Photographer’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ Project Celebrates Legacy’s Generational Impacts

Nov 14, 2024

Jeremy Gray

Left: Three people sitting outdoors, one braiding another's hair, with trees and a house in the background. Right: A person sits in dim light, resting their arms on their knees, looking contemplatively to the side.

Multi-talented artist Aundre Larrow is an exceptional photographer, filmmaker, and director. He is also an ardent defender of art at large and a staunch believer in the impact it can have on people, both as creators and viewers.

PetaPixel recently chatted with Larrow about his career, including his recent work with Apple on his new multimedia project, Mud, shot on iPhone 16 Pro.

Mud is about legacy — the lessons people receive, carry, and pass forward. It’s also about the innate desire to be seen and leave something behind. While there are many ways by which people can connect, few are anywhere near as powerful as photography.

Photography as Storytelling

Like many successful professional photographers, Larrow’s love affair with the camera started as a kid.

A person with long hair is lying on their back on grass, wearing a brown button-up shirt. They have their hands resting behind their head, eyes closed, appearing relaxed and surrounded by dappled sunlight and shadows.

“I took an intro to journalism class as a freshman,” Larrow recalls, saying he took the class as an elective because, aside from watching basketball games with his mother, the two always watched the evening news together.

“I think originally I was always like, ‘Man, I want to be a journalist,'” Larrow recalls. “So when I saw this class, I wanted to take it.”

“It’s funny thinking back, I probably should have taken art — it probably would have been more helpful for me, but I really enjoyed this class because we learned about the journalist’s responsibility.”

A shirtless person with a mustache sits in a dimly lit room, their arms resting on their knees. Soft, directional light highlights their face and shoulder, casting deep shadows. A window and dark wall art are faintly visible in the background.

A person leans forward on a dimly lit staircase at night. They wear a brown jacket and appear thoughtful. The background features a brick wall and some graffiti. Blue light illuminates part of the scene, creating a dramatic effect.

The class also included a photography segment, so Larrow was loaned a point-and-shoot film camera to hone his skills. The school helped him process the film and sent him on his way with the assignment to document student life.

Larrow is confident the class was a feeder to get kids into the school yearbook and newspaper clubs, but he fell in love with the photo portion in particular.

A man stands on dimly lit city stairs at night, looking upward. Surrounding brick buildings have illuminated windows. Streetlights and parked cars are visible below, with a dark sky above.

The teacher let Larrow keep the camera beyond the photo segment, and Aundre started making his own yearbooks, like little one-off photo diaries, for his friends. He did the first using construction paper and the second using a tearaway journal, like a spiral ring notebook everyone remembers from school.

“I think photography has always been really personal for me. I’m an only child; we immigrated from Jamaica when I was a little younger,” Larrow says, noting that he has always spent a lot of time around adults, which has informed how he absorbs the world around him.

“My early photography was [about] holding precious, deep moments, whether it’s drama, competition, or a portrait of my friends in church or whatever,” the photographer recalls, adding that he spent a lot of time doing portraits as a photography novice.

“By the time I graduated high school, I was carrying my camera with me all the time. I had a Pentax K1000, and then my theater teacher noticed that I got into photography, so he gave this Minolta SRT 101.”

A person with long hair stands confidently in front of a textured fabric backdrop. Their clothing features a bold pattern. Shadows of hands and branches fall across the fabric, creating an artistic effect. The image is in black and white.

A black and white photo of a person wearing glasses and a plaid shirt, sitting in front of a wrinkled white sheet backdrop. They are looking forward with a relaxed expression, with one arm resting on their knee.

Larrow’s ritual was to shoot a roll or two weekly, take it to the local Walgreens, and get it processed.

“I would wait for buy-one-get-one discounts, spend my $12, and make photo books,” the photographer fondly remembers.

Making People Care About Others Through Photography

When he went to college, studying journalism was a natural fit. Although Larrow was a full-blown photographer by this point, he wanted to learn more about storytelling — a skill on full display throughout his portfolio.

A standout moment was when a professor provided valuable feedback during Larrow’s first photo critique session.

“Okay, these are some photos of people that are your friends. Why do I care about this?” the professor said.

Silhouette of a person with arms outstretched against a twilight sky. They are wearing a light-colored outfit, and the scene includes darkened foliage in the foreground. The overall mood evokes serenity and freedom.

“I thought it was kind of mean when she said it, but now I’m like, ‘Oh, you’re totally right.’ I’m trying to figure out how to express an emotion of a space I was in, but this is only translating for me. And so over time, you’re trying to not only photography something near and dear to you, but express it in a way that the person that picks it up or sees the image can feel the same warmth or just the presence of being in that moment,” Larrow explains.

This lesson proved instrumental. Expressing a story that resonates with others, using just photos or motion pictures, is an exceptionally difficult skill and has propelled Larrow to great heights in the photo industry.

Telling someone’s story is also a responsibility Larrow doesn’t take lightly.

“I have to let [the subject] know that I’m seeing them for more than what I believe my vision of them is,” says Larrow. “I try really hard to make my subject feel like they’re seen, heard, and paid attention to.”

A person with curly hair kneels in a field of grass and wildflowers during sunset. They wear a beige shirt and white pants, with a serene sky in the background, creating a peaceful and contemplative scene.

A person with curly hair wearing a light-colored dress and jacket poses outdoors against a clear blue sky. The photo is taken from a low angle, with tall grasses in the foreground reaching towards the camera.

At this point in the conversation, Larrow doubled down on the importance of visibility, a topic near and dear to his heart.

“Before I die, I want to figure out how I can communicate why we should give a shit about a stranger. I call it digital empathy. I’m fascinated by this idea that an image is a way you can see someone long enough to see their soul, and hopefully it means we can care about each other long enough to take care of each other — in a way that speaks to our responsibility as humans.”

Accessibility and Visibility in Photography

Photography and videography are powerful ways to connect communities and individuals, but as Larrow admits, “It’s tricky because it’s so expensive.”

While no “Apple shill,” Larrow notes that smartphones have completely transformed how people can tell stories through photos and videos. The barrier to entry has been significantly reduced.

This isn’t a transformative shift every photographer is excited about, though. Larrow admits that the more people that can take great photos, the greater the risk that established (more expensive) folks may be pushed out. Add growing concerns about AI, and it’s a challenging time to be a photographer.

Two people underwater, reaching towards each other with outstretched hands. Sunlight filters through the water, creating rays and illuminating the swirling particles around them. Their clothes float gently, emphasizing the fluid motion.

A person crouches in a spotlight against a dark background, casting a long shadow on the floor. They wear a light tank top, pants, and boots, creating a dramatic contrast with the surrounding darkness.

Silhouetted person in a light coat stands on a rooftop against the backdrop of a city skyline at sunset, with the sky in warm hues of orange and yellow.

He says the worries are “fair,” he says, but he adds that he wants “everyone to try their best to be celebratory” because the world is getting new art from different people that otherwise would have been missed or left behind. As the cost of creating art gets smaller and more people have cameras in their hands, the better off we are collectively, even though not all benefits will be felt equally.

“Right now, I just want everyone to be more celebratory of what it means to be able to be an artist way easier than before,” Larrow says, entirely aware that young guns may come in and take jobs from him at any point.

But of course, having the necessary gear doesn’t make a photographer. And not every client is in a race to the bottom in terms of cost.

“The ability to express something creatively” matters as much now as it ever did.

A man with a mustache and a woman are lying closely together on a dark surface. The woman has her eyes closed, resting her head on her hand, while the man gazes upward. They appear relaxed and intimate.

A person is lying on a bed while two others are recording the scene with smartphones. One of the individuals is holding a tattoo machine and appears to be tattooing the person lying down. The room is well-lit, with a chair in the background. — Behind the scenes shot of Larrow (left) taking a still frame while director of photography Derrick Chen captures motion.

“Some of being creative is just being creative. It’s not just the photo we take, but how we communicate, how we market, how we exist,” Larrow says.

“It’s exhausting,” he adds with a sigh.

A man with a white beard stands under a large concrete bridge. He wears a black shirt, and his left arm, adorned with tattoos, is visible. The clear blue sky contrasts with the bridge's structure, and graffiti is seen on the pillars.

A person stands under a large concrete bridge, looking upward. They are wearing a white t-shirt and have short, curly hair. Sunlight creates a contrast between their figure and the shadowed structure. Graffiti is visible on the bridge supports.

Permanence Through Art in an Increasingly Temporary World

As he sees it, part of Larrow’s job as an artist is to create something that persists. While professional artists like him need to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, and it’s tough to do, there’s more to it than that. The sincerity with which Larrow works is a big part of why he’s able to survive in the field, too. Creating something real and lasting is a significant part of his new project, Mud.

“I have subjects talking about things they’ve learned from parents, loved ones, or partners. I think it’s really important. To be honest, in the wake of COVID, I’ve spent a lot more time thinking about my mortality.”

A person with braided hair sits on dark soil, their skin glistening as a beam of light illuminates their face. They gaze upward, creating a striking contrast between the illuminated and shadowed areas.

Close-up black and white image of a person with a contemplative expression. The skin glistens with moisture, highlighting facial features and braided hair. The background is softly blurred, emphasizing the subject's serene and introspective pose.

“There’s this inevitability to things — I definitely fear death. I’m confused by people who say they don’t,” Larrow remarks, channeling many thinkers who believed death is the driving force behind much of humanity’s creation.

“I’m starting to recognize there’s a lack of control I have about the world around me, but in that lack of control, there’s a beauty in the ephermality of it. The fact is that this thing is going to be gone. So in the ability to express that thing, there’s something lovely in that.”

There are lessons that Larrow’s grandfather taught his mom, which she then taught him. These lessons themselves matter, of course, but Larrow says how “we perceive quality time” has especially stuck with him.

“If my work allows people to learn about other people in a short period of time, I would say that a legacy for me is making other people be seen,” ensuring that the lessons they carry with them are passed forward.

Mud is centered around the concept of legacy — about what people leave for us when they’re here and what we leave for others.

Three people sit on outdoor steps under a tree. The person in the foreground is braiding the hair of the person in the middle, who looks ahead. The third person, wearing a brown jacket, is braiding the middle person's hair from behind.

A man wearing a cap and a black shirt laughs while embracing a young girl. The girl, wearing a white shirt with pink hearts, covers her face and smiles. Both wear necklaces, and the background is a soft green.

A black and white photo of a shirtless person standing in front of a white backdrop, surrounded by dense foliage. The person appears relaxed, with their hands in their pockets and their hair styled in cornrows.

A person with braided hair stands with their back to the camera, covered in mud or dark material, against a plain backdrop. The image is in grayscale, highlighting the texture on their skin and the contrast between the figure and the background.

“Resiliency is overrated, what matters isn’t just an individual’s story but the legacy it creates for their loved ones both in inspiring them and building something out of mud, blood and bone for the future,” Larrow says.

How people like Larrow can tell people’s stories has changed as camera technology has evolved. While the lessons we share and those who share them are impermanent, their impacts are eternal.

Image credits: All photos © Aundre Larrow from ‘Mud,’ shot on iPhone 16 Pro and made possible through early access provided by Apple.

Additional credits include Beth Fletcher (producer), Derrick Chen (director of photography), Curt Saunders (production lead), Nell Geer (cam PA), Shelby Lail (cam PA), Leo Gallagher (sound effects), Frank Yu (gaffer), Cindy Chen (underwater work), Irina Lazouski (gaffer), Cearah Peck (casting), Tyrone Rhabb (editor). ‘Mud’ features the following subjects: Carlos Fernandez, Colton Williams, Jomo Kenyatta, Cici, Didier, Nicole Hanzi Zhou, Gene Hartley, Talia Webster, and Hector.