Gerald kokra
Stories (1/0)
My hometown
Greetings, my name is Gerald Kokra and I am 26 years old. The story about my hometown is full of colors, authenticity, and uniqueness. But, before I go further into it let me first properly introduce myself, and what it is that I do. I am a freelance photographer based in the Bronx ( NYC). I love documentary, portrait, and fashion photography. I would define my style as realism, which is the main reason why I still shoot film these days. The accuracy, and translation to moods and colors are astonishing. My introduction to photography was actually quite a long journey, growing up I was always attracted to art. By the time I was 16 years of age living in Abidjan I started playing the guitar, but I did not have enough money to afford a camera so I would browse the internet to look at photographs or buy magazines and sit for hours looking at the beauty behind them. The idea of being a photographer or working in the art world always resonated, but considering the circumstances of my culture it was impossible to do so back then. Being a photographer in Abidjan wasn't taken seriously, people were often mocked for being broke or just not taken seriously at all. I left my hometown in 2011, after a political war/conflict. I have fled to France and later came to the United States of America. Fast forward to the year 2018, exactly in August after my mom passed I realized that life was too short to sleep on my dreams so I decided to pursue photography. It has been a very rough, long but extremely exciting journey. I have made it a mission to make it more acceptable in my society to be an Artist, especially for kids wanting to pursue a photography career. I have a strong desire to have my work exhibited and shown across the globe one day to inspire and motivate those who don't believe that it's possible to still make their dreams a reality. One of my biggest ambitions once becoming an established photographer would be to have workshops available wherever I could for kids who have no means to afford classes but are wanting to learn. My project "ABJ" has a heavy sentimental value to me as it was my first time returning home as a photographer.
By Gerald kokra3 years ago in Photography