Keion Hayes

I picked up a camera in college and started Steez Media the same year. I still chase the split second that tells the whole story.

My instinct is documentary. Whether it is a fighter under ring lights, a band mid-set, a couple stealing a quiet minute or a styled editorial, I look for the real moment inside the produced one. I am drawn to people, culture and movement, and I let color and emotion come from the image itself.

I grew up in Louisiana, where storytelling runs through the music, the food and everyday conversation, and that is still the root of how I see. Now in Los Angeles, I like bridging those Southern roots with the many cultures of this city.

I studied mass communications with a photography focus at Grambling State University, and spent years as a photojournalist covering live events, concerts and editorial stories. My covers and features include MALVIE and Quadro; read the MALVIE interview.

More than ten years of high-volume fashion and e-commerce production.

On set I run Capture One tethered sessions as a digitech: real-time review, focus, framing and color QC, naming and metadata, and clean handoff to post. In post I retouch apparel and product at volume, 80 to 100 plus images a day, keeping fabric texture, product accuracy and brand consistency intact.

I also know the gear side: lighting, grip and camera systems for commercial and editorial productions.