Innocence, Tumblr, and Empty Parking Lots

Photography by Cooly Fooly

Photographer Cooly Fooly discusses the relationship between the photographer and their subject, growing up in the era of Tumblr, and capturing life on the whim.

Mount Vernon and the Bronx, USA

What is your history as a photographer?

I started taking photos at 14 years old. I “borrowed” a camera from my school and I was trying to emulate what I was seeing on the Internet. I grew up in the era of Tumblr, so everything I saw was just people trying to express their own aesthetics on the Internet and I thought, “My life should be documented like that”. Also, the people I hung around were unique and I wanted others to know they exist.

How do you think you've grown as an artist since you first started?

I think I've grown in the way that I can stop trying to emulate people and I can start making my own ideas come to light. I can also not have to plan so much because every photo I take is on a whim. I feel like it “just happens” and that's what's good about it. I feel like I'm just living my life and just happen to be capturing what goes on.

How would you describe your style? What makes you unique and different?

I think what makes my style unique is that I'm just simply living my life and capturing whatever happens along the way. I'm not planning anything and these are just occurrences in my everyday life. I hang out in an empty parking lots with my friends, I go skating on and into the sunset, and stuff that I only could imagine doing because I saw it online. I'd also describe my style as trying to capture the innocence of the young Black body as well. I think that we have been painted in a really bad light for some odd reason and my photos are trying to say that we are just like you.

Tell the story behind one of the images.

One of the images has my friend Malik sitting in a blue couch shirtless. We just finished eating jerk chicken and he was sitting there sweating his ass off, so I was like yeah I was gonna take a picture of whatever dude and that one picture became honestly one of my favorite things I've ever created.

Who are your subjects?

For the most part, all of my subjects are my friends. I don't really take pictures of strangers or people on the online unless like their looks are really striking. Other than that, it’s people I see almost everyday: my closest and dearest friends and that's what honestly makes it fun. I'm just going around living my life with them; they’re in my life and I am in theirs.

In your opinion, what are some important aspects of a relationship between a photographer and their subject? What do you enjoy most about this relationship?

I feel like it's important for the photographer and subjects to be on the same page and that's easy when I'm just taking pictures of people I know. It's also easier to take criticism from them because they know what you're capable of and they know your potential as well.

If you could choose to photograph one person, who would it be and why?

There's anybody I want to photograph it would probably be Donald Glover. He's been the biggest inspiration for me ever since I was a child and he is the pinnacle of, “Oh, if you like something, just fucking go do it.”

What's next for you?

I really really want to be a magazine photographer I want to be taking shots for Vogue and Fader and Paper magazine. But if that doesn't happen then so be it we all have to make something happen for ourselves at the end of the day.