My name is Darius Ollison. My journey in photography started back in college. I remember I would obsess over photographs on flickr for hours on end before I even picked up a camera. The sunsets were so beautiful in the small town where my college was and I would always try to take photos with my cell phone. They never quite came out how I wanted so I eventually got a dslr the summer after my junior year. Photographing anything and just trying to get better quickly became an obsession. After about three years I decided to focus on portrait work. I was influenced heavily by great photographers like Stefan Beutler and Andre Josselin. The thing that always keeps me coming back to portrait photography is the interaction between model and photographer. Every now and then you work with a model who just understands your artwork and what you are pursuing. The two of you just vibe on a deep level so much so that your ideas begin to mesh during the shoot. Eventually your ideas are her ideas as if she is an extension of your mind. The movements you want her to make she makes; almost as if for a moment she is an extension of your body. I love that wrinkle in time because it’s so real, so raw and so honest. Interactions like that don’t happen often. To take a look at the inside of a person and get a glimpse of their soul and to share yours in the process is one of the most beautiful experiences.