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Shot by Selina

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4 years ago

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

A successful, forward-thinking business knows the value that the younger generation can bring. All we need to do is cultivate their skills and talents, and understand that our great future leaders may need our help from time to time.

One thing that cannot be underestimated is the value of fresh eyes coming to you from a younger generation. This week, our Business Feature is on a phenomenal young creative who has quickly risen through the photography and filmmaking space in Toronto. At the age of 22, she has learned how to formulate her opinions and has become a trusted expert in her field. She is in the habit of sharing her knowledge and resources to her followers on social media, which is why her cohorts view her as an expert. She can manage her online reputation like a pro, and she approaches age-old problems with new solutions. We would like to present to you, Toronto Caribbean Newspaper’s Creative Reporter, MyTCNTV Network’s Production Manager, and Founder of Shot by Selina, Selina McCallum.

Hard work is not new to Selina McCallum. In our many discussions, she has told me about how hard she has seen her parents work to help her get to where she wants to go. They have also been her main support system, and have encouraged her to do what she loves, but to be mindful and to not let people take advantage of her. She recalls the beginning of her creative journey.

“My parents used to read to me a lot when I was a child, and this helped develop my love for writing. From a very young age, I knew what I wanted to do. I enjoyed the idea of writing for a living, and I had also acquired this love for photography. When it was time to pick what I wanted to do at university, I picked Digital Journalism (using photos to tell a story), with a double major in English. I figured, if I didn’t like journalism, I could fall back on my English degree to become a teacher, lawyer, or writer.”

In her first year – when she was only 18 years old – Selina decided that she would take a second-year course in her first year. She switched from English to Journalism and Communication, Media and Film in her second semester of her first year.

“I actually took two second courses in my first year. Both of them were video focused. We had eight camera’s big, bulky cameras, and if we wanted to use them, we had to sign them out to do the assignment and return it that day. One of the reasons I run my own business is because I like to do things on my own time, and their camera limitations were not working for me. As an early birthday gift, my dad bought me a camera. I got the set in February, right after reading week. I went back to school and could do things on my time.”

 Now with her own camera in hand, Selina’s passion for photography amplified. She started taking pictures of everything. She began working on: framing, sharpness, and the story that she wanted to tell with her photos. It was then that she recognized that she could monetize her talents. She had a friend make her current logo (which was originally pink and green), and she made some slight colour alterations to make it plain black. She wanted her brand to look sleek.

Her first major contract was with a company called IRunTO. The owner found her through a mutual network and asked if she could shoot his clothing line. The exchange would be clothes for photos that she could give to the models that she decided to shoot. For Selina, he custom made her sweater. It said

‘Shot by Selina’ on the back. It took her about two weeks to round everyone up. She selected five models, and did her first promo video.

That pushed her career forward. Selina relives her next great experience with me during the interview.

“I was walking downtown in Windsor with my friend and we passed by this shop with really cool clothes in it. I will never forget it; the owners name was Joe, and the store was called Pushers. He saw us standing outside and he welcomed me when I came in. I introduced myself as a journalist, and he offered the opportunity to take pictures of artists from Detroit.”

Troy Avenue was coming. He was a popular Detroit local, so Selina jumped on the opportunity. She ended up observing other photographers and learned quite a bit. “I wanted to learn one minute clips of products and this gave me an opportunity. I got to see how Detroit videographers worked. You have to learn what to trade your time for, especially when you have just started.  I used all the experience to get exposure.”

 Selina didn’t stop there. She was introduced to Femi Lawson, who encouraged her talent by having her film him at his booth during Afro Fest. It was also around that time that she was introduced to the newspaper Street Voices. Street Voices is a media platform for street-involved and at-risk youth. It allows them to share their stories, artwork, and opinions with the larger community. In 2016, she joined the magazine, and now she is the designated photographer, videographer, and editor.

Wanting to create balance in her life, Selina strategically found a way to keep her business running, even though she was in full time school. During the summer, she worked at a youth camp and worked on building her portfolio in Toronto, and during the school year, she worked on building her brand in Windsor. People began to recognize Selina and her camera. In her second year of university, she became: the event photographer for the Caribbean and African Organization of Students, began to write for the Windsor Lance, and also got the job as a photojournalist. During this time, Selina noticed her growing passion for human rights stories. Her name was all over the campus, and by her third year, everyone knew about Shot by Selina.

“I have enjoyed all the work that I have done so far. Everywhere I went, people were asking me, to take their photos. At one point, my photos were all over the University of Windsor Campus. I have so many proud moments, but two that definitely stick out are the completion of two documentaries: Marley’s Journey and Traffick on 401. I am at the very beginning of my journey, but I am enjoying every minute of it. I have so much more to learn, but I am eager, and willing to do what I have to do to become a success.”

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