Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, New York Film Academy Photography Instructor Chris Knight’s work has appeared in Vogue, People, MSNBC, ABC, Ocean Drive, GQ and others. Knight says photography started as a hobby for him until it became compulsive.
“It was something that appealed to me in a lot of different ways — technically and creatively,” he says. “Once I had a few years under my belt, part-time, I figured ‘why not?’ and dove head first. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into, but somehow managed to come out okay on the other side. I consider myself very lucky that I am able to work in a field that is my passion and fulfills me creatively.”
Knight is the recent author of the book, “The Dramatic Portrait.” The book is a photography education book that talks about the techniques and creative use of lighting, styling, retouching, and developing your own personal creativity.
“It was something of a bucket list item for me,” said Knight. “I had always wanted to write a book and about a year ago had the opportunity to do so. It has been a labor of love for about a year, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to release it.”
Knight also recently completed his work with RGG EDU (rggedu.com), which is a video tutorial / documentary that covers the process of him creating and photographing three different shoots. “It’s a companion piece to the book, and the images I made for it are some of my favorite I’ve ever done,” said Knight.
Given his work, book, and teaching, Knight has been named one of Profoto’s “Legends of Light,” which honors photographers’ outstanding skills and contributions to the professional American photographic community. “Just being placed on a list with people I’ve had tremendous respect and admiration for over the years is incredibly humbling,” said Knight.
“Don’t underestimate the power of time, patience, and hard work,” Knight advises his students and aspiring photographers. “It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting everything to happen quickly, but sometimes the process is a significantly longer one. Use that time as a way to continue developing your personal voice. Once your stumble on what is uniquely you, more opportunities will present themselves and you’ll be happier with the ones that do. Go above and beyond (without being asked) and have a positive attitude about it. Being a working creative is hard. Those that are strong self-motivators are always the most successful. When you’re your own boss, you don’t have someone telling you what to do, so learn to take the initiative for yourself.”
For more of Knight’s work, visit chrisknightphoto.com or on Instagram at @chrisknightphoto. “The Dramatic Portrait” is available for pre-order on Amazon in paperback or ebook, and the tutorial with RGG EDU will come out this summer.