For many Haitian creatives, pictures tell stories and convey messages that only bold imagery, tailored strategy, and a keen eye for detail can capture.
Vencent Dorcilien is a published portrait and sports photographer from Miami, Florida, whose photography holds special weight and can tell a million stories. Featured in local and major press publications like E! News, Voyage Mia and Shoutout Miami, Vencent’s company, Visual Vence Media is on a mission to continue sharing those stories through the art of photography.
Vencent’s creative journey began in 2019 with nothing more than a Canon G7x Mark II vlogging camera. “My wife and I would go cruising, where we would share our experiences with our viewers on our YouTube channel, The Royalty Adventure. Later that year, I used the same small camera to do a photo shoot for my 30th birthday. It wasn’t a challenge for me to go from videos to photos because both have similar camera settings, just different frameworks. I bought myself a Canon 80D Camera as a birthday gift and haven’t looked back ever since", he reflects.
The true definition of a photographer to Vencent is one who causes viewers of the photo to reflect on what was captured and tell a great story.
“A photograph must be contextual, intentional, and convey emotion.”
Through his time as a photographer, Vencent says one thing he notices lacking in the photography industry is the representation of minorities. “Representation matters because you need to see a physical manifestation of your dreams. Seeing someone who looks like you makes it more tangible, more attainable. You watch, emulate, and aspire to something more when you see people who look like you and have similar backgrounds as you. Your plans might be different, and your path will be different, but watching other people succeed makes you want to level up your game and inspire you to be great in whatever you want to do,” he shares.
Vencent’s draws inspiration from the Haitian photographer Bob Metelus, who he could meet in 2020.” I discovered his work through a docuseries that aired on ESPN in 2017, Chris Paul’s Chapter 3. Prior to meeting him in 2020, I put a photo of him on my vision board that summer to manifest things into reality. On August 27, 2020, was the day when I met Bob for the first time at his photography workshop. It was a life-changing experience after that night," he shares.
Kobe Bryant once said, “The most important thing is to inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” That’s what Bob did. He inspired me. When I get to that point where I have many experiences under my belt, the ultimate success is to inspire the next generation of creatives to be great at what they do.”
Vencent says his mission is to collaborate with creatives and clients that share the same end goal to create successful content, tell great stories, and create long-lasting memories. “In five years, I would like to expand my horizons by going into filmmaking and creating short documentaries. After that, my ten-year goal is to become a photographer for the National Basketball Association for the Miami Heat,” he expresses.
