lot of travelling within California, but not leaving California. I don’t know if I ever will [leave], but at the same time, I feel like I might. It’s a whole different parameter, I guess.
What sorts of things were you actively involved in creatively as a kid?
It’s funny because I guess creatively, I was always trying to understand the essence of things, you know, whether it was like a technological product or a piece of art. For me, it was always about capturing that essence. For me, it wasn’t about the iPod Nano or an Apple product, it was about Steve Jobs and how he conveyed that information to his audience, and how it resonated. I didn’t really understand that until I was older, but creative wise, I was always the person who was writing the essays, who was always writing. I think writing was my first true love in creativity, because I was able to create my own world with my words. I didn’t ever think I would be in the visual side of things as much as I am now, because I always thought if I was to go somewhere, it’d be with my writing. Slowly, but surely, I’m trying to create a whole different essence of creating and connecting those points, making something that’s worthwhile and also encompasses a bigger picture.
Growing up, it was always just about studying. Doing research. Doing my homework. And trying to be a little more informative than the next person, and also taking that information and taking those feelings and putting it into what I do, in a sense. Whether it was with photography, whether it was the little videography stints that I do, or just anything in between for that matter.
Taken by Daniel.
Just being involved in the people behind those things.
Yeah, most definitely. Understanding that behind every great creation is a person, but also compounding upon that, there’s also a team of people who are helping create those things. I remember in high school, when I first started listening to Donald Glover’s music side and not really seeing Community or anything. I got in around the Royalty era of Childish Gambino, and when Because the Internet came out, I was really well acquainted in not just Gambino, but his team of Fam, Steve, Swank, Ibra. That whole creative team. And I was like, “Oh so these are just a group of people with ideas and they’re just trying to execute them like I am.” That was when I understood I just need to harbor an idea with love and passion, like how you harbor children, before they’re born and everything. Then just making things with passion in that way. Now it’s starting to be more apparent- my vision- because I’m able to articulate it better and execute it better. Those guys like Donald Glover, Tyler [the Creator], and all these people who are very attentive with their vision and very precise with what they’re trying to do. Even if it wasn’t the full scope, if you see what those two aforementioned guys are doing now, it’s completely levels above what they were trying to do back then.
There’s a magic to it, and I think the magic has always been there, and it’s the reason why us- as fans- resonate with it. Just hoping to create that little ethos and that little environment for people to escape into what I do, in a sense.
Backtracking a bit, what sparked your interest in photography?
It was funny because I only did photography because I was trying to location scout for short films at the time. I started doing photography in 2015 and I was just seeing different areas and taking a lot of landscapes, taking a lot of environmental photos, not even really considering concerts, portraits, none of that. Then in 2017, I was going to go see Frank [Ocean] at FYF, and at that time, I didn’t really want to have my phone out like that, it always feels like I’m detaching myself from the moment when I had my phone. Because also when you just take photos and videos, I don’t know about you, but when I look around me, I see people also looking at what they just got. Whether that’s an IG [Instagram] story, or Snapchat at the time and stuff. I was just like, “I can’t be one of these people.” So I was trying to take photos at one point on my phone. I wasn’t going to too many concerts at the time, but when I decided to go to FYF, I think I was on Twitter and I saw someone have a disposable camera and I thought “Oh let me bring five disposable cameras for the weekend,” and I did, and the roll came out really bad. And I said, “Okay, so now I know what to do, and I’m okay with that.” So then I just kept on pushing and I kept on trying it. And then slowly progressing and understanding my love of film and understanding my love of photography, subsequently.
That actually also encouraged me to get into digital photography, which is where the live music stuff really picked up. At one point, I just wanted to innovate and take these photos on film at these concerts. It was one of those things where I was like- okay, there’s a guarantee here that with digital that I can get good photos and know I’m getting good photos because I can see them in real time. Whereas film, I have to be very patient about it. And in moments like live music, it’s not really conducive for that. Let me just separate. Personal endeavors on film and let me have the digital side of things. With all of the artists I’ve photographed, a lot of them have film photos that aren’t seen that I’ve taken. With the Gambino ones, I have a roll of film that’s just sitting, but it’s just that digital really just hit it home. This was what the people need to see and what my portfolio can host, and I can keep this [roll] for myself. Have this little magic side.
Photography was just location scouting, then afterwards it was just a curiosity to just try something new. Capturing different elements and there’s definitely a lot of aspects of photography I want to get into. That’s a big thing on my mind.
I really liked your part on shooting on your phone. As much as the lenses are very capable of shooting good images, there’s something about-especially with me- in holding a physical object that captures light. You’re still in the moment, taking a photo, but you’re still able to be there, if that makes sense.
100%. The phone is cool, because it’s a really good tool and you can immediately share information with people, but I feel that a lot of times, what we do on our phones, we become immediately desensitized. We don’t necessarily process what we’re seeing by capturing things through a phone. At a certain point, you can say the same about cameras and stuff, but the difference is that you’re not taking it with the immediate intent to share it; or distribute the information. You’re taking it, and then you’re processing what’s happening, and then in retrospect, you’re going to do that. So that’s typically why I wanted to stray away from my phone. A lot of times when I go to concerts, I even turn off my phone. I need to be here. I need to be in this moment, and I need to really capture what’s happening. Whether it’s in the crowd or on stage. Or even in my portrait shoots. Just being with the model and being very on point.
He pauses and looks away from the camera for a second. “One sec, I think my cat is trippin,” he says, as he sets his headphones down and laughs. He comes back after a few short seconds and says, “Ight, we good,” the same big smile on his face again from the beginning. He laughs again and then we continue.
In your email to me, you said you liked how my photos captured what the eye sees. Which made me want to ask you, what sorts of things do you look for in your photos when you’re shooting?
The reason I said that is because you can genuinely tell with what you do that you like what you’re capturing. And a lot of the time, that’s a simple statement, but a lot of people are in spaces just getting things that aren’t necessarily true to them. And I think that’s something that we can all resonate with, in the sense that we can be in certain situations we don’t really wanna be in. And as a result, we kinda look at things with a very jaded perspective. That’s the reason I was like “I like your work. It’s very fresh to you.” And I think that that’s what matters. But to me, recently, it’s been this whole contrasting idea. I allude to earlier of looking at things and finding the essence of them. That’s really what a lot of this is for me. I just take an emotion, and then I take an idea that’s already been in existence, and try to combine the two, really. For one of my shoots, let’s connect the disconnect, and let’s do it in nature, because it’s the natural world type of thing. And then together, it’s like it creates two peas in a pod.
When it comes to live music, I always like to capture the little details that constitute the artist in that moment. If they’re wearing a crazy necklace, or jewelry, or shoes that are off the wall, I want to get that. Instead of getting just a picture of them yelling into the mic, like everyone does. And that’s not a bad picture at all, by any means, but you want to get the full picture. Get this whole perspective. Because a lot of people aren’t at that show. If you really think about it, the average show that I attend is about five hundred to a thousand people, and there’s how many trillion people. That’s the thing, you’re capturing a little moment in these people’s lives. But at the same time, you want to depict that picture for everyone else to see. Even when it comes to sending stuff to management, you just want to be able to send them their artist in a very whole light. Where it’s a “they look good in this picture” but also a “this is a really cool detail”. And if you can see those things in real time, I feel that you become attuned to it. And I just take that and apply it to everywhere. This is what you’re wearing. Let’s focus on this, this, and this. Let’s just make it a whole picture where people can really fully embody it. And they’re gonna say, “I like this piece, let me see if I can get one of those too.” It’s also just one of those things because I personally just don’t wear jewelry all that much, but I always like how people layer it and how it fits their aesthetic, a lot.
It’s just about capturing things that are very fresh to the eye for me in that light. That’s how I typically look at things, that’s how I work. Some people have those things, some people don’t. And either way, it’s okay.
Rapper JPEGMAFIA, shot by Daniel.
Yeah, I don’t wear jewelry very much either. It’s always cool having a picture to get of someone’s details, because I feel like it brings out more of the person, like you were saying.
Most definitely. That’s the coolest part.
We both chuckle.
It’s like wherever I go and I don’t have my camera, I’m always looking. “Oh there’s a dude on the park bench. That’d be such a sick shot if I had my camera with me! Argh!”
I’m trying to get more into that. Since I shoot a lot of medium format [film] nowadays, my 35 just sits around most days, my point and shoot. So I’m just like “yeah let me have a roll or two for myself”, to capture moments in life that are developing. I definitely feel you on that. Even then, I sometimes use my phone to really drive that point home. To me, I feel like phones are something a lot of people use with the intent of sharing, rather than using it with the intent of keeping something sacred. That’s the thing. There’s not anything sacred anymore to the people. At least to you. Like if you’re sharing everything, then where’s the magic in your life you can see unfold? That’s the cool part about just walking around with a film camera. You can point and shoot and not know what the pictures look like until you get them back.
That’s such the beauty of film. I’m gonna geek out a little bit, but it’s what makes film so important. Shooting, and then not caring about what the photo looks like until you see it later. Coming back and finding the magic after the moment has passed is unreal.
Right? Exactly!
Who or what inspires your work?
Ooh, that’s a good question. It’s like the baseline, but it’s cool because I don’t really consider it on a day to day basis. In terms of photographers, like all-time favorite photographers, Gordon Parks for sure. I think it’s crazy how he was able to capture all those things with just a Rollieflex. Knowing how those cameras work and how it’s a TLR [Twin Lens Reflex], using one lens to focus and one lens to capture? That’s just crazy to me, in general. I’m just barely getting by with one lens out here. Yeah, Gordon Parks. I just like the humanity of his wok and I was introduced to it kind of late, in a sense. I found out when the “ELEMENT” video came out by Kendrick [Lamar], Jonas Lindstroem, and Dave Free. When I saw those images and the screenshot of the exhibit The Gordon Parks Foundation had going on, where it was like seeing the images side by side. Even recently on my story, I shared a side-by-side comparison of the two. That’s when I was like “it’s cool how the humanity doesn’t go anywhere.” Whether it’s commercial work or a personal project. This is the guy. This is the template for me, personally.
In terms of modern day, I love Greg Noire’s work. I think he does a great job of capturing emotions, regardless of the situation. Vuhlandes is a really good portrait photographer from Detroit. I really like his work too. And his colors, how he can make these ethereal, dreamy projections is super cool to me. There’s a few others I’m trying to remember.
I wanna show love to the women in photography too, because they’re really dope. I’m also around a lot of women in photography. The homies are also really good at what they do. In terms of concert and that aspect, Beth Savaro. She goes by @baeth on Instagram. I think personally she did a great job at transitioning from solely concert photography. Because she’s the main photographer of Rolling Loud, actually. She did a great job of transitioning when the pandemic happened. She’s done a lot of commercial work with The Hundreds, she had a Converse shoot, and a couple other things. She did a good job of commercial work.
I might just need to check out my following list because I don’t want to forget anybody. I’m like consistently consuming work on a daily basis. It’s kind of wild.
He pulls out his phone and starts looking through his following list on Instagram.
Dang, who else. I know Brey [Holt] is really good. She goes by @exquisite_eye. Nai’s really good, she goes by @cloudnai on Instagram*. It’s just cool seeing different things. Personally, I’m also into the fine art space. The Tyler Shields of the world are really cool to me. The concepts that he executes? I don’t personally think that’s my style, but I just respect that someone’s trying to push the envelope in that space. It kind of gives me encouragement to do some of that stuff with my work. To try and push these ideas that people may not necessarily feel or resonate with at the time. But yeah, it’s a lot of people that I continually garner inspiration from. Not necessarily on the idea spectrum, but more so on the “okay you believe in your ideas this much”. Because for me there’s a lot of people that shoot just to shoot. They love the action of shooting. Pushing the button and being in the moment, but they don’t really care about having creative direction, or the same producing.
For me, with all the shoots I’ve done, especially in 2021 in personal projects, everything is made by me, conceptualized by me. And the models, we collaborate. Do you want a stylist for this? Want to come bring your own outfit to the table? Do you need a makeup artist? Let’s bring this person on board. We all basically just come together, and we do something like that. That’s kind of why the Tyler Shields of the world, and the people that I look at right now, and the humanity of Gordon Parks will be top for me. You know, looking at different photo books and stuff like that.
And regarding the concert scene too, Gunner Stahl was one of the big reasons why I jumped into film at the time. Only because that was my first exposure to film, in 2016, 2017. I was like, “this look is really cool, it’s not perfect”. It’s literally one of these things that you can just look at and go: “Was this taken in the 90’s and 80’s?”
Oh and how am I forgetting. Rest in Peace to the great Chi Modu. Chi Modu was one of the people that made me understand the power of the photo. I remember seeing a video and he was talking about a picture he took of Biggie and it was in front of the Twin Towers, so he said, “The Twin Towers aren’t here no more, and Biggie’s not here no more.” And I was like “that’s crazy to me”. That the moment is forever captured and in that moment. I can’t believe I almost forgot him. That’s like god tier photography.
Rapper Tyler, the Creator. Photographed at his annual Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival by Daniel.
I was so sad to hear he passed.
That was one of the people. I have a bucket list of people I just want to talk heart with, and he was one of those people for sure. For me, it’s not like just meeting the person, telling them how much I like their work, I just want to talk heart with you. Even yesterday when I saw Tyler go on IG live, I just wanted to tell him about these moments on the new album. You know, the four bars on “LEMONHEAD”, where he cuts everything out except bass for 42 Dugg’s verse. That stuff. Those details. I’m always on those detail waves. That’s my thing. And with Chi Modu, I’m trying to buy that Uncategorized book he has. That Tupac book. Regardless of my fendi towards Tupac and his music, those moments will never come by again. I just definitely have to have that on my end.
I just gave you a gang of information, so my bad.
He laughs.
That is great. I would much rather hear people talk and spill and just tell me everything than just give me a few sentences in response. We’re having more of a conversation and I love that.
Yeah, for sure. Dialogue is important, too. That’s why even when you come in with your two cents on things, it’s value, you know what I mean? It’s not something where I’ll be like “oh yeah, for sure”.
I’ve only done interviewing for just a little bit, but I’m still trying to learn and get into it. I feel like there’s times where you can tell people aren’t really too into it when they’re like: “Oh yeah, I do this. Next question.”
We both laugh.
With all your concert photography, I gotta ask. What was your favorite show to shoot at?
Dang, that’s wild.
My first concert that I got a press pass for was Playboi Carti in Pomona, which is forty minutes from here, during the off-week of Coachella. Whenever that happens, the promoters here like GoldenVoice and AEG have these wide array of concerts. I had already bought tickets to go see Pusha T and Smino. Then I wanted to go to Coachella that weekend, so I could get the chance to photograph Gambino. The only other concert he had was OutsideLand in San Francisco. I was like “I don’t see myself doing anything with whatever he’s doing on this tour.”
So yeah, a lot of concerts that were before that time, and there’s not that many left on my page, portfolio, website, and everything. A lot of those are just from me buying tickets and just waiting for hours on end just to be at the front of the concert to take those pictures just for me, personally. I met a lot of cool people on the way. To separate those two experiences, because I feel like it’d kind of be disingenuous to not include both sides. I think my favorite concert I waited outside for was, honestly, Baby Keem.
Baby Keem was the one that was like super dope because that one was the combination of a great show and a gang of people, so you just networked when you weren’t listening to the music. And Keem didn’t have an opener, he just came in, did his thing for an hour, and bounced. It was super cool because everyone was engaged with it. In terms of waiting outside, I remember that was the last ticket I bought a ticket for, before the pandemic. It was cool because that little tour was the only chance all those people got to see Keem before all this. And granted he’s on a lot of festival lineups now, so he’s definitely going to get more when this new album comes out. That one was super fun. Also, because I got put onto a lot of people I listen to today. Someone was like, “If you love Baby Keem, you’ll love this guy Beam from Florida,” and I was like “Okay, bet!” And I checked his music, and it’s a cool reggaeton, mixed with trap. It’s fire. I need to stay tapped into this.
In terms of festival experience, or in terms of having the press pass; because when it came to shooting Camp Flog Gnaw, Real Street, Austin City Limits, and Adult Swim, I was only allowed pit access for Austin City Limits. The Tyler photos, the [FKA] Twigs photos, the Drake photos are all from the crowd. And I’m mad away so I’m just trying to fight for my life through the mosh pits and I’m just snapping. And with Adult Swim, it was cool because they gave me VIP. So I was just chilling right at the front, so it didn’t really matter. The cool thing about that was that I was able to go into the crowd and get a lot of more outside shoots that weren’t based on the performer. And with Real Street, Real Street was just a wild time. [A$AP] Rocky had just come back from Sweden. That was just a crazy culmination of things. There were a lot of people that were just coming up that are popping now. Lil Baby performed at that time, Roddy Ricch, Meg did, too [Megan thee Stallion]. And now they’re all superstars, all of them.
I think Austin City Limits was just the most genuine experience, I think. Then specifically, the one time I didn’t shoot in the pit, was Gambino. Because Gambino didn’t allow anyone in the pit, except Greg. So I was just shooting in the crowd, but also just talking to all these people that just love Gambino. And we don’t get a chance to see him that much because it’s not a major market like California or New York is. Texas is a big market, with Austin and Houston, San Antonio, all those cities. But in general, not having that big city experience like LA where people can just be at events nonstop; these people were just fiending to see Gambino. And they were passionate about it. Shooting those photos, I got one of my best photos where I think it’s just a black and white image of him just staring into the distance, more or less. I look back at that photo and just think that it’s a fire photo. Even the Austin City Limits experience, like shooting Uzi [Lil Uzi Vert], Tame Impala. Shooting Rosalia.
It was funny because my camera actually died in the pit during Lizzo. And I was next to Greg, at that time, and I was talking to Greg. Having good dialogue. And I was trying to take at least one shot of Lizzo, just to have one shot, it doesn’t matter if it’s a good or a bad one, just to have one. There’s just some artists like YG at Camp Flog Gnaw, where I only have three shots of him but I got one that’s good enough to be in my portfolio, so, cool. Yeah, when that happened, I was just faking it til I make it. I was getting the most fire angles that ever came to be, hitting the little squats and everything, moving away from the line of photographers. It was a cool experience.
But yeah, Gambino when it came to press passes and everything. And in regards to waiting in line and everything, I would say, honestly, Baby Keem. That one was a cool experience. That Rocky one was cool, at his Injured Generation tour. I got some of him after and it was cool, but it’s like the connection people had to Keem- especially since I feel like hip-hop is like punk nowadays- it was at The Roxy in LA, which is a five hundred person venue. It was a bunch of kids just moshing and having fun. That’s something you just don’t get, especially from a hip-hop concert. Because a lot of the time, people are too cool to jump around to their own music. It’s like, come on guys. You made this song for you and for everybody to get excited to.
I like that analogy a lot.
Yeah, because it’s a lot of kids that are just trying new things. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s conventional or not, because a lot of purists are going to be like, “This isn’t what this is.” But who are you to say what it is? It’s supposed to progress. That’s kind of what it is.
So anyways, that Keem concert was great, and Gambino for sure. That was a bucket list thing. That was my second time seeing [Gambino] too. I think I saw Vince [Staples] three or four times that year. But in terms of festival experience, the Adult Swim Fest was cool because I got to really hone in on my skills of getting long shots, getting more conventional performing shots. It was just one of those things where it just helped me to get the holistic picture. I needed to be engaged in different ways. So that’s what it is.
I actually split them into three, so that’s my bad.
He laughs.
Adult Swim Fest, Gambino, and Keem. For sure. Those three were like a golden ticket.
Donald Glover a.k.a. Childish Gambino at Austin City Limits. Taken by Daniel.
In regards to music, what album do you first remember listening to and have memories attached with it?
That’s a cool question.
I remember the first album I bought, and the first album I listened to.
The first album I had an affinity towards was probably not even a hip-hop album, I don’t think. And it’s not a cool answer like “Oh In Search Of…” It’s not anything like that. It was actually a pop album from 2006 or 2007. I think it was a Metro Station album or something. It was funny because I’m not confident to say it now, but it made me understand how prominent melody was. But it wasn’t even the full album, it was like, two songs.
But then hearing 808’s [and Heartbreak], that was the album that made me go “this is crazy”. This is fire. I can feel something from this. I don’t know what I feel, but I feel something. I’ve heard many people say that 808’s is a sad, depressing album. Most of my fondest memories are to that album. So I don’t get whatchall talkin’ about. Obviously, since I’m older now, I get it. But at that time when you’re a kid- because I was ten when that album came out- I just thought that this is an album that felt grand. Obviously in [Kanye’s] discography, Graduation is the grandest sound he came with, and then he went with 808’s. I feel like Graduation was the stadium tour album, but 808’s is the most revolutionary album because it can be played in stadiums, super loud, and people sing it at the top of their lungs. But it can also be played in a stripped down MTV set, like how Lauryn Hill did in the 2000’s and stuff. Stripping those songs back, which can be super cool, like the Unplugged series. I was just like “this is crazy”.
Then when My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy came out, that was just the icing on the cake. Even in between that, [Lil] Wayne was someone I was really into. And then Eminem at the time, too. Lil Wayne, especially, because it was just about the whole package. I was one of those people that saw his skater look- the trendy skater look at the time- but he’s making this very off kilter music for people. Tha Carter III is the one people remember for the hits and stuff. I remember being into Rebirth, which was like his rock phase. “Drop the World” is crazy. “La La La” is crazy. “On Fire” is crazy, all from that album. I was just like, “Wayne is on some different timing.” People hated that album, but I was just having the audacity to make something like that, which is something I can always respect. Even today, I still listen to “On Fire” and it’s still a cool record. You don’t just feel out of place with it, at least for me. And I love that sample. Honestly, how when Wayne says things, it’s very celebratory. I said this on Twitter the other day: Wayne, at the time, it felt like a victory lap whenever he was on a track. Then he’s on the final course, shouting out everyone from the label and stuff. Like you just finished the race and you’re taking your victory lap around the track. I love that.
But yeah, those albums. I mean, the most influential album, to me, is Because the Internet. For sure. That was one where I saw all the effort he was putting into things. I read the screenplay and it inspired me to write my first screenplay. So I wrote a screenplay about three weeks after that. It was a cool, nine hundred pages thing. Just writing my own story. It didn’t have cohesiveness, but it was cool to just do it.
In terms of musicality, I’d say 808’s was the one I had an affinity towards. That Metro Station album showed me how powerful melody was. And Because the Internet for sure, because of the huge, overarching story. It’s in the world that Gambino is creating and now that world has turned into a universe. I always say “I need to make worlds out here”, and I read an interview where he’s like, “I’m making universes now.” We’re working towards that, I can’t be on that level yet. Let me make this world of this project I’m working on and we’ll go from there.
Yeah, those albums, man. I even have my record collection here, just chilling.
He turns around and points at the shelf behind him. It’s white. A turntable on top of it, with records in the dividers.
I was noticing that in the background.
Yeah. I need to get this new Tyler [the Creator] album on vinyl. I just got the Saba CARE FOR ME vinyl. There’s a bunch that I’m excited to get. I think I’m going to get Snoh [Aalegra]’s new album, because Snoh makes great music to me. I’m a collector of the vinyl too. I’m getting physical media now more than ever because of the “oh I can pass this down”. And I start conversations with people about it, too.
My recent pickup was the Bad Brains self-titled, so I’m very happy I got that.
Nah, that is a gem. There’s a lot of gems I’m just waiting on. I finally got my first Prince record and I was just like “okay, finally, we can cross this off the bucket list”. And it’s my favorite one, let’s go.
I took a gander at your website as well, you also write and do some journalism. Do you think your writing adds to the story of your photos?
Yeah. At least at that time, it did. I definitely, at that time, if I was to go do a concert- because I was doing a lot for a school publication at the time- in order to go to a concert, it was either A: I had to coordinate with a writer and we had to talk about the things that we wanted for she, he, they to see. Obviously, inclusive of everybody. Or B: I take the responsibility of writing and photographing. And then I can look at my pictures and go “I remember these moments”. I remember how the crowd was, and all that too. So I’m always someone, and still am someone, that tends to do things alone most of the time. Not for the sake of “I’m better off alone”, nah, but for the convenience sake. I’m just starting to get more people involved in my process, whether it’s working with multiple people on a concept, or multiple people on editing. Understanding how much better my writing could be, or how much better my photography could be. In general, the writing did add a layer of transparency to it. Because I’m there in that moment, snapping photos. And I have a very good recall, where I can just remember things. And as long as I remember the setlist for the night, I’m good. I can just rewrite all the events that happened. Because it’s about writing with an active voice, not a passive voice, to better engage your audience. That’s how I learned it.
I would just always try to make the picture speak on behalf of me when I couldn’t find the words. When I think about Camp Flog Gnaw, I think about the Tyler photos. I feel like those photos by themselves speak for something, but then if you read the Camp Flog Gnaw article, it makes more sense in the scheme of the day. It makes it a more triumphant photo.
So, yeah. I think with how I write especially, it’s about telling a story. That’s why on my website I stop trying to go as a photographer, or journalist, or anything. I just have creative storyteller. Because everything, at its essence, has a story to be told. At least to me. That’s how I look at it.
I like that. I’m trying to do a photographer/writer/creative. So it’s encompassing all together. Creative storyteller is great, too. I like that.
You just can’t box yourself in. You can’t do that. The second you box yourself in, the second you stop your growth. For me, I was feeling I was stifling my growth when I was limiting myself to, “I’m a photographer. I’m this, this, and this.” When I apply to certain jobs, or reach out in certain emails, I do that just as convenience sake for them. But when they see my work, it’s more than that. That’s the goal. If I can just get you to see my work, I feel like I can talk my way to something. Just because I do things out of purity, and not for the superficiality of it. Which is why a lot of the projects and stuff I do aren’t necessarily posted. I did something for Nike last month, and I’m cool with that. I shared the work in stories and stuff, like a “here you go, this is what I’ve worked on”, because it’s not about me. I’m not going to make it about me. It’s not supposed to be, it’s supposed to be about the stories we’re telling. If I’m an integral part or small piece, it doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that the story is told to the best of everyone’s ability. That we can all come together to tell something that’s potent and powerful.
That’s how I look at things, in general. Not because of the superficiality of it. When you post on social media, people forget about it in fifteen minutes. It sucks because it’s like, how do you create art in this era? I’m going to share my work because you’ll forget about it, but when I have a live installation, which is the goal, and you see these pieces in real life and reimagined with big prints and stuff. That’s how I look at it, too. Even with concert photos. When I started making small prints of them, I realized that these are special moments. These are cool to me. I can definitely make these things as artistic as I need them to be. Because at a certain point, I felt like concert photography was becoming something stagnant to me. I felt like my role was being trivialized into someone clicking a button, and not necessarily someone with their own vision. It’s more about the spontaneity of it, rather than your vision. I know for a fact that my photos are journalistic by nature when I take photos at concerts. They can be artistic, for sure, but I leave the artistic stuff for those who are much better at it than me. I try to improve in it and I practice things, but it’s about telling the story as is for me and adding innate value to it. I want to hopefully jump back into live music when things clear up a bit, it’s going to be selective and stories that I believe in.
I think I said on Twitter the other day that I’m being more selective. But with that being said, I would love to do the Blxst concert in LA. Blxst is someone really taking LA by storm. I know if I go to that concert, I’m going to have a good time photographing, but also because a lot of my friends are going to be there, too. Because they love his music. Just genuinely for the love of the music. Just to see that joy on everyone’s faces and get to experience and see how that all goes seems so cool to me. Those are the things that really push me to do this stuff now. Before, I was all “I need to shoot this person, this person, this person, and this person”, but now it’s “I shot these people and there’s a very little chance they’ll see this on social media”. But I’m not doing it for that, in the sense that everything I do and how I operate is in private, it’s not in public. I get a lot of opportunities and stuff- even when it came to having my photo featured in The New York Times- and that was because I never shared those photos. Ever. And it’s been two years. I just sent them to management and I finished them. “Hey, I hope you enjoy these,” and they found them two years later and they asked if they could use one. And I’m like “yeah sure”. That’s literally how it works. I’ll just send stuff to management. If the artist likes it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t. If they want someone else to work on them, more power to them.
In general, that’s how I operate. I lowkey forgot your question though, sorry man.
He laughs and so do I. I tell him it’s no problem and I continue the conversation from his mentions of printing and galleria.
Vince Staples at the Adult Swim Festival. Taken by Daniel.
I was just asking about writing and we started talking about printing more. I wanted to go back to that. I had a photography class I was aiding for and there was a traditional black and white darkroom in there. I’ve been doing this ongoing photo project called ‘Hometowns’, because I’ve moved fifteen times already and I’m eighteen.
Y’all get younger and younger.
We both laugh for a second and I continue.
So I’ve been going to the places I remember from growing up, before things change. Especially since I lived down closer to the Metro area of Denver at one point, it’s constantly changing. Ten years ago, there was nothing in this open, empty lot by this townhome I used to live in. Now there’s a giant Super Target there. So I needed to capture these before they change so I have a tangible photo to be like “this is part of my home”. There’s something so special about printing something on a physical piece of paper than just looking at it on a computer screen. You’re holding a physical memory or a physical moment.
Exactly, and I love the idea of your project. And I love the inspiration behind it, too. I think it’s very hard to find inspiration in things we don’t know anything about. Personally, at least for me. My hometown experience became a little bit tainted when I got older, whereas the fondness of it wasn’t as apparent older compared to younger. I tend to look at when people tap into where they’re from as one of the most powerful forms of art, personally. Because we’re always caught in the aspect of, “Are we making this for us or the public?” If you make something for you, you’ll find someone in the public that likes it.
When I was taking live music photos: am I taking these for me to photograph these people? Or am I taking these to appease myself? Because I post on social media and boom, I get a ton of likes compared to my other photos. But now it’s gotten to the point where I take photos, hoping people will resonate with them. Let me use my social media as me doing what I want.
In presenting my project, I did this thing where if a memory or a place had a fondness to it, at the time as a kid- to look back on it five to ten years later- it’d be in color. If it was sour now, it’d be in black and white. The color, or the childhood innocence of it, is still there. Or the place is still there, but the color and the life is out of it. The black and white ones are the more somber and reflective pieces.
One of them I shot of this house I lived in. And I have really fond memories of growing up with my mom. My mom passed away when I was nine years old. So looking back at that place, it weighs heavy on me knowing that I had this really strong connection in this house, but the joy is out of it now.
Me too. That’s the reason I actually moved out of the bay. I ended up losing my dad a few years back. So it was: “Yeah, we can’t stay here.” The joy of the place is gone. It’s sad, because there’s a lot of cool things out there for you. But when something traumatic happens, it’s negatively tainted in your mind. I had to leave for my own sanity. There’s no type of art that matters more than your health. Your well being. That matters. Again, it’s getting caught up in making this for yourself or other people. For me, after all that, I’m just going to do things for me. And I don’t know about you, but that was when I realized the direction I needed to go in. And how I needed to be more intentional. Prioritize what I believe in, or my values, into my work. That’s just how I look at things. And I know that when I think about going back to my old hometown in California, I can’t. And I know that even more so after all the memories that built up to that moment of what happened.
It’s definitely something I can resonate with. Most definitely.
Getting back on track with the questions, since we kinda ventured off, tell me more about 20 YEARS CRISIS. What’s it all about?
Oh, 20 YEAR CRISIS, that’s my baby.
He laughs.
I mean, for me, that project is the idea to create an agency of youth individuals and young storytellers who can articulate that process throughout their twenties. I know I’m going to be out of my twenties one day, so it’s building something that will outlast me, in this period of life, and I add mortality to the idea when I put “20 YEAR” in front of it. I feel like things need to end in order for them to progress. This is just a template for people, mostly. So yeah, 20 YEAR CRISIS. I was seeing a lot of people around me die. I was seeing a lot of people lose their way and they became the person they said they didn’t want to become. But they were either forced to conform, or they willingly did it in order to get to the position that they wanted to get to. All these feelings that we resonate with are the things we attribute to the mid-life crisis, considering how much older we’re getting. Considering how time is just moving faster and faster. How things are feeling like it’s coming to an end, in certain ways.
I was personally in this mind state where if we’re talking about a mid-life crisis, it’s what your twenties are. And I just went, “Okay, I’ll interview people close to me from all different walks of life.” Because I’m lucky enough to be in LA where it’s a huge hub of different people with different ages, beliefs, mentalities. All that stuff. So I went and made a platform where people can talk about their struggles. People being open about the people they’ve become. No one’s unpacking trauma or any of that, it’s more like a reflection. Sort of like how you talk with your friends and you reflect on certain things. I’ve done ten so far and that’s where the magazine came to be. 20 YEAR CRISIS right now is in this weird state where I want to find a new way to push it and progress it because I want to do it like how the pgLang people did it with Calvin Klein, where I use brands as a form of storytelling. And I just build this platform to tell the stories of these people through these mediums.
With 20 YEAR CRISIS right now, it’s been on hold for that reason, and in the meantime to fill that void, I’m doing my own project. The “Idealism” stuff I’m doing. That’s being pushed right now because I have ideas for that which I can execute on a daily basis. And with 20 YEAR CRISIS, I want it to be intentional with how I move forward. I already have 20 YEAR CRISIS interviews in the vault, stashed, that I’m willing to put out, but I just want to build these stories. Make them have their own life. Also, I was just thinking: there’s so many people in this world and a lot of their stories aren’t memorialized, in a sense. So I just went: “We need a database of individuals on this website, on the Internet, existing.” The idea kinda came full circle when I realized if we just existed with no ego, no attachment to these things that are very temporary in this world, and we just respected each other’s right to exist as the only right to morality? A lot of things would be solved, in my opinion.
If you think about it, exploitation is just a result of people thinking they’re better than other people. If you think about the conflicts between religions, it’s just because they think their religion is the way but other people’s isn’t. No, you can respect having people here and here because when you come together, it’s a form of unity that is very important to progress. I just-with my community, build a sort of progression, in a sense. 20 YEAR CRISIS is that. Right now, it’s just trying to find the right way to articulate that information because I just don’t want people to see it and forget about it. I had a 20 YEAR CRISIS gallery planned for a long time, just sitting, but I’m not trying to put that out until I have the full vision scope of it. Because I do want to recruit other storytellers from other parts of the world. Or another country, other than the U.S. Like in the big city market, because those stories are very diverse in their identity. So I want those people to tell their 20 YEAR CRISIS stories. I would want a slew of galleries that we could all attend. Then people could just culminate and come together. California. Los Angeles. And then Atlanta, Georgia. New York City. Those types of things.
That is taking a lot longer, but it’s one of those things where it’s going to be worthwhile. When it’s actually completed and stuff, too.
Mazhe. Taken for 20 YEAR CRISIS by Daniel.
That’s awesome. Making it more physical than just on the internet. Connection. Like we were talking about before.
Yeah, connecting.
What sorts of future ideas or dreams do you have that you’d like to make come true?
Right now, it’s the “Idealism'' thing that I’m working towards. Playing with different mediums, playing with time, playing with different concepts. The website for it is being built right now, so we can get people inside into the process. I definitely want to get people more transparent into how I make things in terms of how ideas are cultivated, how they’re harbored. These ideas don’t take thousands of dollars to produce. No. If you have money on the side that you’ll keep, then you’ll produce them and have these amazing results. That’s how I look at it. “Idealism” is just this belief that ideas are the intrinsic things that exist in our universe. So for me it was: How do I take ideas that already exist and recontextualize them into today’s standards? It can be a current idea, a very archaic idea. For me, one of those ideas was business casual. It was one of those things where business casual in 2021 is working from home. That’s what it is. Then it was taking ideas like songs. I did one based off of a Jimi Hendrix song. Then I did one based off of the SZA song “Good Days”. These are ideas. Then the Truman Show one was the most grandiose production because of the TV wall and the coffee shop we used for that.
That’s really what it is. I’m working on the installation of that as well as the book, and also the short film visual component with that, too. All of that is slowly being cultivated and hopefully I can have everything ready to go by next winter, or this fall maybe. But I don’t want to rush anything right now. Right now it’s getting those photo concepts completed and when they’re completed, I can just focus on making the short film. I’m hoping I can do that short film in the fall, just to make sure everything is good to go. Because at first, I was like: “Summer. Summer. Summer.” I just want things to come together naturally and organically. I want to use the storytellers to their advantage, the ones around me, and I want us to create something together. Obviously, we all know we need money to do it and I’m always willing to put the money forward. But at the same time, if we do this, I’m not getting paid for it because it’s a disadvantage. I want to make sure you’re getting something. Which is why I’m trying to find grants to do this.
I feel like “Idealism” is one that a lot of people will understand more. Right now, my buddy Asriel just put out the “DISCONNECT” series. Like I said, it was all about disconnecting from the technological revolution and connecting to the natural world. So is this disconnecting or connecting? So you have to understand those layers behind it. And there’s another shoot that I’m really excited about that I’m still editing, actually. Not the photos themselves, but we’re trying to work on the presentation on print. Because this will look like one of the things you see in museums, that’s why I’m really excited about it. If it’s executed in the right way from all our perspectives.
I already have a shoot set up for this coming week, because I don’t wanna date this. I’m going to try 4x5 again. So we’re going to see how that goes, I messed up last time. All because I literally just messed up one step. Now I know how to set up everything and I’m good. Lots of cool things. A lot of cool things are coming for this project. Then after that, I just take it one step at a time. That’s what it is. A lot of commercial work, live music opportunities are coming my way, too. I’m going to be back at it soon. They’re also the right opportunities, not just any opportunity. That’s why I’m really excited about it.
I’m lucky because I have a lot of people rooting for me, talking about me behind the scenes. It’s kinda why I’m able to get to certain places that other people aren’t. Because for me, I’ve always valued the humane connection, instead of creating something superficial and transactional. I guess if you want to progress wherever you go, you have to understand it’s about the human connection. And it’s about understanding people’s humanity. If you’re trying to talk to an artist, you don’t want to talk to them in a “can I take your picture” like a photographer. You want to understand their demeanor and stuff. Obviously, there’s certain situations where- I was in a live music setting and I see Tyler just chilling in the back, trying to enjoy the show. Obviously, I’m not going to go up and ask for a picture. But if it’s after the show, I’m not gonna ask for a picture then, too. I’m going to be like: “Hey, how are you doing? What’d you think about the show?”
People don’t know how to talk with people, and I think that’s really sad. As a kid, growing up, I was always outside. Talking to people and anybody that would give me the time of day. So if you value human connection, you’re going to go places. That’s the only thing. My opportunities come because I was nice to people and they recommended me to other people. They say, “He’s easy to work with and he’s great at what he does.” That’s literally all you have to do. I don’t think I do anything that’s special in comparison to other people, because I don’t compare myself to other people like that. But at the same time, all I know is that if you want to be a big artist or make it to where this is a living, you just have to really value human connection. And you have to be very open to connect and compromise and collaborate.
In terms of projects coming up, “Idealism” is the one I’m really excited for people to see. Especially because I put these little videos up of the BTS of us making the stuff. There’s more videos to come from different mediums we’re experimenting with. I’m really excited.
Lihem Russom, taken for the Business Casual “Idealsim” project by Daniel.
You already ended up touching on my last question, but my actual last question: Since we’ve already kind of talked about legacy and tangency, how do you want your work to carry on after you’ve passed?
I just want to conversate and that’s it. I don’t really care about what people are saying, because they’re not saying much at all. That’s really it. Because we want to be remembered really badly. All of us do. Whether it’s in a familial context, whether it’s in general population context, or just in a communal context. And the odds are that the people that will remember you are the people you consistently connect with. That you have a connection with on a day to day basis. For me, that’s just the number one thing. I want people to feel something when they speak to me and feel something when they see my work, and take that feeling. Emotion is the only intangible tangible thing that you can connect with and you can take with you. For me, it’s just about--legacy is just about making people feel something. And even if I don’t get credited for certain waves or get credited for certain things I do, the only thing I get credit for is the work that I produce. You can just put my name, but you don’t get my rights and stuff. Other than that, it’s not really much that I want to consider. Other than the fact that I just want to leave an impact of people feeling something.
At the end of the day, emotion is what drives my work. To get to this point of producing work how I am, I studied it all. The media, the books, all of what I consumed growing up. I was like: “What was the feeling while I was consuming this?” Okay, it was this feeling. Let me take that and make another concept from it. And from there, that’s how I look at it. I just look at it in that context. When I look at something in that context, it naturally progresses and leaves that impact. Because it’s more people in real life. A lot of times you see these numbers on the internet and stuff, and they’re inflated numbers of people that are impacted by your work. A lot of the time, it’s just people double-clicking and not really considering what this work means to them. But I’m lucky because the audience that I’ve grown on the internet is one that comes from people telling me how much my work means to them. I’m lucky because I had an experience before the pandemic where I was helping out for a fundraiser for a friend by showing my work there. At that time, it was last year in January. I showed my work in two different galleries for two different buddies, and everyone assumed it was going to be concert work or this and that, but it was photos from my trip to Africa. And it wasn’t me trying to exploit anything or trying to do anything out of the norm, it was just me showing the work of these people existing in this different world. And people really resonated with it. One person was very teary-eyed about it. And when I saw that, I went: “I’m depicting things that mean the most to me.” Not trying to exploit trauma. Not trying to exploit anything. I’m just trying to depict things as they are. I’m not making money off of this. I don’t plan to make money off of this, off of those types of things. The things I try to make money off of are in a positive representation, and they’re also off of these dreamy scenarios that I create. I don’t think that too many people are doing photoshoots based off of “The Truman Show”, of all things.
Part of “The Truman Show” shoot for “Idealism”. Taken by Daniel.
People don’t think about the media they consume after they consumed it. They just move on quickly. For me, it was just: “The Truman Show is one of my favorite movies growing up, but let me see the feelings it made me feel.” That’s even why we came up with the idea of the masks. Because for the longest time, growing up, I felt this fraudulence in my life. People around me just tolerating me, not necessarily respecting me. At the end of the day, regardless on if we were friends at the time or not, you’re all faceless to me. That’s kind of what inspired that aspect of it. In terms of a legacy, I just want people to take the ideas and make them better. That’s it. Make them better. Make people feel something with those ideas. I’m not supposed to be the best that’s ever come from this. It’s not my responsibility to be that. My responsibility is to be the best that I can be, and hopefully someone will be better than this. I use medium format because it’s an ode to the people that came before me. But at the same time, I capture elements for the people after me. It’s finding that middle ground. Because you’re never going to be living in the future, or the past, only the present. Always focus on creating stuff for the now and creating in the now. After that, the conversation will be for other people to have. That’s really it.
Well, thank you very much for this conversation, I enjoyed it a lot. This was awesome.
Yeah, man. I definitely gave you a ton. A good hour!
We laugh.
Nah, man. That’s perfectly fine. That’s great. This was awesome. I kept thinking while you were talking like, “This is going to be a good one.”
Of course, man. And if you need anything regarding my hand, like pictures, let me know. I can send some stuff, too.
Sweet. Thank you very much.
Yeah, man. Take it easy, and have a good one.
Our conversation ends there.
After interviews, I always get this feeling of “wow, that one was so cool”, but this time, I was just blown away with this conversation. It’s been over two months since we recorded this interview, and parts of it still stick with me as I go about my day to day.
Thank you, Daniel, for this mind-blowing, thought provoking, creatively inspiring interview. Your thought process and guidance throughout these past few months has been amazing.
You can find Daniel on Instagram as @danielfleka. His website is danielleka.com, where you can also find links to the website for 20 YEAR CRISIS (20yearcrisis.com) and IDEALISM, which is out now on idealismbydanielleka.com. You can also watch the video below, entitled “Abrupt Endings & Spontaneous Beginnings”, a look into the process of “Idealism” through his eyes.
And thanks to you, reader, if you stuck through this interview to the end. I hope you enjoyed it.
-M
