Member Monday: Payton Doss
THIS WEEK WE INTERVIEWED A SERIOUSLY KICKASS MODEL/PHOTOGRAPHER AND ONE OF OUR NEWEST MEMBERS,
PAYTON DOSS
CONTINUE SCROLLING TO LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT PAYTON, AND HER CREATIVE JOURNEY/MISSION SO FAR!
Tell us about yourself!
Hi! My name is Payton Leigh Doss, I am 21 years old and I’m from a small town outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After pursuing contemporary dance for 12 years and having to quit at 14 due to injury, I picked up a camera to fulfill that creative void I had lost and have been creating ever since. This lead to me starting my own photography business when I was 15 years old. Through this journey I have discovered my passion towards fashion photography and film. Allowing me to combine my love for fashion, self confidence, styling, music, motion, and the beauty of God and art into one, my favorite thing to do is create editorial series or fashion films.
I grew up in the country on 14 acres in rural Oklahoma, but half of my heart lies in the big city (oh..and some by the ocean :). I come from a very close knit family where my mom and older sister are my very best friends and my dad is my sweetest and greatest supporter. Authenticity and originality are two primary goals in my life that I strive towards every day. My greatest passion is Jesus and encouraging other women to allow the voice of inner worth to be greater than insecurities and other’s opinions. The quickest way to my heart is through long country drives with windows down, music nearly blowing out the speakers while watching an Oklahoma sunset.. or of course...a weekend at Coachella. ;)
What inspired you to pursue your current creative path?
As weird as it sounds, growing up in a small town has really inspired me to pursue fashion photography and film. I absolutely love where i grew up and wouldn’t change it for anything, but opportunity there is slim. I never really felt like I fit in there and that pushed me to want to jump head first into the unknown and fully pursue a creative career in a bigger city. I want to go all in for my dreams while i’m young so I can never say I didn’t try.
I also have the greatest support system in my parents who have always told me to just go for it. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
How did you find out about TGS?
lex messaged me inviting me to the launch party for TGS two years ago! We’ve been following each other on instagram ever since and when I studied for a semester in LA for school I knew I had to be a part!
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My inspiration is mostly drawn from my own emotions. I can always see a reflection in my art based on where I am in life and what kind of emotional season I am going through. No one else would ever be able to tell, but I can. I also gain lots of inspo from fashion, music, contemporary art museums, and other multi-media artists. My favorite thing is leaving a shoot, a museum, or even just browsing through a magazine and being filled with new ideas and plans. That feeling in your chest when you’re so full of ideas and inspiration you can’t wait another second to start planning your next shoot.. that’s my favorite.
Fave aesthetic, look or theme when shooting?
My favorite aesthetic for shooting is female focused editorial. I wish every photo I create could be printed in an 8x10 because digital photos never feel quite right to me. I love capturing different features of different females and showcasing their unique traits.
Fave aesthetic, look or theme when shooting?
My favorite aesthetic for shooting is female focused editorial. I wish every photo I create could be printed in an 8x10 because digital photos never feel quite right to me. I love capturing different features of different females and showcasing their unique traits.
Random stuff about you?
I’m really passionate about female body image and confidence. I in no way carry traits to be a model, but I really enjoy modeling for smaller, fun shoots because I am a little curvier (aka - so extremely normal and average) and I like embarrassing that and not letting myself believe that i’m “too curvy for the camera.” Following society given beauty standards is not something I believe in for anyone else, so it’s definitely not something I want to believe in for myself. That’s brought me to enjoy modeling sometimes which is why I want to be a photographer, videographer, and occasional model in TGS :)
Also random fun fact.. I currently live in a 200 sq. ft. renovated snow cone stand that is now my very own tiny house. I’ll continue living there on my parents land in Oklahoma until I finish graduating and (hopefully) move to LA full time!
