Meet George Hudson | Photographer

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

Hi George, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I’m always inspired by selflessness and humility. Seeing someone use up all their time and resources to invest in their community is far more inspiring to me than someone achieving success in their career or finances. When I see someone selflessly giving of themselves it fills me with a drive to do the same, and as a photographer that kind of selfless drive will always lead to more intimate, special photographic moments than any kind of selfish ambition ever could.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is all about humans. And I’ll say from the start that I have a very optimistic view towards humanity. My worldview is very much informed by my faith, and I’m committed to seeing good and beauty in each and every image-bearer.

As far as the type of photographer I am, I would consider myself a portrait and street photographer primarily. Rarely will I take a photo that doesn’t have a face in it. These can range from studio portraits with people I know, actors, models, to street portraits of strangers going about their lives.

In college I studied filmmaking, primarily focusing on cinematography. But I found myself fascinated by all the other disciplines that go into telling a compelling story, and ended up taking classes in theatre, photography, psychology, and more. All of these deeply shaped who I am as an artist.

When I go out shooting I tend to stay in my neighborhood of Uptown, Chicago. It’s vibrant, diverse, creative, and every corner has its own unique story. I’m a part of a church plant in this neighborhood as well. This is incredibly important to me as an artist, that I know this neighborhood and these people before I try and tell their stories. There’s always a risk of doing more harm than good when photographing people, and I want to be sensitive to that reality.

I decided to pursue this style of photography a few years ago, after deciding that I wanted to take a break from the more corporate style of work I had been pursuing. I decided that I would choose to pursue another line of work entirely rather than use my artistic skills for something I didn’t believe in. I worked all over Chicago for a variety of places. Eventually I found a job that I enjoyed, that also gave me time to work on my personal artistic projects. Through this job I’ve also been able to cultivate a community of artists in the city that convenes to make work together.

I would encourage other artists to reflect on what a career means to them. Is it being able to make money from your art? Is it being able to make money elsewhere so that you can stay true to yourself as an artist? It is maybe somewhere in between?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I always take Chicago newcomers to the Chicago Magic Lounge, a speakeasy style bar in Andersonville hidden inside a laundromat. They do bar magic and make great cocktails. Andersonville is Chicago’s Swedish neighborhood and one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to. I’d take a friend to the Galleria art store, Svea viking breakfast, the Brown Elephant thrift store, and one of many incredible coffee shops.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people, places, and things that have shaped my journey as an artist. One person that comes to mind would be my college photography professor, Jamie Miles. He helped me realize that I could tell just as much of a story through photography as I could through motion pictures.

Website: https://www.oldboggy.com/

Instagram: @old.boggy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-hudson-5a866012a/

Other: VSCO: https://vsco.co/timhudson/gallery