Interview With Mr. LeeStudios

I had the opportunity to sit down with the man behind LeeStudios, Ernest Montgomery. He's an extremely talented photographer whose specialty is photographing male models. He has been lending his talents to both the fashion and entertainment industries in NY for over a decade. The busy man recently took some time off to answer some of my questions.

Santo: What's going on man? I appreciate you having me. How have you been?
Ernest: Oh it's no problem man, my pleasure. I've been pretty good. I spent the majority of the day editing and shooting images.

Santo: You're doing really big things. So why don't you let the readers know what kind of photography you do?
Ernest: It's a mix of fashion and fitness all with a sexy edge. Mainly focused on athletic men, and more specifically, athletic men of color.



Santo: I like the fact that you're showing a lot of love to the brothers. It's really rare to see men of color in magazines, men or female period. How did you get started in photography?
Ernest: I actually got started in high school to fulfill my art requirement. Oddly enough it was something that came very natural to me. My father gave me one of his old cameras and I just went from there.



Santo: When did you decide that this was something you might want to make a career out of?
Ernest: Probably in college. I came to NYC right after college thinking I was going to be the next big fashion photographer. That dream lasted about 2 weeks once I realized I wasn't ready to starve.

Santo: How exactly did you realize that?
Ernest: Well once I realized how expensive NYC is and that there were about 1,000 other guys arriving in NYC each day that had the same
dream I had, I quickly realized I needed a main job. I continued doing side projects while working. That is one thing NYC was great for, finding new models.

By the end of 1994 I had decided to continue my education in photography and enrolled in a graduate program at NYC/ICP.



Santo: Did you run into any obstacles that made you double think your career as a photographer?
Ernest: Besides my father, no not really. I'm a fairly focused bperson by nature. Once I've decided, I rarely change my mind. I've always known to really trust my gut, and photography just feels right to me.

Santo: When did you get your "big break"?
Ernest: Well it depends on how you look at it. I'm not really sure I've had it yet. I have a very strong following, but in reality I don't make my living as a photographer.

Santo: What do you do for a living?
Ernest: I'm a producer/agent in the advertising field. So it's not very far removed from my photography.

Santo: You're a very busy man. So lets rewind a little bit. How did you decide what area of photography you were going to concentrate on?
Ernest: I mainly did what came natural. I had a very good rapport with guys I met and I realized I was pretty good at understand ways to capture them in a relaxed sexy state. I started out shooting everyday guys and to this day, I still prefer shooting these same guys over models.

Santo: So where do I sign up?
Ernest: [Laughs]



Santo: It's good to see the fellas getting some shine now and then.
Ernest: I agree. I've also been fortunate to have great guys. They trust me to capture them in a way that many other people don't see them.

Santo: In your opinion, what makes a good photographer?
Ernest: Wow. That's a big question. For me in relation to what I do, a good photographer is
someone that can take there subjects to a new level and capture it on film.

Santo: I agree. A lot of people can take pictures but not everyone is a photographer.
Ernest: Exactly. I think what I do, I do well, and I'm happy with that.

Santo: Do you have any memorable photo shoots?
Ernest: I don't know if I can say memorable, but when I look back at a photo, I can usually remember the mood and probably what me and the model were talking about.

Santo: So what's next for Ernest?
Ernest: A couple of things. I started working on a calendar (2009) for Rubin Singleton, and up and coming African American model living in NYC. We shot the entire calender in various place in the Dominican Republic, and I've finally started an edit on hopefully what will become a table top book of my work throughout the years.



Santo: When can we be expecting this?
Ernest: The calendar will be released in the late fall of 2009. Hopefully the book will soon follow. Within the next couple weeks, I'll be updating the website to add a sneak peak of both.

Santo: Any advice for up and coming photographers?
Ernest: Stay focused. Decide what you like and stick to it. And keep shooting. The more you shoot the easier it becomes.



Santo: Good advice. Well man its been good talking to you. I congratulate you on all your success. Keep doing your thing bro. Do you have any last words?
Ernest: Stay tuned. There's much more to come. [end]

For more information, check out LeeStudios NYC.