Meet Samson Tran | Professional Photographer and Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samson Tran (raven_the_pirate) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was working in a completely different industry and just wasn’t happy anymore. It was a good job, but I didn’t have the passion and drive I used to have and eventually came to a point where I asked myself the question: is this where I want to be in 20 years?

At the same time, I have always been doing photography on the side and loved it. It has always been a dream of mine to earn my living doing photography, being creative. The photography that I have been doing on the side has been growing so much in the past years that I reached the point where I could realistically consider it an option.

So I made the jump, because I don’t want to look back in 20 years and ask myself “What if…”.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what makes my work stand out is the creative use of Photoshop. While I am mainly a product photographer, I use photoshop to create fictional worlds or help create a scenario that would not be possible with “traditional“ photography.

I’ve always been a very visual and imaginative person and I have discovered fairly early that Photoshop is an incredible tool to help me visualize the images that I had in my head. I have been using Photoshop to create concept art and matte paintings even before I even owned a camera, so naturally when I did get involved with photography, I let my background bleed into my work.

I wasn’t sure how people would react to it, because it’s not what you’d typically see from a “photographer“, and I have been called out for calling myself a photographer while 70% of an image was created digitally from scratch. But all that was telling me was that I am doing something different, something that maybe hasn’t been seen before in my niche of the industry at that time. So, it only encouraged me to keep going.

That is pretty much in line with all the decisions I have made in my life: if you’re passionate about something and you love it with all your heart, double down and give it your all.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I consider two cities my home: Frankfurt, Germany is where I currently live and Hamburg, Germany is where I lived the majority of my adult life and since it’s a week long trip, we’re going to cover both!

We’re starting out in Frankfurt with it’s incredible restaurants and scenery along the Main river. Frankfurt is Germany’s New York and has earned its nick name “Mainhattan“.
There are also a lot of old cities and castles in the surrounding area that are definitely worth a visit!

We’ll then make a 4 hour trip to visit Hamburg to enjoy the night life. Whether you want to go to one of the many night clubs, have a drink at a bar, hang out at a beach club or just hang out with friends – Hamburg’s got you covered.
And on the next day you can cure your hangover on a relaxing boat trip on the Elbe.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a ton of brands that have supported me and believed in me since the beginning. They were crucial in me making the decision to make the switch to going full time with photography. Big Idea Design (@bigidesign), Daily Customs (@dailycustoms.shop) and AltonaerSilber (@altonaersilber) have been there for me from day one.

But also fellow photographers, content creators and makers like Tom Medvedich (@notoriousedc), Taylor Martin (@bestdamnedc) and Ben Peterson (@knafs_co) have been a huge inspiration and fuel in my creative tank.

Website: www.ravenartworx.com

Instagram: @raven_the_pirate

Other: email: ravenartworx@gmail.com