As long as hip hop has been around, there have been people to document its growth and diffusion across countries and cultures. One of Hip Hop’s most coveted ways of documentation comes from the camera. Of course back when hip hop was first taking off people were shooting with film because that’s all that was available, but overtime cameras were evolving along with the music. This birthed the digital camera giving us instant photos at a higher quality and unfortunately price. However, laying low similar to underground hip hop, there has been a cult like following keeping film alive. Shooting film has a sort of character and patience accompanied with it that many people today either don’t have the time or appreciation for. But it compliments hip hop very well, it’s gritty, emotional and when it’s done with care and attention, it’s beautiful.

Today’s artist to watch is Briy Ordonez(insta: briyordonez Twitter: @briyordonez). Briy is a 18 year old photographer based out of Atlanta, Georgia. He can’t even drink yet, but he is already racking up an impressive portfolio. Briy’s dedication to his craft is unmatched, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Usually when a photographer wants to shoot at a festival or concert they will simply get a media pass and get in no problem. But when you can’t get in with a media pass to a venue that doesn’t let cameras in… you do what you have to do. My first encounter with his unmatched dedication was in line at a Brockhampton concert. Long story short, I was in line for people with a fast pass, he was in the front of general admission line. When he seen me he came over and told me how he had been in line for 6 hours( we still had an hour to go at that point). I couldn’t figure out why he would leave his decent spot in line, but then he pulls out his fast pass that well, lets just say didn’t look like the others, but it was REALLY close. He knew what would happen if he was caught, but that was a risk he was willing to take, to get closer for pictures and avoid having to fight through a tightly packed moshing crowd.

This past January Briy had the opportunity to go to Paris Fashion Week and shoot. Just a reminder he is 18, and people where we are from don’t just get up and go to fashion week. Of course, he jumped at the opportunity like any normal person would and was led by his mentor, Phoenix(Insta:joy_divizn), who took Briy under his wing as his protege. Briy has shot the likes of, Ian Connor, Mac Demarco, Southside, and Lil Yachty. There is truly no where but up for him. He is a student of his craft willing to go the extra mile. Keep an eye on him before he gets too far ahead.

Tyler, the Creator and Travis Scott shot by Briy Ordonez