Sieze the Night With Kept Frozen ❄

January 26, 2017

Curious as to what an urban street photography style looks like? We have you covered.

We interviewed the sharp focus photographer DeAndre Holland, but most widely known as Kept Frozen, based out of Nashville, Tennessee. DeAndre specializes in night photography, long exposure, light trails, cityscapes, portraits, footwear, and much more.

All photos © by DeAndre Holland.

Below gives us a little preview inside the mind of DeAndre and how the alias Kept Frozen came about.

When did you first think of becoming a photographer?

I wanted to become a photographer back in December of 2012 when I traveled to the islands after graduating High School.

What cameras and lighting gear did you start with and what are you currently using?

I’ve always used a natural source of light – started that way and I’m gonna’ end it that way, lol. But I started off with a Nikon D3200 with a 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8, and I had a film camera, a Nikon FM10. Now I’m currently using a Canon 5D Mark II with a 20mm f/2.8 and 24mm f/1.4 L.

You’re a preferred night shooter, the reason why?

I think if a photographer can master night photographer they can master any lighting situation. Plus, I find night photography more interesting: it brings a whole new type of world to people who are looking at your work.

How long have you been building your portfolio?

I’ve been building it for probably 2 and a half years. I didn’t take it seriously when I first started out.

What do you consider the most important breaks in your career and why?

The most important breaks in my career have been featured in East Nashvillian Magazine of May, 2015. That was big for me; I was shooting one night and this guy comes up to me and asks, “Hey, are you DeAndre Holland? (my real name was in the magazine)” and I replied, “Yeah, that’s me!” and then he says, “Love your work man, keep it up!” From then on, I knew I was headed to the top.

What/who inspires you the most?

People such as Timothy McGurr, William Klein, and Trashhand inspire me to continue shooting daily.

What’s it like living where you are?

Living where I live is “okay” somewhat. I stay in the East part of Nashville, and I’ve been living here as a kid and I hate that it’s being gentrified, but hey, what can you do. As far as taking pictures here, it gets pretty old sometimes if you don’t have a model to work with. You really have to go out and scout if you’re an urban photographer like me, but a lot of people go out to the parks with the waterfalls and get amazing shots there too. It’s an okay city in my opinion, but the city is what you make of it.

What made you come up with the name Kept Frozen?

At the time I loved 90s music a lot. I love fall and winter, so I was in the grocery store looking at some meat to buy and I saw it said “keep frozen.” I did like that, so I changed it to ‘kept’ and there you have it. Kept Frozen was born.

What are your main goals as a photographer?

My main goals as a photographer is to be a part of an agency and be able to travel the world doing campaigns for high fashion or street wear fashion brands. Also, maybe become a guest speaker for schools or organizations to talk to photographers who are looking to hone their skill or people who are looking into becoming a photographer.

Best advice to anyone reading?

My advice to people is: Firstly, don’t go to school for photography unless you want to learn the business side of things, but photography is pretty self-explanatory. I taught myself from December 2012 till now. Secondly, practice, practice, practice; you’re not going to get better shooting if you only shoot when someone comes to you and shoot. Third, take your camera everywhere you go. And lastly, don’t compare yourself to other photographers, or don’t copy other photographers. There won’t be another photographer like you.