Hello! I am artist Serge Fils-Aime from New Jersey.
My artistic journey began in second grade when my mom noticed I had a good eye for photography and she gifted me with my first camera. From that point on, I took pictures of everyone and everything; I brought my little Kodak everywhere.
In eighth grade, my mom realized that I had a passion for photography and she gifted me my first professional camera; my beloved Nikon D5200. I spent the rest of that school year and freshman year of high school by enhancing my craft. I took my Nikon out with me every single day; taking pictures of the most random things I’d find in my small town. By the end of freshman year of high school, at the age of 14, I alone covered 5 weddings between May and September.
Then sophomore year, I was invited to photograph New York Fashion Week. I went to a plethora of fashion shows and presentations, met and shot with a handful of celebrities, and networked with a bunch of professionals in which I ended up working with on future projects. At 15 years old, I had to be the youngest volunteer there, but I did not feel any different from the average 21-year-old intern or the 60-year-old photographer who’s “been in the business for years.” In the summer, I stayed in Manhattan, NY for a couple days to photograph Sly Magazine’s “Fall Fashion: Do’s and Don'ts” working with models who’ve modeled for designers such as Kanye West, Rihanna, and Beyonce.
During junior year, my piece “Do You See?” was displayed for sale at the INSPIRED MINDS Exhibition in the Herb and Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC for $500, I regularly covered events for two elementary schools within Newark Public Schools, one of my photos from the Sally Lapointe fashion show during fashion week was published in the 2017 Photographer’s Forum Magazine, I covered Time Inc’s “Emotional Intelligence: How EQ is the new IQ in the Workplace” event, and lastly, I met the studio director of Time Inc now known as, Meredith Corporation.
Moreover, senior year. It was my least productive year, photography wise. I covered New York Fashion Week again and a few events here and there, but other than that, my camera was collecting dust in a corner in my room. Still sticking to art, I decided to pick up graphic design again, being that I haven’t done any graphics work in two years. After a month of trial and error with graphics, I finally created a masterpiece, my “Zen Butterfly” which was selected to be displayed in the second annual INSPIRED MINDS Exhibition in the Herb and Milly Iris Gallery. Aside from that, I slowly but surely began standing on the other end of the camera. Showing my Instagram followers a bit of who I am. It not only shockingly grew a lot of attention, but it was also at a rapid speed. In other words, I started “modeling,” just a little bit though... From that point on, I started getting my styling skills up, kept learning and practicing how to pose, and taking more pictures of myself. A month after graduation, I landed a modeling gig at the School of Visual Arts for their summer students’ photography showcase.
Now comes college, the current stage in my life. I am going to New Jersey City University, majoring in marketing with a minor in studio art concentrating in graphic design. As of now, I am proud to say that I am a photographer, graphic designer, and I have the ability to model (I wouldn’t call myself one until I’m signed). But nonetheless, at this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done and built so much, and I cannot wait to keep on growing.