Meet Photographer Terris Johnson

Who is Terris Johnson

Terris Johnson goes by the alias of Jon Aton when he does photography. He’s 17 years old and based in PG County Maryland, although he frequents the D.C. metropolitan are. He aspires to be a photojournalist and writer. His website is JON-ATON.COM where you can see more of his work. His twitter is @HubrisJon.

Can you tell me about when you got your first camera?

“I got my first camera when I was 15-years-old, and I still remember the day like it just happened a few hours ago. My brother helped me search on eBay for the perfect starter camera, and we found a used Canon T2i that we thought would be great for me. My brother is really one of the sole reasons I have an interest in photography in the first place. He let me practice using his camera since I was about 12, and I fell in love with the whole idea.”

Has your work be featured anywhere unique?

“I consider anywhere my work being featured as unique, because no publication is the same and I really do appreciate people taking the time to show my work on their walls/articles. I’ve been featured in smaller individually curated art shows and things like that, but I consider the three greatest places my work has been featured as Novice Magazine on Apple News, The National Building Museum, and Syracuse.com (I got posted on Syracuse when I went by my old alias childishwizard).”

What motivates your photography?

“It sounds corny but what really motivates my photography is the people of this earth. [laughs] There’s so much going on, and I just want to capture it all. I want to be a photojournalist very badly, because I believe it would give me the opportunity to travel the world and document people, cultures, wars, social issues, everything. I just want to bring it all into light. So many people are unaware of what’s going on outside the U.S., and I’m tired of seeing 45th in the headlines every single day. My only inspiration as of right now is the legendary photographer Gordon Parks. His story is a classic to me. There’s a lot of locals that inspire me too, like Shaughn Cooper and Myles Loftin.”

Where do you see yourself with photography in 10 years?

“In 10 years I see myself either on the forefront of a ground zero event, whether it be a police shooting, battle between two militias, famine, whatever it may be. I also could possibly see myself relaxing with my friends and family on a nice warm day, enjoying whatever it may be that we’re doing. Maybe go see a billboard I’m on or some of my work in a museum.”

What can we expect from you in the near future?

“You can expect some new projects from me that venture outside of photography in the near future. I want to try my hand at cinematography and graphic design, among other art forms lol. Hopefully I’ll have something cool done by the end of the year. For now you can expect more photos, and I plan to put together a book of prints. It may be delayed since I start college this year but, who knows.”