Meet Patrick Ingram | Portrait/Product Photographer and Aspiring Creative Director

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

Hi Patrick, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I see a lot of blind glorification of negativity in the world, in every industry, and it took a long time for me to realize that even in the photography industry there is a LOT of negative glorification, from images of music artists smoking/drinking their lives away, to oversexualized studio photos, to promotion of guns in black communities, to blatant satanic imagery. The worst part in all of this to me is the fact it’ll be really great photographers with great skills who ultimately bring value and importance to whatever is being photographed no matter how dangerous the impact is to the viewer. I want to change that. I want to bring a new wave of creativity and value to a movement of positivity. Ways I’d like to achieve this is by honing my skills often and becoming capable of doing what many great photographers are able to do in the studio. In no way do I intend to sound cocky but I believe I’m well on my way in doing so. I’m also photographing CHH music artists – bringing more awareness to their skills and talents and bringing the importance/value I previously mentioned to their musical craft to impact souls. I also plan to create more conceptual art outside of client photos. Art that opens eyes and can be interpreted in a progressive light. Also art that points people to the truth, Christ.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe my use of color grading of my photos sets me apart from other people in the Detroit photography space. I don’t see a ton of color graded photos in my area that you can tell took time and care into making. Don’t get me wrong though, I love the photography in the 313, we have some very talented and wise photographers here, but I just happened to notice that lack. On another note, it has not been easy to get to this point in my career. Business wise, I’m still in the beginning of this as I made Patrogenic an official LLc on June 26th of this year (2023). With that said, I’ve put a lot of time and effort into my skills for five years before making it official, and even now my current struggle is finding someone who is capable and trustworthy of handling my accounting, so that has somewhat hindered my focus. Something I’ve learned a long the way is just how difficult operating a freelance business is. Besides the skill itself, there is a whole world of marketing, accounting, managing, and more that you have to be attentive to. I’m slowly learning how to navigate properly in this. I’d also like to throw in that my biggest takeaway has been that consistency is insanely important. I don’t even have to say much on that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Surprisingly, I don’t know too much about unique places to eat in my area. However I’d recommend visiting downtown Detroit at nighttime and seeing how beautifully lit it is. Actually I take back what I said about eating, as Sugar Factory of Detroit has been getting more traction on the internet lately as people are discovering their dedication to dancing for birthday customers, I’d also recommend eating there, the food I had was great.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout-out Christ first and foremost, He was the one gave me this ability so without Him there would be no Patrogenic. I’d like to shout out my two sisters who’ve offered their opinions on my business moves and have been moral support in every step I take. I’d also like to shout-out my parents for their prayers and encouragement. Thank you as well to every single person in the CHH industry who has supported me whether by Instagram follow or a comment on a post, and big shout-out to all the ones I work with consistently. Thank you to my friends who engage with every single post I put up, and who push me to pursue this career. Last but not least, shout out to every client I’ve ever worked with, you entrusted me with your vision and have helped play a part in my purpose, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Website: patrogenic.com

Instagram: patrogenic

Twitter: patrogenic

Youtube: Patrogenic

Image Credits
Patrick Ingram (Patrogenic)