Chaz Langley is no stranger to the camera lens – from behind it, that is. A multi-talented singer and photographer, Chaz hails from Nashville, TN and now resides in New York. His work astutely captures the street style and colour of the streets of NYC.
For Chaz, photography has always been a creative outlet, as well as therapy. A storyteller of places and people, Chaz believes that we’re affected in many ways by what we see and hear. The energy and inspiration of New York motivate his creative practice, driving an unmistakable parallel between both his songwriting and photography.
We’ve absolutely loved seeing our glasses on him and have admired his work for a long time. We were delighted to collaborate with him this year on a series of images with his style collaborator David, otherwise known as The Perpetual Gentleman.
Chaz wears our latest design, Sweets. A generous Aviator featuring a wide comfort bridge with longer temples for a snug and secure fit. Sweets is part of our expanding range of frames designed with larger faces in mind.
New York and its people so obviously feeds your creative practice as a photographer, how have things changed since lockdown began?
Yes, New York has obviously been affected a lot given how many people we have living here… Not to mention as having the most media coverage than most places in the U.S.As a photographer I’ve learned to be able to learn more about other ways to stay inspired and creative. One way that I’ve been able to do that is through virtual photoshoots (with Facetime). This is allowing me to be able to stay connected with friends and colleagues. I’ve also found this as a valuable resource to continue working with brands looking to maintain deadlines with photoshoots with models in isolation directly in their homes. Here are a couple of videos detailing this new skill that I’ve learned since being in isolation. Watch how Chaz’s accomplishes his virtual shoots and get involved!
How are you using your time at the moment?
I’m doing my best to maintain as much normalcy as possible by keeping some sense of a routine. I make sure to make my bed daily (it’s important for my mind). I also make an effort to wear different clothes to feel like there is a new day ahead… Creatively, I’m writing new songs and learning new visual editing techniques on YouTube. I’m also investing in my new relationship which has been great for both of us. We video chat and play games with friends online as well which help us maintain a social life to some degree.
Do you have any rituals you can share for keeping creativity stoked?
Ha, I should have read ahead to this question because I believe I’ve answered it in the previous ones. I would say once again making my bed daily (for the sense of accomplishment), learning more about my craft a little deeper and working on projects I haven’t finished has been something I’ve really tried to keep as rituals of a sort.
Favourite jazz record?
Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” and John Coltrane “A Love Supreme” stand out in my mind at the moment.
Favourite pair of Black Eyewear?
Tough question… It’s like trying to choose your favorite child because I love them all for various reasons… Ok, let’s see… The one I wear the most I would say because of the versatility are the Miles. Although I do need to get more colors in that frame to really have it work with more of my wardrobe.
Follow Chaz on Instagram here, and see more of his photography on his website, here.
