Ontario Byrd uses his vintage style to tell a story through his photos. The Oklahoma City-born photographer showcases some of his best work in his first Magazine called Radiance, Radiance is a photo series with six wonderful issues. From formal to street style, Radiance is a very diverse issue that showcases his wide range of skills. We were able to catch up with the photographer to discuss the inspiration and the behind the scenes work that made Radiance. Our full interview is below.

Starting with your photography, do you have a particular style that you mostly shoot? Is there a certain feeling you want the audience to feel with your photos?

I mainly shoot portraits, I’ve always wanted to show the beauty that everyone possesses because I feel like when taking photos of people, you capture the moments in people. I want the audience to feel as if my models are works of art and I want them see the story I’m telling with my photos. I’ve been attracted recently to making my own scenes, sets, and putting models in a character to make a movie scene, but have it be told through pictures. Capturing moments, capturing little details on how a person poses and watch them slowly get comfortable as the shoot goes on and the conversations I have with my models and getting to know them on a personal level is what I love most about it and hopefully gain a new friend as I shoot with a person.

You mentioned about putting models in character to make movies scenes but through pictures — have you thought about merging into doing videography/cinematography?

Back in the day when I first got into media, I did want to be a videographer, that was my main passion at the time. So when I was about 15, I wanted to make movies. I can still shoot a little bit of video but I love leaving the audience to create their own narrative with my photos. I have such respect for videography and cinematography, but I don’t see myself getting into much videography but who knows honestly. I’ve just always had a deep passion for photography and the art behind it all.

How would you describe Radiance? Is it a brand, photo-series, a magazine?

I would say it’s a mix of a photo series and a magazine. When I came up with Radiance, it was actually an idea brought up by my girlfriend. I was messing around in photoshop making a collage to post on my Instagram and I said “hey this looks like a magazine cover, that’d be crazy if I did that” and she said “why would that be crazy, you should do it” and she even gave me the name Radiance. As I took photos for the first collection of Radiance I started figuring out a format and I realized I wanted to have people see what I see in my models and the concepts I come up with, mixing it with quotes from my friends and family on certain situations that pertain to an issue. I would hope when people have a physical copy they can have it for years to come and can have it in their houses and show their kids or friends and families to show my art through their bloodline. I didn’t expect people to really like Radiance as much as people have been telling me. It’s honestly still wild to me that people bought copies of the magazines.

What is the story/concept that you want to tell in Radiance? Is this the same concept that you mentioned when taking portraits?

For this season of Radiance, I wanted to cover things that I thought about ever since I was a kid, to get my words across without having to speak them. I’ve had a stutter all my life and it used to stop me from saying what I felt. With the very first issue, I wanted to cover the concept of being in love by using an actual couple for the shoot to bring out the real emotions of seeing a couple in love. With the second issue, it’s the radiance of summer and the youth that summer comes along with it. Going all the way to the last issue where it’s just pictures to show people what the 5 years of taking photos looks like and showing people what I’ve worked so hard to make happen, to really show people I’m passionate about my craft and that I’m here to make a name for myself and do what I truly love. What I want people to take away from Radiance is that with all the bad stuff happening in the world, there’s always radiance in things and in life that people overlook.

“Everything and everyone is radiant”

Is there anything like a storyboard that you use to draw out your set before shooting?

It’s weird I usually just think of what the set is and have it in mind and I try to make it work with my recourses. I try to write down game plans for shoots like formations but I never follow them because I get caught up in the moment. I’ll like what I drew and then I’m just looking around thinking and I come up with something else or I listen to a model or an assistant that bring along with me and my mind just starts going and going and going, like a hamster on a wheel.

Your most recent and final issue of Radiance season one. From clothes to lighting, can you talk more about the concept/inspiration and decision making for this issue?

I got inspiration from this film photographer named Willem Verbeeck, he did a photoshoot with the rapper named duckwrth and used a spotlight as the focal point of the shoot. I thought it was so cool to have the focus of the shoot be one source of light. So I wanted to do that and actually make a set for my shoot. I borrowed lights from my friend from work and used my living room as the set and planned out my models and had multiple outfits. I wanted the light to just be the only source of light in the room to make the viewer really focus on what was in the light. For the style, my house was made in the late 70s and I have always liked how it looked and I love old things, as cliche as how that is to talk about vintage but I love taking pictures that look timeless so people can’t tell what year or day I took those photos. They look like they could have been taken in the late 80s or could have been taken in 2019, I want people to be immersed into the world that I created and have them feel as if they were in that Universe that I created.

Closing out the season with some amazing photos to look back at, what are some things that you’ve learned while working on season one and want to improve/try for the future seasons?

Things I’ve learned from season 1 was to not be afraid to reach out to models that you want to work with. In issue 4 I reached out to a model named Fern, I knew nothing about them, but I reached out and made a new friend because of it. Also, to plan shoots with more than 2 days in advance. I was so excited to have a concept done, I would have needed a day or two to get models together for it and if you want great models, you have to ask within more than a week in advance to give them more of a heads up. I learned never to be scared to ask for help on shoots. I now use assistants sometimes to help me out with lighting or directing with models. I’ll either use my friends or my girlfriend to help me with the behind the scenes and how important the preproduction is compared to the actual production and finally, it’s okay to take your time on your work. I gave myself a deadline for Radiance season one. When I didn’t have a deadline to get issues done, I stressed myself out for no reason, so I learned to relax and take time and treat it as a Bob Ross painting and take time with it no matter how long it takes and you’ll make something great.

From here on out, what do you plan on doing with Radiance — how can you build from season one?

What I plan to build is to have a more diverse group of people in my shoots. I want to use more people of color in my shoots for this upcoming season. Going bigger and better. Using more colors. Coming up with original concepts, really have people see the growth from season 1 to season 2. I hope to make Radiance into a thing where all creatives know about and maybe have them be inspired by the work that I’ve made. I want people to find something I made and inspire young people of color out there to not be afraid to put their art out because you never know who’s watching.

With a Radiance season two coming soon, is there anything you can tell us or your followers about this upcoming season? Anything you want to let your followers know?

All I can say is that for season 2 is to expect new concepts and the same style with a little twist. Bigger and better honestly. I want my followers to know thanks for rocking with me this long, this new support has been so crazy to me and only inspires me to keep doing my thing and continue to make the content that I love and show my love for creating photos.

“It’s all about the art”

Radiance season two is currently in the works, there is no definite date when Radiance season two will release but you can stay updated by following Ontario Byrd on Instagram for any of his wonderful work and information on Radiance. Meanwhile you can purchase a magazine from Radiance season one here.

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