Today we’d like to introduce you to Clint Brandon Cave.
Clint, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Clint Brandon Cave. I am a 25-year-old self-taught videographer & photographer. I grew up in Meriden, CT, but my family’s heritage is from the island of Trinidad & Tobago. I attended Western Connecticut State University and studied business entrepreneurship with a minor in investment finance. I finished school and got a job at a commodities firm, shortly thereafter. While working at the firm, I felt that my mind wasn’t being exercised in the way I felt it could be. I still had that creative itch that wasn’t getting scratched, so I decided to part ways with the company and fell back on my passion, which is exploring different cultures and food.
Over the next two years, I had the opportunity to discover so many gorgeous cities and countries across the world. That is where I fell in love with storytelling through a camera. After several adventures, I decided it was time for a change, which is when I moved to San Diego, CA. Socially the transition was very easy, but career-wise, it was tough. I had to start from scratch and rebuild myself up from the bottom. I was very excited by this challenge. A couple free jobs here led to a couple references there, and it ultimately led to very consistent freelance work. I am very thankful for my opportunities but I feel as if there is still so much more to accomplish and I cannot wait.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome
It has not been a smooth road; I’ve had to face challenges that all creatives must face. I have had to deal with people not having your best interest at heart, people using you for their own personal gain, as well as people trying to manipulate you to get free things. I think the hardest one of it all is the price point in which you value your work, that was my biggest struggle. You put all this money, time, and effort in your craft and then you have to make the choice that is “how much am I worth”. Only recently after speaking with a good friend Ty Soaras, was I really pushed in the right direction of telling myself how much I’m worth and then truly believing it. I know that it may seem weird to convince yourself, but when you’re a freelancer, you’re constantly looking at competitors and what they are doing and whether you are charging too much or too little. When you can decide how much you are worth and stick to it without anyone else input is when you truly will start to really see growth.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a videographer and photographer who specializes in events and capturing the raw energy and emotion of the scene. Whether that is a music festival, charity event, or a promo video for a brand, the emotion is always expressed through my lens. I am known for enjoying the events that I’m in, which lets me “blend in”. While shooting a concert, I am not standing. Still, I am enjoying my time, jumping in the crowd and feeding the energy that surrounds me. I feel like when people are comfortable with the person holding a camera they almost forget that they have a camera in hand. People start to shed that “I’m going to pose” skin that they put on when they initially see a camera and then start to show their true self. Candid’s make for some of the best images and can’t tell what a better time to take an image than when the people are loving the setting they are in.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is going to Trinidad & Tobago for the first time for a whole summer with my family and swimming at the beach my parents grew up on. This trip was full of laughs, food, ocean swimming, and most of all my family. My family is the most important thing in my life and just being so young and having them bless me with a summer of fun was amazing. Looking back, being a child and doing the same things that my parents did as children with them as adults was a unique experience. My dad who usually spent eight days a week working to give us all that we could ever want was now a floating jungle gym in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. He was a child again, not a father. He ensured that this moment was one that we never forgot and I love him for that. This was my favorite childhood memory.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clintbrandoncave.com
- Instagram: Instagram: @ClintBrandonCave
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