It’s Fri-YAY!
We hope you all are enjoying our “Black History in the Making, pt II” line up.
This week we have the smoothest photographer we know gracing our page, Reko Daye.
Check out his story:
My name is Reko Daye. I am an educated, creative gentleman from Durham, North Carolina where I frequently visit to enjoy the smiling faces of my family and friends. I am a traveling photographer of sorts but not in the way you are used to. I not only travel to places, but I also travel through capturing moments of life’s journey. Photography is something I love to do, but often it has shown me how important memories are…
Why did you start?
When I was growing up, I would always try to find ways to release my creativity without knowing it. From capturing images on disposable cameras to making music videos with my siblings, I always had a thing for photography but my family was unable to afford to buy me a camera to further this interest. During college, I connected back with my visual passion and began to explore it even further. I later on purchased my first DSLR and the rest is history. Suave Visions was started as an outlet for my creativity and to utilize it as a way for me to provide my blessings and express my personality with the world.
How is your passion for photography changing the narrative of the black community?
Suave Visions knows that it’s hard to maintain an online presence. Staying visible and standing out online is a key asset to running a business successfully. When it comes to branding and being unique, the visuals that you place on your social media platforms, websites, and other marketing tools are very important to the success of your company. Within the black community, a lot of us are new to owning our own businesses and we are, a majority of the time, the generation changers of our families. With that being said, the beginning steps to a business may be completely new to us and we can use all of the assistance that we can get to make sure our dreams survive. Suave Visions has been focusing on partnering with multiple black-owned small businesses and nonprofits within the community to improve upon their company’s brand while allowing creative, high-quality visuals to express the organization’s personality and dedication to their craft. This not only helps the company but also provides more visibility of the efforts and handwork that the black community has been providing.
What challenges are you currently facing and how are they shaping your brand?
Remaining an outside of the box thinker when it comes to running a photography business has been one of the biggest challenges that I have been facing recently. Photography is a very crowded profession and everyone is trying to do the exact thing as someone else, and that can become frustrating. It’s hard to remain creative and stand out in a market where others are emulating every move that you make or believe that what you do is simple and easy. I have never been an individual that follows the crowd so it’s difficult to make sure that I am maintaining the basic photography needs, but also being able to trust myself and the reasons why I started my company. Staying in my own lane, focusing on my own growth, and making sure that I am minding my own “business” is my main goal for this company. Suave Visions is more than just a photography company, but everyone will find out more about that later on down the road!
Using one word or phrase, what would you tell another aspiring entrepreneur to continue on their journey?
“Purpose Fears No Environment”. We have to learn to trust in God, to trust our dopeness, and to know that this opportunity that we have been blessed with was meant for us! We tend to focus on everyone and everything else when the main focus should be on ourselves and what we are going to do TODAY to make ourselves better tomorrow. You have this life for a reason and you should never allow any situation, any circumstance, and anyone to keep you away from your purpose …. not even yourself. Fear no environment and trust in who you are! I’ve been getting better and better at this everyday myself.
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Website:
Instagram: @NoDayez_Off
Facebook: https://www.
Twitter: @SuaveVisions
