Sptmbrborn Puts Style to the Authentic Self

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Photo by Sptmbrborn

Photo by Sptmbrborn

Photo by Sptmbrborn

Sptmbrborn is a fine art photographer whose goal is to capture the beauty of people being their authentic selves. Born in Gary, IN, they are self-taught and have been creating art with the camera for over a decade. Utilizing vibrant lighting and effects, Sptmbrborn has developed a recognizable style within the Milwaukee art scene that embellishes unique perspectives and radiant detail of their subjects.

Everything started creatively for them in high school, although their plan since they were a kid was always to be an artist. “I would draw Dragon Ball Z characters when I was little,” they recalled. “I got into Roosevelt Middle School of Art after I submitted anime characters I drew. I would steal my stepdad’s camera all the time and take selfies with it in the bathroom and edit them in Photoshop.”

They continue, “Then in high school I got really into shooting stuff; my homie Dee Phr3sh was the first one to tell me that I should get into shooting videos and doing mixtape covers. He was the first artist who I worked with where we released what we made and from there I just got hooked … it was so fun to collaborate on something that other people could consume. I wanted to make cool shit and just figure out how to keep making it; when you have the resources, you’ll always find a way to get it done.”

As they began working with more and more artists, Sptmbrborn would venture in other creative outlets such as making clothes and doing an interview series as well. Now they have been doing art full-time for about a year and have a full schedule of shoots week by week.

Their stylized name comes from the fact that their birthday is indeed in September combined with an affinity for the time of year itself, describing it as such, “It’s like late summer so it’s warm, but going into fall it feels kind of moody. All the best artists are Virgos (laughs). When I see the name, I think of what my work looks like - freely moving through colors and space. It’s ethereal.”

Manipulating Colors

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Photo by Sptmbrborn

Photo by Sptmbrborn

Photo by Sptmbrborn

Sptmbrborn’s trademark aesthetic is achieved through such methods as incorporating a projector, strategically placing lights, using a fog machine and layering colors together in post-production. They find excitement with every part of the creative process, saying, “Editing is where I get to put all of the personality back into it. The way that I set my scenes is by putting colors there so that they can be manipulated and moved around, so you can see what can be done when you light things in different ways.”

Folks are encouraged to be vulnerable but also to have fun with spontaneity. “I don’t like telling people what to do; I just try to match the other’s energy,” Sptmbrborn said about their approach. “Because my direction is very hands-off, it makes it feel way more collaborative. Once people understand that, then they don’t mind just being themselves.”

Each Sptmbrborn shoot is meant to be as organic as possible; a recent one involved rose petals that, according to them, were not originally planned with the model. “I had the petals here and she didn’t have anything to change into, so she literally started gluing the petals onto herself and things started popping up into both of our heads and we just kept going.”

In terms of their goals, Sptmbrborn plans to expand their print store, make clothes again, shoot more videos and start vending at events, plus they are working on a photobook with the working title “Nowhere” that they hope to release later this year. While their work is inherently collaborative, they have some bigger projects in store with folks, including a calendar dedicated to domestic abuse survivors plus teaming up with fellow artists on more long-term creative direction.

“I’ve only gotten to where I’m at because of the energies around me,” they concluded. “All of the people who I’ve worked with have motivated me to keep doing more, and it’s liberating.”

To view their work or book a shoot, visit Sptmbrborn’s website here or follow their Instagram @sptmbrborn.